Free Flight Scale - 2010/06 | Model Aviation Library

Author: Dennis Norman

Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/06
Page Numbers: 125,126,127

CFFS annual March Party highlights

By Dennis Norman [[email protected]]

One of the first signs of spring in Cleveland, Ohio, is the Annual CFFS (Cleveland Free Flight Society) March Party (MP), hosted by my lovely wife, Linda, and me. This sociable group meets for supper on the third Friday of most months at Dimitri’s Restaurant in Parma, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb.

The CFFS also holds an Annual Holiday Party in December, where guest speakers present delightful programs for club members and their spouses or guests. The MP at the Norman home marks the climactic end of the building season, as CFFS members turn to await the joys of the flying season, which starts in May.

This year’s MP was attended by 31 club members, spouses, and guests (including five who were older than 80). First to arrive were the three Daves: Dave Miller and his wife Christina; Dave Bertsch Sr.; and his son, Dave Bertsch Jr., who are neighbors and friends of the Millers.

Dave Miller, who is 51, began flying models with me at age 8. He particularly enjoyed the exciting flights of Catapult Scale F4F-J Phantom slingshot gliders that I designed and built for him and his younger brother, Bruce. We also enjoyed trips to the Cleveland National Air Show, the U.S. Air Force Museum, and other events.

The Bertsches were new to the CFFS, and they shared an enthusiasm for aviation and model building. Dave Sr., age 87, served 20 years of active duty with the U.S. Navy, flying divebombers such as the Douglas SBD Dauntless and fighters such as the Grumman F6F Hellcat and Chance Vought F4U Corsair from jeep carriers during World War II.

A number of members and guests followed up the dinner with a visit to my large, clean, well-lit workshop. Upon seeing the shop, Jim Keppler, CFFS member, exclaimed that his wife would kill him if she knew that such an area could be so tidy. I quickly assured Jim that the workshop was cleaned like that only once a year (because of the MP). He felt better after hearing that.

One of the joys of the MP and of other CFFS meetings held throughout the year is the opportunity to see some members’ latest projects. Dan Kane revealed two new models at the MP: a Peanut Scale version of the Ole Tiger Goodyear racer and a striking 24-inch-span Howard DGA-15P, newly kitted by RockyTop Models. The Goodyear racer and the DGA-15 were masterfully built, and Dan will feature them at this year’s Flying Aces Club (FAC) Nationals at Geneseo, New York. Dan and his vivacious wife, Carole, will be at Geneseo also with their growing selection of new kits and materials sold under the name “Shorty’s Basement.”

Alvin Brown, CFFS member, presented his new P-51D racer at the MP, finished in his creative and colorful decorating style. The 18-inch-span Mustang promises to fly as great as it looks. Del Balunek showed his latest WACO at the MP; it promises to be an excellent flier, as are most of his models. CFFS President Rich Weber delighted those present with his new Yak twin, finished in a handsome red-and-white scheme. The model depicts an early prototype that was the first of a line of impressive Yak twins.

Also impressive was Jim Hyka’s carefully preserved 1927 Ideal kit of the "New York-Paris Monoplane," better known as the "Spirit of St. Louis." The kit featured balsa, bamboo, and hardwood parts, with an exquisite pair of wheels, white rubber tires, and a beautifully carved propeller. It also included a can of "Bamboo Varnish." Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Spirit of St. Louis kit is that the Ideal kit was ready for the 1927 Christmas season, only a few months after Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight from New York to Paris.

The 2010 FAC Nats will be held in Geneseo, New York, July 14–17. If you are familiar with this biennial event, you might notice that a fourth day has been added to ease the positive stress of what is arguably one of the great contests in the free flight/scale world. I am happy to report that MA will have complete coverage of the event and will publish a feature article about it later this year.

If you have not registered for the FAC Nats, it is important that you do so without delay; local hotels are already booked or filling rapidly because of the event. If you have problems with accommodations, you should be able to get lodging at the excellent dorm facilities of the State University of New York (SUNY), located in the center of Geneseo.

