Focal Point
Flite Streak
According to Mike Riggs (<REDACTED>), his friend Pat Johnston used his "amazing" AutoCAD® skills to produce full-size templates of the "wild curves" of Mike's Radio Control model.
The 3½-pound airplane has an HP Gold Cup .40 for power. Three submicroservos operate the throttle, elevator, and rudder. Two minservos are used for the flaps/ailerons.
The Flite Streak is finished with silkspan and dope on the fuselage and MonoKote® on the wings and control surfaces.
"Mixing features of my Futaba 8UAPS radio are utilized to produce wild unnamed aerobatics," wrote Mike.
CAP 232
Jeff Shapiro's (<REDACTED>) 40% Carden Aircraft CAP 232 spans 116 inches and is powered by a 3W 150cc engine.
He uses a Futaba radio that consists of nine servos and two receivers. The covering is UltraCote®, paint is PPG, and the graphics are from Kirby's Kustom Vinyl Graphics.
"It took just over three months to build and flies extremely well," wrote Jeff.
Canberra
Robert Pease (<REDACTED>) scratch-built his 1/12-scale Martin B-57B Canberra.
The model spans 64 inches, weighs 12 pounds, and has flaps and retracts. It is powered by Kress Jets 720 fans with converted O.S. race-car engines.
The model had not been flown at the time the photo was taken.
"Plans may be made available if there is sufficient interest," wrote Robert.
Su-26M
Michael Rakoczy (<REDACTED>) built his 27%-scale Sukhoi from an Ohio R/C kit (of balsa-and-light-plywood construction). It took him eight months.
The airplane weighs 25 pounds and spans 84 inches. It's powered by a 3W-60i 3.7 cubic-inch (60cc), six-horsepower engine, and it has a 24 x 10 Mejzlik carbon-fiber propeller.
The Su-26M features a TME smoke system and ElectroDynamics redundant battery system. Michael uses a Futaba 8UAP PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) radio.
Covering is Top Flite® MonoKote®; the cowl is painted with Top Flite® LustreKote® paint.
"The kit was of excellent quality," wrote Michael. "The hardware package was good and the fiberglass cowl was excellent. However, it is definitely not a beginner kit."
Cookin'
Sharon Hassa (<REDACTED>) sent the following "Recipe for Performance."
"Take one Great Planes CAP 231 ARF [Almost Ready to Fly] and strip it to the bones; add a dash of balsa and plywood to the foredeck and fuselage; re-cover to taste. Mix with a 12 x 6 propeller on a Thunder Tiger .61 Pro.
"Set on a cool airfield, light it up, and burn holes in the sky. Keep a warm hubby around to handle the hot landings (and cleanup).
"Enjoy!"
Elder
Jesse Aronstein's (<REDACTED>) electric-powered Top Flite® model has been flying for roughly 10 years.
He made many modifications to the framework design before building, to keep the weight down. The airplane's basic shape and character were retained.
The Elder weighs roughly 45 ounces ready-to-go with its geared car motor (21-turn windings and 2.5:1 gearbox) and six- or seven-cell sub-C battery pack.
"The flat-bottom floats make for quick takeoffs," wrote Jesse. "It is a graceful, slow, and smooth flier, with some aerobatic capability."
According to him, the model attracts a great deal of favorable comments at Galway Lake, New York each summer. "Galway Lake is a quiet place—no motor boats allowed," he wrote.
Hog-Bipe
D. Jason Diekhoff's (<REDACTED>) Sig model has an O.S. .91 FX engine turning a 14 x 8 propeller, and it weighs eight pounds. The radio is a Galaxy 8 JR PCM.
Covering is white and blue MonoKote®, blue UltraCote™, and blue and white paint to match. The trim scheme is nearly identical to that of the box except in blue (vs. red), because of Jason's "favoritism" toward that color.
The model has blue wheel pants and the factory checkerboard decal trim underneath the wings.
"The Hog-Bipe is one of my favorites," wrote Jason. "It has the power to hang on its nose or fly as gracefully as an eagle."
A Favorite
The Sig Somethin' Extra is one of John Tokuhbi's (<REDACTED>) favorites.
The kit is also popular with the local Brazos Valley Radio Control club; at least six members have bought one.
John's model is covered with Metallic Blue and Yellow MonoKote® with a black checkerboard underneath; the graphics were handmade with Black MonoKote®.
