Model Aviation, 5151 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Focal Point
Russian p-39
Al Leach (100 Villa D’est Dr., Coram NY 11727) lives in the
Soviet sector of Long Island, and enjoys Model Aviation—especially
“Focal Point.”
“It is great to see all the different (and sometimes rather odd)
models from all over,” wrote Al, who belongs to the Long Island
Radio Control Society (LIRCS).
Shown is his Soviet-trimmed Top Flite® Gold Edition P-39.
“I made it Russian because the Americans and British hated this
plane, but the Russians loved it, and since they are now our friends,
I figured ‘why not?’ wrote Al.
The P-39 is powered by an O.S. .61 FX, and is covered in Tan
and Olive Drab military flat MonoKote®.
Al put a 30mm cannon in the nose cone by drilling a hole in
the cone, and gluing a small piece of black Great Planes “golden
rod” in it. According to him, it works well and doesn’t interfere
with the electric starter.
“It flies like it is on a rope and lands even better,” wrote Al.
“Even without flaps, it settles down on the nose gear very softly.”
somethin’ Extra
Rick Arrowood (2523 New Castle Dr., Troy OH 45373) finished
his Sig Somethin’ Extra in MonoKote®, and is using an MDS .48
with an 11 x 4 APC propeller for power.
The 5.3-pound airplane features a 511⁄2-inch wingspan, and has
good wing loading and great flying characteristics.
“I am having a lot of fun flying this plane—especially in the
evenings when the wind is calm; you can get low and slow—that’s
very relaxing,” wrote Rick.
Edge 540
Russ Welton (15640 Airport Way, Vernonia OR 97064) is
shown here with his 29% Aeroworks Edge 540.
The model is powered by a BME 2.7 engine, has JR 8411 servos,
and is covered with UltraCote®.
According to Russ, it’s “super stable.” He writes that it “flies itself!”
Taylorcraft
This ACE clipped-wing Taylorcraft is Tommy Williams’ (68
Sugarmill Ct., Grovetown GA 30813) first attempt at a 1⁄4-scale model.
The model has a 90-inch wingspan, weighs 16 pounds, has a US
Engines 41cc engine, and a TME smoke system. The radio is a sixchannel
Futaba 6VA. The engine has an 18 x 10 propeller and more
than enough power.
Covering is 21st Century fabric in Military Blue, Light Red, and
White, with matching 21st Century paint on the cowl and wheel pants.
“Although high-wing airplanes are not known for good rolling
characteristics, this airplane rolls very well,” wrote Tommy.
According to him, inverted flight is very good because of the Clark
Y airfoil, and looks very realistic with the smoke on.
10 M ODEL AVIATION
March 2001 11
What a slowpoke!
This is Larry Davidson’s (3439 E. Stanhope Terr., Springfield
MO 65809) Great Planes SlowPoke. It’s “fun to fly,” he wrote.
The wingspan is 50 inches, power is by a Saito 30 engine, and
the radio is a Futaba T6XA.
Larry writes that an essential modification is the addition of
ailerons; it allows the model to perform simple maneuvers quickly
and easily, which it could not do with rudder control only.
He uses elevator on low rates, because little movement allows the
6561⁄2-square-inch wing to bite a large portion of air, for quick
response. Ailerons are controlled by two servos, to utilize the flaperon
mixing function, but Larry had not needed or tried it as of his writing.
The model is somewhat hard to land on windy days. Larry
recommends flying it in calm weather.
F-4 phantom
Timothy M. Irish’s (3876 S. 1950 W., Roy UT 84067) Great Planes
F-4 Phantom has an O.S. .91 FX engine, retracts, and a radio by JR.
“I finished the plane as a 1971 Air Force Thunderbird,” wrote
Timothy. “I have always loved the looks of the Phantom, and the
Thunderbirds are awesome to watch. It has a Thunderbird on the
undercarriage, just like the real ones.”
The F-4 flew great on its first flight. Timothy planned to take the
model to the Air Force Thunderbird museum at Nellis Air Force
Base outside Las Vegas NV, and get a picture of it with a full-scale
Thunderbird in the background.
Grosvenor House Comet
“The Comet racing plane sponsored by the hotel chain Grosvenor
House won the London-to-Australia race in the early 1930s,” wrote
Bob Penko (21151 Westport Ave., Euclid OH 44123) about the
inspiration for his model.
The model’s fuselage is made from 1⁄32 plywood formed
around three bulkheads, and it has no other framework. It has an
81-inch wingspan with foam wings, two K&B .40 engines, and
weighs 93⁄4 pounds.
According to Bob, it flies very well and will do “all the usual Radio
Control stunts.”
p-51D Mustang
Cal Kanan (99 Spring Brook Dr., Fremont OH 43420) built his
Giant Scale P-51D from a Top Flite® kit.
The model weighs 27 pounds and has an 86-inch wingspan.
