Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/11
Page Numbers: 80,81
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Focal Point

PBY Catalina

Don Jiskra (1100 Bristlecone Ct., Darien IL 60562; e-mail: [email protected]) submitted this photo of the model that Ray Tomczyk (L) built from plans that he enlarged three times.

  • Power (original): two .40-size glow engines with Master Airscrew 9 x 7 three-blade propellers
  • Power (converted): two Turnigy TR43-40A 1050 Kv motors
  • ESC: 80-amp HexTronic
  • Battery: Zippy 4S 2200 mAh Li-Poly
  • Modifications: removal of glow engines and fuel tanks; installation of electric motors and a battery thermal exhaust vent in each nacelle cover

Ray flew the glow version for several years but felt it was “too fast,” so he removed the engines and fuel tanks and gave the airframe to Don to convert to electric. Don installed a motor in each engine nacelle, replaced the fuel tank with an 80-amp ESC and a Zippy 4S 2200 mAh Li-Poly battery, and added a battery thermal exhaust vent in each nacelle cover.

“It flew perfectly, just like when I flew the original glow version,” said Paul Boburka, who conducted the 6-minute, 30-second maiden flight.

“I never expected an electric could perform like that!” exclaimed Ray.

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World War I German Trainer

Jan Servaites (3899 Wimbledon Ct., Kettering OH 45420) constructed this 1/8-scale Fokker D.V from an Aerodrome RC kit.

  • Scale: 1/8
  • Span: 41 inches
  • Weight: 2.55 pounds
  • Motor: BM2409-12 turning a 10 x 4.7 propeller
  • Batteries: two 1300 mAh ParkZone Li-Poly (located in the cowl)
  • Radio: Spektrum DX6
  • Covering/finish: Polyspan with three coats of thinned nitrate dope and one sprayed coat of Klass Kote beige epoxy; custom-mixed automotive paints for the Fokker streaking finish

Jan modified the original design to make the wings removable and added shock-absorbing main wheels and a tail skid. He moved the wing back 1/2 inch to help balance the short-nosed aeroplane. Jan did considerable research on the streaking application to achieve the unique Fokker finish.

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Stearman Collaboration

Raymond Compton (30455 N. 11000 E., Fairview UT 84629; e-mail: [email protected]) teamed with Charles Earnest (Fairview UT) to assemble this Great Planes Super Stearman ARF.

  • Engine: DLE 30cc gas engine
  • Propeller: 18 x 8 Xoar
  • Radio: JR 12X DSM2 transmitter with a Spektrum receiver
  • Servos: JR Sport ST125MG
  • Power: Duralite Li-Ion batteries regulated to 6 volts for radio and ignition
  • Weight: 12 pounds
  • Thrust: more than 14 pounds

“Performance is outstanding,” wrote Raymond. “The airplane performs ‘Air Show’ acrobatics very well and also does many advanced maneuvers such as Blenders, upright and inverted flat spins, knife edge flight, and will nearly hover.”

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Hustlin’ XD-7

Dan Phillips (8800 SW Umatilla St., Tualatin OR 97062; e-mail: [email protected]) presents the Hustler XD-7 Delta that his father, the late Jim Phillips, originally built from plans published in the March 1962 Model Airplane News.

  • Original power/radio: Veco .19 engine and a single-channel Galloping Ghost radio with a Rand actuator
  • Original gear: fixed nose wheel and bellcrank-coupled ailerons
  • Restored/upgraded to: Futaba T6AX radio, dual aileron servos, Fults steerable nose gear
  • Engine (restored): Thunder Tiger .36 Pro turning a 9 x 6 propeller

Dan restored and upgraded the model with modern radio and control hardware and a more powerful engine. “It flies great and lands like a trainer,” he wrote.

Focal Point - 2010/11

Converted Cessna

Keith Marchbanks (1019 Highland Hills Dr., Mesquite NV 89027; e-mail: [email protected]) converted his twin-engine Top Flite Cessna 310 to electric power and added independent electronic systems that produce realistic Lycoming engine sound.

  • Motors: two AXI 4130/16 outrunners
  • ESCs: Jeti Spin
  • Batteries: two Thunder Power 6S 5000 mAh Li-Poly
  • Sound: Aerosound RC micro units for Lycoming engine sound
  • Radio: Airtronics RDS8000
  • Gear: pneumatic retracts, pneumatic brake system, scale wheels from Robart Manufacturing

Keith reports the pneumatic brakes provide smooth proportional control and work extremely well on this model. The photo was taken on the Desert Fox Flyers runway in Mesquite, Nevada.

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Razor-Sharp P-47

Bruce Hanna (529 Maquan St., Hanson MA 02341; e-mail: [email protected]) built this razorback P-47 Thunderbolt from a Hobby Hangar kit designed by Rich Uravitch.

  • Span: 40 inches
  • Length: 29 inches
  • Engine: O.S. .25 FP
  • Gear: fixed
  • Weight: approximately 48 ounces
  • Wing area: more than 260 square inches
  • Radio: Futaba
  • Finish: realistic markings based on Ace Robert S. Johnson's P-47

There are several finish possibilities for this model; Bruce chose a realistic effect. “I am looking forward to the first flight,” he wrote.

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Covered for a Cause

After more than 300 flights with his Great Planes Ultra Sport 60, Joel Stein (3514 Coneflower Dr., Fort Collins CO 80521; e-mail: [email protected]) decided to re-cover it to promote breast cancer prevention.

  • Covering: Circus Pink EconoKote and white MonoKote
  • Engine: Thunder Tiger .61 two-stroke
  • Radio: Futaba

“This is my second Ultra Sport 60 and it's a great flying plane,” wrote Joel.

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Gloster Gannet

Ronald Pavloer (364 Hartford Ave., Daytona Beach FL 32118) constructed a replica of the British 1923 Gloster Gannet ultralight from a Rubbermodel design published in a 1983 magazine.

  • Span: 8 feet
  • Ready-to-fly weight: 16 pounds
  • Covering/paint: Solartex with Rust-Oleum paint
  • Engine: Quadra .35 gas engine turning an 18 x 6–10 propeller
  • Radio: Futaba
  • Special feature: toilet paper release for target-practice drop

“With a body seven-foot long, it's so stable it's easier to fly than a trainer,” wrote Ronald. “It also has a toilet paper release used as target practice for the little guys.”

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.