WHEN I HEARD about the flight times of Clive Gamble’s Camel
at last year’s Flying Aces Club (FAC) Nats, I couldn’t believe it.
With scale flight times of 1:32, 2:10, and 1:47, I thought “You have
to be kidding me!”
If you want to be competitive in WW I Mass Launch, you have
to model an airplane with an in-line engine. The short noses on
radial-engined models generally require many grams of nose ballast
to get the correct CG. Yet it was a fact; Clive was getting great
flight times with his Camel.
Anyone who has much experience building rubber-powered
stick-and-tissue models is probably aware that moving the rear
motor peg forward minimizes the amount of nose ballast required
and decreases the motor’s tendency to bunch in the rear of the
aircraft. However, few (none to my knowledge) have moved the
peg forward to the extreme that Clive did in his Camel.
He had an epiphany when he asked himself, “If a short hook-topeg
distance works in my rubber-powered twin, why won’t it work
in a Camel?” That simple connection was the major part of Clive’s
success.
He also made other modifications to the original plans. He
began with the 21-inch-wingspan Peerless plans, which have
accurate scale outlines. He modified the airfoil to a flat-bottomed
RAF 15.
The wing incidences were changed to +3 upper and +4 lower, to
try to make the lower wing do a bit more of the lifting and bring the
CG position back a bit. The Camel’s flat-top wing is so much a part
of the look that Clive used near-scale dihedral: 1/16 inch in the upper
wing and 7/8 inch in the lower wing.
He increased the horizontal stabilizer area approximately 10%.
The nose was stretched 3/16 inch, and the dummy engine mounted
right at the front of the cowl to gain a bit more rubber room in front
of the CG. As I noted, the rear peg was moved forward to a position
just in front of the wing TE.
The resulting model weighed 34 grams empty when balanced
for the motor. It came out slightly nose-heavy, so Clive had to
scrape the propeller to lighten it.
The propeller is an 8-inch Peck-Polymers, and the motor is two
loops of 1/8-inch rubber that is 24 inches long. To get the motor to
work in the 41/4-inch hook-to-peg distance, Clive used a large
reverse-S propeller hook and a sleeved rear
peg.
Covering is all Esaki tissue with chalk
coloring. Clive produced the white
backgrounds of the roundels and fuselage
markings by masking the areas off before
chalking the main tissue color, and then adding white chalk afterward.
Blue-and-red roundels and black stripes are cut tissue, chalked again to
make the colors more solid.
The polyester thread rigging is important to the model’s strength. It
is glued in place with cyanoacrylate.
The flight pattern is right-right. Adjustments include a significant
amount of downthrust and right thrust, and a small amount of washout
on the upper left wing.
If you want to give a Camel a try, plans are available from Golden
Age Reproductions as item 126. The company has a $3 catalog that
contains a list of many kits and plans.
Clive credits Rich Weber with the advice and encouragement that
led to the success of his Camel. Check the “Sources” listing also for a
Web address that leads to a flight video of the Camel.
On the topic of Rich Weber, I saw him on the flightline with his Booth
Ranger. It’s no wonder why Clive availed himself of Rich’s advice on
his Camel. Rich is a talented builder and flier.
Rich’s Booth Ranger biplane has been a winner in Fantasy Flyer.
This event is not in the FAC rule book, but, as I understand it, it is for
models based on fantasy airplanes seen in artwork of the aviation pulp
magazines published in the 1920s and 1930s.
While most of those aircraft have planforms that are stretches of the
imagination, the Booth Ranger is a conventional biplane. That doesn’t
diminish its charm, and it is a great performer. Plans are available from
Diels Engineering.
The Messerschmitt Me 108 has always been a favorite of mine. I have
had plans for this model for many years but
never put balsa to the board. When I saw Jeff
Runnels’ version at the FAC Nats last year, I
had to get a picture and some information.
Jeff’s Me 108 spans 16.75 inches and
weighs 16 grams without the motor. It is
powered by a single loop of 1/8-inch-diameter
rubber that is 12 inches long. The flight
pattern is left-left. Fifty-second flights are
typical.
Jeff built the model using documentation
from Bob Banka’s documentation service.
You can download the information or order a
catalog on CD.
July 2009 121
Karl Gies built this FF Berkeley Brigadier as a reprise of a model lost in the 1950s.
John Ernst keeps churning out beautiful fliers such as this Grumman FF-1.
