Free Flight Sport - 2006/05

DICK GORMAN took a great photo of the
WW II Mass Launch at the Pinkham Field
Flying Aces contest in Durham, Connecticut,
last September. The fliers were Mark
Fineman, Kent Le’Mon, and Steve Blanchard.
Mark’s Bell Kingcobra won, followed by
Steve’s P-47 and Kent’s Curtiss P-40.
Mark Fineman’s great-flying Kingcobra
was featured in a construction article in the
August 2004 MA. Check out the details of his
model there.
Steve’s P-47 was built from the Golden
Age Reproductions kit. He says it is a great
kit with excellent plans, and the wood
Models shown in the WW II Mass Launch photo are detailed
Also included in this column:
• Balsa-stripper information
• New event for enlarged
Bostonians
• Superior propellers are
available again
• Plans and ribs available for Don
DeLoach’s Nats-winning P-30
• Classic Aircraft Model Co.
• Team Luddite T-shirts
• A military markings Web site
• Blackburn Engineering is up
and running
• Battery recycling
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
Three fighters take off in formation during a round of a World War II Mass Launch.
These are fun Flying Aces Club events. Photo by Dick Gorman.
Dan McLeod’s wonderful balsa stripper is capable of cutting a wide
variety of strips. McLeod photo.
Bob Schlosberg reports that his 175% Chelsea Cardinal trimmed
out in just a few flights. Schlosberg photo.
selection is terrific. Canopies are included for
the razorback and bubble-canopy versions.
Steve chose the razorback version. The
model’s weight without rubber is 41.8 grams
and it uses an 8-inch Peck-Polymers silver
propeller.
Because of the size of the flying area at
Pinkham field, mass launches are flown with
the 15% rule. The rubber motor cannot weigh
more than 15% of the weight of the empty
airframe.
After a great deal of winding, flying, and
changing motors, Steve settled on a loop of 1/8
inch and a loop of 3/16 inch that were
approximately 14 inches long. This dictates a
motor at or weighing less than 6.27 grams.
Under power the P-47 flies in a tight left,
spiraling climb and then flattens out into a
more open left cruise. It then transitions
gently into a right glide. At 24 inches of
wingspan and 48.07 grams all-up weight, the
P-47 has a fairly light wing loading.
The glide is Steve’s favorite part of the
flight. The best time so far with a 25% motor
was 79 seconds.
It’s been all 15% from then on, with some
respectable flights of roughly 50 seconds to a
minute. Golden Age Reproductions kits are
available from Penn Valley Hobby Center,
which advertises in this magazine.
Kent built his P-40Q2 from plans in Jim
Norfolk’s out-of-print book Laying out the
Drawing. The model spans 20.5 inches. The
stabilizer area was increased to exceed that
shown on the plans by 15%. Each wingtip has
1/8-inch washout.
DICK GORMAN took a great photo of the
WW II Mass Launch at the Pinkham Field
Flying Aces contest in Durham, Connecticut,
last September. The fliers were Mark
Fineman, Kent Le’Mon, and Steve Blanchard.
Mark’s Bell Kingcobra won, followed by
Steve’s P-47 and Kent’s Curtiss P-40.
Mark Fineman’s great-flying Kingcobra
was featured in a construction article in the
August 2004 MA. Check out the details of his
model there.
Steve’s P-47 was built from the Golden
Age Reproductions kit. He says it is a great
kit with excellent plans, and the wood
Models shown in the WW II Mass Launch photo are detailed
Also included in this column:
• Balsa-stripper information
• New event for enlarged
Bostonians
• Superior propellers are
available again
• Plans and ribs available for Don
DeLoach’s Nats-winning P-30
• Classic Aircraft Model Co.
• Team Luddite T-shirts
• A military markings Web site
• Blackburn Engineering is up
and running
• Battery recycling
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
Three fighters take off in formation during a round of a World War II Mass Launch.
These are fun Flying Aces Club events. Photo by Dick Gorman.
Dan McLeod’s wonderful balsa stripper is capable of cutting a wide
variety of strips. McLeod photo.
Bob Schlosberg reports that his 175% Chelsea Cardinal trimmed
out in just a few flights. Schlosberg photo.
selection is terrific. Canopies are included for
the razorback and bubble-canopy versions.
Steve chose the razorback version. The
model’s weight without rubber is 41.8 grams
and it uses an 8-inch Peck-Polymers silver
propeller.
Because of the size of the flying area at
Pinkham field, mass launches are flown with
the 15% rule. The rubber motor cannot weigh
more than 15% of the weight of the empty
airframe.
After a great deal of winding, flying, and
changing motors, Steve settled on a loop of 1/8
inch and a loop of 3/16 inch that were
approximately 14 inches long. This dictates a
motor at or weighing less than 6.27 grams.
Under power the P-47 flies in a tight left,
spiraling climb and then flattens out into a
more open left cruise. It then transitions
gently into a right glide. At 24 inches of
wingspan and 48.07 grams all-up weight, the
P-47 has a fairly light wing loading.
