Author: Dennis Norman
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/09
Page Numbers: 124,125,126,128
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Free Flight Scale - 2009/09

The 2009 KSU Yearly Indoor Meet

By: Dennis Norman ([email protected])

On April 25, 2009, competitors from Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Michigan; New Jersey; New York; Ohio; Ontario, Canada; and Pennsylvania met for the annual indoor Free Flight Scale contest. It was held in the Kent State Field House in Kent, Ohio, and sponsored by the Cleveland Free Flight Society (CFFS).

The daylong gathering (7 a.m.–6 p.m.) featured a blend of eight AMA and seven Flying Aces Club (FAC) events. The emphasis was on fun, but the competition included AMA record trials for serious competitors.

Co-directors Michael C. Zand and Don Slusarczyk made attendees feel welcome. Kent State provided excellent accommodations for competitors and spectators.

Standard Class Catapult Glider and Unlimited Class Catapult Glider were the most popular AMA events. Jim Buxton and Bill Gowan won those categories, respectively.

The biggest competition in FAC was in No-Cal Profile Scale and No-Cal WW II Combat. Top honors went to Larry Loucka (flying a Hosler Fury) and Jim Buxton (with a P-51A), respectively.

Top winners were Jim Buxton (wins in AMA Hand-Launched Glider; AMA Standard Class Catapult Glider; FAC Peanut Scale; FAC No-Cal WW II Combat; and FAC WW II Combat) and John Marett (wins in AMA Easy B; AMA Limited Pennyplane; AMA 7-gram Bostonian; and FAC Golden Age Scale).

A few pictures from the Kent State event accompany this column, and Jeff Hood has an excellent photo record of the contest online. You can gain access to additional pictures by contacting Pat Murray and/or Peter Zbasnik (see Sources).

The annual Kent State contest is a classic and is well worth attending. Plans are being made for another edition in spring 2010; details will be announced once the date is finalized.

The CFFS sponsors the Kent State Indoor annual and publishes the Crosswinds quarterly newsletter. Although Crosswinds began in 1972 as a local newsletter, it has, to quote founder Russ Brown, “worked up to a fat quarterly with world connections.”

Crosswinds owes its strength and diversity to a policy of rotating lead editors, who continually provide fresh treatments of FF Scale models, discussions of new and evolving techniques, and other relevant topics.

Russ Brown and CFFS historian Lundy Goesling have completed the first comprehensive index of Crosswinds. Covering May 1972 to April 2009, this detailed index includes hundreds of classic and original plans from CFFS members and others. The index is available free from CFFS by sending an SASE to Russ Brown (see Sources). If you don't already subscribe to Crosswinds, a one-year subscription is $18. Back issues are available for $5 each.

I have also become aware of Replica, the newsletter of the National Association of Scale Aeromodellers (NASA). Published bimonthly, Replica began in the mid-1970s and has grown to a multipage publication with full-color photos, scale drawings, and modeling subjects of interest. It covers FF Scale subjects (Peanut, Dime, FAC, Coconut), plus CL, Profile, FAI, and RC topics.

The January–February 2009 issue included plans by Mike Welshans for a 15 7/16-inch-span No-Cal Piper PA-8 Skycycle, accompanied by pictures, scale drawings, and color photos of the model. That issue also featured a nice scale presentation of the Grumman F7F Tigercat. Replica is available with NASA membership for $20 per year. Contact Bonnie Rediske to join (see Sources).

Mark Freeland of Retro RC LLC sent samples of his Vintage Wheel and WW I Peanut Scale Wheel kits. They are laser cut and easy to build with photo-illustrated instructions; axle bushings are included. The Vintage Wheel kits include three styles (Vintage, Vintage II, Vintage Light) with sizes from 7/16 to 2 5/16 inches and weights of 1.8–6.6 grams each. The WW I Peanut wheels come in two diameters: 1 1/16 inches (1.0 g each) and 1 5/32 inches (1.2 g each), with O-ring or surgical-tubing tires. Kits will initially be available for less than $5 per pair.

Lone Star Balsa has announced that it is back in business. Riley Wooten started the company in 1979; it sold high-quality balsa to the modeling community for more than 30 years. The Lone Star Balsa building and everything in it was destroyed by fire the day before Thanksgiving in 2007. Everything had to be rebuilt, and the business is now ready to start taking orders for balsa sheets, sticks, and a few special shapes.

Lone Star Balsa works with suppliers in Ecuador. Balsa is in high demand and many suppliers have commitments, but Lone Star is working to return to production schedules and hopes to be of service to modelers for many years.

The AMA will complete its 2009 membership drive on September 14. This year's theme has been “Bringing Modelers Together Begins With You.” The AMA provides the framework to maintain, promote, and preserve our hobby. By renewing our commitment to the AMA, we help make it stronger for the future.

