January 2003 127
hoW does ThAT old saying go? “There
is no fool like an old fool”? Boy, do I fit the
bill! I took a perfectly good model to the
Flying Aces Nationals (Nats), only to wipe it
out with my stupidity.
One problem, among many, in California
is that there is no tall grass. We average 11
inches of rain each year, but this past season
we received less than four inches. Those of
you who experience loads of rain each year
can imagine how scant four inches is. The
flying site I have access to is surrounded by
fields that rely on rain for their crops. Last
year the crop was approximately three feet
high and was terrific for testing new
models—not so this year. All this is my way
of conveying that I had not tested my model
before going to the Nats.
The grass at the flying field in Geneseo is
usually a few inches high, but it looked like
that part of New York hadn’t received much
rain either. Add the lack of test-flying to my
stupidity, and you have something that is not
good for a new model.
The airplane’s center of gravity was right
on, yet when I glided the model it nosed
down. Any modeler would realize that some
up-elevator was in order. (My “secret” model
was the Fairey Swordfish. The full-scale
airplane has a great deal of positive incidence
in the stabilizer. Naturally, like a fool, I
incorporated it into the model—never again.)
For some reason my cabling wouldn’t
allow me to add up-elevator. Did I take the
time to figure out why? No. I could claim
that it was the heat of competition, but I have
to be honest: I was just “an old fool”!
I could crank in up-elevator but it
wouldn’t stay put, so I did the unforgivable: I
added tail weight. You are probably thinking
that’s what I should have been doing in the
first place. To bring this painful experience to
an end, I went out to the flying site and fired
up the reliable Mills .75 diesel. I launched
into the wind with catastrophic results.
Surprisingly the model survived several of
these attempts, but it ended up crashing.
Don Srull finally told me to remove the
tail weight and crank up-elevator. Fortunately
someone had his faculties in order. By this
time the model had taken so much abuse that
it was for naught. The old adage “live and
learn” is applicable in this case. Next time I
will find a tall crop and beg the owner to let
me test-fly in it!
Biplanes are my first love, and rigging is a
necessary part of building one of these
models. Look at Figure 1; this rigging idea—
using small aluminum tubing for the task—
has been around forever. Many crimp the
Fernando Ramos, 19361 Mesa Dr., Villa Park CA 92861; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT SCALE
All photos this month are of the author’s ill-fated Fairey Swordfish which was powered
by a Mills .75 diesel engine. The text contains details.
tubing, which looks awful. After cinching
the cable tightly, I put a drop of
cyanoacrylate glue (CyA) into it. This holds
nicely, to which my Swordfish will attest.
However, since the smallest size of
aluminum tubing is 1⁄16 inch outside
diameter, it doesn’t suit smaller models.
I found a simple solution that works
great. I strip the insulation from a smalldiameter
hookup wire and cut the insulation
into 1⁄8-inch-long pieces. This insulation is so
small that the 12-pound nylon fishing line I
normally use won’t go into it. For the
insulation to work like the aluminum tubing,
I stretch it by forcing it onto a large pin. It
stays stretched long enough for the nylon to
go through once then back into itself again,
and I follow that with a mini drop of CyA. It
really finishes the appearance of the rigging.
I have always left the nylon fishing line
as it looks when it comes off the spool;
however, Dan Marek shared a hint with me
that is simple and effective. He puts silver
Floquil on a rag and runs the nylon through
the rag. It paints the nylon silver with little
effort, and the result improves the looks
tremendously.
how many subject aircraft have you
avoided because the cowling had louvers? I
have a couple of suggestions that will make
this task easy.
Look at Figure 2. This is a small
hardwood block with a notch in the middle
on one end. The depth and width of the
notch depends on the size of louver
required. The parallel lines are required to
keep the louvers straight in a row.
128 M ODEL AVIATION
I use one of three different materials;
aluminum lithoplate is my primary choice. I
have aluminized paper that also works great.
(I got it from a friend who was in the printing
business long ago, and I don’t know if it is
still used. However, a friend said that it is
available in hardware stores. For what use
and under what name, I do not know; maybe
some of you do know and would pass it on to
me.) The third is a 3 x 5 file card or business
cards. Some of the latter are made from some
nifty paper.
Cut the material slightly wider than the
louver; this width determines the width of
the parallel lines on the block. Using a knife
with a No. 11 blade, cut the material where
each louver should be; these slits represent
the height of the louver. (See Figure 2b.)
