124 MODEL AVIATION
Twiggy turns 30?
Also included in this column:
• David Mitchell builds a replica
of the Winnie Mae from a
Penn Valley Hobbies kit
• Return of the “Bounty Hunter”
• A unique blast tube
• George White’s Mauboussin
Hemiptere Type 40
• Is your Dakota ready?
• New Senator Postal contest
• A welcome to Rocky Top
Models
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
CLARENCE MATHER’S Twiggy
design was published in MA 30 years ago
this month. The model’s name was
inspired by a popular fashion model of the
era. Neither the airplane nor the fashion
model had any curves, but both did their
jobs well!
Clarence still uses Twiggy to show kids
how to build and fly model airplanes. He
does this in conjunction with his local 4-H
organization.
The original Twiggy had tissue
covering on both sides of all flying
surfaces, but now Clarence covers only the
top of the wing and stabilizer and one side
of the fin to speed building. A unique
design feature is that the right wing is
longer than the left. This induces a right
turn.
If you don’t have any Tan Super Sport,
loop three #33 rubber bands together and
go flying. These rubber bands are
approximately $3 for a 1-pound bag at
your nearest office-supply store.
Check out the Twiggy in the MA digital
archives; it was published in the July 1976
issue. If you don’t have Internet access, send
me an SASE for a free copy of the plans.
You can get the propeller and bearing from
Peck-Polymers or Penn Valley Hobbies.
While checking out the D.C. Maxecuters
club Web site (www.his.com/~tschmitt/
005HOMEPAGE/MAXECUTER.HTML/)
I saw a picture of a beautifully finished
Comet Dime Scale model built from a
Penn Valley Hobbies Lockheed Vega kit.
It was crafted by David Mitchell.
David built the Vega according to the
plans except that he added a few stringers
to enhance the scale appearance. He
covered the model with white and blue
Esaki tissue to match the scheme used on
Wiley Post’s Vega.
Happy 30th birthday to Clarence Mather’s Twiggy design. This
model is still being used to teach kids to fly.
Dick Mathis’s Bounty Hunter from the 1960s will be the onedesign
model for the Nats in 2007.
Rudy Kluiber preps his Dakota for flight at the 2005 Nats.
George White turned out this Dime Scale Mauboussin Hemiptere
Type 40 he built from Al Backstrom plans. George White photo.
Because the registration numbers are
white on a blue field on top of the wings
and blue over white on the bottom of the
wings, David only had to cut out the
registration numbers once! All other
markings were printed on white tissue with
an ink-jet printer. Then he cut them out
and applied them decal-like using a glue
stick. David obtained some of the
markings from the Internet but had to
generate others on the computer.
Flying opportunities have been limited,
but initial flights looked good. Times have
been in the 45- to 55-second range. That
was good enough for second place in the
model’s first contest.
Without rubber the Winnie Mae weighs
13.8 grams and is flying with a single
braided loop of 1/8-inch rubber weighing
4.7 grams. The current flying propeller is a
6-inch Sleek Streak, but David plans to
replace it with a better-looking option.
See Penn Valley Hobbies’ ad in this
magazine. Be sure to check out the
Maxecuters’ Web site.
From the darkest recesses of Snider
Swamp comes Return of the Bounty
Hunter. No, it’s not another sequel to a
bad western; it’s the latest iteration of
Dick Mathis’s contest-winning FF design
from the 1960s.
For several years Bill Vanderbeek has
sponsored a one-design 1/2A Gas event that
is held at several contests during the flying
season, including the AMA Nats. Past
designs have been the Space Rod, the
Starduster X, the T-Bird, and the Fubar.
This year’s design is Bill Chenault’s Mini
Pearl.
Larry Kruse knew Dick Mathis in the
1960s. I was familiar with Dick’s designs,
having built his Trigger when I was kid.
Larry and I were mulling over possible
models for the one-design event and
wondered if one of Dick’s designs would
work. We checked with Bill, and he was
receptive to the idea of using a Mathis
design for the one-design event in 2007, so
we started narrowing down the prospects.
Dick had been out of the modeling
scene for more than 30 years, but Larry
managed to locate him and rekindle his
interest in FF. Dick identified most with
his Bounty Hunter design.
