FREE FLIGHT SPORT - 2003/10

154 MODEL AVIATION
YOU HAVE BEEN spending entirely too much time outside. You
need to spend some time indoors this winter. Locate a local group of
Indoor fliers and join in the fun. Building for Indoor can improve your
skills in picking wood, building light models, and learning to get the
most out of your rubber motor.
The P-38 closes in on the Me 109’s tail ... Most Indoor competitions
are simple duration events. It seems like one is always looking for a
timer.
For the last 10 years, some of us in Oklahoma have enjoyed indoor
World War II mass launches with No-Cal airplanes modeled after
World War II combat aircraft. To avoid the superlight models and to
try to involve beginners, we use a 6.2-gram minimum weight, 16-inch
maximum span, and 7-inch-diameter maximum propeller.
Gene Smith, 1401 N. Husband St., Stillwater OK 74075; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT SPORT
Ernie Johnson developed a series of models to use in his juniorhigh
model class. This is his Flying Start Cub.
Jesse Aronstein was packing heat and putting up flights at the
Oklahoma City armory this past winter.
Jesse’s dad Dave had impressive flights with No-Cal P-38.He
designed great-flying clipped-wing Spitfire No-Cal too.
Dave Aronstein wowed people last fall with his P-38. The
propellers counter-rotate, with the tips outward at the top. I asked
Dave how he got it to turn inside the armory and not run into the
walls. He said that he tried several methods to get it to turn, including
winding one motor more than the other and rudder trim. The thing that
finally worked was a drag plate on the left wing. Now it circles nicely.
At last year’s November session, Dave’s P-38 had a midair
with Larry Kruse’s Barracuda. My Shturmovik was circling well
above the carnage and I was quite confident that I had
everybody’s number. Then my model stuck on a rafter at 38 feet,
taking it out of the competition. A Piper Cub that was flying just
for fun outlasted us all.
The subject of No-Cals modeled after World War II aircraft
reminds me of one of my favorite Free Flight Scale newsletters ...
The Cloudbusters of Michigan’s newsletter featured several neat
WW II vintage fighter No-Cals in the late 1990s. Although back
issues are unavailable, there are interesting Scale Free Flight subjects
in almost every edition.
Dues are $10 per year for six issues. Send to Eric Knight, 29811
Forton Dr., New Baltimore MI 48047.
“I want to build a P-40 No-Cal; where can I find plans?”
Al Lidberg sells a number of No-Cal plans which include the P-40,
The A.J. Hornet does what it does best: rising-off-ground. Its
large 18-inch wing has dihedral and undercamber molded in.
October 2003 155
other WW II designs, and a variety of Scale and endurance subjects.
Log on to www.aalmps.com or send $2 for a catalog to A.A. Lidberg
Model Plan Service, 1030 E. Baseline, Suite 105-1074, Tempe AZ
85283. If you want to have some fun on a winter evening, take
advantage of Al’s bundle offer of all 22 of his No-Cal plans; you can
sit in front of the fire and decide what to build next.
Volaré Products has several neat No-Cal designs, including some
for WW II. Check them out at http://flyingacesclub.net/volare/
index.htm.
Don’t miss the Aero Aces Web site by Michael Morrow at
www.aeroaces.com. His page offers Peanut Scale and No-Cal plans,
No-Cal accessories (including a neat nose bearing), three-view
drawings, and a Scale outdoor kit with more to come.
If you are Internet-challenged, send $2 to Michael A. Morrow,
1327 44th Ave. S.W., Seattle WA 98116, for his catalog. He offers
color stick-on decals for some of his models. One of the most
important skills to acquire when building No-Cals is applying the
tissue covering without causing warps. Michael’s site has a great
covering tip that will help alleviate that problem.
Additional designs are available on Paul Bradley’s No-Cal plans
site. Check for it on Google.
Boys Just Wanna Have Fun: Jesse Aronstein flew his incredible
gliding wing and packed a pair of fearsome six-shooters at the
Oklahoma City armory last fall. They reminded me of my Hopalong
Cassidy twin six-shooters I relied on when I was kid. (That was a few
years ago.)
Jesse’s dad Dave flew several models during the day, helped Jesse
do some flying, and even read a child’s book to Jesse in the middle of
the afternoon. What a dad!
