Focal Point
G Force
Robert Bryant (Box 751951, Houston, TX 77275) designed and built this aerobatic/3-D model.
It is constructed from balsa and foam, with an UltraCote finish. Power is an E-flite Power 32 motor with a Jeti 77 Opto ESC and a four-cell Li-Poly battery. Robert uses a JR radio for guidance.
The G Force spans 54 inches, is 55 inches long, and weighs 4 pounds, 6 ounces.
"This is a very true flying airplane that does everything," wrote Robert.
Spacewalker
Andrew Andrews (266 Stillhouse Rd., Franklin, NC 28734; e-mail: [email protected]) built this model from plans in late 1998 for a first all-electric contest in Fort Myers, Florida.
The airplane differs from the plans in that Andrew made the vertical fin square. He also made many modifications to install the electrical units of the time (10 years ago), but those changes cannot be seen since they are internal. The motor is a geared AstroFlight 15. The batteries at that time were 14-cell Ni-Cds from SR Batteries.
"First flight was performed in January 1999," wrote Andrew. "The model has been flown more than 200 times with this configuration, although lately I have been using Li-Polys (much lighter) and it definitely adds to the agility of the model."
Harley
Mel Smith (1252 Newport Landing Dr., Fenton, MO 63026; e-mail: [email protected]) created his Harley from a Sig kit.
"Ever see a Harley fly?" wrote Mel. "Two years ago I sold my Harley [motorcycle] and now I miss it, so I did the next best thing: I built one."
He started with a Sig Four-Star 60 kit and bashed it around a bit. The model uses a GMS .75 engine and a Spektrum DX7 radio for control. The covering is black, orange, and chrome MonoKote. Mel cut most of the graphics and obtained the rest from the local Harley-Davidson store.
"It was a fun winter project and after I run another tank or two of fuel through the engine, I will take it to the field and put it in the air," he wrote.
Seniorita Supersized
John Epley (4260 S. Tucson Estates Pkwy., Tucson, AZ 85735; e-mail: [email protected]) built an enlargement of the Seniorita, which, in essence, is a Kadet.
The wing spans 80 inches, and ailerons were added to improve performance. Covering is antique and red Solartex, shrunk tight with three coats of thin dope. The wing is fastened on with four nylon 1/4-20 bolts. A Saito .65 four-stroke engine provides the power, and the receiver is a Futaba SkySport TFP T6VA.
"It's great to fly, being very forgiving, and makes a good trainer for beginners," wrote John.
A-1H Skyraider
Tom Berg (3106 Indianapolis Ave., Clovis, CA 93619; e-mail: [email protected]) built his Skyraider from a Global kit that his father purchased in the 1990s. Tom’s father was an avionics technician with VA-25 aboard USS Midway in 1965.
The model is covered with white UltraCote, gray MonoKote, and custom vinyl graphics from Extreme Scale FX. Tom’s wife, Ann, hand-painted the Century Jet Models pilot.
Power is a Magnum XL 91 RFS with an onboard glow driver set, to operate under 42% throttle. Control is via a JR 8103 radio with four Spektrum DS821 and four JR537 servos. The Skyraider features Robart retracts with Robostruts, two-position flaps, and droppable ordnance.
"One of the best parts of this project was going through my dad’s cruise books, talking to guys from his squadron and being able to show my son Chris about his grandfather’s service to our country," wrote Tom.
Vultee Vibrator
David Zola ([email protected]) and his father, Dan, are shown at Dave’s flying field with their Cal-Aero Vultee BT-13 Vibrator. Dan built it and Dave is the chief test pilot.
Power is provided by a Saito FA-82a engine, and control is via a Futaba six-channel radio. The Vultee weighs 10 pounds, is 4 feet long, and spans 6 feet. The model is fiberglassed, covered with silver auto paint, and has operating landing lights.
Dave is lucky enough to be able to see his club’s flying field from his back porch. Under his control, the airplane performs smoothly with no noticeable vibrations.
Swoose
Lou Melancon (8630 Amsbury Way, Cumming, GA 30041; e-mail: [email protected]) built his enlarged Swoose from 1989 Nick Ziroli plans.
The model spans 72 inches and weighs 11 pounds. The engine is a Thunder Tiger F-75 four-stroke with a Cline regulator. The transmitter is a Futaba, and the five servos and receiver are from Hitec.
Lou finished the fuselage with 1/2-ounce fiberglass cloth, which he sprayed with Klass Kote epoxy paint. The wings, stabilizer, and rudder are covered with Coverite antique fabric that was painted with Klass Kote.
"The airplane was started in January 2008 and first flew in July 2008," wrote Lou. "It is an everyday flyer and quite striking in the air. It never fails to generate interest when sitting on the ground."
A-35 Vengeance
Bill Schmidt (4647 Krueger, Bel Aire, KS 67220; e-mail: [email protected]) built this Vultee dive-bomber from a 50¢ Comet kit. The kit was released in 1943 and was available until 1996, when Comet Models was sold to Guillows.
Bill built his Vengeance 111% larger than the kit and made it Rubber Scale. Covering is Japanese tissue and nitrate dope, power is provided by braided strands of 1/8-inch rubber, and the model has an 8-inch Peck-Polymers propeller.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
