Focal Point
Vertigo II
Builder
Robert Fish (1892 Moreno Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93063; email: [email protected])
Description
Robert built his Vertigo II from a 35-year-old Skyglas kit. The model has a 64-inch wingspan and weighs 8¼ pounds (without fuel). The wings and stabilizer are balsa-sheeted with foam-core construction; the fuselage is fiberglass.
- Engine: Magnum .61
- Radio: Futaba 7C FASST System
- Covering: EconoKote
- Paint: Klass Kote epoxy paint
Builder's comments
“The airplane was meticulously crafted over a two-year period. The Vertigo II is an awesome flying design, tracking straight and true like only an old-school pattern bird can. It is very fast and the Magnum engine pulls it through the air with authority.”
Bird Dog
Builder
Ralph W. Campbell (1295 S. Cawston Ave., No. 122, Hemet, CA 92545)
Description
Ralph built a 1/4-scale Cessna L-19 Bird Dog from plans by Roy Vaillancourt. The Bird Dog spans 108 inches and is 73 inches long.
- Engine: Saito 150
Builder's comments
“This model is an exact copy of an L-19 that is owned by a member of our Hemet Model Masters Club.”
War Weary P-40
Builder
Paul Bass (253 Robin Woods Dr., Lexington, SC 29073; email: [email protected])
Description
Paul built a long-discontinued Top Flite RC-17 kit that he purchased from a friend. The wing spans 60 inches. The model is fiberglassed and airbrushed and is equipped with an onboard glow igniter for easy starting and low idle speeds.
- Engine: O.S. .16 turning a 12 x 8 propeller
Builder's comments
“Several changes were made to accommodate the new style engine, but the time spent was well worth it. The plane flies great even at reduced throttle and looks really good in the air over LARKS field in Leesville, South Carolina.”
Three Miss Americas
Builder
Lew Emerson (824 Anchorage Dr., North Palm Beach, FL 33408; email: [email protected])
Description
Lew started with a kit by Old Timer Model Aircraft Co. The Miss America has an 84-inch wingspan and is powered by an RCV .58-CD four-stroke engine. Lew modified the design for easy assembly, disassembly, and stress-free maintenance. The removable “power pack” includes the engine, glow switch, throttle servo, fuel tank, glow battery, and glow lite.
- Radio: Futaba T6EX 2.4 GHz (controls rudder, elevon, and throttle)
- Covering: Lightweight suit liner, heat-shrunk and painted with water-base acrylic and AeroGloss fuel proofing
- Empty weight: 7.6 pounds
Builder's comments
“Future Miss Americas, Hanna and Erin Emerson, pose with an RC update of the 1936 model Miss America. Eighty-one years and I still enjoy and find this hobby valuable … Someday I will learn to fly. Meanwhile I’ll ask help from fellow members of RC Bush Pilots West Palm Beach, Florida.”
Tiger Moth 400
Builder
David Rodriguez (4426 E. Desert Trumpet Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85044; email: [email protected])
Description
David built an electric-powered Tiger Moth from Styrofoam using a Grand Wing Servo kit. The model spans 37.5 inches from nose to the rudder's trailing edge (TE). It weighs 17 ounces without battery and 20.5 ounces with battery.
- Motor: E-flite Park 400
- Propeller: 10 x 4.7
- Radio: Spektrum DX7
- Pilot: Vintage Snoopy figurine (dressed to battle the Red Baron), found on eBay
Builder's comments
“[This model is] beautiful for me. I can roll although a bit slowly and do some loops and half-Cuban 8s. All of these are new to me so the moves are far from perfect, but that's my fault and not the plane's!”
Unusual Rotorplane
Builder
Richard Lucas (Box 448, Fort Bragg, CA 95437)
Description
Richard scratch-built this rotorplane based on a design by Roy L. Clough Jr. (published in Model Airplane News, July 1993). The rotorplane is 150% larger than Clough's original design. It features a built-up fuselage covered with MonoKote and a rotor with a full-length fiberglass tube axle supported by two ball bearings mounted on a central pylon.
- Fuselage length: 54 inches
- Weight: 8 pounds
- Rotor span: 65 inches
- Engine: O.S. .60
- Radio: Futaba transmitter and receiver (three channels: throttle, rudder, all-flying elevator)
Builder's comments
"Pilots and spectators alike are amazed to see this experimental model lumber down the runway and actually liftoff and fly!"
18 Years Ago
Builder
Steve Aldridge (7630 Colt Dr., Boise, ID 83709; email: [email protected])
Description
New to RC modeling, Steve bought an O.S. .15FP engine and plans for a motor glider. Although he purchased them years earlier, he actually started the long-delayed project four years ago. The plans were for a motor glider named Fujavak with an 80-inch wingspan, built from conventional balsa and plywood. The model provides rudder, throttle, and flying stabilizer controls.
Steve redesigned the nose section to replace the plywood engine mount with a firewall and nylon mount. Control is via an Airtronics RDS8000 2.4 GHz eight-channel system. His goal was a ready-to-fly weight of 39 ounces; he achieved 40 ounces due to a scale error.
- Wings: 56 ribs of 1/16-inch soft balsa (ordered most construction wood from Lone Star Balsa)
- Covering: MonoKote
Builder's comments
He wrote that he was glad to get it covered with MonoKote so he would stop breaking ribs every time he touched it. He now has an airplane that flies great and wants to learn how to chase thermals.
Super Sport Cub
Builder
Gary Owen (4002 26th Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98199; email: [email protected])
Description
Gary toured the CubCrafters manufacturing facility in Yakima, Washington, and photographed production of their Super Sport Cub. The Super Sport Cub is a modified Super Cub trimmed of weight and parts to fit the "sport light" category of private planes. Gary built a model starting with an older Dynaflite standoff scale kit and made extensive modifications. He created a plug and mold for the distinctive cowl and used a color scheme matching a recently finished production plane.
- Engine: Saito 150 four-stroke
Builder's comments
"It is powered by a Saito 150 four-stroke, which is more than enough power for the plane. I only have a few flights on the plane but am hoping for the same 'Cub-like' flying features of my last Super Cub."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
