Focal Point
“Spanish” Hawker Fury
Henry Arance (880 Kimberly Ct., Upland CA 91784; E-mail: [email protected]) scratch-built his 1/6-scale replica of a Hawker Fury, which saw action during the Spanish Civil War, from plans based on Peter Westburg’s drawings, which were in turn based on actual factory plans.
The fuselage is made from foam blocks that were carved and sanded to shape and then covered with several layers of carbon fiber and fiberglass. With the exception of the pilot figure, Henry made all the model’s parts. It is finished with Brodak modeling dope, except for the front of the fuselage, which is painted with Alclad Chrome paint.
- Weight: 12 lb 5 oz
- Wingspan: 60 in
- Power: Astro 40-5 motor, powered from 28 NiMH cells
Dewoitine D.338
Don Jacobson (1920 Sunset Dr., Waukesha WI 53189) scratch-built his French-design Dewoitine D.338 from enlarged plans that were featured in the June 2002 MA. He scaled up the 78.5-inch-span wing 28% to yield a 100-inch span.
Don’s big trimotor aircraft is powered by two SuperTigre .40s mounted on the wings and a SuperTigre .51 mounted in the nose. Features include Robart mechanical retracts and a Futaba radio.
"On the maiden flight the nose and right engines went out, but it flew so well that the test pilot, Doug Gritton, was able to land it on one engine without damage," wrote Don.
- Wingspan: 100 in (scaled up from 78.5 in)
- Power: two SuperTigre .40s (wing), one SuperTigre .51 (nose)
- Radio: Futaba
- Features: Robart mechanical retracts
Proctor Nieuport 17
Dick Hansen (10807 SE Stacy Ct., Portland OR 97266) built his Nieuport 17 from an original 1968 VK kit.
It weighs 5.5 pounds, is powered by a SuperTigre .60 engine, and is finished with silk and modeling dope. A Futaba EXA radio is used for guidance.
Dick modified a pair of Williams Bros. wheels by adding simulated aluminum wire spokes, then covered the hubs with Solartex and painted them with silver dope. The machine guns are also Williams Bros. items, and the flying wires are functional. The elevator and rudder controls are pull-pull configuration. The kit for this model is now available from Proctor Enterprises.
- Weight: 5.5 lb
- Power: SuperTigre .60
- Radio: Futaba EXA
- Covering/Finish: silk and modeling dope
- Notable: functional flying wires; Williams Bros. wheels and guns
Bubble Dancer XL
Bob Brown (901 Sunbonnet Loop, San Jose CA 95125; E-mail: [email protected]) submitted this photo of his latest build, the "Bubble Dancer XL." The model is based on Mark Drela’s Bubble Dancer and features a 144-inch wingspan.
Consultations with Mark resulted in beefed-up spar carbon and bolt beam carbon. Because the original fuselage/fin was to be used (and to remain backward-compatible with the original-design wing), the rudder size was substantially increased to maintain the positive control inherent with the original 126-inch-span wing.
The model was conceived to be competitive with the Super AVA and the Super Danny. According to Bob, "The flying performance did not disappoint."
- Wingspan: 144 in
- Design basis: Mark Drela’s Bubble Dancer (scaled/modified)
- Structure: reinforced carbon spar and bolt beam; larger rudder for control
Nice Flying Site, Jack!
Jack Pfaller (400 Southern Pine Tr., Rockledge FL 32955; E-mail: [email protected]) has an exclusive flying site. He’s shown with his Ultrafly Outrage in front of the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center.
According to Jack, the telephoto effect makes the building appear much closer than it is. He received permission from the NASA site manager to fly electric-powered models at lunchtime on a field approximately a half mile from the VAB.
Jack’s Outrage was built from the all-foam Ultrafly kit and is powered by an E-flite Park 370 motor and an 11.1-volt, 800 mAh three-cell lithium battery pack.
- Model: Ultrafly Outrage (all-foam Ultrafly kit)
- Power: E-flite Park 370 motor; 11.1 V, 800 mAh (3S) LiPo
Detailed Sopwith Pup
Donald P. Corbett Jr. (10 Shepherd Ave., Oneonta NY 13820) constructed his 1/3-scale Sopwith Pup from a Balsa USA kit.
It spans 108 inches and is covered and finished using the Stits Lite system, including paints and finishing tapes. Don added rib stitching to complete the effect. Diane Chevalier painted the pilot that sits in the scale cockpit. All markings are hand-painted and the flying wires are functional.
The G-62 engine that powers the big biplane is hidden by a Mick Reeves dummy nine-cylinder radial engine. A Futaba radio is used, and the rudder and elevators are pull-pull controlled, as on the full-scale Pup.
Don captured the second-place trophy in the World War I category at the WRAM (Westchester Radio Aero Modelers) Show with this model.
- Scale: 1/3
- Wingspan: 108 in
- Power: G-62 engine (with Mick Reeves dummy radial)
- Radio: Futaba
- Covering/Finish: Stits Lite system; hand-painted markings; rib stitching; functional flying wires
Tiger Moth ARF
Thomas W. Haake (174 Holly Hill Rd., Richboro PA 18954; E-mail: [email protected]) sent this photo of his Pacific Aeromodel, Inc. ARF Tiger Moth.
The model required close to 25 hours of assembly, with the longest period spent correctly measuring and fastening the flying wires. The Tiger Moth spans 78 inches and has 1,841 square inches of total wing area. It is covered with UltraCote and is powered by a YS 120 engine mounted in the inverted position. Tom uses a JR XP9303 radio system for guidance.
"It was well worth the effort, as the model is exactly what I wanted—a large scale slow flyer," wrote Thomas. "This model takes off and lands just by use of the throttle, and that alone is a real thrill."
- Wingspan: 78 in
- Wing area: 1,841 sq in
- Power: YS 120 (inverted mount)
- Covering: UltraCote
- Radio: JR XP9303
Fleetster
Jerry Krainock (6701 Orion Ave., Van Nuys CA 91406; E-mail: [email protected]) sent this photo of Jim Keeshon (Santa Monica CA) holding his Fleetster.
Originally a rubber-powered aircraft kitted by Cleveland Models, Jim scaled up the design. The model is covered with silk and finished with clear modeling dope.
He powers the Fleetster with an AXI 2820-10 motor and a Common Sense RC 2100 mAh Li-Poly pack. It features three-channel RC control: motor, elevator, and rudder.
- Origin: Cleveland Models rubber-powered kit (scaled up)
- Covering/Finish: silk with clear modeling dope
- Power: AXI 2820-10 motor; Common Sense RC 2100 mAh Li-Poly pack
- Controls: 3-channel (motor, elevator, rudder)
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