The glide is Steve’s favorite part of the
flight. The best time so far with a 25% motor
was 79 seconds.
It’s been all 15% from then on, with some
respectable flights of roughly 50 seconds to a
minute. Golden Age Reproductions kits are
available from Penn Valley Hobby Center,
which advertises in this magazine.
Kent built his P-40Q2 from plans in Jim
Norfolk’s out-of-print book Laying out the
Drawing. The model spans 20.5 inches. The
stabilizer area was increased to exceed that
shown on the plans by 15%. Each wingtip has
1/8-inch washout.
May 2006 129
Willamette Ave., Colorado Springs CO 80903.
Flying Aces Club leader Lin Reichel has
started Classic Aircraft Model Co. (CAMCO)
and has released three kits, two of which are
Dave Stott designs: a 16-inch-span Dime
Scale Rearwin Cloudster and a 20-inch-span
Hamilton Metalplane that is suitable for the
Golden Age Scale event. The third kit is the
Jimmie Allen Special, which is eligible for the
Jimmie Allen events.
Order directly from Lin at 3301 Cindy Ln.,
Erie PA 16506. The first two kits are $14.56
each and the Jimmie Allen kit is $15. Shipping
is $4 for the first kit and an additional dollar
for each additional kit. The kits are also
available from EZ Built Models at
www.easybuiltmodels.com/.
A luddite is one of a band of workmen who
destroyed labor-saving machinery in early
industrial England. Now the term generally
refers to those who are “against technology.”
With tongue firmly in cheek, Joe Mekina
made a number of “Team Luddite” T-shirts for
those FF modelers who are doing their best to
resist the trend toward using carbon fiber and
other space-age materials in their models.
It is ironic that you need to check out these
shirts’ prices and availability on the Internet!
You can see them at www.teamluddite.com/.
Military Markings Galore: There is a great
Web site for those of us who like to build
World War II vintage military aircraft. It is
loaded with insignia for many of the aircraft
that participated in that war. Check it out at
www.simmerspaintshop.com/colours/
markings.html.
Don Blackburn has his engine shop working
again after a recent move. His specialty is
Society of Antique Modelers and nostalgia
engine rework. Don’s address is Box 954,
Perkins OK 74059, and his E-mail is
[email protected]. His telephone number
is pending.
If you would like to recycle your used Ni-Cd
and Li-Poly batteries but don’t know where
to take them, check out www.rbrc
org/index.html?sp=true to find the nearest
recycling spot anywhere in the US. MA

DICK GORMAN took a great photo of the
WW II Mass Launch at the Pinkham Field
Flying Aces contest in Durham, Connecticut,
last September. The fliers were Mark
Fineman, Kent Le’Mon, and Steve Blanchard.
Mark’s Bell Kingcobra won, followed by
Steve’s P-47 and Kent’s Curtiss P-40.
Mark Fineman’s great-flying Kingcobra
was featured in a construction article in the
August 2004 MA. Check out the details of his
model there.
Steve’s P-47 was built from the Golden
Age Reproductions kit. He says it is a great
kit with excellent plans, and the wood
Models shown in the WW II Mass Launch photo are detailed
Also included in this column:
• Balsa-stripper information
• New event for enlarged
Bostonians
• Superior propellers are
available again
• Plans and ribs available for Don
DeLoach’s Nats-winning P-30
• Classic Aircraft Model Co.
• Team Luddite T-shirts
• A military markings Web site
• Blackburn Engineering is up
and running
• Battery recycling
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
Three fighters take off in formation during a round of a World War II Mass Launch.
These are fun Flying Aces Club events. Photo by Dick Gorman.
Dan McLeod’s wonderful balsa stripper is capable of cutting a wide
variety of strips. McLeod photo.
Bob Schlosberg reports that his 175% Chelsea Cardinal trimmed
out in just a few flights. Schlosberg photo.
selection is terrific. Canopies are included for
the razorback and bubble-canopy versions.
Steve chose the razorback version. The
model’s weight without rubber is 41.8 grams
and it uses an 8-inch Peck-Polymers silver
propeller.
Because of the size of the flying area at
Pinkham field, mass launches are flown with
the 15% rule. The rubber motor cannot weigh
more than 15% of the weight of the empty
airframe.
After a great deal of winding, flying, and
changing motors, Steve settled on a loop of 1/8
inch and a loop of 3/16 inch that were
approximately 14 inches long. This dictates a
motor at or weighing less than 6.27 grams.
Under power the P-47 flies in a tight left,
spiraling climb and then flattens out into a
more open left cruise. It then transitions
gently into a right glide. At 24 inches of
wingspan and 48.07 grams all-up weight, the
P-47 has a fairly light wing loading.
The glide is Steve’s favorite part of the
flight. The best time so far with a 25% motor
was 79 seconds.
It’s been all 15% from then on, with some
respectable flights of roughly 50 seconds to a
minute. Golden Age Reproductions kits are
available from Penn Valley Hobby Center,
which advertises in this magazine.
