February 2001 119
lookING AND leARNING: If you are
like most Free Flighters, you toil in relative
isolation with only limited contact with
like-minded modelers.
That’s all the more reason why you
should take every opportunity at a contest
to examine the work of other modelers.
Study their models up-close, check out the
details, and ask questions. As long as the
modeler isn’t busy getting ready for a
contest flight, most will be more than
willing to show off their handwork.
And the question “How did you do
that?” usually leads into a long discussion
of tools and techniques.
Which models should you look at? Don’t
limit yourself to the events you fly. Many, if
not all, techniques can carry over from one
type of Free Flight (FF) to another.
Don’t limit your attention to the
winning models. There are good ideas
even on the worst-flying models. (And bad
ideas are sometimes used on good-flying
models; you have to use judgment.)
overall appearance is a good place to
start. At the risk of generalizing, most
well-built and well-detailed models are
clean and neat; that doesn’t necessarily
mean an elaborate multicolored tissue-trim
job or fancy graphics.
Alexander Andriukov’s 1993 World
Championships-winning model had plain
white Polyspan on the wing, clear Mylar™
on the tail, and all the other parts were
natural balsa, aluminum, carbon, or aramid.
The model identification numbers were
applied with a felt-tip pin.
However, the structure was accurately
built, and all the mechanical details were
well-thought-out and neatly executed. I
had the feeling that Alex invested a great
deal of time in developing the fixtures to
build the model, and in designing and
producing the mechanisms, such as the
variable-pitch front end.
This particular model was a product
Louis Joyner, 4221 Old Leeds Rd., Birmingham AL 35213
FREE FLIGHT DURATION
Tom McCoy’s Lanzo—a modern version of a 60-year-old design. Fuselage is Polyspan
colored with thinned nitrate dope and yellow ink. Wing and tail are yellow tissue.
This label on the Lanzo’s fuselage
provides the important specifications of
the model, including rubber motor size.
For ease of transportation, Tom added a removable rudder and a two-piece wing. Two
pegs, visible through the covering, fit into tubes in the stabilizer.
120 M ODEL AVIATION
of Alex’s production line, but it flew
superbly.
As an ultimate extension of “looking
and learning,” Jerry Fitch purchased
Alex’s 1993 winner, studied it, improved
it, and went on to win the World
Championships with his design two
years later.
A good analogy in full-scale aviation
is to compare the Wright brothers’ 1903
aircraft with the rival Langley
Aerodrome. The Wrights’ Flyer was
simple and straightforward—built with
care, but without embellishment. The
important thing was their concept, not
the manifestation of it.
Built at considerably higher cost,
Langley’s aircraft was exquisitely detailed,
with thin-walled steel tubing joined by
elaborately filigreed brackets that would
rival an Italian racing bicycle.
The Wrights’ simple, straightforward
Flyer could be repaired easily on site, with
minimal delays. However, the more
complicated Aerodrome required extensive
repairs after its first attempt at flight.
This doesn’t mean attractive models
can’t fly well. A few years ago, I examined
Bob White’s Nats-winning coupe. The
workmanship, in traditional balsa and
tissue, was superb. What impressed me
most was the attention to detail and finish
on even the smallest component.
Unlike the simple piece of 1⁄16 plywood
most builders use as the stabilizer mount,
Bob sculpted a streamlined mount from
plywood and balsa, which flowed smoothly
into the rolled-balsa tailboom.
Robert Perkins prepares to fire up his F1J model at the 2000 Max Men contest at Lost
Hills CA. The compact starter fit in his luggage for flight out from Ohio.
The dethermalizer line attaches to a small wire hook at the rear
of the rudder, then runs forward to the fuse.
A small balsa box in the top of the fuselage provides a spot at
the center of gravity for the tracking transmitter.
Robert Perkins’ PVC rig holds starter at
proper angle. A foot switch operates it.
Thermistor, tach mounted on extension pole.
The pylon didn’t seem to be attached
to the motor tube, but rather to grow out
of it. The whole fuselage looked as if it
had been carved from one piece of shiny
red plastic. But knowing Bob, it was all
balsa, and a lot of sandpaper was used.