Greg Thomas is pleased with his Ercoupe,
which is done in military liaison colors.
Greg Thomas produces some of the highest-quality rubberpowered
Scale kits on the market. The plans for his Ercoupe are
works of art, and the laser-cut balsa is excellent. The tissue is firstrate,
and two small decals are included. The color scheme is
authentic.
The model is based on Ercoupe SN 110 and is currently assigned
number N37143. Fred Weick designed the original Ercoupe in the
mid-1930s.
The US Army Air Forces (USAAF) purchased three of the 1939
airplanes in August 1941; those were the last of the prewar
Ercoupes. These aircraft were not produced again until 1947.
Each of the three military Ercoupes had the color scheme shown
on Greg’s model. Serial number 10 is the only remaining original
aircraft. Go to the “Sources” listing to see where you can get more
information about Ercoupes.
All coloring on Greg’s Ercoupe was airbrushed using thin coats
of Tamiya acrylic paints. The kit was designed around the markings
of the Smithsonian Institution’s Ercoupe, NC15692, and is
considerably less colorful than the USAAF versions. However, you
can choose from an abundance of Ercoupe color schemes by doing
a simple Internet search on Ercoupe 415C. The model shown comes
in at 33.2 grams, balanced and ready to fly.
First produced in 1947, the Ercoupe has been a popular aircraft
because of its economy of operation. Many of these aircraft are still
in service, so finding a color scheme for your model should be no
problem.
John Ernst built his Grumman FF-1 from plans that Michael
Heinrich drew for Neo-Dime Scale, which
produced a 16-inch span. John enlarged the
plans to 1/24 scale, which resulted in a
wingspan of 17.25 inches.
The colors John chose are from the
Spanish Civil War. They aren’t the easiest
to see in the grass, but you don’t see them
everyday. The lettering was drawn by hand
with gel ink pens, and the stripes are all
tissue.
The “Sources” list contains the address
for John’s Web site, where you can find
more pictures of his FF-1. Many of John’s
projects are shown there, along with handy
building tips.
He also moderates the Free Flight Cook-
Up on Yahoo! Groups. It has been going
strong for more than seven years. The group
picks a theme and builds models to suit.
Last fall, the theme honored the late Nate
Sturman; the group built models from his
plans. Check it out and join the fun.
Karl Gies reconstructed a childhood
memory with his Berkeley Brigadier. This
model was built from a P&W kit. Although
the kit is no longer available, plans are
available from the AMA Plans Service, and
a short kit is available from Klarich Custom
Kits.
Using a tip from Gene Wallock, Karl
covered the Brigadier with Polyspan first
and then added Japanese tissue for both
appearance and strength. The black trim is
Japanese tissue.
The Polyspan received one coat of
thinned nitrate dope, and then the
Japanese tissue was adhered to the edges
and shrunk with water. Karl coated the
tissue with two more coats of thinned
nitrate dope and a coat of Formula U
fuel-proofer (old stock).
The engine Karl used is a reproduction
Micro 2cc diesel. It was manufactured in
Detroit, Michigan, for two years and was
first available in 1947.
According to Karl, it is a great little
power plant. If you are interested in
purchasing one, Carlson Engine Imports
has the Chinese reproduction that he is
using.
Once Karl has the DT fittings and
eyedropper tank rigged, it will be ready for
flight. He built one of these models when he
was 14, circa 1951. An account of what
happened to it follows.
“My friend Larry and I ventured into gas
with a couple of real simple models. The
pinnacle of our success was a standard
Berkeley Brigadier with a 56-inch
wingspan. Larry had an O&R .19 or .23
ignition engine. My part was purchasing the
Brigadier kit and necessary supplies.
“Len (Larry’s dad) helped us a lot and
we covered it with red silk span. Larry had
an older sister who was into art and she
helped us with some black trim. This model
was built so well under Len’s expert
supervision that it flew with very few
adjustments.
“Larry was a kid who got bored with
things quickly and always pushed the
envelope. I can still remember him saying,
‘Let’s fill it up with fuel and see how high it
will fly.’ I knew that this was not a good
idea and should have stopped him. The
result was we could no longer see the model
in the sun filled sky but could still hear the
engine with our young ears and of course
the model was lost.