Place this material between the parallel
lines, lining the first slit over the notch in the
wood block. Work the material into the
notch with a bluntly pointed tool, rubbing
from side to side. Take a look, and you will
see a perfectly formed louver with little
effort. Slide the strip up to the next slit, and
repeat this until they are all formed.
With the aluminized paper, the
aluminized side has to be face down. With
the lithoplate and file card, this is not a
consideration. If you have to use the file
card, after the louvers are formed wet the
back side with thin CyA. This will hold the
louvers in place and keep them from
flattening.
I can’t stress enough the concept that if
you use, say, nitrate dope with Floquil or any
of the many other paints I have mentioned in
the past, the trim color (stripes, registration,
etc.) should be done with pure Floquil. This
way if there is any overspray after doing the
trim color, Floquil thinner can be used to
remove it without affecting the nitrate color
underneath.
However, if you find yourself in a
position in which that cannot be done, an ink
eraser works great for removing small
amounts of overspray. I use the “pencil” type
that can be sharpened like a pencil. This
allows you to get into small spaces. Take care
to rub on the overspray only; otherwise you
can dull the paint underneath.
Since I have mentioned Floquil, one thing
I have not mentioned in quite awhile is the
use of its Crystal Cote. This product is used
to get a high gloss over Floquil’s regular
paints. Putting a couple milliliters or a capful
of Crystal Cote in a mixture of nitrate dope
and Floquil color gives a patina to the finish.
It also prevents tissue from becoming brittle.
At a club meeting a few of us were
discussing our own particular methods of
covering. We were pretty much in
agreement for the most part. However,
Allan Heinrich of Aerodyne incorporates
one extra step that I never even considered.
I try to make everything as easy as I can,
but I have never done this.
Allan likes to use an aircraft covering
glue called Sure Seam which is made by
the dope manufacturer most of us use:
Certified Coatings. He uses it full strength
unless it tends to “rope”; if it does, he thins
it with nitrate thinner.
Then comes the step I don’t do: Allan
brushes the glue everywhere the tissue will
make contact so that the surface will be
glossy. (Some of you might do this
anyway.) It allows the tissue to slide over
the structure as it dries from water
shrinking. This helps eliminate wrinkles
and certainly provides better adhesion
during the doping process.
John Brodak of Brodak Manufacturing
would like all of us modelers to consider
our hobby a sport. For the sixth year in a
row he sponsored the Brodak Fly-In: a
Control Line contest that drew record
numbers from across the United States.
Even though there is local publicity, his
question is, Where was ESPN? If modeling
were a “sport,” ESPN might cover various
events. This would no doubt help spread
the word about our great “sport” and
undoubtedly attract many more Juniors into
the fold.
John has a neat lapel pin available. His
telephone number is (724) 966-2726.
I am off to the United Kingdom to compete
in the British Nationals and to the Czech
Republic to compete in an international
Indoor contest. I will report on them when I
get back. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/01
Page Numbers: 127,128,129
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/01
Page Numbers: 127,128,129
January 2003 127
hoW does ThAT old saying go? “There
is no fool like an old fool”? Boy, do I fit the
bill! I took a perfectly good model to the
Flying Aces Nationals (Nats), only to wipe it
out with my stupidity.
One problem, among many, in California
is that there is no tall grass. We average 11
inches of rain each year, but this past season
we received less than four inches. Those of
you who experience loads of rain each year
can imagine how scant four inches is. The
flying site I have access to is surrounded by
fields that rely on rain for their crops. Last
year the crop was approximately three feet
high and was terrific for testing new
models—not so this year. All this is my way
of conveying that I had not tested my model
before going to the Nats.
The grass at the flying field in Geneseo is
usually a few inches high, but it looked like
that part of New York hadn’t received much
rain either. Add the lack of test-flying to my
stupidity, and you have something that is not
good for a new model.
The airplane’s center of gravity was right
on, yet when I glided the model it nosed
down. Any modeler would realize that some
up-elevator was in order. (My “secret” model
was the Fairey Swordfish. The full-scale
airplane has a great deal of positive incidence
in the stabilizer. Naturally, like a fool, I
incorporated it into the model—never again.)
For some reason my cabling wouldn’t
allow me to add up-elevator. Did I take the
time to figure out why? No. I could claim
that it was the heat of competition, but I have
to be honest: I was just “an old fool”!