Do you have nobody with whom you can share your building and
flying experiences? If you have access to the Internet, you no longer
have to build alone. The Free Flight Cook-Up (FFCU) boasts 150
members and runs six group builds each year. As the construction
progresses, you can chat with others about your building and flighttrimming
experiences.
Log on to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffcookup/ to see what
project is currently on the group members’ building boards.
Flying Start Cub: I taught a model-building class for some juniorhigh
students for a few years. One of my neatest resources was a
catalog from Flying Start. Ernie Johnson taught a modeling class for
years and compiled a catalog of designs he used. Ernie has a variety of
Hand-Launched Gliders and simple rubber-powered models.
One of my favorites was the 13-inch-span Flying Start Cub. Why
are beginners’ models always called Cubs? We need one called the
Tiger, or the Eagle, or maybe the Terminator. Ernie does have a
Catapult Glider called the Sabre. Cool! But I digress.
Send $1.50 to Ernie Johnson for his catalog. Add another $1.25 for
plans for the Flying Start Cub. The address is Flying Start, 10460
Ambassador Dr., Rancho Cordova CA 95670.
Start your Cub with the wing. The center-section is flat and consists
Dave Linstrum’s version of Mike Nassisse’s Fiat G.55 No-Cal.
There are several scale color schemes from which to choose.
You should see the Miss RJ in its tangerine markings. Aero Aces
sells adhesive color graphics for several model plans.
of five pieces of hard 1⁄16 x 1⁄8 balsa. Each tip has only three pieces.
Build the center-section and tips separately.
When the glue is dry, prop up the tips for the tip dihedral and sand
the ends for a good fit against the center leading edges (LEs) and
trailing edges (TEs). This is a good spot for double gluing. Apply a
little bit of glue to both sides of the joint, wipe it off, and let it dry for
approximately a minute. Apply a little more glue, then set the tips in
place.
The side view of the plans is slightly misleading; it looks like the
tips ride on top of the center-section LE and TE, but they butt up
against the ends. Frame up the stabilizer and fin from medium balsa
strips.
While the flying surfaces are drying, make the fuselage stick from
hard balsa. Taper the bottom as shown, starting from a point roughly
below the rear of the pylon. Install the rear motor hook. Make the
pylon from soft balsa. I highly recommend the thrust bearing shown on
the plans. It is easy to make and to adjust, but if you prefer, build up the
nose a bit and stick on a premade propeller and bearing assembly as is
used on the Sleek Streak.
Notice that the pylon is not glued to the fuselage, but is attached
with tape. By sliding the pylon fore and aft, you can get the center of
gravity (CG) in the right place without adding weight to the model.
Cover the flying surfaces with tissue. You can use Japanese tissue,
but light wrapping tissue works well for this model. The local Paper
Warehouse had a sale, and I picked up enough tissue to cover a dozen
small sport models for a buck.
I really like glue stick for applying tissue. It is quick, clean, and
easy. Cut the tissue roughly 1⁄4-inch oversize, apply the glue to the
frame, and put the tissue in place. If the glue dries too soon in an area,
it can be reactivated with rubbing alcohol applied with a brush. Do not
shrink the tissue.
Notice that the stabilizer is glued to the bottom of the fuselage.
After the fin and wing are glued in place, add the rubber motor (a 12-
inch loop of 1⁄8 inch is a good place to start), adjust the pylon’s position
to the correct CG, and you are ready for test flights.
With the CG as noted on the plans, my model’s first lowpowered
flights showed a stall. I suspected that the Cub had too
much decalage. The easiest thing to do was remove the pylon
from the motorstick and shave some wood from the bottom of the
pylon (removing a tapered sliver 1⁄16 inch in front to 0 at the rear)
to lower the wing’s LE.
That solved the stall with low power. More winds showed a stall
with high power, so I bent in a little downthrust. The model flew great
with 450 turns in a 12-inch loop of 1⁄8-inch Tan.
Blast From the Past: The Jim Walker A.J. Hornet is again being
produced by Frank Macy of American Junior Classics at 3182 N.E.
Rivergate St., McMinnville OR 97128; Tel.: (503) 435-1916. I had one
when I was a kid, and the new version flies as well as the original.
Check the availability of the folding-wing catapult-launch 404
Interceptor.
See you in the February MA. MA