The bad news was that when the
Bounty Hunter was designed, large models
and long engine runs were the rule. At 418
square inches, the Bounty Hunter was too
large for the short engine runs flown in
today’s Category III contests. The good
news was that Dick was willing to reduce
the model to 240 square inches for the
one-design event.
Larry and I built prototypes from
Dick’s new plans. The Bounty Hunter has
his trademark geodetic construction
technique, which results in extremely
strong flying surfaces. I had planned on a
tissue-and-dope finish, but the wing and
stabilizer frames were so stiff that I
elected to use UltraCote Lite.
Build a Senator, fly it to victory, and become rich and famous. Jim Moseley photo.
David Mitchell built this beautiful Dime Scale Winnie Mae Lockheed Vega from a Penn
Valley Hobbies kit. David Mitchell photo.
July 2006 125
Further good news is that a Bounty
Hunter 240 construction article is
tentatively scheduled to be published in the
September MA. Kits will be available late
this year or early next year, so you can
have your version ready for the 2007 Nats.
The one-design event is flown
according to Nostalgia Gas rules. Any
Nostalgia Gas engine is legal. Models such
as the Bounty Hunter, which are not
Nostalgia legal, may also use a Tee Dee
.049 or .051.
Glenn Bearry has been using a unique
blast tube for more than 10 years. It does
not require a long winding wire. The tube
has a slit its entire length. The motor is
inserted by rotating the propeller shaft 90°
to the motor, placing the shaft in the slot,
and sliding it up the slit in the tube with
the propeller and nose block on the outside
and the hook with motor attached on the
inside. Once the motor has been wound,
reverse the process.
Cutting the tubing takes effort and
practice. Press with a razor blade or utility
knife, lift, then press again. The tubing is
tough, but it’s soft enough to slice with
effort. The tube’s strength is decreased
when it is slit. The tube will bulge with a
broken motor but will contain it.
Glenn has broken motors as large as 12
strands of 1/8 inch without damaging the
airframe. He is convinced that anyone who
tries it will like it. The benefits are quicker
winding and the fact that one does not
have to transfer the slippery motor from a
winding wire to the propeller hook.
George White has made several of these
blast tubes and has been happy with them.
He found the 5/8- and 3/4-inch-diameter
material in 20-foot lengths at a plumbingsupply
firm.
The 3/8-inch-diameter material was
found at a mobile-home supplier where it
was sold by the foot. It is used for watersupply
lines.
George White built a nifty Dime Scale
Mauboussin Hemiptere Type 40 from plans
by Al Backstrom. The model caught air on
an early test flight and recorded a
respectable 95 seconds.
George started with the CG at the wing
spar, approximately 30% of the wing chord.
He flies the model to the right and uses 3º
right and downthrust. The left wing has a bit
less than 1/16 inch of washout, and the right
wing is flat. Empty weight is 17.5 grams.
Power is a 20-inch loop of 1/8 inch rubber
and a 20-inch loop of 1/16 inch rubber.
I hope you have your Dakota ready for this
year’s event at the Nats. I flew mine last
year and had a blast.
Once things get underway, Dakotas buzz
all around. It’s a good idea to stay alert and
upwind! The goal is a target time, so you
have a chance of scoring if you can get your
model into the air. Come join the fun.
Earlier this year Jim Moseley distributed
the results for, report about, and photos of
the 2005 KK Senator Postal contest to
contestants and donors. The event had
entrants from many countries and carried
awards totaling approximately $370.
This year’s Postal contest began
February 1 and will close January 31, 2007.
The time span allows summer participation
from fliers in both hemispheres. This event
already has donations and pledges
equivalent to the total awards for 2005.
Jim expects a larger number of modelers
to record scores this year. To encourage
more participation there is also a team
challenge. Individuals who have no
modelers in their area can even form a
team with those who live elsewhere.
Jim uses a 30-gram motor, six strands of
1/4-inch rubber, turning a 13 x 19 propeller
on his model. Some have built the Senator
as light as 55 grams, but most average 60.