I could crank in up-elevator but it
wouldn’t stay put, so I did the unforgivable: I
added tail weight. You are probably thinking
that’s what I should have been doing in the
first place. To bring this painful experience to
an end, I went out to the flying site and fired
up the reliable Mills .75 diesel. I launched
into the wind with catastrophic results.
Surprisingly the model survived several of
these attempts, but it ended up crashing.
Don Srull finally told me to remove the
tail weight and crank up-elevator. Fortunately
someone had his faculties in order. By this
time the model had taken so much abuse that
it was for naught. The old adage “live and
learn” is applicable in this case. Next time I
will find a tall crop and beg the owner to let
me test-fly in it!
Biplanes are my first love, and rigging is a
necessary part of building one of these
models. Look at Figure 1; this rigging idea—
using small aluminum tubing for the task—
has been around forever. Many crimp the
Fernando Ramos, 19361 Mesa Dr., Villa Park CA 92861; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT SCALE
All photos this month are of the author’s ill-fated Fairey Swordfish which was powered
by a Mills .75 diesel engine. The text contains details.
tubing, which looks awful. After cinching
the cable tightly, I put a drop of
cyanoacrylate glue (CyA) into it. This holds
nicely, to which my Swordfish will attest.
However, since the smallest size of
aluminum tubing is 1⁄16 inch outside
diameter, it doesn’t suit smaller models.
I found a simple solution that works
great. I strip the insulation from a smalldiameter
hookup wire and cut the insulation
into 1⁄8-inch-long pieces. This insulation is so
small that the 12-pound nylon fishing line I
normally use won’t go into it. For the
insulation to work like the aluminum tubing,
I stretch it by forcing it onto a large pin. It
stays stretched long enough for the nylon to
go through once then back into itself again,
and I follow that with a mini drop of CyA. It
really finishes the appearance of the rigging.
I have always left the nylon fishing line
as it looks when it comes off the spool;
however, Dan Marek shared a hint with me
that is simple and effective. He puts silver
Floquil on a rag and runs the nylon through
the rag. It paints the nylon silver with little
effort, and the result improves the looks
tremendously.
how many subject aircraft have you
avoided because the cowling had louvers? I
have a couple of suggestions that will make
this task easy.
Look at Figure 2. This is a small
hardwood block with a notch in the middle
on one end. The depth and width of the
notch depends on the size of louver
required. The parallel lines are required to
keep the louvers straight in a row.
128 M ODEL AVIATION
I use one of three different materials;
aluminum lithoplate is my primary choice. I
have aluminized paper that also works great.
(I got it from a friend who was in the printing
business long ago, and I don’t know if it is
still used. However, a friend said that it is
available in hardware stores. For what use
and under what name, I do not know; maybe
some of you do know and would pass it on to
me.) The third is a 3 x 5 file card or business
cards. Some of the latter are made from some
nifty paper.
Cut the material slightly wider than the
louver; this width determines the width of
the parallel lines on the block. Using a knife
with a No. 11 blade, cut the material where
each louver should be; these slits represent
the height of the louver. (See Figure 2b.)
Place this material between the parallel
lines, lining the first slit over the notch in the
wood block. Work the material into the
notch with a bluntly pointed tool, rubbing
from side to side. Take a look, and you will
see a perfectly formed louver with little
effort. Slide the strip up to the next slit, and
repeat this until they are all formed.
With the aluminized paper, the
aluminized side has to be face down. With
the lithoplate and file card, this is not a
consideration. If you have to use the file
card, after the louvers are formed wet the
back side with thin CyA. This will hold the
louvers in place and keep them from
flattening.
I can’t stress enough the concept that if
you use, say, nitrate dope with Floquil or any
of the many other paints I have mentioned in
the past, the trim color (stripes, registration,
etc.) should be done with pure Floquil. This
way if there is any overspray after doing the
trim color, Floquil thinner can be used to
remove it without affecting the nitrate color
underneath.
However, if you find yourself in a
position in which that cannot be done, an ink
eraser works great for removing small
amounts of overspray. I use the “pencil” type
that can be sharpened like a pencil. This
allows you to get into small spaces. Take care
to rub on the overspray only; otherwise you
can dull the paint underneath.
Since I have mentioned Floquil, one thing
I have not mentioned in quite awhile is the
use of its Crystal Cote. This product is used
to get a high gloss over Floquil’s regular
paints. Putting a couple milliliters or a capful
of Crystal Cote in a mixture of nitrate dope
and Floquil color gives a patina to the finish.
