The 30th anniversary of FAC national competitions is coming!
Dennis Norman [email protected]
HI, GANG! You will receive this issue at roughly the height of the building season. This year is the 30th anniversary of Flying Aces Club (FAC) Nats competition, and it may see multiengine subjects in abundance.
Multiengine and other scale projects
FAC Hall of Famer Vance Gilbert is making progress on his scratch-built version of the Short S.26: a beefy, British, four-engine flying boat. There is no lake at the Geneseo, New York, flying field, but this model is sure to make a big splash with the crowd.
Andrew Ricci is well along on his 30-inch-span Arado Ar.440. It bears a similarity to the Heinkel He 119, but it may have an even better layout for a high-performance FF Scale subject. I am still chipping away at my 1/2-inch-scale (62.5‑inch span) Lockheed Constellation Model L-049, which will sport TWA livery.
Those are just a few of the many multis that are being built for the 2008 flying season. There is only one way to see them up close, and that is to attend the FAC Nats at Geneseo. Scale judging will take place Thursday, July 17, 2008, and flying competition is July 18–20. See the last paragraph of this column for event contact and registration information.
Building activity is by no means limited to multis. Numerous other fine models are being made ready for FAC events. Tom Hallman, a superb craftsman, is nearing completion of his handsome Junkers J 1, which is being covered with camouflage tissue that is neatly printed in full color using a computer printer.
The Junkers' corrugated metal areas are convincingly portrayed using fine lines. Tom has even made meticulous wheels with the manufacturer's name on the wheel covers. Such attention to detail gets the crowd's juices flowing even before the model takes to the air.
Propeller design — Gordon Roberts
Gordon Roberts, the FAC's legendary Ace of Aces (with 534 Kanones in FAC competition), has gifted us with two excellent articles detailing his efforts to design a propeller with constant helical pitch. He recently presented me with a 6-inch propeller designed to his specifications. I finished it and put it on my new Walnut Scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV, with phenomenal results. Gordon's idea was to create a propeller that produces thrust for every bit of its length, and I believe he has done it. On its maiden attempts the Spitfire soared gracefully and gave long, stable flights of nearly a minute. With tweaking I feel certain that maxes are possible, and I have the tingling sensation that the Spitfire will probably go out of sight one calm, thermal-filled day.
Although Gordon presents his ideas at length in issues 102 and 108 of the Crosswinds newsletter, I will summarize the information for your ready reference. If you would like copies of issues 102 and 108, contact Russ Brown. If you want a copy of Gordon's articles only, send me $5 and I will mail them to you, postage included.
Gordon concedes that propeller carving may have become a lost art because of plastic propellers, but they do not have true helical pitch. Therefore, although they are satisfactory for most uses, they do not give the ultimate thrust that is possible.
Most of us are content with propellers that give satisfactory flights. In serious competition (and Gordon wrote the book on that subject), even a modest improvement in propeller thrust can spell the difference between a Kanone and an also-ran.
Gordon begins his discussion by pointing out that as far back as the May 1951 issue of the English magazine Model Aircraft, J.H. Maxwell drew attention to the fact that so-called "traditional block" propellers (those with a straight taper in depth from the halfway point to the tip) do not give constant pitch.
The "X" block design begins, at the hub, with constant helical pitch, but it becomes less effective and wasteful of wood as it progresses to the tip. J.H.'s solution was to put a "concave dip" in the side elevation from the halfway point to the tip. His ideas were largely ignored for nearly 50 years, until Bob Barker rediscovered them. In the November 1997 Sam 35 Speaks, John confirmed J.H.'s ideas about the outer half of the blade.
Jim Fullerton of Australia also confirmed J.H.'s ideas. Gordon notes that the Aussies were a formidable force in post-World War II Wakefield competitions, and their propeller designs were certainly doing their job.
Gordon's contribution to the story is to allow the inner portion with the now-almost-universal cutout to be laid out with a constant pitch. A Ph.D. mathematician, he gives a detailed discussion of the mathematical calculations needed to arrive at true helical pitch.
Gordon has done calculations for several sizes of propellers, to cover most options for FAC events, including:
- 12‑inch diameter
- 10‑inch diameter
- 8‑inch diameter
- 6‑inch diameter
A sample for a 6‑inch-diameter propeller block for true helical pitch accompanies his article. Patterns for the other sizes, with the mathematical reasoning for them, can be found in the reprints I mentioned.
Gordon tested his theory by carving several propellers. He found a significant improvement in propeller performance. He concluded his comments by giving tips for the order and method of carving blocks for making propellers of true helical pitch.