It has a Brison 4.2 engine with Byron “purr power,” and
landing gear is a Robart main and tail wheel. It features full
flaps and retracts.
The P-51 is finished with 3⁄4-ounce fiberglass with a Deltron base
coat/clear coat, and Scale Skins overlay.
12 M ODEL AVIATION
Model Aviation, 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Focal Point
Yak-55M
Gregory A. Minden’s (4540 Vincente Ln., Las Vegas NV
89130) Yak-55M was built from a kit from the English company
Flair Products Ltd.
The model weighs 14 pounds, and is powered by a Moki 1.80
engine. Covering is UltraCote® and UltraPaint™.
It’s “very aerobatic and a smooth flier,” wrote Gregory.
F-15 Kombat
This is Victor Fontenot Jr.’s (2315 Florida St., Mandeville LA
70448) own-design F-15 Kombat.
He purchased a Kombat Krusren kit from the Airplane
Factory Inc. in Mandeville, and decided to design his own wing
and tail surfaces.
Victor is pleasantly surprised that the model flies so well. “It can
make main gear landings every time,” he wrote. “It performs loops,
rolls, and stall turns with no problems.”
The F-15 has a Thunder Tiger .61, because a .40- to .46-size
engine was too slow.
Citibria pro
Phil Shellabarger (194 “D” St., Coos Bay OR 97420) finished his
Balsa USA Citibria Pro March 10, 2000.
It has an 80-inch wingspan and is powered by a SuperTigre .90.
The covering is 21st Century fabric. “Our local club has found the
local businesses are very happy to help with graphics,” wrote Phil.
This airplane flies very well, and floats to a landing. However, it
was involved in a midair collision its third time out.
“The landing gear was torn out and it received only minor
damage,” wrote Phil. “The other plane was a total loss.”
Winter projects
George C. Wright (67 Vine Way, Bordentown NJ 08505) sent in
a picture of his two projects from last winter—both Sig kits: a Four-
Star 120 and a Somethin’ Extra.
George modified the Four-Star 120 by clipping the wing from 81
inches to 73 inches (to make it more aerobatic), and adding a cowl
and wheel pants.
The Four-Star is powered by an O.S. 120 Surpass II, and the
Somethin’ Extra is powered by an O.S. .46 FX. Both models’ radio
signals are provided by a Futaba FP-T8UAF.
Roy Vogel covered the models, and Hank Clark performed the
test flights. Neither model required trim adjustments; they “flew
right off the building board,” wrote George.
March 2001 13
Proud of your latest building/flying effort? Share it with MA’s
readers! Send us a glossy color print (no digital photos under
300 dpi or photocopies, please), with appropriate description
(no handwritten submissions, please), and we’ll run the best
submissions as space permits.
Please include your full address (including E-mail, if
available) so that interested parties may contact you directly.
Send to: Model Aviation, 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302;
Attn: Focal Point.
Because of this section’s popularity, it may be several
months before your model is featured.
WACO YKs-6
John Pomroy (3901 E. Windsong Dr., Phoenix AZ 85044) built
this model for his dad, John Pomroy Sr., from plans by John Burns
in R/C Model Builder (plan #1811).
The WACO is powered by an O.S. Wankel .30, and is covered
with 21st Century fabric.
The 1⁄8-scale replica has proven to be a great flier. It has been flown
in Arizona by John Jr. and on Long Island, New York by his dad.
Messerschmitt Me 109
Dave Schwarzen (3003 Carron Rd., Festus MO 63028) scratchbuilt
his 1⁄8-scale Me 109 from specifications in Scale Aircraft
Drawings Volume II and photos on the Internet.
The model took Dave right at four months to complete. It has a
steerable tail wheel, flaps, and fixed main gear. It is powered by an
O.S. .46 seated under the fiberglass cowl.
“I flew it one time, but being partial to slower-flying
biplanes, I gave it to a young member of the club for his
enjoyment,” wrote Dave.
Flight of passage
Jim Brown (4540 Bruce Hwy., Blissfield MI 49228) built this
1⁄4-scale Super Cub to match the Super Cub in the book Flight of
Passage.
Written by Rinker Buck, the book is about two teenagers flying
across America in July 1966. According to Jim, anyone interested in
flight should read it.
The model was built from a Dynaflite kit. It has a US Engines 35
gasoline engine, a Futaba six-channel radio, and is covered with
Super Coverite. Sherman Kardatzke painted the Super Cub.
Kaos 40
Joel Stein (7 Collingwood Pl., Flanders NJ 07836) sent a picture
of his Kaos 40, built from the Tower Hobbies kit.
The model is covered with UltraCote®, powered by an O.S. .46
FX, and the radio is a Futaba Skysport 6VA.
“It was a pleasure to build and is a great flier,” wrote Joel. “It
will do whatever you’re capable of and do it very smoothly.”