It also prevents tissue from becoming brittle.
At a club meeting a few of us were
discussing our own particular methods of
covering. We were pretty much in
agreement for the most part. However,
Allan Heinrich of Aerodyne incorporates
one extra step that I never even considered.
I try to make everything as easy as I can,
but I have never done this.
Allan likes to use an aircraft covering
glue called Sure Seam which is made by
the dope manufacturer most of us use:
Certified Coatings. He uses it full strength
unless it tends to “rope”; if it does, he thins
it with nitrate thinner.
Then comes the step I don’t do: Allan
brushes the glue everywhere the tissue will
make contact so that the surface will be
glossy. (Some of you might do this
anyway.) It allows the tissue to slide over
the structure as it dries from water
shrinking. This helps eliminate wrinkles
and certainly provides better adhesion
during the doping process.
John Brodak of Brodak Manufacturing
would like all of us modelers to consider
our hobby a sport. For the sixth year in a
row he sponsored the Brodak Fly-In: a
Control Line contest that drew record
numbers from across the United States.
Even though there is local publicity, his
question is, Where was ESPN? If modeling
were a “sport,” ESPN might cover various
events. This would no doubt help spread
the word about our great “sport” and
undoubtedly attract many more Juniors into
the fold.
John has a neat lapel pin available. His
telephone number is (724) 966-2726.
I am off to the United Kingdom to compete
in the British Nationals and to the Czech
Republic to compete in an international
Indoor contest. I will report on them when I
get back. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/01
Page Numbers: 127,128,129
January 2003 127
hoW does ThAT old saying go? “There
is no fool like an old fool”? Boy, do I fit the
bill! I took a perfectly good model to the
Flying Aces Nationals (Nats), only to wipe it
out with my stupidity.
One problem, among many, in California
is that there is no tall grass. We average 11
inches of rain each year, but this past season
we received less than four inches. Those of
you who experience loads of rain each year
can imagine how scant four inches is. The
flying site I have access to is surrounded by
fields that rely on rain for their crops. Last
year the crop was approximately three feet
high and was terrific for testing new
models—not so this year. All this is my way
of conveying that I had not tested my model
before going to the Nats.
The grass at the flying field in Geneseo is
usually a few inches high, but it looked like
that part of New York hadn’t received much
rain either. Add the lack of test-flying to my
stupidity, and you have something that is not
good for a new model.
The airplane’s center of gravity was right
on, yet when I glided the model it nosed
down. Any modeler would realize that some
up-elevator was in order. (My “secret” model
was the Fairey Swordfish. The full-scale
airplane has a great deal of positive incidence
in the stabilizer. Naturally, like a fool, I
incorporated it into the model—never again.)
For some reason my cabling wouldn’t
allow me to add up-elevator. Did I take the
time to figure out why? No. I could claim
that it was the heat of competition, but I have
to be honest: I was just “an old fool”!
I could crank in up-elevator but it
wouldn’t stay put, so I did the unforgivable: I
added tail weight. You are probably thinking
that’s what I should have been doing in the
first place. To bring this painful experience to
an end, I went out to the flying site and fired
up the reliable Mills .75 diesel. I launched
into the wind with catastrophic results.
Surprisingly the model survived several of
these attempts, but it ended up crashing.
Don Srull finally told me to remove the
tail weight and crank up-elevator. Fortunately
someone had his faculties in order. By this
time the model had taken so much abuse that
it was for naught. The old adage “live and
learn” is applicable in this case. Next time I
will find a tall crop and beg the owner to let
me test-fly in it!
Biplanes are my first love, and rigging is a
necessary part of building one of these
models. Look at Figure 1; this rigging idea—
using small aluminum tubing for the task—
has been around forever. Many crimp the
Fernando Ramos, 19361 Mesa Dr., Villa Park CA 92861; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT SCALE
All photos this month are of the author’s ill-fated Fairey Swordfish which was powered
by a Mills .75 diesel engine. The text contains details.
tubing, which looks awful. After cinching
the cable tightly, I put a drop of
cyanoacrylate glue (CyA) into it. This holds
nicely, to which my Swordfish will attest.
However, since the smallest size of
aluminum tubing is 1⁄16 inch outside
diameter, it doesn’t suit smaller models.