It’s important to keep the airplane light aft
of the wing to minimize nose ballast. Jim
winds to torque but says the 30-gram motor
will typically take more than 1,000 turns.
That makes a two-minute flight routine.
The Senator is a simple, strong design
that performs beyond its original
expectations. Vintage-legal in the United
Kingdom and elsewhere, it also serves well
in US Category III events such as Nostalgia
Rubber, Moffett, and even Mulvihill.
Plans are available at www.theplan
page.com/st.htm. If you do not have a
computer, Jim can help with full-size plans.
Anyone who is interested in the details of
this year’s event should contact Jim at
[email protected] or Jim Moseley, 19
Banner Cres., Ajax, Ontario L1S 3S8,
Canada.
We are fortunate to have a new kit vendor:
Rocky Top Models. The kits feature Mike
Midkiff’s CAD plans, laser-cut parts,
covering material, documentation, colored
plain-paper insignia, propeller, and
propeller hardware.
The first two kits are for an 18-inch-span
S.E.5a at $24.95 plus shipping and handling
and a 29-inch-span Miles Magister at
$42.95 plus shipping and handling. Surf
onto the Web site at www.rockytop
models.com or contact Mike at (817) 845-
4189.
If you need Nostalgia or Society of Antique
Modelers engine rework, Don Blackburn
has a new mailing address: Box 954,
Perkins OK 74059. His telephone
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/07
Page Numbers: 124,125,126
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/07
Page Numbers: 124,125,126
124 MODEL AVIATION
Twiggy turns 30?
Also included in this column:
• David Mitchell builds a replica
of the Winnie Mae from a
Penn Valley Hobbies kit
• Return of the “Bounty Hunter”
• A unique blast tube
• George White’s Mauboussin
Hemiptere Type 40
• Is your Dakota ready?
• New Senator Postal contest
• A welcome to Rocky Top
Models
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
CLARENCE MATHER’S Twiggy
design was published in MA 30 years ago
this month. The model’s name was
inspired by a popular fashion model of the
era. Neither the airplane nor the fashion
model had any curves, but both did their
jobs well!
Clarence still uses Twiggy to show kids
how to build and fly model airplanes. He
does this in conjunction with his local 4-H
organization.
The original Twiggy had tissue
covering on both sides of all flying
surfaces, but now Clarence covers only the
top of the wing and stabilizer and one side
of the fin to speed building. A unique
design feature is that the right wing is
longer than the left. This induces a right
turn.
If you don’t have any Tan Super Sport,
loop three #33 rubber bands together and
go flying. These rubber bands are
approximately $3 for a 1-pound bag at
your nearest office-supply store.
Check out the Twiggy in the MA digital
archives; it was published in the July 1976
issue. If you don’t have Internet access, send
me an SASE for a free copy of the plans.
You can get the propeller and bearing from
Peck-Polymers or Penn Valley Hobbies.
While checking out the D.C. Maxecuters
club Web site (www.his.com/~tschmitt/
005HOMEPAGE/MAXECUTER.HTML/)
I saw a picture of a beautifully finished
Comet Dime Scale model built from a
Penn Valley Hobbies Lockheed Vega kit.
It was crafted by David Mitchell.
David built the Vega according to the
plans except that he added a few stringers
to enhance the scale appearance. He
covered the model with white and blue
Esaki tissue to match the scheme used on
Wiley Post’s Vega.
Happy 30th birthday to Clarence Mather’s Twiggy design. This
model is still being used to teach kids to fly.
Dick Mathis’s Bounty Hunter from the 1960s will be the onedesign
model for the Nats in 2007.
Rudy Kluiber preps his Dakota for flight at the 2005 Nats.
George White turned out this Dime Scale Mauboussin Hemiptere
Type 40 he built from Al Backstrom plans. George White photo.
Because the registration numbers are
white on a blue field on top of the wings
and blue over white on the bottom of the
wings, David only had to cut out the
registration numbers once! All other
markings were printed on white tissue with
an ink-jet printer. Then he cut them out
and applied them decal-like using a glue
stick. David obtained some of the
markings from the Internet but had to
generate others on the computer.
