Focal Point - 2004/04
Second Effort
Seth Davis (3883 142nd Pl. SE, Bellevue WA 98006; E-mail: [email protected]) built this Great Planes Super Skybolt as his second kit when he was 14 years old. His first model was a Great Planes CAP 232.
Seth used four rolls of MonoKote to cover this model. "It is powered by an O.S. .91 FX, and it flies great," wrote Seth. "It will do the best flat spins that you have ever seen."
Adam's Aresti
Adam Chamberlin (7050 Nine Mile Rd., Rockford MI 49341; E-mail: [email protected]) is shown at 13 years of age with his Hangar 9 Aresti Almost Ready to Fly (ARF) that he received as a Christmas present.
Adam soloed the summer before this photo was taken, and he looks like he can't wait to put the Aresti through its paces when the weather clears. The model is powered by a Tower .46 engine and uses a Futaba radio for guidance duties.
Big Stinson
John DeGrood (217 Sunset Blvd., Mankato MN 56001) built this Stinson Reliant from a Top Flite kit. It is covered with Sig Koverall and finished with butyrate dope.
"The color scheme is that of a full-scale Stinson that was featured in the April 2000 AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) magazine," wrote John. An O.S. 1.60 swinging an 18 x 18 propeller powers the model, and it weighs just less than 20 pounds. A Futaba radio system provides the guidance.
Fourth Aeromaster
Ron Regan (10008 Stoneleigh Dr., Benbrook TX 76126; E-mail: [email protected]) modified this Aeromaster biplane by eliminating the stock cowl and adding a 3-inch spinner faired into a new nose shape.
Both wings are swept, and the wingspan is 52 inches. Ron uses an O.S. 91 four-stroke engine and an Airtronics RD6000 radio control (RC) system in his biplane. "This is the fourth Aeromaster I have built in the 34 years I have been flying, and each one has been a delight," wrote Ron.
Electric Floatplane
Rich Flinchbaugh (7 Avon Ln., South Dennis MA 02660; E-mail: [email protected]) built this Mitch Poling–designed Aqua Sport for some electric-powered floatplane fun.
The model is powered by a Magnetic Mayhem motor, features 3.5:1 gearing, and swings an 11 x 8 propeller. It uses a Castle Creations Pegasus-35 speed control and a Sanyo 2000, eight-cell pack. The model's total weight is 64 ounces, and it is fitted with Kircher foam floats. "Electrics are great!" wrote Rich.
From-Scratch Spirit
Dewayne Sciba (1111 Oakwood Rd., Ortonville MI 48462; E-mail: [email protected]) designed this 1/7-scale model of the Spirit of St. Louis and built it from scratch.
"I chose the 'Spirit' mainly because of its extended high wing and stable flight capabilities, and because there are no RC kits of this airplane available that I'm aware of," he wrote. Dewayne scaled his design from a 1/48-scale plastic model kit, and he made a two-piece mold from which to fabricate a fiberglass fuselage. The aircraft's wingspan is 58 inches and it weighs 5 pounds. An O.S. .40 SF engine provides the thrust.
Nice Citabria
Joe Hartley (7614 N. Pershing Rd., Indianapolis IN 46268) has been modeling for roughly 14 years, and this Balsa USA Citabria is his latest project.
It is powered by a Saito 150 engine and uses a six-channel Futaba computer radio system for guidance. "The model is covered with Sig Koverall and painted with Sig dope for a realistic finish, compliments of Dan Winship," wrote Joe.
Sport Corsair
Donald Shoefelt (1055 Inca Dr., Laramie WY 82072; E-mail: [email protected]) sent this photo of his Great Planes .40-size F4U Corsair semiscale sport model.
This 6-pound airplane uses an O.S. Max 70 four-stroke engine swinging a 12 x 7 propeller. It is covered with Insignia Blue MonoKote with white MonoKote trim. "This model was a pleasure to build and all of the parts fit very well," wrote Donald.
EAA Bipe
Bert Sparrow (5 Berryhill Ct., Springboro OH 45066) built this clean-looking EAA Biplane. It is powered by an O.S. 91 four-stroke engine and is covered in UltraCote with MonoKote trim.
"At first it appeared to have too much lift, so I raised the trailing edge of the top wing and it flies great now," wrote Bert.
Smallish Zero
Gus Morfis (4709 Green Meadows Ave., Torrance CA 90505; E-mail: [email protected]) designed this small RC Mitsubishi Zero, and his friend and fellow club member Read Johnson built and flew it.
The model has a wingspan of 33 1/2 inches, a wing area of 170 square inches, and is powered by a Speed 400, 6-volt electric motor. "Read did a beautiful job of construction, and the model looks extremely realistic in the air," wrote Gus.
Somethin' Extra With Extras
Robert E. Smith (902 E. Day Rd., Coeur d'Alene ID 83815) added a few extras to his Sig Somethin' Extra; he produced homemade floats and skis to augment his model's use. It is powered by a SuperTigre .51 engine.
The floats, which Neil Udell cut from foam, are sheeted with 1/16 balsa. They are covered with Fabricote and painted with LustreKote paint. The skis were cut from scrap Formica sheet and have a 1/4 x 1/2-inch hardwood backbone where the attachment points are located. "The aircraft performs very well in all three modes," wrote Robert.
Korda Power House
Hugh Black (869 Arrowhead Dr., Bucyrus OH 44820) built this Dick Korda–designed Power House for SAM (Society of Antique Modelers) events. It has a 62-inch wingspan.
"The nice thing about it is that Dick himself gave me the plans to build this model," wrote Hugh. "I'm 82 years old and still enjoy building and flying."
Electric Sukhoi
Stewart F. Ortiz (5091 Foothill Blvd., San Diego CA 92109; E-mail: [email protected]) assembled this Model-Tech Sukhoi .46 ARF and powers it with a JETI Phasor 45/3 electric motor.
Stewart uses a JETI JES 40-3P OPTO controller along with a Sanyo seven-cell SCR pack (1200 mAh) and a Master Airscrew 10 x 7 three-blade propeller. He uses a Futaba T6XH radio in his Sukhoi.
Coot-A Amphibian
Robert Pease (21714 Sunset Dr., Astor FL 32102; E-mail: [email protected]) scratch-built this 1/6-scale version of the Coot-A from prints from Vintage R/C Plans.
The model has a 71-inch wingspan and weighs 10.5 pounds. It is powered by a SuperTigre .75 engine, has homemade retracts, and uses a Futaba radio for guidance. "It flies great off water," wrote Robert about its performance.
T-Craft
Richard Eimert (8 Overbrook Dr., Monsey NY 10952; E-mail: [email protected]) built this Taylorcraft from 1970 Sid Morgan plans.
The model spans 72 inches and weighs 90 ounces. It is powered by an O.S. .52S four-stroke engine and is covered with 21st Century fabric. "I intend to mount it on floats next spring for our fun-flys at a local lake," wrote Richard. "I have many hours in various T-Crafts, both on wheels and floats, and this model is trimmed and marked like the one that I flew back in 1948."
Stand-Off Sopwith
Jim Farned (6184 Kimbrough Ln., Biloxi MS 39532; E-mail: [email protected]) designed and built this Stand-Off Scale version of the World War I Sopwith Triplane.
It is powered by an O.S. .25 FP engine, has a wingspan of 39.75 inches, and weighs 3.5 pounds. This model has a profile fuselage, but the nose has been widened to allow the battery and receiver to be installed. "It is not particularly fast, but it is very maneuverable and has a high rate of climb, all characteristics of the full-scale aircraft," wrote Jim.
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Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