“His dad was furious with us but did
take us up in his plane to look for it. In my
memories I am still looking for it today. It
would be years before I could get a rubber
model to fly high enough to flirt with the
mystery of the endless sky and go wherever
the gypsy thermals take it.”
Sergio Montes, who publishes the Free
Flight Quarterly (FFQ) in Australia, has two
booklets that you might find of interest, the
first of which is the Gollywock book. It is
on its second edition. The 66-page volume
includes full-size plans of the Gollywock II.
The price is $20 (US dollars), postpaid.
The second booklet contains many Scale
models that Bill Henn has created, from the
Chambermaid Golden Age racer to twinfuselage
fighters of World War II. There
will soon be a second edition, which will be
greatly expanded from the first edition. It
will sell for $20 and has the same number
of pages as the Gollywock book. This
second edition will contain full-size plans
of two of Bill Henn’s models.
Also of interest is the new digital edition
of FFQ. This edition costs only $18 per
year, compared to $38 for the print edition.
The FFQ Web site has subscription and
contact information. MA
Sources:
Flying Aces Club
www.aeroaces.com/flyingaces.htm
Golden Age Reproductions
(978) 687-0024
www.goldenagereproductions.com
Flight video of Clive Gamble’s Camel:
www.ffscale.co.uk/movies/g08/g08_camel.
wmv
Diels Engineering
Box 263
Amherst OH 44001
http://dielsengineering.samsbiz.com
Bob’s Aircraft Documentation
(714) 979-8058
http://bobsairdoc.com/catalog.htm
Greg Thomas
505 Wildflower
Burnsville MN 55306
www.thomasdesigns.net
Ercoupes:
www.ercoupe.net/N37143.html
John Ernst:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze8ljo4/johnsmod
els/
Nate Sturman:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffcookup/
Carlson Engine Imports
(602) 863-1684
http://carlsonengineimports.net
Klarich Custom Kits
(916) 635-4588
www.klarichkits.com
FFQ
www.freeflightquarterly.com
National Free Flight Society
http://freeflight.org
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/07
Page Numbers: 120,121,122
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/07
Page Numbers: 120,121,122
WHEN I HEARD about the flight times of Clive Gamble’s Camel
at last year’s Flying Aces Club (FAC) Nats, I couldn’t believe it.
With scale flight times of 1:32, 2:10, and 1:47, I thought “You have
to be kidding me!”
If you want to be competitive in WW I Mass Launch, you have
to model an airplane with an in-line engine. The short noses on
radial-engined models generally require many grams of nose ballast
to get the correct CG. Yet it was a fact; Clive was getting great
flight times with his Camel.
Anyone who has much experience building rubber-powered
stick-and-tissue models is probably aware that moving the rear
motor peg forward minimizes the amount of nose ballast required
and decreases the motor’s tendency to bunch in the rear of the
aircraft. However, few (none to my knowledge) have moved the
peg forward to the extreme that Clive did in his Camel.
He had an epiphany when he asked himself, “If a short hook-topeg
distance works in my rubber-powered twin, why won’t it work
in a Camel?” That simple connection was the major part of Clive’s
success.
He also made other modifications to the original plans. He
began with the 21-inch-wingspan Peerless plans, which have
accurate scale outlines. He modified the airfoil to a flat-bottomed
RAF 15.
The wing incidences were changed to +3 upper and +4 lower, to
try to make the lower wing do a bit more of the lifting and bring the
CG position back a bit. The Camel’s flat-top wing is so much a part
of the look that Clive used near-scale dihedral: 1/16 inch in the upper
wing and 7/8 inch in the lower wing.
He increased the horizontal stabilizer area approximately 10%.
The nose was stretched 3/16 inch, and the dummy engine mounted
right at the front of the cowl to gain a bit more rubber room in front
of the CG. As I noted, the rear peg was moved forward to a position
just in front of the wing TE.
The resulting model weighed 34 grams empty when balanced
for the motor. It came out slightly nose-heavy, so Clive had to
scrape the propeller to lighten it.
The propeller is an 8-inch Peck-Polymers, and the motor is two
loops of 1/8-inch rubber that is 24 inches long. To get the motor to
work in the 41/4-inch hook-to-peg distance, Clive used a large
reverse-S propeller hook and a sleeved rear
peg.
Covering is all Esaki tissue with chalk
coloring. Clive produced the white
backgrounds of the roundels and fuselage
markings by masking the areas off before
chalking the main tissue color, and then adding white chalk afterward.