Flying opportunities have been limited,
but initial flights looked good. Times have
been in the 45- to 55-second range. That
was good enough for second place in the
model’s first contest.
Without rubber the Winnie Mae weighs
13.8 grams and is flying with a single
braided loop of 1/8-inch rubber weighing
4.7 grams. The current flying propeller is a
6-inch Sleek Streak, but David plans to
replace it with a better-looking option.
See Penn Valley Hobbies’ ad in this
magazine. Be sure to check out the
Maxecuters’ Web site.
From the darkest recesses of Snider
Swamp comes Return of the Bounty
Hunter. No, it’s not another sequel to a
bad western; it’s the latest iteration of
Dick Mathis’s contest-winning FF design
from the 1960s.
For several years Bill Vanderbeek has
sponsored a one-design 1/2A Gas event that
is held at several contests during the flying
season, including the AMA Nats. Past
designs have been the Space Rod, the
Starduster X, the T-Bird, and the Fubar.
This year’s design is Bill Chenault’s Mini
Pearl.
Larry Kruse knew Dick Mathis in the
1960s. I was familiar with Dick’s designs,
having built his Trigger when I was kid.
Larry and I were mulling over possible
models for the one-design event and
wondered if one of Dick’s designs would
work. We checked with Bill, and he was
receptive to the idea of using a Mathis
design for the one-design event in 2007, so
we started narrowing down the prospects.
Dick had been out of the modeling
scene for more than 30 years, but Larry
managed to locate him and rekindle his
interest in FF. Dick identified most with
his Bounty Hunter design.
The bad news was that when the
Bounty Hunter was designed, large models
and long engine runs were the rule. At 418
square inches, the Bounty Hunter was too
large for the short engine runs flown in
today’s Category III contests. The good
news was that Dick was willing to reduce
the model to 240 square inches for the
one-design event.
Larry and I built prototypes from
Dick’s new plans. The Bounty Hunter has
his trademark geodetic construction
technique, which results in extremely
strong flying surfaces. I had planned on a
tissue-and-dope finish, but the wing and
stabilizer frames were so stiff that I
elected to use UltraCote Lite.
Build a Senator, fly it to victory, and become rich and famous. Jim Moseley photo.
David Mitchell built this beautiful Dime Scale Winnie Mae Lockheed Vega from a Penn
Valley Hobbies kit. David Mitchell photo.
July 2006 125
Further good news is that a Bounty
Hunter 240 construction article is
tentatively scheduled to be published in the
September MA. Kits will be available late
this year or early next year, so you can
have your version ready for the 2007 Nats.
The one-design event is flown
according to Nostalgia Gas rules. Any
Nostalgia Gas engine is legal. Models such
as the Bounty Hunter, which are not
Nostalgia legal, may also use a Tee Dee
.049 or .051.
Glenn Bearry has been using a unique
blast tube for more than 10 years. It does
not require a long winding wire. The tube
has a slit its entire length. The motor is
inserted by rotating the propeller shaft 90°
to the motor, placing the shaft in the slot,
and sliding it up the slit in the tube with
the propeller and nose block on the outside
and the hook with motor attached on the
inside. Once the motor has been wound,
reverse the process.
Cutting the tubing takes effort and
practice. Press with a razor blade or utility
knife, lift, then press again. The tubing is
tough, but it’s soft enough to slice with
effort. The tube’s strength is decreased
when it is slit. The tube will bulge with a
broken motor but will contain it.
Glenn has broken motors as large as 12
strands of 1/8 inch without damaging the
airframe. He is convinced that anyone who
tries it will like it. The benefits are quicker
winding and the fact that one does not
have to transfer the slippery motor from a
winding wire to the propeller hook.
George White has made several of these
blast tubes and has been happy with them.
He found the 5/8- and 3/4-inch-diameter
material in 20-foot lengths at a plumbingsupply
firm.
The 3/8-inch-diameter material was
found at a mobile-home supplier where it
was sold by the foot. It is used for watersupply
lines.
George White built a nifty Dime Scale
Mauboussin Hemiptere Type 40 from plans
by Al Backstrom. The model caught air on
an early test flight and recorded a
respectable 95 seconds.