I found a simple solution that works
great. I strip the insulation from a smalldiameter
hookup wire and cut the insulation
into 1⁄8-inch-long pieces. This insulation is so
small that the 12-pound nylon fishing line I
normally use won’t go into it. For the
insulation to work like the aluminum tubing,
I stretch it by forcing it onto a large pin. It
stays stretched long enough for the nylon to
go through once then back into itself again,
and I follow that with a mini drop of CyA. It
really finishes the appearance of the rigging.
I have always left the nylon fishing line
as it looks when it comes off the spool;
however, Dan Marek shared a hint with me
that is simple and effective. He puts silver
Floquil on a rag and runs the nylon through
the rag. It paints the nylon silver with little
effort, and the result improves the looks
tremendously.
how many subject aircraft have you
avoided because the cowling had louvers? I
have a couple of suggestions that will make
this task easy.
Look at Figure 2. This is a small
hardwood block with a notch in the middle
on one end. The depth and width of the
notch depends on the size of louver
required. The parallel lines are required to
keep the louvers straight in a row.
128 M ODEL AVIATION
I use one of three different materials;
aluminum lithoplate is my primary choice. I
have aluminized paper that also works great.
(I got it from a friend who was in the printing
business long ago, and I don’t know if it is
still used. However, a friend said that it is
available in hardware stores. For what use
and under what name, I do not know; maybe
some of you do know and would pass it on to
me.) The third is a 3 x 5 file card or business
cards. Some of the latter are made from some
nifty paper.
Cut the material slightly wider than the
louver; this width determines the width of
the parallel lines on the block. Using a knife
with a No. 11 blade, cut the material where
each louver should be; these slits represent
the height of the louver. (See Figure 2b.)
Place this material between the parallel
lines, lining the first slit over the notch in the
wood block. Work the material into the
notch with a bluntly pointed tool, rubbing
from side to side. Take a look, and you will
see a perfectly formed louver with little
effort. Slide the strip up to the next slit, and
repeat this until they are all formed.
With the aluminized paper, the
aluminized side has to be face down. With
the lithoplate and file card, this is not a
consideration. If you have to use the file
card, after the louvers are formed wet the
back side with thin CyA. This will hold the
louvers in place and keep them from
flattening.
I can’t stress enough the concept that if
you use, say, nitrate dope with Floquil or any
of the many other paints I have mentioned in
the past, the trim color (stripes, registration,
etc.) should be done with pure Floquil. This
way if there is any overspray after doing the
trim color, Floquil thinner can be used to
remove it without affecting the nitrate color
underneath.
However, if you find yourself in a
position in which that cannot be done, an ink
eraser works great for removing small
amounts of overspray. I use the “pencil” type
that can be sharpened like a pencil. This
allows you to get into small spaces. Take care
to rub on the overspray only; otherwise you
can dull the paint underneath.
Since I have mentioned Floquil, one thing
I have not mentioned in quite awhile is the
use of its Crystal Cote. This product is used
to get a high gloss over Floquil’s regular
paints. Putting a couple milliliters or a capful
of Crystal Cote in a mixture of nitrate dope
and Floquil color gives a patina to the finish.
It also prevents tissue from becoming brittle.
At a club meeting a few of us were
discussing our own particular methods of
covering. We were pretty much in
agreement for the most part. However,
Allan Heinrich of Aerodyne incorporates
one extra step that I never even considered.
I try to make everything as easy as I can,
but I have never done this.
Allan likes to use an aircraft covering
glue called Sure Seam which is made by
the dope manufacturer most of us use:
Certified Coatings. He uses it full strength
unless it tends to “rope”; if it does, he thins
it with nitrate thinner.
Then comes the step I don’t do: Allan
brushes the glue everywhere the tissue will
make contact so that the surface will be
glossy. (Some of you might do this
anyway.) It allows the tissue to slide over
the structure as it dries from water
shrinking. This helps eliminate wrinkles
and certainly provides better adhesion
during the doping process.
John Brodak of Brodak Manufacturing
would like all of us modelers to consider
our hobby a sport. For the sixth year in a
row he sponsored the Brodak Fly-In: a
Control Line contest that drew record
numbers from across the United States.
Even though there is local publicity, his
question is, Where was ESPN? If modeling
were a “sport,” ESPN might cover various
events. This would no doubt help spread
the word about our great “sport” and
undoubtedly attract many more Juniors into
the fold.
John has a neat lapel pin available. His
telephone number is (724) 966-2726.
I am off to the United Kingdom to compete
in the British Nationals and to the Czech
Republic to compete in an international
Indoor contest. I will report on them when I
get back. MA