Blue-and-red roundels and black stripes are cut tissue, chalked again to
make the colors more solid.
The polyester thread rigging is important to the model’s strength. It
is glued in place with cyanoacrylate.
The flight pattern is right-right. Adjustments include a significant
amount of downthrust and right thrust, and a small amount of washout
on the upper left wing.
If you want to give a Camel a try, plans are available from Golden
Age Reproductions as item 126. The company has a $3 catalog that
contains a list of many kits and plans.
Clive credits Rich Weber with the advice and encouragement that
led to the success of his Camel. Check the “Sources” listing also for a
Web address that leads to a flight video of the Camel.
On the topic of Rich Weber, I saw him on the flightline with his Booth
Ranger. It’s no wonder why Clive availed himself of Rich’s advice on
his Camel. Rich is a talented builder and flier.
Rich’s Booth Ranger biplane has been a winner in Fantasy Flyer.
This event is not in the FAC rule book, but, as I understand it, it is for
models based on fantasy airplanes seen in artwork of the aviation pulp
magazines published in the 1920s and 1930s.
While most of those aircraft have planforms that are stretches of the
imagination, the Booth Ranger is a conventional biplane. That doesn’t
diminish its charm, and it is a great performer. Plans are available from
Diels Engineering.
The Messerschmitt Me 108 has always been a favorite of mine. I have
had plans for this model for many years but
never put balsa to the board. When I saw Jeff
Runnels’ version at the FAC Nats last year, I
had to get a picture and some information.
Jeff’s Me 108 spans 16.75 inches and
weighs 16 grams without the motor. It is
powered by a single loop of 1/8-inch-diameter
rubber that is 12 inches long. The flight
pattern is left-left. Fifty-second flights are
typical.
Jeff built the model using documentation
from Bob Banka’s documentation service.
You can download the information or order a
catalog on CD.
July 2009 121
Karl Gies built this FF Berkeley Brigadier as a reprise of a model lost in the 1950s.
John Ernst keeps churning out beautiful fliers such as this Grumman FF-1.
Greg Thomas is pleased with his Ercoupe,
which is done in military liaison colors.
Greg Thomas produces some of the highest-quality rubberpowered
Scale kits on the market. The plans for his Ercoupe are
works of art, and the laser-cut balsa is excellent. The tissue is firstrate,
and two small decals are included. The color scheme is
authentic.
The model is based on Ercoupe SN 110 and is currently assigned
number N37143. Fred Weick designed the original Ercoupe in the
mid-1930s.
The US Army Air Forces (USAAF) purchased three of the 1939
airplanes in August 1941; those were the last of the prewar
Ercoupes. These aircraft were not produced again until 1947.
Each of the three military Ercoupes had the color scheme shown
on Greg’s model. Serial number 10 is the only remaining original
aircraft. Go to the “Sources” listing to see where you can get more
information about Ercoupes.
All coloring on Greg’s Ercoupe was airbrushed using thin coats
of Tamiya acrylic paints. The kit was designed around the markings
of the Smithsonian Institution’s Ercoupe, NC15692, and is
considerably less colorful than the USAAF versions. However, you
can choose from an abundance of Ercoupe color schemes by doing
a simple Internet search on Ercoupe 415C. The model shown comes
in at 33.2 grams, balanced and ready to fly.
First produced in 1947, the Ercoupe has been a popular aircraft
because of its economy of operation. Many of these aircraft are still
in service, so finding a color scheme for your model should be no
problem.
John Ernst built his Grumman FF-1 from plans that Michael
Heinrich drew for Neo-Dime Scale, which
produced a 16-inch span. John enlarged the
plans to 1/24 scale, which resulted in a
wingspan of 17.25 inches.
The colors John chose are from the
Spanish Civil War. They aren’t the easiest
to see in the grass, but you don’t see them
everyday. The lettering was drawn by hand
with gel ink pens, and the stripes are all
tissue.
The “Sources” list contains the address
for John’s Web site, where you can find
more pictures of his FF-1. Many of John’s
projects are shown there, along with handy
building tips.
He also moderates the Free Flight Cook-
Up on Yahoo! Groups. It has been going
strong for more than seven years. The group
picks a theme and builds models to suit.
Last fall, the theme honored the late Nate
Sturman; the group built models from his
plans. Check it out and join the fun.
