Focal Point
Homesick Angel
Burt Gunter (334 Azalea Cir., Cumming, GA 30040; email: [email protected]) presents his third Hangar 9 J-3 Cub.
The Cub is 1/4-scale and powered by a Zenoah G20ei engine. Burt’s model spans 106 inches with a flying weight between 14.5 and 16.5 pounds. Its overall length is 68 inches.
“Flies like a homesick angel and is much easier to clean than former nitro-powered glow,” wrote Burt.
Supermarine
Fred Mulholland (15410 Stonecreek Ln., Tampa, FL 33613; email: [email protected]) scratch-built his Supermarine S.6B from Jim Pepino plans.
The full-scale Supermarine was a British aircraft and winner of the 1931 Schneider Trophy Race with a speed of 340 mph.
Fred’s replica spans 73 inches. The model and floats are built-up balsa covered with silk and Brodak dope.
“It flies beautifully,” wrote Fred.
Double Flapper
Pete Valentine (4716 W. Jewell St., Boise, ID 83706) shares his Double Flapper made from two Neuros RC Cybird P2 ornithopters.
Pete connected the Cybirds’ gearboxes together with a driveshaft made from hypodermic tubing from Small Parts Inc. The two wing sets flap with the rear wing leading the front pair by approximately 110 crank degrees. The original 350-size DC motor powers the wing drives from a 1320 mAh Li-Poly battery.
“The original ornithopters had a swiveling bird-like tail, but I obtained a more aircraft-like control by using the tail as an elevator and adding a conventional vertical stabilizer and rudder,” wrote Pete.
Many parts came from Pete’s local hobby store, including:
- hollow, square carbon keel for the fuselage
- Slow Stick landing gear and rubber material
- Spektrum radio and Hitec servos
- miscellaneous glue and parts
Buccaneer Old-Timer
“Chip” Chiappetta (Tuscarora Dr., Beaver Falls, PA 15010) rebuilt a Buccaneer Old-Timer from a discarded antique.
This 82-inch-wingspan model weighs 9 pounds and is covered with lots of Super MonoKote. Power is an O.S. 55AX swinging a 13 x 7 propeller. Control is by a Futaba FASST system for rudder, elevator, and motor. Bill Mohrbacher of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, took the photograph and submitted Chip’s model.
“It flies wonderfully and looks great in the air and on the ground,” wrote Bill.
Smith IV
Carl Schurenberg (7678 Oceola Ln., West Chester, OH 45069; email: [email protected]) built a Balsa USA 1/4-scale SPAD XIII in an approximate replica of U.S. ace Ray Brooks' Smith IV, which Brooks flew with the 22nd Aero Squadron in World War I.
Carl's SPAD is 61 inches long and weighs approximately 22 pounds. Wingspan is 79 inches. Power is provided by a G-38 gas engine. Carl chose a red cowl (Ray Brooks' was blue) for a brighter look.
Carl added features including:
- wing rigging
- aileron wiring covers
- gun sight
- hand-painted camouflage
- cockpit coaming
- strut binding
- headrest
- Smith IV decals
Phantom II
Mike Preda (2648 Ridge Rd., Lansing, IL 60438) built a .60-size F-4E Phantom II from a Great Planes kit.
Mike used flat and gloss MonoKote and LustrKote to finish the nacelles. A SuperTigre 90 and a Futaba 7CAP flight pack power the model. The airplane weighs nearly 13 pounds.
Mike wrote: "The plane took two-and-a-half years to construct. But when I flew it for the first time it was worth the hard work. I made a cannon for the nose; I believe this was the only version that had a cannon."
Piper Arrow
Thomas Haake (174 Holly Hill Rd., Richboro, PA 18954; email: [email protected]) completed this scale model of the Piper Aircraft Arrow by Top Flite.
Thomas wrote: "James Shelmire, a local RC celebrity, who died from cancer in early 2008, originally started the kit. It was completed in his honor. An O.S. 91SII four-stroke engine powers it. Control is by eight Futaba servos and a JR radio. Covering is MonoKote cream trimmed in metallic green. A superb flyer, it will be in honor of a good man."
Drake II
Neil McCumber (301 E. Spencer St., St. Francis, KS 67756; email: [email protected]) built a modified Drake II from Ken Willard plans.
The one-pound, 14-ounce model spans 47 inches. Covering is Super MonoKote. Neil's modifications include electric power (the model was designed for .15 gas), outrigger floats attached to the wing instead of the fuselage, and a "V" hull. Neil uses a Futaba radio for control and has flown it off large lakes, small ponds, and grass.
Neil wrote: "It flies great, gets up quick, and lands gently. Fishermen get a kick out of it.
"When I chose the yellow and green, I didn't think of it being the John Deere colors. Being out here in rural Kansas, I was showing it to the local John Deere dealer and he suggested we call it the John Deere plane."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
