Focal Point - 2004/08

10 MODEL AVIATION
First Effort
Jerry Arndt (11155 N. Lakeside Oaks Ave., Baton Rouge LA
70810) sent in this photo of his son Andrew with his Tower Hobbies
40 trainer. This is the first model Andrew has built by himself.
“Andrew has been an avid RC airplane aficionado since he has
been able to talk,” wrote Jerry. “His grandfather, Ron Szot, is a
lifelong RC airplane enthusiast and he helped Andrew build his first
trainer airplane when he was only 5 years old.”
Flying Razor
Carl Schurenberg (7678 Oceola Ln., West Chester OH 45069; Email:
[email protected]) built this Fokker D.VIII “Flying Razor”
from a 1⁄4-scale Balsa USA kit. He powers it with a Zenoah G-26 gas
engine.
The model has an 82-inch wingspan. Carl used Solartex fabric to
cover the wings, and he applied Arizona Model Aircrafters printed
lozenge fabric to the fuselage.
“I found the cowl paint scheme daunting, but black paint covered
by carefully placed white vinyl triangles solved the problem,” he
wrote.
Sopwith Pup
Ted Kulik (41 Seven Star Rd., Groveland MA 01834; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this 1⁄4-scale Sopwith Pup from a Balsa
USA kit.
The Pup spans 77 inches and weighs 16.5 pounds. It is covered
with Solartex and has a Saito FA-170R3 engine swinging a Classic
Series 18 x 6 propeller.
Features include Proctor Enterprises rigging wire and
turnbuckles, a Williams Bros. machine gun, Balsa USA spunaluminum
cowling, and a Forsyth Engineering custom bronze
spinner nut.
Guidance is provided by a Futaba transmitter. The control
surfaces are actuated by Hitec HS-605BB servos, and a Futaba
S3003 servo is used for throttle control.
Humming Bird
“I have always enjoyed the little known airplanes from the 1920s
and ’30s,” wrote Gerry Becker (4949 Samish Way #37, Bellingham
WA 98229; E-mail: [email protected]). “My wife bought me
Mike Vines’ book Wind in the Wires for my birthday, and after
spotting the [de Havilland] D.H.53 Humming Bird in that book, I
knew I had to build it.”
Gerry built his model from modified plans that he purchased
from Bill Northrop’s Plans Service. The finished model is powered
by an O.S. .52 FS engine, has a 63-inch wingspan, and weighs 6
pounds.
Model Aviation, 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Focal Point
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August 2004 11
Painted Chipmunk
Roger Spencer (R.R. 1, Box 177, Verona MO 65769) built this
replica of Art Scholl’s Super Chipmunk.
He used Krylon acrylic latex paint to finish the model and the
Liberty Bell graphic, and the Pennzoil name and the numbers on the
fin are painted on. Roger applied a Polycrylic clear coat over the
paint to fuel-proof the model.
A SuperTigre G-3250 engine powers the model, and a JR radio
provides guidance.
Worth the Time
George Young (45 Sheep Pasture Rd., Madison CT 06443; Email:
[email protected]) built this Spirit of Yesteryear 3M
Scooter RES glider.
It spans 118 inches, has a wing area of 1,037 square inches, and
weighs 57.8 ounces, which yields a wing loading of 8.4 ounces per
square foot of wing area.
The model includes a Maxx Products ACC617 On-Board Battery
Checker, a JR R700 receiver, Futaba S3101 rudder and elevator
servos, and UltraCote covering. There is provision for 16 ounces of
additional ballast in the wings.
“This is a very nice flying glider that can make tight circles
without tip stalling,” wrote George. “It was worth the time it took to
build it.”
For more great Focal Point photos, go to: www.modelaircraft.org/mag/index.htm
Dr.I Triplane
George Wendt (5890 Main St., Millbrook AL 36054) sent in this
dramatic photo of his Balsa USA Dr.I triplane.
It weighs 16 pounds and is powered by a Zenoah G-26 engine.
George used Sig Koverall for the covering and painted the model
with Krylon paint.
“The kit was a blast to build; the parts fit was great and the plans
were well thought out,” he wrote. “It flies like a trainer after it’s in
the air.”
Gee Bee Y
John Curran (8432 Etiwanda Ave., Northridge CA 91325; Email:
[email protected]) built this Gee Bee Y from an Ikon N’wst
kit. It spans 90 inches and weighs 24 pounds.
He covered his model with Stits Lite Fabric and finished it with
Stits paints. The dummy engine is from FTE, and the colors and
graphics came from Bob’s Aircraft Documentation.
The model uses a 3.2 Sachs engine from J&A Engineering, and
guidance is provided by a Futaba radio system.
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12 MODEL AVIATION
Model Aviation, 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Focal Point
Miss Piggy
Roger Camp (5176 S. Kenton Way, Englewood CO 80111; Email:
[email protected]) assembled this original “Miss Piggy”
design using parts that were salvaged from several wrecks.