Karl Gies reconstructed a childhood
memory with his Berkeley Brigadier. This
model was built from a P&W kit. Although
the kit is no longer available, plans are
available from the AMA Plans Service, and
a short kit is available from Klarich Custom
Kits.
Using a tip from Gene Wallock, Karl
covered the Brigadier with Polyspan first
and then added Japanese tissue for both
appearance and strength. The black trim is
Japanese tissue.
The Polyspan received one coat of
thinned nitrate dope, and then the
Japanese tissue was adhered to the edges
and shrunk with water. Karl coated the
tissue with two more coats of thinned
nitrate dope and a coat of Formula U
fuel-proofer (old stock).
The engine Karl used is a reproduction
Micro 2cc diesel. It was manufactured in
Detroit, Michigan, for two years and was
first available in 1947.
According to Karl, it is a great little
power plant. If you are interested in
purchasing one, Carlson Engine Imports
has the Chinese reproduction that he is
using.
Once Karl has the DT fittings and
eyedropper tank rigged, it will be ready for
flight. He built one of these models when he
was 14, circa 1951. An account of what
happened to it follows.
“My friend Larry and I ventured into gas
with a couple of real simple models. The
pinnacle of our success was a standard
Berkeley Brigadier with a 56-inch
wingspan. Larry had an O&R .19 or .23
ignition engine. My part was purchasing the
Brigadier kit and necessary supplies.
“Len (Larry’s dad) helped us a lot and
we covered it with red silk span. Larry had
an older sister who was into art and she
helped us with some black trim. This model
was built so well under Len’s expert
supervision that it flew with very few
adjustments.
“Larry was a kid who got bored with
things quickly and always pushed the
envelope. I can still remember him saying,
‘Let’s fill it up with fuel and see how high it
will fly.’ I knew that this was not a good
idea and should have stopped him. The
result was we could no longer see the model
in the sun filled sky but could still hear the
engine with our young ears and of course
the model was lost.
“His dad was furious with us but did
take us up in his plane to look for it. In my
memories I am still looking for it today. It
would be years before I could get a rubber
model to fly high enough to flirt with the
mystery of the endless sky and go wherever
the gypsy thermals take it.”
Sergio Montes, who publishes the Free
Flight Quarterly (FFQ) in Australia, has two
booklets that you might find of interest, the
first of which is the Gollywock book. It is
on its second edition. The 66-page volume
includes full-size plans of the Gollywock II.
The price is $20 (US dollars), postpaid.
The second booklet contains many Scale
models that Bill Henn has created, from the
Chambermaid Golden Age racer to twinfuselage
fighters of World War II. There
will soon be a second edition, which will be
greatly expanded from the first edition. It
will sell for $20 and has the same number
of pages as the Gollywock book. This
second edition will contain full-size plans
of two of Bill Henn’s models.
Also of interest is the new digital edition
of FFQ. This edition costs only $18 per
year, compared to $38 for the print edition.
The FFQ Web site has subscription and
contact information. MA
Sources:
Flying Aces Club
www.aeroaces.com/flyingaces.htm
Golden Age Reproductions
(978) 687-0024
www.goldenagereproductions.com
Flight video of Clive Gamble’s Camel:
www.ffscale.co.uk/movies/g08/g08_camel.
wmv
Diels Engineering
Box 263
Amherst OH 44001
http://dielsengineering.samsbiz.com
Bob’s Aircraft Documentation
(714) 979-8058
http://bobsairdoc.com/catalog.htm
Greg Thomas
505 Wildflower
Burnsville MN 55306
www.thomasdesigns.net
Ercoupes:
www.ercoupe.net/N37143.html
John Ernst:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze8ljo4/johnsmod
els/
Nate Sturman:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffcookup/
Carlson Engine Imports
(602) 863-1684
http://carlsonengineimports.net
Klarich Custom Kits
(916) 635-4588
www.klarichkits.com
FFQ
www.freeflightquarterly.com
National Free Flight Society
http://freeflight.org
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/07
Page Numbers: 120,121,122
WHEN I HEARD about the flight times of Clive Gamble’s Camel
at last year’s Flying Aces Club (FAC) Nats, I couldn’t believe it.
With scale flight times of 1:32, 2:10, and 1:47, I thought “You have
to be kidding me!”