- Drill the hole for the propeller shaft in the block using a drill press to make sure it is vertical.
- Cut the outer tips using a band saw.
- Cut the center cutout (side view).
- Cut out the two dips on the face elevation.
Carving technique is beyond the scope of this column, but there is an excellent discussion of the process in an article by Steve Griebling, a meticulous craftsman, in issue 100 of Crosswinds.
In memoriam: Bhagat Dhillon
I am saddened by the loss of any modeler, but this passing should be noted out of comradeship and respect for the shared interest in our wonderful hobby. Bhagat Dhillon created and administered the hugely successful Small Flying Arts (SFA) Web site. It was a home for FF Scale modelers around the world.
Thousands who shared a passion for model aviation found an SFA forum, which let them exchange ideas freely and enthusiastically. Bhagat managed SFA and sustained it at his expense with his considerable energy.
He was suddenly taken from us by a massive heart attack at age 47. Since he appeared to be in great health, this has come as an incredible shock to his family and friends.
Dhillon’s sons, Arjun and Derek, are doing their best to continue SFA, but they are young and in school. They are looking for others to help and eventually take over the Web site. The tentative plan is to either sell the Web site or pay someone who will dedicate the same amount of time and care that Bhagat did in managing it.
Anyone who is interested in further details should contact Arjun Dhillon. The best tribute to Bhagat would be to continue the fine work that he was doing with SFA.
Sharing model aviation with youngsters
As I have previously written, since we all have expiration dates, it is vital that each of us make an effort to share model aviation with the young. Through the years I have made an effort to share it not only with my eight children, but also with my grandchildren (which currently number nine). I have taught about model airplanes to countless groups of school students, and I have had the pleasure of mentoring many in my workshop.
I am currently taking my grandchildren to Cleveland Free Flight Society contests to give them an opportunity to experience the joy of FF. Since five of my grandchildren live out of state, I must content myself with taking the four “locals” (ranging in ages from 4 to 7) to the CFFS contests. Because they are young, their parents usually come. Time on the field is limited to two hours. More than that might be burdensome for them.
At this point all are enjoying the contest experience, and I have made sure that each has at least two or three models apiece to fly. I am not referring to junk balsa gliders found at discount stores. They do not generally perform well, and nothing can turn off a potential modeler more than attempting to fly models that are essentially incapable of satisfactory flights.
Last year I began handing fully wound, high-performance FF Scale models to even my 3-year-old grandchildren. After a few fumbling attempts, they were able to release the airplanes and watched in awe as they soared away for flights of nearly a minute. Nothing I could have said or done would have given them more joy.
For the 2008 flying season I have built four Sky Bunnys, designed by Bill Warner, for my pint-sized flying buddies. The design is excellent for teaching a new flier the FF basics.
The Sky Bunny has adjustable tabs on the wing, stabilizer, and rudder to show the effects on the model’s performance. The “stick” fuselage permits easy adjustment of the wing and allows one to demonstrate the impact of wing position on the aircraft’s flight.
The kids have been dubbed “Flying Tigers.” Special markings have been created for their models, which sport shark’s teeth, an early US insignia, wings covered in black on the underside (to make them easier to spot at altitude), and garish, flame-like yellow-and-black tiger stripes on the topsides.
To keep things from becoming too uniform, I covered each model’s tail surfaces in the pilot’s favorite colors (e.g., my granddaughter May likes pink and white). I also printed, in large letters, each child’s name on the underside of the wing.
Bill Warner wrote a 14-part series of articles for Model Builder magazine between November 1987 and December 1988. The features were beautifully illustrated by Jim Kaman and were intended as a guide for beginning FF modelers.
When I realized that this information was no longer readily available, I contacted Bill. He graciously gave me permission to reprint them. I brought all 14 articles together in an 82-page booklet entitled Hey Kid! Ya Wanna Build a Model Airplane?
These books are currently available from Air Ace Models for $20 each plus $3 for shipping and handling. Those who are interested can order by contacting me.
FAC Nats — registration and housing
As I mentioned at the outset, the FAC will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its Nats this summer. If you have not already done so, I strongly recommend that you contact Colonel Lin Reichel, Commander-in-Chief, at FAC GHQ for registration and housing information. The 2008 edition will probably be another record for this event. Until then, build well, build often, and enjoy much! MA
Sources:
- Air Ace Models
(216) 631-7774 [email protected]
- Arjun Dhillon
(920) 385-8367 [email protected]
- Colonel Lin Reichel, Commander-in-Chief
FAC GHQ 3301 Cindy Ln Erie, PA 16506
- Russ Brown
4909 N. Sedgewick Lyndhurst, OH 44124
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