Career model flying has even found its way into the U.S. military, which is using sophisticated models as relatively low-cost, low-risk tools for reconnaissance and attack.

FF Scale enthusiasts have seen growth in materials, tools, and techniques in recent years. Soft pastel chalks have enabled opaque tissue coverings for scale models at virtually no weight penalty. Good results have been obtained with Esaki tissue, sheets of glass, several sheets of newspaper, wads of facial or toilet tissue, and Krylon spray paint.

Scott Dobberfuhl wrote a classic piece about chalking in the April 2000 edition of Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) Chapter 86's SAM Speaks newsletter. If you have that issue, read the article for excellent insight. If not, Scott has a chalking tutorial on the Easy Built Models website.

Sunlight can turn vibrant red, green, and blue tissue to drab gray within a season or two of outdoor flying. Chalking the tissue extends its appearance and improves contrast. Chris Parent is generally credited with discovering and perfecting most of the techniques used to chalk tissue; Larry Marshall, Rich Weber, and Scott Dobberfuhl have added significantly to the art.

The Esaki company of Japan makes the tissue that works best for chalking. Ample supplies in several colors are available from Shorty's Basement and other vendors at reasonable prices.

Typical chalking steps:

  • Turn soft pastel artist chalks into powder by rubbing them against fine sandpaper.
  • Make a pile of dust ready for application.
  • Lay the tissue dull side up on a sheet of glass or on a pad of newsprint (the dull side is more porous and holds the dust better).
  • Apply the chalk powder carefully using wads of facial tissue, toilet tissue, or smooth circular makeup pads.
  • Take care to keep a smooth working surface; grit or other contaminants will cause the tissue to tear when you rub chalk over it.

Once you have completed a full sheet of tissue, you are ready to apply it to your model. When covering, ensure that the tissue's chalked surface faces inward and the shiny side faces outward. A glue stick is normally used to attach the material to the model, but you can wet-cover chalked tissue: place the piece of tissue (shiny-side up) on a towel and mist it with rubbing alcohol.

After covering and removing any wrinkles, use clear Krylon to bring out the color, seal the surface, and lock in the shrinkage. Spray several light coats rather than one heavy coat. If sprayed lightly, the Krylon sits on the tissue's surface and draws the pigment through, making the covering more opaque. If sprayed heavily, the Krylon saturates the tissue and causes it to remain more translucent.

Different colors of chalk rubbed into different colors of tissue create a striking range of variations. Chalking is a method worth exploring to improve the look of your scale models.

The outstanding biennial WW I Dawn Patrol Rendezvous will be held September 25–27, 2009, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. It is a spectacular event, and it is free.

Results

#### AMA Hand-Launched Glider

  1. Jim Buxton
  2. Kurt Krempetz

#### FAC Peanut

  1. Jim Buxton (Ms. Ashley)
  2. Del Balunek (WACO SRE)
  3. Gordon Roberts (Judy)

#### Standard Class Catapult Glider

  1. Jim Buxton
  2. Kurt Krempetz
  3. John Marett

#### Golden Age Scale

  1. John Marett (Leopard Moth)
  2. Gordon Roberts (Taylorcraft)
  3. Jim Buxton (Culver Cadet)

#### Unlimited Catapult Glider

  1. Bill Gowan
  2. Jim Buxton
  3. John Marett

#### Dime Scale

  1. Don Slusarczyk (Mauboussin)
  2. Michael Zand (Tiger Moth)
  3. Gordon Roberts (Arado)

#### Easy B

  1. John Marett
  2. Larry Mzik

#### No-Cal (Profile Scale)

  1. Larry Loucka (Hosler Fury)
  2. Chuck Slusarczyk (Hosler Fury)
  3. Jim Buxton (Ohka)

#### F1L

  1. Bill Gowan
  2. Tom Sova
  3. Larry Mzik

#### No-Cal WW II Combat

  1. Jim Buxton (Ohka)
  2. Larry Loucka (Barracuda)
  3. Chuck Slusarczyk (Hurricane)

#### Limited Pennyplane

  1. John Marett
  2. Tom Sova

#### WW II Combat

  1. Jim Buxton (P-51A)
  2. Rich Miller (P-51)
  3. Gordon Roberts (Judy)

#### MiniStick

  1. Tom Sova
  2. Larry Mzik

#### Phantom Flash

  1. Herb Schubert
  2. Alan Cohen
  3. Don Slusarczyk

#### 7-Gram Bostonian

  1. John Marett (C Tern)
  2. Richard Miller (Road Runner)
  3. Jack Karn (Boston Pup)

Sources:

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.