And, as if to prove that pretty doesn’t
have to be heavy, a neat piece of lead was
attached at the center of gravity (CG).
Tom McCoy is another builder who
uses traditional modeling materials to
turn out attractive, well-planned models.
The close-up shots of his Lanzo Old-
Time Rubber model shows careful
workmanship and clever ideas.
The Lanzo features a two-piece wing
and removable rudder, to allow for
easier packing when Tom takes the
model to Society of Antique Modelers
(SAM) meets overseas.
The wing conversion is rather
straightforward, with aluminum tubes
in each half and wire joiners. The wing
is strapped down to the fuselage in the
conventional manner.
The removable rudder also uses two
short pieces of aluminum tubing,
mounted vertically in a fattened center
stabilizer rib. Two wires extend from the
bottom of the rudder, allowing it to be
plugged into place easily or removed.
Tom attaches the dethermalizer (DT)
line to the trailing edge of the rudder, to
help hold it in place. Tension on this line
keeps enough downward pressure on the
rudder to hold it.
Another neat feature on Tom’s model
is the simple, out-of-sight location for the
Walston radio transmitter.
(Many modern FF models use a tiny,
low-powered radio transmitter to aid in
finding them when they are lost. This
device has increased the life expectancy
of a contest FF model from weeks to
years. Now you can lavish attention on
a model, knowing it won’t be lost on its
first outing.)
A small box made from 1⁄16 sheet balsa
creates a recess on top of the fuselage at the
CG. A piece of drafting tape holds the box in
place. The wing serves as the top cover for
the transmitter box. The wire antenna leads
back along one of the top longerons, through
several short pieces of tubing.
Although the Lanzo’s propeller seems fat
and clunky by modern standards, the
workmanship is flawless. The blades are
covered with yellow silk blades and trimmed
with black dope, to complement the black
tissue trim on the rest of the model.
One especially useful item is a small
adhesive-backed sticker on the underside
of the fuselage, on which Tom recorded
the rubber-motor size and length,
maximum turns, and torque.
You could custom-make labels for all
your models with a computer and a sheet of
press-on labels from the office-supply store.
As an alternative, write directly on the
model. My brother and I did that years
ago with Hand-Launched Gliders; we
jotted throwing instructions on the balsa
February 2001 121
with a ball-point pen. Now I note such
things as timer settings and CG location
with a fine-point permanent marker.
Information on the model is much
easier to keep track of than
information in a notebook.
Don’t limit your observation to the models;
ground-support equipment often shows as
much innovation as the aircraft themselves.
Robert Perkins’ neat starter box is made
from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plumbing
pipe. The device (you can’t really call it a
“box”) holds a starter, power panel, battery,
thermistor, and tachometer.
The unit can easily be disassembled
for transport. Three legs provide
support—even on uneven ground.
If you have never worked with
PVC, it is quite easy. A trip to the
local hardware or home-supply store
will turn up all manner of pipes and
fittings, and the cleaner and glue used
to join the pieces. (Don’t use epoxy or
other modeling adhesives; the purposemade
adhesive works best.)
Note that the sizes of plumbing pipe
bear little resemblance to their actual
sizes. Take along a ruler or a pair of
calipers to check sizes.
Not all fittings are glued; bolts and wing
nuts are used for many of the joints,
allowing the unit to be taken apart easily.
On Robert’s version, the front two legs and
the plywood box housing the power panel
are one unit. The back leg comes off, as
does the extension pole for the thermistor.
The starter is held in a cut-down piece
of PVC by two stainless-steel hose
clamps. If you want to make your own
starter, begin with the power panel,
battery, and starter. Shorten or lengthen
the front legs to adjust overall height;
change the back-leg length to vary the
angle of the starter.
Assemble the parts without glue and
fiddle until everything suits you and
the way you fly, then glue or bolt
together as needed.
The PVC needs no finish, but put a
few coats of fuelproof dope or epoxy
resin on any wood components to protect
them from weather and fuel. MA