The wings are from two Corsairs, the stabilizer is from a trainer,
the elevators were formerly UltraStick flaps, and Roger scratch-built
the rest.
This design was inspired by a photo of a full-scale Fleet 50 twinengine
biplane. Two O.S. .40 LA engines provide power. The model
weighs 8.65 pounds and has a wing area of approximately 960
square inches.
Sig Skybolt
Stanley R. Sawyer (4702 Silver Heron Dr., Melbourne FL
32934) built this Skybolt from an older Sig kit. It has all balsa
construction; the parts patterns were printed on sheets of balsa. The
upper turtledeck was originally plastic, but Stanley replaced it with
balsa framework.
The model features upper and lower ailerons on each wing, dual
cockpits, and is covered with MonoKote.
A Saito 65 four-stroke engine powers the 45-inch-wingspan
airplane. It weighs 6 pounds and is controlled by a Futaba radio
system.
“It’s a blast to fly!” wrote Stan.
Creamsicle
Bob Purdy (E-mail: [email protected]) built this 9-pound Carl
Goldberg Ultimate biplane and covered it with UltraCote. A Saito
120 engine powers it.
“I wanted to cover the model with a color that could be seen
easily against the blue Arizona sky,” he wrote. “I had plenty of
orange and cream covering. My wife, Linda, seeing the finished
model stated that it reminded her of that ice cream bar, the
Creamsicle.”
Bandito Grande
Jerry O’Keefe (158 Mariners Dr., Fairfield Glade TN 38558; Email:
[email protected]) built this D.B. Mathews design from
plans and instructions published in the July 2001 Radio Control
Modeler magazine.
The model spans 82 inches and weighs 12-13 pounds. A Saito
150 engine, swinging a Master Airscrew 16 x 8 propeller, provides
the power. The covering is MonoKote, and guidance is provided by
a Hitec Eclipse radio system.
“This aircraft is an outstanding sport flier, is very stable, and
takeoffs and landings are exceptionally smooth,” wrote Jerry.
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August 2004 13
Fleet Model 1
Dave Seale (58 Sanderson Ave., Dedham MA 02026; E-mail:
[email protected]) built his Fleet biplane from plans by Bill King.
The construction article for this model was published in the
December 1964 Model Airplane News, and plans are still available
through RCstore.com.
The model is a 3⁄16-scale version of the famous aircraft. It spans
63.25 inches, weighs 8.75 pounds, and is powered by a Saito 72
four-stroke engine. It is covered with 21st Century paint.
Fokker D.VII With a Past
Bill Stoutenburg’s (255 Mayer Rd. Apt. 350, Frankenmuth MI
48734) 18-inch-span Fokker D.VII has an interesting story behind it.
He built the model from a Guillow’s kit that was given to him by
a friend who purchased it at a trade show. The kit had apparently
been in a fire, and the box showed some smoke damage.
Bill converted the FF model to CL and powered it with a Cox
Pee Wee .020 engine. He painted it with AeroGloss model dope.
Corben Ace
Chuck Vettes (8732 Westminster Blvd. #5, Westminster CA
92683; E-mail: [email protected]) built this rarely seen Corben
Ace to 1⁄4 scale. It weighs 13 pounds.
The model is powered by an RCV 90 four-stroke engine, which
has a gear reduction of 2:1 and produces a distinctive sound as it
swings an 18 x 12 propeller.
Chuck covered the Ace with Stits and Solartex materials, and a
Futaba transmitter with a Hitec receiver and servos are used for
guidance.
“The airplane flies well but should definitely not be flown by
beginners!” wrote Chuck. “Coordinated rudder input is almost
mandatory.”
Proud of your latest building/flying effort? Share it with MA’s
readers and/or visitors to AMA’s Web site (www.modelaircraft.org)!
Send us a glossy color print or digital photo on CD-ROM (minimum
300 ppi) with an appropriate description of the model, and we will
publish or post the best submissions.
No E-mailed photos, laser copies, ink-jet copies, or photocopies
will be accepted. Restrict content to the model with or without the
owner/builder. Inappropriate photos will not be published.
Supply your full address (and E-mail address if available) so that
interested parties may contact you directly. Send all submissions to
Bob Hunt, Box 68, Stockertown PA 18083, ATTN: Focal Point.
Because of this section’s popularity, it may be several months before
your model is featured.
RV-4
Robert E. Lee (805 Cloisters Dr., Florence SC 29505; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this Great Planes RV-4 and painted it to
look like his brother-in-law Gene Thomas’s full-scale version.
An O.S. .46 FX engine powers the model, and a Futaba radio,
with seven servos, is used for guidance. Robert covered the RV-4
with MonoKote and used color-matching LustreKote paint for the
cowl and the Stan’s Fiber Tech wheel pants. The model took him
eight months to build.
“The airplane has functioning flaps and flies like a dream,” he
wrote.
For more great Focal Point photos, go to: www.modelaircraft.org/mag/index.htm
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