George started with the CG at the wing
spar, approximately 30% of the wing chord.
He flies the model to the right and uses 3º
right and downthrust. The left wing has a bit
less than 1/16 inch of washout, and the right
wing is flat. Empty weight is 17.5 grams.
Power is a 20-inch loop of 1/8 inch rubber
and a 20-inch loop of 1/16 inch rubber.
I hope you have your Dakota ready for this
year’s event at the Nats. I flew mine last
year and had a blast.
Once things get underway, Dakotas buzz
all around. It’s a good idea to stay alert and
upwind! The goal is a target time, so you
have a chance of scoring if you can get your
model into the air. Come join the fun.
Earlier this year Jim Moseley distributed
the results for, report about, and photos of
the 2005 KK Senator Postal contest to
contestants and donors. The event had
entrants from many countries and carried
awards totaling approximately $370.
This year’s Postal contest began
February 1 and will close January 31, 2007.
The time span allows summer participation
from fliers in both hemispheres. This event
already has donations and pledges
equivalent to the total awards for 2005.
Jim expects a larger number of modelers
to record scores this year. To encourage
more participation there is also a team
challenge. Individuals who have no
modelers in their area can even form a
team with those who live elsewhere.
Jim uses a 30-gram motor, six strands of
1/4-inch rubber, turning a 13 x 19 propeller
on his model. Some have built the Senator
as light as 55 grams, but most average 60.
It’s important to keep the airplane light aft
of the wing to minimize nose ballast. Jim
winds to torque but says the 30-gram motor
will typically take more than 1,000 turns.
That makes a two-minute flight routine.
The Senator is a simple, strong design
that performs beyond its original
expectations. Vintage-legal in the United
Kingdom and elsewhere, it also serves well
in US Category III events such as Nostalgia
Rubber, Moffett, and even Mulvihill.
Plans are available at www.theplan
page.com/st.htm. If you do not have a
computer, Jim can help with full-size plans.
Anyone who is interested in the details of
this year’s event should contact Jim at
[email protected] or Jim Moseley, 19
Banner Cres., Ajax, Ontario L1S 3S8,
Canada.
We are fortunate to have a new kit vendor:
Rocky Top Models. The kits feature Mike
Midkiff’s CAD plans, laser-cut parts,
covering material, documentation, colored
plain-paper insignia, propeller, and
propeller hardware.
The first two kits are for an 18-inch-span
S.E.5a at $24.95 plus shipping and handling
and a 29-inch-span Miles Magister at
$42.95 plus shipping and handling. Surf
onto the Web site at www.rockytop
models.com or contact Mike at (817) 845-
4189.
If you need Nostalgia or Society of Antique
Modelers engine rework, Don Blackburn
has a new mailing address: Box 954,
Perkins OK 74059. His telephone
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/07
Page Numbers: 124,125,126
124 MODEL AVIATION
Twiggy turns 30?
Also included in this column:
• David Mitchell builds a replica
of the Winnie Mae from a
Penn Valley Hobbies kit
• Return of the “Bounty Hunter”
• A unique blast tube
• George White’s Mauboussin
Hemiptere Type 40
• Is your Dakota ready?
• New Senator Postal contest
• A welcome to Rocky Top
Models
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
CLARENCE MATHER’S Twiggy
design was published in MA 30 years ago
this month. The model’s name was
inspired by a popular fashion model of the
era. Neither the airplane nor the fashion
model had any curves, but both did their
jobs well!
Clarence still uses Twiggy to show kids
how to build and fly model airplanes. He
does this in conjunction with his local 4-H
organization.
The original Twiggy had tissue
covering on both sides of all flying
surfaces, but now Clarence covers only the
top of the wing and stabilizer and one side
of the fin to speed building. A unique
design feature is that the right wing is
longer than the left. This induces a right
turn.
If you don’t have any Tan Super Sport,
loop three #33 rubber bands together and
go flying. These rubber bands are
approximately $3 for a 1-pound bag at
your nearest office-supply store.
Check out the Twiggy in the MA digital
archives; it was published in the July 1976
issue. If you don’t have Internet access, send
me an SASE for a free copy of the plans.
