Focal Point
Double the Frenzy, Double the Fun
"Pappy" Flora (618 S. Gold Dr., Apache Junction, AZ 85220) is the proud owner of these Hangar 9 Frenzy 100s.
They are controlled with a Spektrum DX7 system and each has its own AR7000 receiver. One model uses an O.S. .91 four-stroke engine and the other has an E-flite Power 110 outrunner motor.
The Frenzy 100 is easy to see, and it's a nice performance blend of old-school RC aerobatics and modern 3-D. Pappy wouldn't tell us which model he likes better: glow or electric.
"Both fly well, easy enough for an 82-year-old pilot," wrote Pappy. "I've been building airplanes since I was 6 years old."
Seldom-Seen Scout
Bob Greaves (2581 Centennial St., Las Cruces, NM 88011; e-mail: [email protected]) built his Boeing L-15 from plans by Kit Cutters.
"I believe this is a seldom and interesting airplane to model," wrote Bob.
His model was reduced from an 80-inch wingspan to 74 inches. All surfaces are covered with silkspan and nitrate dope, followed by Nelson white paint as a primer and Nelson true red as the finish.
All electronics and servos are Futaba, with an O.S. 55AX engine in the nose for grunt. A single servo is used for each spoiler and flaperon, and rudder control is through bellcranks.
The L-15 can be purchased in several forms, ranging from a full kit to only plans. Kit Cutters also has a scale photo service.
Clipped Cubbie
Steve Halpern (9 Silversmith Ln., Redding, CT 06896; e-mail: [email protected]) built a 1/4-scale Cub that is modeled by his niece, Samantha Bucur.
He built the airplane from a Sig kit that a friend found at a swap meet. For $25 Steve got a partially built and covered fuselage wearing decades of accumulated dust. To be different, he modified the kit to resemble a Reed-conversion clipped-wing Cub finished like the airplanes used in 1960s air shows.
The 86-inch-span model is powered by a Skyshark brushless outrunner motor and eight Li-Poly cells producing more than 1,400 watts of power. Control is via a JR X9303 2.4 GHz radio with a separate 2700 mAh, 6-volt NiMH battery pack.
Covering is red and white Coverite fabric. The cowl, struts, and wheel pants are painted with Klass Kote.
"After the flight testing and minor adjustments are completed, the interior detail and a pilot will be added," wrote Steve. "Wheel pants are removed for bumpy grass runways."
Pretty Little Fokker
Jeff Edstrom (18871 Emblem Ct., Farmington, MN 55024; e-mail: [email protected]) spent six months building his Balsa USA 1/4-scale Fokker D.VII. It weighs 19 pounds all up.
All control surfaces are pull-pull, with Hitec HS-645MG servos. A JR 8103 radio system provides control.
The yellow covering is Coverite 21st Century Fabric, and the paint is 21st Century black. Jeff purchased the five-color camouflage, guns, and wheels from Balsa USA. Scale touches include a laminated wood tail skid, rib stitching, a working compass, and gauges in the cockpit, all of which are in German.
"Takeoff is straight and quick," wrote Jeff. "Flights are smooth with no bad stall habits, and landings are almost hands-off easy."
SPOOK-E
Bill Mohrbacher (3621 College Ave., Beaver Falls, PA 15010) rebuilt a 72-inch Spook Old-Timer from a swap-meet "basket case" and renamed it the "SPOOK-E."
The nose was redesigned for a LazerToyz 2826 1100 Kv brushless outrunner motor that swings an 11 x 4.7 APC-E propeller.
The SPOOK-E is covered with Coverite CoverLite. It uses a 3S2P battery made from 1200 mAh A123 (Black & Decker VPX) cells and is equipped with a Castle Creations Thunderbird-36 brushless ESC, a Spektrum AR6200 receiver, and Hitec HS-322 servos on the rudder and elevator.
"It weighs 3 pounds 12 ounces, takes off in 15 feet, handles great, and looks great thermaling on nice summer days at the Beaver County Model Airplane Club's Zima Memorial Field!" wrote Bill.
1912 Blackburn Type D Monoplane
Tim McKay (77 S. Evergreen #302, Arlington Heights, IL 60005; e-mail: [email protected]) built his model from CAD-drawn plans using conventional materials—balsa and plywood—and covered it with Coverite CoverLite.
The model features unique removable wings, with balsa-dowel spars that friction-fit into metal tubes in the fuselage. It spans 44 inches and is 36 inches long.
Tim powers his Type D with an Atlas 2308/11 outrunner motor, and it uses a Spektrum AR6000 receiver, a Jeti ESC, and two Spektrum S75 submicro servos.
"The Blackburn's generous wing area combined with light weight (12 ounces) makes for a smooth gentle flyer at home flying in an indoor area, or outside under calm wind conditions," wrote Tim.
Dumas Dog
Robert Mathews (2633 Bowden Ln., Hendersonville, NC 28792; e-mail: [email protected]) converted his Dumas free-flight L-19 Bird Dog to electric power.
The conversion includes an E-flite Park 370 brushless inrunner motor and the addition of ailerons.
Robert liked the 40-inch-wingspan model so well that he had the plans enlarged at Staples to produce a 62-inch wingspan.
"[The original] flew very well at half throttle," wrote Robert. "I put an E-flite Park 480 in the new one and it flies even better."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