Event details:

Dates: July 14–17, 2010
Entry fee: $25 for all FAC Nats events (contestants 17 or younger fly free)
Banquet: Quality Inn in Geneseo; tickets $33 per person (limited seating)

It is great to hear from those who read my column. The most recent correspondence includes a nice letter from William "Mild Bill" Dahlgren, who saw my mention of the Phantom Flash covering kits in the March 2010 column and asked for more information. I answered Bill's letter and told him that I am in the process of preparing a model. I listed the 19 Phantom Flash coverings that are currently available and informed him that samples are shown in the March 2010 column.

A photo depicts the three coverings for the Phantom Flash II Chameleon kits. The center photo of the Phantom Flash II coverings on the bottom of page 111 shows the single covering used in a Phantom Flash kit. Each Phantom Flash covering kit costs $5 plus $2.50 postage.

Bob Haley of Marlborough, Connecticut, is 87 years old and still loves to build models. He sent several delightful snapshots of his work, one of which I have included in this column. Bob is a WWII Army/Air Force veteran and a licensed private pilot, and he spent 31 years with Pratt & Whitney’s engine shop. He is particularly interested in Gordon Roberts’ articles about carving propellers.

According to Bob, in the late 1930s his dad gave him a carton of balsa blocks from an ice cream truck, in which the wood was used as insulation. Bob got the cutoffs and an endless supply of balsa with which to carve propellers.

Mike Nassise, editor and publisher of Tailspin, the New England Flying Aces news and journal of the FAC Bay State Squadron, sends me his outstanding bimonthly effort. Subscriptions are $12 per year, payable to Mike (whose contact information is in the Sources list).

In the March/April 2010 Tailspin, Mike featured a 19-inch-span rubber-scale Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat based on the old Guillow’s Series 500 kit. The plans were accompanied by two sets of three-view drawings: one from VF-83 onboard the USS Essex in 1945 and the other showing a British Pacific Fleet Hellcat II (F6F-5) onboard HMS Ruler, also in 1945.

That issue of Tailspin featured structural photos of the bare bones of Mike’s F6F-5, with a piece titled “Solving the Mid-Wing Attachment Problem” by George White. It also included an interesting and relevant discussion of building midwing aircraft types such as the Hellcat, the Brewster SB2A Buccaneer, and others.

I told Mike that the Hellcat is one of my favorites. As a kid I drooled over the Monogram Speedee Bilt kit. It was delicious, but it didn’t fly well. By the time I was 11 or 12, I was building the Comet Hellcat. It flew well enough to help hook me into a lifetime of rubber scale.

A View From Here is a delightful book of scale three-view drawings and comments by Jim Newman, published by Carstens Book Store. Jim is an accomplished author, illustrator, and cartoonist, with an encyclopedic knowledge of aviation. He is a seasoned glider pilot and instructor, and he has a delightful artistic style and a hilarious sense of droll British humor.

The book is a compilation of articles written for Flying Models magazine, and it gives unique insight into the subjects depicted. At a cost of $14.95 plus shipping, A View From Here is a must for your library.

One of my favorite attractions is the American Air Museum in Britain, located at Duxford in Cambridge. It was built in the late 1990s as a tribute to the service of U.S. aviators who helped the British in their hour of need in World War II. The museum displays beautifully restored WWII American aircraft and also features postwar- and Cold War-era airplanes.

Recent economic events have made it vital that membership be sustained and increased. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and that will draw large numbers of visitors to the American Air Museum. Along with this monumental event, the facility will celebrate its 13th anniversary.

Aircraft have been suspended from the museum’s ceiling since 1997 and must be lowered for major maintenance to keep them in good shape. It will be an expensive undertaking, but it is necessary to keep the facility and this priceless collection in top condition. In addition, the building itself needs updates and repairs. It is important that this treasure be maintained to educate younger generations about the sacrifices of American airmen in the service of our two countries.

See you at Geneseo! MA