You can get the propeller and bearing from
Peck-Polymers or Penn Valley Hobbies.
While checking out the D.C. Maxecuters
club Web site (www.his.com/~tschmitt/
005HOMEPAGE/MAXECUTER.HTML/)
I saw a picture of a beautifully finished
Comet Dime Scale model built from a
Penn Valley Hobbies Lockheed Vega kit.
It was crafted by David Mitchell.
David built the Vega according to the
plans except that he added a few stringers
to enhance the scale appearance. He
covered the model with white and blue
Esaki tissue to match the scheme used on
Wiley Post’s Vega.
Happy 30th birthday to Clarence Mather’s Twiggy design. This
model is still being used to teach kids to fly.
Dick Mathis’s Bounty Hunter from the 1960s will be the onedesign
model for the Nats in 2007.
Rudy Kluiber preps his Dakota for flight at the 2005 Nats.
George White turned out this Dime Scale Mauboussin Hemiptere
Type 40 he built from Al Backstrom plans. George White photo.
Because the registration numbers are
white on a blue field on top of the wings
and blue over white on the bottom of the
wings, David only had to cut out the
registration numbers once! All other
markings were printed on white tissue with
an ink-jet printer. Then he cut them out
and applied them decal-like using a glue
stick. David obtained some of the
markings from the Internet but had to
generate others on the computer.
Flying opportunities have been limited,
but initial flights looked good. Times have
been in the 45- to 55-second range. That
was good enough for second place in the
model’s first contest.
Without rubber the Winnie Mae weighs
13.8 grams and is flying with a single
braided loop of 1/8-inch rubber weighing
4.7 grams. The current flying propeller is a
6-inch Sleek Streak, but David plans to
replace it with a better-looking option.
See Penn Valley Hobbies’ ad in this
magazine. Be sure to check out the
Maxecuters’ Web site.
From the darkest recesses of Snider
Swamp comes Return of the Bounty
Hunter. No, it’s not another sequel to a
bad western; it’s the latest iteration of
Dick Mathis’s contest-winning FF design
from the 1960s.
For several years Bill Vanderbeek has
sponsored a one-design 1/2A Gas event that
is held at several contests during the flying
season, including the AMA Nats. Past
designs have been the Space Rod, the
Starduster X, the T-Bird, and the Fubar.
This year’s design is Bill Chenault’s Mini
Pearl.
Larry Kruse knew Dick Mathis in the
1960s. I was familiar with Dick’s designs,
having built his Trigger when I was kid.
Larry and I were mulling over possible
models for the one-design event and
wondered if one of Dick’s designs would
work. We checked with Bill, and he was
receptive to the idea of using a Mathis
design for the one-design event in 2007, so
we started narrowing down the prospects.
Dick had been out of the modeling
scene for more than 30 years, but Larry
managed to locate him and rekindle his
interest in FF. Dick identified most with
his Bounty Hunter design.
The bad news was that when the
Bounty Hunter was designed, large models
and long engine runs were the rule. At 418
square inches, the Bounty Hunter was too
large for the short engine runs flown in
today’s Category III contests. The good
news was that Dick was willing to reduce
the model to 240 square inches for the
one-design event.
Larry and I built prototypes from
Dick’s new plans. The Bounty Hunter has
his trademark geodetic construction
technique, which results in extremely
strong flying surfaces. I had planned on a
tissue-and-dope finish, but the wing and
stabilizer frames were so stiff that I
elected to use UltraCote Lite.
Build a Senator, fly it to victory, and become rich and famous. Jim Moseley photo.
David Mitchell built this beautiful Dime Scale Winnie Mae Lockheed Vega from a Penn
Valley Hobbies kit. David Mitchell photo.
July 2006 125
Further good news is that a Bounty
Hunter 240 construction article is
tentatively scheduled to be published in the
September MA. Kits will be available late
this year or early next year, so you can
have your version ready for the 2007 Nats.
The one-design event is flown
according to Nostalgia Gas rules. Any
Nostalgia Gas engine is legal. Models such
as the Bounty Hunter, which are not
Nostalgia legal, may also use a Tee Dee
.049 or .051.