If you want to be competitive in WW I Mass Launch, you have
to model an airplane with an in-line engine. The short noses on
radial-engined models generally require many grams of nose ballast
to get the correct CG. Yet it was a fact; Clive was getting great
flight times with his Camel.
Anyone who has much experience building rubber-powered
stick-and-tissue models is probably aware that moving the rear
motor peg forward minimizes the amount of nose ballast required
and decreases the motor’s tendency to bunch in the rear of the
aircraft. However, few (none to my knowledge) have moved the
peg forward to the extreme that Clive did in his Camel.
He had an epiphany when he asked himself, “If a short hook-topeg
distance works in my rubber-powered twin, why won’t it work
in a Camel?” That simple connection was the major part of Clive’s
success.
He also made other modifications to the original plans. He
began with the 21-inch-wingspan Peerless plans, which have
accurate scale outlines. He modified the airfoil to a flat-bottomed
RAF 15.
The wing incidences were changed to +3 upper and +4 lower, to
try to make the lower wing do a bit more of the lifting and bring the
CG position back a bit. The Camel’s flat-top wing is so much a part
of the look that Clive used near-scale dihedral: 1/16 inch in the upper
wing and 7/8 inch in the lower wing.
He increased the horizontal stabilizer area approximately 10%.
The nose was stretched 3/16 inch, and the dummy engine mounted
right at the front of the cowl to gain a bit more rubber room in front
of the CG. As I noted, the rear peg was moved forward to a position
just in front of the wing TE.
The resulting model weighed 34 grams empty when balanced
for the motor. It came out slightly nose-heavy, so Clive had to
scrape the propeller to lighten it.
The propeller is an 8-inch Peck-Polymers, and the motor is two
loops of 1/8-inch rubber that is 24 inches long. To get the motor to
work in the 41/4-inch hook-to-peg distance, Clive used a large
reverse-S propeller hook and a sleeved rear
peg.
Covering is all Esaki tissue with chalk
coloring. Clive produced the white
backgrounds of the roundels and fuselage
markings by masking the areas off before
chalking the main tissue color, and then adding white chalk afterward.
Blue-and-red roundels and black stripes are cut tissue, chalked again to
make the colors more solid.
The polyester thread rigging is important to the model’s strength. It
is glued in place with cyanoacrylate.
The flight pattern is right-right. Adjustments include a significant
amount of downthrust and right thrust, and a small amount of washout
on the upper left wing.
If you want to give a Camel a try, plans are available from Golden
Age Reproductions as item 126. The company has a $3 catalog that
contains a list of many kits and plans.
Clive credits Rich Weber with the advice and encouragement that
led to the success of his Camel. Check the “Sources” listing also for a
Web address that leads to a flight video of the Camel.
On the topic of Rich Weber, I saw him on the flightline with his Booth
Ranger. It’s no wonder why Clive availed himself of Rich’s advice on
his Camel. Rich is a talented builder and flier.
Rich’s Booth Ranger biplane has been a winner in Fantasy Flyer.
This event is not in the FAC rule book, but, as I understand it, it is for
models based on fantasy airplanes seen in artwork of the aviation pulp
magazines published in the 1920s and 1930s.
While most of those aircraft have planforms that are stretches of the
imagination, the Booth Ranger is a conventional biplane. That doesn’t
diminish its charm, and it is a great performer. Plans are available from
Diels Engineering.
The Messerschmitt Me 108 has always been a favorite of mine. I have
had plans for this model for many years but
never put balsa to the board. When I saw Jeff
Runnels’ version at the FAC Nats last year, I
had to get a picture and some information.
Jeff’s Me 108 spans 16.75 inches and
weighs 16 grams without the motor. It is
powered by a single loop of 1/8-inch-diameter
rubber that is 12 inches long. The flight
pattern is left-left. Fifty-second flights are
typical.
Jeff built the model using documentation
from Bob Banka’s documentation service.
You can download the information or order a
catalog on CD.
July 2009 121
Karl Gies built this FF Berkeley Brigadier as a reprise of a model lost in the 1950s.
John Ernst keeps churning out beautiful fliers such as this Grumman FF-1.
Greg Thomas is pleased with his Ercoupe,
which is done in military liaison colors.
Greg Thomas produces some of the highest-quality rubberpowered
Scale kits on the market. The plans for his Ercoupe are
works of art, and the laser-cut balsa is excellent. The tissue is firstrate,
and two small decals are included. The color scheme is
authentic.
