Focal Point - 2008/08
1938 Power House
Richard Kaczmarek (4584 Urbana Moorefield Pike, Urbana, OH 43078; E-mail: [email protected]) submitted this photo of his 1938 Power House.
The original builder of the model is unknown because it came out of an estate. It was finished with plastic covering. Richard removed the covering, repaired glue joints, and replaced broken balsa stringers, wing ribs, and the firewall. He installed a new fuel tank and converted the controls to a Spektrum radio and servos. An old Como .51 engine provides the power.
- Wingspan: 79 inches
- Weight: 6 lb, 1.2 oz
- Covering: Solartex
- Finish: Exterior latex and polyurethane clear satin
Tuskegee Mustang
Al Leach (8 Fillmore Ct., Coram, NY 11727) modified a P-51 Mustang after seeing the show "Dogfights" on The History Channel.
Al built his model from a Hangar 9 PTS ARF. He peeled all the trim off the kit and replaced it with Tuskegee markings. He painted the tail with Krylon Fusion and used polyurethane matte clear as a sealant.
The Mustang is powered by a Saito FA-91S turning a 14 x 6 propeller, which pulls it along well at half throttle. Al made the model a replica of Lieutenant Lee Archer's P-51. Archer was Wendell Pruitt's wingman; together they were known as the "Gruesome Twosome." Lee Archer was the only Tuskegee Airman to become an ace, with eight victories.
- Kit: Hangar 9 PTS ARF (modified)
- Engine: Saito FA-91S
- Propeller: 14 x 6
- Finish: Krylon Fusion; polyurethane matte clear
McCready's Kavalier
Gordon McCready (2016 Tall Meadow NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505; E-mail: [email protected]) built this Kavalier from a Sig kit.
- Wingspan: 55.5 inches
- Weight: 5.5 pounds
- Engine: O.S. 40LA
- Radio: Futaba SkySport 4
Gordon hasn't flown the model yet; he plans to have one of his younger clubmates check it out. "When you're 86 years old, your reactions are a bit slow," wrote Gordon. "He will trim it out and hand it over to me. Wish me luck."
Double De Bolt Champs
Colin McKinley and Bill Lane (2984 Wesleyan Ln., Winston-Salem, NC 27106; E-mail: [email protected]) built these Hal de Bolt Champs.
Bill saw the cover of the March 2008 Model Aviation and realized that he and Colin had been flying a reduced-size version of the Champ for the past three or four years. Colin drew plans and cut several kits of varying sizes before finally settling on a 35-inch wingspan and an electric power setup. They used an AstroFlight brushless 01 motor in one model and a brushless 02 in the other.
"The model is very flexible as far as power needed," wrote Bill.
- Wingspan: 35 inches (final size)
- Power: Electric (AstroFlight brushless 01 and brushless 02 used)
Quaker Flash Revisited
Richmond Tripp (271 Chace Ave., Dighton, MA 02715) built the electric-powered Quaker in the foreground from reduced plans of the original.
Richmond built the larger version, which was originally free-flight, when he was in high school in 1938. He diligently collected 50 box tops to earn a Megow kit. Once he acquired his prize, he installed a Baby Cyclone engine in it. Richmond converted his model to RC three years ago, re-covered it, and installed a K & B .40 engine.
Since switching to electric power, Richmond created a "mini" Quaker Flash, which is half the scale of the original. The mini uses a 380 motor and gearbox for power.
- Original (restored/RC): K & B .40 engine (converted from FF)
- Mini (electric): 380 motor with gearbox
- Notes: Mini is half-scale of the larger restored Quaker
Colombo Anderson Extra 300L
Steve Davis (Box 297, Ashton, ID 83420; E-mail: [email protected]) built his Extra from Colombo Anderson plans.
- Scale: 34%
- Weight: 28 pounds
- Wingspan: 103 inches
- Length: 98 inches
- Covering: Top Flite MonoKote
- Engine: BME 105
- Exhaust: KS 86 canisters
- Radio: Futaba 14MZ
- Servos: Hitec 5955 on all surfaces
"The flight characteristics are excellent for the flying I do," wrote Steve. "This is my first year in IMAC [International Miniature Aerobatic Club] and the plane flies truer than any other planes I've flown."
Grasshopper
Greg Minden (8241 Unicorn St., Las Vegas, NV 89131; E-mail: [email protected]) converted his Hangar 9 Cub to a Piper L-4 Grasshopper.
This 1/4-scale warbird has a wingspan of 106 inches and is 68 inches long. To get the correct finish, Greg scuffed the Cub with a Scotch-Brite pad and painted it with Klass Kote epoxy paint.
- Scale: 1/4
- Wingspan: 106 inches
- Length: 68 inches
- Engine: Fuji Invac BT-24EI (gas)
- Propeller: 18 x 6 Xoar
- Radio: JR 9303
"It flies great," wrote Greg.
Pawnee 40
Thomas W. Haake (174 Holly Hill Rd., Richboro, PA; E-mail: [email protected]) submitted this photo of Hangar 9's new 80-inch-span Piper Pawnee.
It has an overall length of 55.8 inches and weighs 8–9 pounds. Thomas uses a JR receiver and seven Hitec servos. The Piper is equipped with an O.S. Surpass 70 four-stroke engine.
"This model not only closely resembles its full-scale brother, but it nearly approaches the perfect ARF concept," wrote Thomas. "The package is very complete, thus not wasting any fuel traveling to locate model accessories."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
