April 2001 113
When i was a Junior in the late 1950s, ground-support equipment
was basic. For the Gas events, a 11⁄2-volt dry cell, leads with
alligator clips, a pint can of glow fuel, and a rubber squeeze bulb
were all I used. (The rubber fuel bulb would soften from the fuel
and the red-orange rubber would stain your hand. That’s one aspect
of that era I can’t get nostalgic about.)
My older brother had a fuel-soaked plywood field box that held
a dry cell (or perhaps two wired in parallel and taped together), fuel,
a fuel bulb, and a propeller wrench or two.
The family supply of glow plugs, propellers, and other spares
were kept in a battered gray tackle box that stayed in the trunk of
the car.
A winder was it for the Rubber events, with a length of
clothesline to pull motors through the fuselage.
We did have one of those belt-drive towline winches, which was
the envy of some of the local glider fliers who still used a ball of
kite string and a paper clip for towing.
The only electric starter I remember seeing was an elaborate
flex-shaft affair used to start a Control Line Scale Constellation at
the local contest each year.
When I got back into Free Flight in the early 1970s, I noticed
that not only had the models improved, but so had the groundsupport
equipment. I was very quickly introduced to electric
starters, power panels, custom-made winders, stuffing sticks for
loading rubber motors, blast tubes, and stooges.
Thermal detectors, ranging from bubble machines that would
have made Lawrence Welk proud to elaborate chart-recording
thermistors, had become the norm.
(I can still remember the typical 1950s attitude on thermal
detection: “Get the car, I lucked into a thermal.” We knew they
were there and we knew they were a good thing; we just didn’t
know how to find them.)
However, this proliferation of equipment also meant
bigger, heavier tool kits to carry everything out to the
flightline. It seemed to be a contest of “My toolbox is bigger
than your toolbox.”
Louis Joyner, 183 Civitas St., Mt. Pleasant SC 29464
FREE FLIGHT DURATION
Former World Champion Evgeny Verbitsky keeps ground equipment
to a bare minimum. Note compact, battery-powered starter box.
Henry Spence gave starter box removable legs for more upright
start position. Thermistor pole is made from fishing rod.
Julie Parker watches husband Faust get ready to start F1C model.
Starter stand based on Gil Morris design in April 1997 column.
116 M ODEL AVIATION
This often degenerated into people flying out of their car
trunks rather than risking a hernia lugging everything out to
the flightline.
Today the trend is reversing, with smaller, more-compact
ground-support equipment. This is caused in part by the
requirements of air travel. Going to a contest on an airplane requires
careful packing and an “if you don’t need it, don’t take it” attitude.
Flying from rotating poles, as is common in Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale events, has also hammered home the
need to be mobile.
If your tool kit still looks like something that belongs in a
NASCAR® pit, study the photos and the following suggestions on
ways to pare down. It makes a day of flying more enjoyable and
much easier on your back.
• What do you really need? Limit the items in your ground
equipment to what you need for flying the particular model. Spare
parts, propellers, plugs, and fittings for other classes or sizes just add
weight and take up space.
Carry only the fuel for the event you are flying. In addition to
cutting down weight, it will reduce the chance of mix-ups.
Consider modular containers to hold the spares for a specific class
or event. Take the one or two you need, and leave the rest behind.
Likewise, limit repair supplies to what you will need for quick
fixes at the flightline. A bigger emergency kit can stay in the car.
• How many do you really need? You don’t have to carry a onepound
box of number 8 rubber dethermalizer bands out to the
field. An empty film can will hold a day or two’s supply and will
take up much less space. Besides, exposure to sunlight and heat
will weaken rubber bands.
How many plugs can you burn out? How many propellers can
you break? Limit your field box to a few spares, then replenish as
they are used.
• Downsize tools and accessories. Look for small, high-quality
devices for your field box. Consider multitools, such as the
Leatherman®, to replace several larger ones.
If you need one size of wrench or screwdriver, don’t pack
the whole set.
• Double up on the necessities.Although it’s important to keep equipment
to the bare minimum, it’s a good idea to carry spares for specialized tools
necessary for flying, such as winding hooks,
bobbins, timer-winding keys, etc.