Glenn Bearry has been using a unique
blast tube for more than 10 years. It does
not require a long winding wire. The tube
has a slit its entire length. The motor is
inserted by rotating the propeller shaft 90°
to the motor, placing the shaft in the slot,
and sliding it up the slit in the tube with
the propeller and nose block on the outside
and the hook with motor attached on the
inside. Once the motor has been wound,
reverse the process.
Cutting the tubing takes effort and
practice. Press with a razor blade or utility
knife, lift, then press again. The tubing is
tough, but it’s soft enough to slice with
effort. The tube’s strength is decreased
when it is slit. The tube will bulge with a
broken motor but will contain it.
Glenn has broken motors as large as 12
strands of 1/8 inch without damaging the
airframe. He is convinced that anyone who
tries it will like it. The benefits are quicker
winding and the fact that one does not
have to transfer the slippery motor from a
winding wire to the propeller hook.
George White has made several of these
blast tubes and has been happy with them.
He found the 5/8- and 3/4-inch-diameter
material in 20-foot lengths at a plumbingsupply
firm.
The 3/8-inch-diameter material was
found at a mobile-home supplier where it
was sold by the foot. It is used for watersupply
lines.
George White built a nifty Dime Scale
Mauboussin Hemiptere Type 40 from plans
by Al Backstrom. The model caught air on
an early test flight and recorded a
respectable 95 seconds.
George started with the CG at the wing
spar, approximately 30% of the wing chord.
He flies the model to the right and uses 3º
right and downthrust. The left wing has a bit
less than 1/16 inch of washout, and the right
wing is flat. Empty weight is 17.5 grams.
Power is a 20-inch loop of 1/8 inch rubber
and a 20-inch loop of 1/16 inch rubber.
I hope you have your Dakota ready for this
year’s event at the Nats. I flew mine last
year and had a blast.
Once things get underway, Dakotas buzz
all around. It’s a good idea to stay alert and
upwind! The goal is a target time, so you
have a chance of scoring if you can get your
model into the air. Come join the fun.
Earlier this year Jim Moseley distributed
the results for, report about, and photos of
the 2005 KK Senator Postal contest to
contestants and donors. The event had
entrants from many countries and carried
awards totaling approximately $370.
This year’s Postal contest began
February 1 and will close January 31, 2007.
The time span allows summer participation
from fliers in both hemispheres. This event
already has donations and pledges
equivalent to the total awards for 2005.
Jim expects a larger number of modelers
to record scores this year. To encourage
more participation there is also a team
challenge. Individuals who have no
modelers in their area can even form a
team with those who live elsewhere.
Jim uses a 30-gram motor, six strands of
1/4-inch rubber, turning a 13 x 19 propeller
on his model. Some have built the Senator
as light as 55 grams, but most average 60.
It’s important to keep the airplane light aft
of the wing to minimize nose ballast. Jim
winds to torque but says the 30-gram motor
will typically take more than 1,000 turns.
That makes a two-minute flight routine.
The Senator is a simple, strong design
that performs beyond its original
expectations. Vintage-legal in the United
Kingdom and elsewhere, it also serves well
in US Category III events such as Nostalgia
Rubber, Moffett, and even Mulvihill.
Plans are available at www.theplan
page.com/st.htm. If you do not have a
computer, Jim can help with full-size plans.
Anyone who is interested in the details of
this year’s event should contact Jim at
[email protected] or Jim Moseley, 19
Banner Cres., Ajax, Ontario L1S 3S8,
Canada.
We are fortunate to have a new kit vendor:
Rocky Top Models. The kits feature Mike
Midkiff’s CAD plans, laser-cut parts,
covering material, documentation, colored
plain-paper insignia, propeller, and
propeller hardware.
The first two kits are for an 18-inch-span
S.E.5a at $24.95 plus shipping and handling
and a 29-inch-span Miles Magister at
$42.95 plus shipping and handling. Surf
onto the Web site at www.rockytop
models.com or contact Mike at (817) 845-
4189.
If you need Nostalgia or Society of Antique
Modelers engine rework, Don Blackburn
has a new mailing address: Box 954,
Perkins OK 74059. His telephone