Power is an O.S. 52 four-stroke, the propeller is a Master Airscrew 11 x 7, and John is using PowerMaster 15% four-stroke fuel. The radio is a Futaba 6XA.
Goldberg Electra
Gloria Schaffer's (<REDACTED>) model is fun to fly and to soar with the hawks that frequent her club's (the Fun Flyers) field.
The Electra is covered with UltraCote®, powered with a 1,500 mAh battery pack, has a 7 x 3½ propeller, and is hand-launched.
"I find my glider to be real relaxing over the Hobbico trainer, Eagle, and Big Stick 40 that I also fly," wrote Gloria.
Extra 300
Lloyd Askew's (<REDACTED>) Great Planes 60-size model was built by his very good friend, Bill Dishler.
According to Lloyd, "Bill put a ton of hours into the covering of this airplane, which you can see."
The Extra is powered by a YS 120 with pump, and it has Hitec HS-300BB servos and a Futaba radio.
"It flies extremely well and has more than enough power to do whatever you want it to do," wrote Lloyd.
Miss 2
Richard Flinchbaugh (<REDACTED>) is holding his Miss 2 on scale Edo floats.
The model weighs 36 ounces and spans 54 inches. It is powered with an Astro 020 brushless motor and uses eight 1,200 NiMH cells. The transmitter and receiver are Airtronics.
Miss 2 takes off in less than 20 feet and flies for 10 minutes on one charge.
"It's a wonderful starter airplane for small-pond flying," wrote Richard.
A Big Surprise
Joan Moullet (<REDACTED>) sent this photo of her husband Gary with his Piper PA-18 Super Cub.
"It will be a big surprise for my husband," she wrote. He and pilot Dan Thordason took fourth place in Team Scale at the 1999 US Scale Masters Championships in Phoenix AZ. It was the first time Gary entered.
The 1/3-scale Balsa USA model weighs 46 pounds, spans 12 feet, and is powered by a Brison 4.2 Twin engine. It has a JR transmitter and receiver.
Covering is cloth and Federal Aviation Administration-approved airplane paint (nitrate dope). The model also has built floats and clipped wings. It took 1,500-2,000 hours to build, and the model's pilot closely resembles the owner.
"Gary is very proud of his work, and I'm glad it was recognized at last," wrote Joan.
Thunderbolt
Thomas M. Kowalski's (<REDACTED>) Top Flite® P-47 is the Gold Edition, 63-inch wingspan version.
He finished the model with MonoKote® then sprayed on Flat Clear LustreKote™ for a scale appearance.
The P-47 is powered by a Saito 120 four-stroke engine. According to Thomas, it is a stable flier and very scale-like in the air with the gear retracted.
"On the ground, the complete interior gets a lot of good comments," he wrote.
Old-Timer
George A. Rizkalla (<REDACTED>) designed this model when he was 16. "Of course, it wasn't this large," he wrote.
Through the years George has built at least six versions of the design. The last version, shown, is powered with a G-62 engine.
"The airplane is way overpowered, but really performs very well (straight up fast)," he wrote.
The scratch-built model spans 12 feet, has a 24-inch chord in the center, and weighs 16 pounds. It's covered with silk and dope, which is all George uses.
"Carl Goldberg and Sal Taibi were my favorite designers," he wrote. "If you notice, the wing is Goldberg, the fuselage is Taibi."
"I get a lot of satisfaction in flying it, as do my son and six-year-old grandson (who is really advanced for his age)," wrote George. "So at this point, we now have three generations of fliers."
Great Lakes Special
Paul Harding's (<REDACTED>) daughter Diana Nelson holds his Bob Dively model.
The airplane is powered by a Super Tigre .90 engine, it spans 69 inches, and it weighs eight pounds. The radio is a Futaba seven-channel.
Proud of your latest building/flying effort? Share it with MA's readers! Send us a glossy color print (no digital photos under 300 dpi or photocopies, please), with appropriate description (no handwritten submissions, please), and we'll run the best submissions as space permits.
Please include your full address (including E-mail, if available) so that interested parties may contact you directly. Send to: Model Aviation, 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302; Attn: Focal Point.
Because of this section's popularity, it may be several months before your model is featured.
Graduation Gift
Vincent Polizzotto's (<REDACTED>) wife holds his grandson's Kyosho Sukhoi Su-31 that Vincent made for him for graduation.
The model is powered by an O.S. 70 Surpass and has a 12½ x 6 Graupner propeller.
"We are all AMA members and proud of it," wrote Vincent.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