• Keep the weight down. Accessories—
especially the bigger items such as starter
box and winding stooge—shouldn’t be
heavier than necessary. Use aluminum
instead of steel for stooge parts. Don’t use 3⁄4
plywood for a box when 1⁄4 or even 1⁄8 will
do. Think small and light.
• Keep the size down. In addition to reducing
weight, this will make things easier to carry.
Keep the field box as small as possible. Break
long items, such as thermistor poles and stooges,
down into manageable, packable lengths.
• Go soft. A soft-sided sports bag or
backpack is a convenient way to carry
equipment from the car to the flightline.
Look for a pack with multiple pockets and
compartments to organize gear by usage,
such as using one section for a stopwatch,
compass, and binoculars. This will help keep
related items together and help keep things
from getting lost in the bottom of a big bag.
• Stick to the diet. Continually re-evaluate the
items in your box. How often do you use it?
Flite Tech’s Supra Stooge, designed to hold F1B models for
winding. Has machined-aluminum yoke, adjustable nose support.
Camping stores are good sources of gear, such as the wind shelter David Ellis is using.
It is well below two-meter maximum height limit for flightline equipment.
John Oian’s Plane Minder gives models a safe place between
flights. It pivots on a spike, keeping the nose into the wind.
April 2001 117
Do you really need it? Is there a smaller,
lighter alternative?
• Buy quality. The best place I’ve found for
lightweight, high-quality tools, containers,
packs, stools, and other items is a good
camping store.
Avoid the cheap stuff often found at
discount sporting goods and department
stores. It is usually of inferior quality and
considerably heavier than the more
expensive items.
• Keep it in the bag. Field equipment
should be just that. Using tools or other
field gear in the workshop is a sure way to
leave an important item in the shop when
you need it at the site.
Flite Tech:Allen Brush has developed an
extensive, and alliterative, line of accessories
for the Rubber flier. A few items, including the
Speedy Spool Strander, have been around for
several years. (See “Free Flight Duration” in
the March 1999 Model Aviation for a review.)
Other items are new, including Snake
Snot—a silicone oil rubber lubricant;
Mylar™ Mist—a spray-on cleaner for plastic
film covering; and Battery Bank—a battery
holder and dispenser for tracking transmitters;
Front End Flush and Timer Tune-Up—
cleaning and maintenance kits for Rubber
model front ends and clockwork timers
respectively; and Roto Rubber Remover—a
stuffing sticklike device with sharp prongs on
the end, for removing blown motors.
Also available is a clear-plastic tube
designed to safely store a tracking transmitter,
a specialized container for holding a fuse, and
several sizes of stuffing sticks (Al calls them
“Motor Mounters”).
The neatest item on the list is the Supra
Stooge. This is a professional-quality winding
stooge designed for F1B. It includes a
machined-aluminum yoke, adjustable nose
support, and removable anchor pin (see photo).
Two wide straps connect the stooge to the
rear pegs. A shock cord runs forward to the
third pin to help absorb the impact of a blown
motor. The height is adjustable, and the stooge
breaks down into a compact 16-inch package.
The price is $145, but this device should
last a lifetime.
For more information and a catalog, contact
Allen Brush, Flite Tech, 25500 Aquila Ct., Sun
City CA 92586. The E-mail address is
[email protected] and the Web site is
www.inland.net/~abrush.
Plane minder: If you’ve ever set a model
down on the ground only to have the wind flip
it over and break something, consider a Plane
Minder.
This simple device from John Oian is
designed to safely hold a model a few inches
off the ground with the nose down, to keep the
wind from lifting the airplane.
The Plane Minder fits over a headless spike
driven into the ground; this allows it to pivot
weather-vane fashion, keeping the nose pointed
into the wind.
John reports that as an experiment, they set
one of these devices up with a model in the
path of a Lost Hills (CA) dust devil. The model
spun around, but survived unscathed.
John makes the Plane Minder from
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe and fittings, and
pads the wing cradles with a foam installation.
He’ll custom-build one of these devices for
you for $20 plus $5 postage. Be sure to supply
the wing thickness, wing root chord, and
distance from the bottom of the wing to the
lowest point of the model.
John’s address is 438 W. Shaw Ave.,
Fresno CA 93704. MA