Kent built his P-40Q2 from plans in Jim
Norfolk’s out-of-print book Laying out the
Drawing. The model spans 20.5 inches. The
stabilizer area was increased to exceed that
shown on the plans by 15%. Each wingtip has
1/8-inch washout.
DICK GORMAN took a great photo of the
WW II Mass Launch at the Pinkham Field
Flying Aces contest in Durham, Connecticut,
last September. The fliers were Mark
Fineman, Kent Le’Mon, and Steve Blanchard.
Mark’s Bell Kingcobra won, followed by
Steve’s P-47 and Kent’s Curtiss P-40.
Mark Fineman’s great-flying Kingcobra
was featured in a construction article in the
August 2004 MA. Check out the details of his
model there.
Steve’s P-47 was built from the Golden
Age Reproductions kit. He says it is a great
kit with excellent plans, and the wood
Models shown in the WW II Mass Launch photo are detailed
Also included in this column:
• Balsa-stripper information
• New event for enlarged
Bostonians
• Superior propellers are
available again
• Plans and ribs available for Don
DeLoach’s Nats-winning P-30
• Classic Aircraft Model Co.
• Team Luddite T-shirts
• A military markings Web site
• Blackburn Engineering is up
and running
• Battery recycling
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
Three fighters take off in formation during a round of a World War II Mass Launch.
These are fun Flying Aces Club events. Photo by Dick Gorman.
Dan McLeod’s wonderful balsa stripper is capable of cutting a wide
variety of strips. McLeod photo.
Bob Schlosberg reports that his 175% Chelsea Cardinal trimmed
out in just a few flights. Schlosberg photo.
selection is terrific. Canopies are included for
the razorback and bubble-canopy versions.
Steve chose the razorback version. The
model’s weight without rubber is 41.8 grams
and it uses an 8-inch Peck-Polymers silver
propeller.
Because of the size of the flying area at
Pinkham field, mass launches are flown with
the 15% rule. The rubber motor cannot weigh
more than 15% of the weight of the empty
airframe.
After a great deal of winding, flying, and
changing motors, Steve settled on a loop of 1/8
inch and a loop of 3/16 inch that were
approximately 14 inches long. This dictates a
motor at or weighing less than 6.27 grams.
Under power the P-47 flies in a tight left,
spiraling climb and then flattens out into a
more open left cruise. It then transitions
gently into a right glide. At 24 inches of
wingspan and 48.07 grams all-up weight, the
P-47 has a fairly light wing loading.
The glide is Steve’s favorite part of the
flight. The best time so far with a 25% motor
was 79 seconds.
It’s been all 15% from then on, with some
respectable flights of roughly 50 seconds to a
minute. Golden Age Reproductions kits are
available from Penn Valley Hobby Center,
which advertises in this magazine.
Kent built his P-40Q2 from plans in Jim
Norfolk’s out-of-print book Laying out the
Drawing. The model spans 20.5 inches. The
stabilizer area was increased to exceed that
shown on the plans by 15%. Each wingtip has
1/8-inch washout.
May 2006 129
Willamette Ave., Colorado Springs CO 80903.
Flying Aces Club leader Lin Reichel has
started Classic Aircraft Model Co. (CAMCO)
and has released three kits, two of which are
Dave Stott designs: a 16-inch-span Dime
Scale Rearwin Cloudster and a 20-inch-span
Hamilton Metalplane that is suitable for the
Golden Age Scale event. The third kit is the
Jimmie Allen Special, which is eligible for the
Jimmie Allen events.
Order directly from Lin at 3301 Cindy Ln.,
Erie PA 16506. The first two kits are $14.56
each and the Jimmie Allen kit is $15. Shipping
is $4 for the first kit and an additional dollar
for each additional kit. The kits are also
available from EZ Built Models at
www.easybuiltmodels.com/.
A luddite is one of a band of workmen who
destroyed labor-saving machinery in early
industrial England. Now the term generally
refers to those who are “against technology.”
With tongue firmly in cheek, Joe Mekina
made a number of “Team Luddite” T-shirts for
those FF modelers who are doing their best to
resist the trend toward using carbon fiber and
other space-age materials in their models.
It is ironic that you need to check out these
shirts’ prices and availability on the Internet!
You can see them at www.teamluddite.com/.
Military Markings Galore: There is a great
Web site for those of us who like to build
World War II vintage military aircraft. It is
loaded with insignia for many of the aircraft
that participated in that war. Check it out at
www.simmerspaintshop.com/colours/
markings.html.
Don Blackburn has his engine shop working
again after a recent move. His specialty is
Society of Antique Modelers and nostalgia
engine rework. Don’s address is Box 954,
Perkins OK 74059, and his E-mail is
[email protected]. His telephone number
is pending.
If you would like to recycle your used Ni-Cd
and Li-Poly batteries but don’t know where
to take them, check out www.rbrc
org/index.html?sp=true to find the nearest
recycling spot anywhere in the US. MA