Focal Point
Model Aviation, 5151 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Commander
Jerry Smartt forwarded this photo of a Robbe Commander by Dick Comber (99 Nutshalling Ave., Rownhams, Southhampton SO16 8A4 England).
The Commander is powered by direct-drive Speed 400 electric motors on 7.2 volts, and "those are Ramoser props," advised Jerry.
Monocoupe 90A
Hank McShane (125 Col. Thomas Heyward Rd., Sun City-Bluffton SC 29910) sent this photo of a 1/4-scale Monocoupe 90A built from an IKON N' wst kit. Wingspan is 90 inches and power is a Zenoah G-38.
"This is a model of the first airplane I ever flew in," wrote Hank, "in July 1941 at Ocean City MD."
Duster Fan
John Hunton forwarded this photo of V. G. Warthan's (Rt. 5 Box 220-E, Caldwell TX 77836) Duster, a Winter-Hunter design featured in the March 1999 Model Aviation.
Mr. Warthan wrote that his Duster "did it all from the start. It truly goes exactly where you point it."
The six-pound model is powered by an O.S. .46 FX turning an 11 x 6 prop. Radio is JR.
"I used a 14-ounce tank, and I am glad I did," wrote Warthan. "One falls in love with the smooth, easy response of the aircraft and does not want to bring it back to earth. I feel sure that somewhere along the line, I will run it dry."
"It begs to be put aloft and enjoyed."
Flying Clown
Joel Chester (17800 East Colima Rd. #234, Rowland Hts CA 91748) used a Fox .15 to power his CL Flying Clown.
The model was finished with "an AeroGloss substrate and Brodak primer, followed by AeroGloss color," he wrote. "It weighs 18-1/2 ounces and has an adjustable leadout guide."
Joel is a member of the Knights of the Round Circle.
367 Days—and Beyond
Fred Clark Jr. (412 Oakmount Rd., Clearwater FL 33765) sent his Herb Smith photo of Fred and a pair of the 21 models with which he used to make at least one flight each day for more than a year.
After besting a club member's 23-consecutive-day "record," Fred continued until a goal of 367 days—"one more than a Leap Year"—was declared.
"It might just be a liftoff of three to five feet high, 20-30 feet in length, and taxi back," wrote Fred. "But it was a flight."
When 367 days was achieved, Ed Mills encouraged Fred to go for 400 consecutive days with a flight—which he did. The number was 417 when this letter was written in late 1999.
Transformed
Conrad Hassa (34245 Shawnee Tr., Westland MI 48185) decided to give his World Model Mfg. Super Emardue 60 ARF a different look.
So he redesigned and recovered the fuselage and tail, and relocated the landing gear. Only the wing remained intact.
Power is a Thunder Tiger .61, turning a 12 x 6 prop. Conrad says that the model "flies gracefully as a swan, and will now perform at least two 3-D maneuvers."
Sparrowhawk
Richard F. Jiran (19022 N. 98th Ln., Peoria AZ 85382) completed construction on this model Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk in late 1998.
But Mr. Jiran's connection to this aircraft runs deeper than this RC version:
"As a member of the Potomac Chapter of the Antique Aircraft Association," he wrote, "I was a volunteer in the restoration of the full-scale Sparrowhawk for the National Air and Space Museum in the late 1970s."
Family Enjoys Modeling
Randy Cox (8794 NC 72E, Lumberton NC 28358) shot this photo of his daughter Mia and "a really nice P-51. I've been taking her to the airfield since she was born." (Mia was nine months old in late 1999, when the photo was taken.)
"RC flying is a very nice hobby that my whole family enjoys. Really enjoy reading your magazine."
R-40
Keith Wilson (2629 Chamise Way, Hemet CA 92545) scratch-built this 110-inch-wingspan model from a borrowed set of computer-generated plans.
Although the original was designed in 1940 by Herman Rapp of Strasburg, this Society of Antique Modelers-approved design has been converted to radio control for thermal flying.
The fuselage is a basic crutch construction, with laminated spruce stringers and balsa bulkheads forming the outline. Curved flying surfaces are formed from laminated strip balsa. Covering is Micafilm® and Monokote®.
Best flight to date is one hour, from a winch launch.
Dark Eyes
John J. King (7225 N. Oakbank Dr., Glendora CA 91741) designed and built this flying wing.
Wingspan is 120 inches; wing area, 1,800 square inches; wing loading is 8½ ounces per square foot.
"The model provides straight-and-true winch-launch capability, and has good thermal performance," wrote John. "At this time (November 1999) Dark Eyes has approximately 30 flights."
HA-1
Rupert Kosmala (7 Linwood Ave., Tewksbury MA 01876) says that the HA stands for "Holy Asterisk!"
Rupert designed and built the 34-pound, 112-inch-span model, which is powered by a Zenoah 62 with C&H ignition. Finish is Sig Koverall and dope.
"It's a great flier," says Rupert, "and a short step from a man-carrying airplane."
"Really Flies Great"
Glenn Kippenhan (2202 Michael St., Garland TX 75040) wrote that his latest scratch-built model "was patterned after the Freshman trainer by Top Flite®."
The model has a 66-inch wingspan and 990 square inches of wing area. Power is a Zenoah 23 and weight is 13 pounds. Radio is a Futaba Sky Sport.
"It really flies great," says Glenn.
"Awesome and More Awesome"
That's how Randy Martin (4503 Sao Paulo, Pasadena TX 77504) described this photo of his 33% 300L and a privately-owned F-4. The model is a 33% Pirate kit "with every detail from a French airplane," and is powered by a 3W-100. Radio is Airtronics Stylus. The F-4 is owned by "retired" Colonel Steve Ritchey, and was seen here near Houston TX.
S.E.5
Dave Schwarzen (3003 Carron Rd., Festus MO 63028) took a year to complete this scratch-built S.E.5.
"I used the drawings in Scale Aircraft Drawings," he wrote. "It is powered by a Magnum four-stroke 91 and has a working scale bungee on the landing gear."
The 1/6-scale S.E.5 also has a steerable tailskid, and the top and bottom of the front cowling is removable for engine access.
Spin III
Eldon Wilson (7 N. Milton, San Angelo TX 76901) scaled this model from Air Trails three-views. Wingspan is 60 inches, power is a .40 two-stroke, and the model weighs approximately six pounds.
"The attraction for building [this model] was the aerodynamics Tony Fokker used back in 1911," wrote Eldon. "Swept back, ample dihedral, ample tail movement. The radio and servos are inside the pilots."
Dornier Flying Boat
David F. Plummer (14414 NE 14th Pl., Bellevue WA 98007) built this 1/10-scale version of the Do 26 A. Span is 116 inches and the model weighs 25 pounds. Power is geared AstroFlight 25s turning 13 x 8-3 props, using 6.4 1,000 mAh batteries.
"Each motor/battery combination will produce about 375 watts, giving a power-to-weight ratio of approximately 60 watts per pound," David explained.
The model had yet to be flown at the time of the photo (late October 1999).
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Proud of your latest building/flying effort? Share it with MA's readers! Send us a glossy color print (no digital photos or photocopies, please), with appropriate description, and we'll run the best submissions as time and space permit.
Please include your full address (including E-mail, if available) so that interested parties may contact you directly. Send to: Model Aviation, 5151 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302; Attn: Focal Point.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
