88 MODEL AVIATION
Focal Point
Valdis Sustko (1 Park Pl., Elmira NY 14901; E-mail: vsustko@
yahoo.com) is originally from Latvia. He started modeling when he
came to the United States, with help from members of the Flying
Sparks RC club in Elmira.
“I am primarily into 3-D flying, but once in awhile I like to go
for a relaxing flight, which made me build this 9-foot-wingspan
Citabria,” wrote Valdis. “It took me about five months to build and
it was the first kit I had put together.”
The Citabria has operating doors, bomb drop, and homemade
smoke system. It is powered by a Quadra .35 gasoline engine and is
covered with MonoKote.
Don Herdman (1656 Maquam Shore Rd., Swanton VT 05488; Email:
[email protected]) wanted to build a 60-size CL
Aerobatics model of the P-40 Warhawk after having built a few 35-
size versions. He constructed this new model around the wing and
aerodynamic numbers of Randy Smith’s popular SV-11.
The foam-core wing is covered with 1/16 balsa. The stabilizer is
made from balsa ribs and sheeted with 1/16 balsa. The elevators are
open-bay ribbed units, and the flaps are made from light balsa sheet.
The entire model is covered with 00-grade silkspan and is
finished with Brodak modeling dope. The stars and numbers were
painted on, and the Disney Tiger is a 1/8-scale decal from Northeast
Screen Graphics (East Longmeadow MA).
“A SuperTigre .60 powers the 65-ounce model through the
pattern with ease,” wrote Don.
Tom Getz (1898 Walden Way, The Villages FL 32162; E-mail:
[email protected]) built his T-34B Mentor from a Top Flite
Gold Edition kit.
It spans 80 inches and is powered by an O.S. 1.20 four-stroke
engine. A Futaba nine-channel radio system is used for guidance, and
the operating features include flaps and Robart retracts. The flying
weight is 13 pounds, and the model is painted with LustreKote.
“The airplane flew beautifully in a scalelike manner with a Master
Airscrew 16 x 6 propeller shortly after this photo was taken,” wrote
Tom.
Photo by Georgette.
T-34B Mentor
Aerobatic P-40
Relaxing Citabria
Lon Enloe (8234 Turkey Run Dr., Colorado Springs CO 80920; Email:
[email protected]) wanted to build a biplane
that was different from the norm, so he designed this retro/modern
hybrid using a symmetrical airfoil (Eppler 168).
“This model is just as happy upside-down as right side up,” he
wrote.
It’s also comfortable in knife-edge flight because of the 45° angled
sections of the wing and the large interplane struts.
The model spans 30 inches and has a 312-square-inch wing area.
The flying weight is 22 ounces, and power is an Ultrafly D/13/32
motor with a 3.89:1 gearbox. A three-cell, 2000 mAh Li-Poly battery
is used.
X-Wing Biplane
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Bob Greaves (2581 Centennial St., Las Cruces NM 88011; Email:
[email protected]) built his 1930s Spartan Executive
from Ken Sheppard plans.
TDL Model Systems cut the model’s foam wing cores, which
were covered with 1/16 balsa skins. The fuselage was planked with
balsa, and then the entire airframe was covered with fiberglass and
nitrate dope. UltraCote paint was used for the finish, with a bit of
Dunn-Edwards green trim to match the numbers that were provided
by Northeast Screen Graphics.
The model features Robart retracts and is powered by an O.S. .62
FX engine. The flying weight is 9 pounds, which yields a 32.7
ounce/square-foot loading on the 64-inch-span wing.
Spartan Executive
Noah Shlaes (435 N. Scoville Ave., Oak Park IL 60302; E-mail:
[email protected]) received a Great Planes EP Sportster from his
wife as a holiday gift and decided he wanted a different trim scheme
from the stock stripes.
He scaled up a candy-bar wrapper to achieve the sweet trim
scheme you see. It is UltraCote over the original red MonoKote.
The re-covering job took roughly two weeks.
Noah removed the original motor and replaced it with an E-flite
15. A 45-amp Castle Creations ESC and a four-cell, 4000 mAh Li-
Poly battery pack are used.
“This combo is about an ounce lighter than the stock system, and
the performance is astonishing,” he wrote.
Brian Clifton (269 Mack Rd., Leonard MI 48367; E-mail: bsclifton
[email protected]) scratch-built his Westland Lysander from Dennis
Bryant plans and finished it in the same scheme as the full-scale
Lysander that is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum at
Hendon in London.
Power for the 81-inch-span model is provided by an RCV91-CD
engine. The outer skin is Solartex fabric covering, and the finish is
latex paint from The Home Depot.
“This airplane flies very nicely and looks great in the air!” wrote
Brian. “It acts like a slightly heavy Cub, but with fully functional
flaps for smooth landings.”
Westland Lysander
Sweet Sportster Robert Terry (1661 CR 4700, Kempner TX 76539; E-mail:
[email protected]) assembled his 18-pound P-51D Mustang
from a Hangar 9 kit.
It has a wingspan of 80 inches and 1,100 square inches of wing
area. Robert powers his World War II fighter replica with a Saito
1.80 four-stroke engine fitted with a Pitts-style muffler and a smoke
system. He chose a seven-channel Futaba radio for guidance duties,
and the model requires 11 servos!
“This airplane is named Mr. Ed after Ed Cournoyer from Harker
Heights, Texas,” wrote Robert. “Thanks to Ed for introducing me to
model airplanes.”
Mr. Ed P-51D
See page 199 for submission guidelines
Focal Point
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