The model is based on Ercoupe SN 110 and is currently assigned
number N37143. Fred Weick designed the original Ercoupe in the
mid-1930s.
The US Army Air Forces (USAAF) purchased three of the 1939
airplanes in August 1941; those were the last of the prewar
Ercoupes. These aircraft were not produced again until 1947.
Each of the three military Ercoupes had the color scheme shown
on Greg’s model. Serial number 10 is the only remaining original
aircraft. Go to the “Sources” listing to see where you can get more
information about Ercoupes.
All coloring on Greg’s Ercoupe was airbrushed using thin coats
of Tamiya acrylic paints. The kit was designed around the markings
of the Smithsonian Institution’s Ercoupe, NC15692, and is
considerably less colorful than the USAAF versions. However, you
can choose from an abundance of Ercoupe color schemes by doing
a simple Internet search on Ercoupe 415C. The model shown comes
in at 33.2 grams, balanced and ready to fly.
First produced in 1947, the Ercoupe has been a popular aircraft
because of its economy of operation. Many of these aircraft are still
in service, so finding a color scheme for your model should be no
problem.
John Ernst built his Grumman FF-1 from plans that Michael
Heinrich drew for Neo-Dime Scale, which
produced a 16-inch span. John enlarged the
plans to 1/24 scale, which resulted in a
wingspan of 17.25 inches.
The colors John chose are from the
Spanish Civil War. They aren’t the easiest
to see in the grass, but you don’t see them
everyday. The lettering was drawn by hand
with gel ink pens, and the stripes are all
tissue.
The “Sources” list contains the address
for John’s Web site, where you can find
more pictures of his FF-1. Many of John’s
projects are shown there, along with handy
building tips.
He also moderates the Free Flight Cook-
Up on Yahoo! Groups. It has been going
strong for more than seven years. The group
picks a theme and builds models to suit.
Last fall, the theme honored the late Nate
Sturman; the group built models from his
plans. Check it out and join the fun.
Karl Gies reconstructed a childhood
memory with his Berkeley Brigadier. This
model was built from a P&W kit. Although
the kit is no longer available, plans are
available from the AMA Plans Service, and
a short kit is available from Klarich Custom
Kits.
Using a tip from Gene Wallock, Karl
covered the Brigadier with Polyspan first
and then added Japanese tissue for both
appearance and strength. The black trim is
Japanese tissue.
The Polyspan received one coat of
thinned nitrate dope, and then the
Japanese tissue was adhered to the edges
and shrunk with water. Karl coated the
tissue with two more coats of thinned
nitrate dope and a coat of Formula U
fuel-proofer (old stock).
The engine Karl used is a reproduction
Micro 2cc diesel. It was manufactured in
Detroit, Michigan, for two years and was
first available in 1947.
According to Karl, it is a great little
power plant. If you are interested in
purchasing one, Carlson Engine Imports
has the Chinese reproduction that he is
using.
Once Karl has the DT fittings and
eyedropper tank rigged, it will be ready for
flight. He built one of these models when he
was 14, circa 1951. An account of what
happened to it follows.
“My friend Larry and I ventured into gas
with a couple of real simple models. The
pinnacle of our success was a standard
Berkeley Brigadier with a 56-inch
wingspan. Larry had an O&R .19 or .23
ignition engine. My part was purchasing the
Brigadier kit and necessary supplies.
“Len (Larry’s dad) helped us a lot and
we covered it with red silk span. Larry had
an older sister who was into art and she
helped us with some black trim. This model
was built so well under Len’s expert
supervision that it flew with very few
adjustments.
“Larry was a kid who got bored with
things quickly and always pushed the
envelope. I can still remember him saying,
‘Let’s fill it up with fuel and see how high it
will fly.’ I knew that this was not a good
idea and should have stopped him. The
result was we could no longer see the model
in the sun filled sky but could still hear the
engine with our young ears and of course
the model was lost.
“His dad was furious with us but did
take us up in his plane to look for it. In my
memories I am still looking for it today. It
would be years before I could get a rubber
model to fly high enough to flirt with the
mystery of the endless sky and go wherever
the gypsy thermals take it.”
Sergio Montes, who publishes the Free
Flight Quarterly (FFQ) in Australia, has two
booklets that you might find of interest, the
first of which is the Gollywock book. It is
on its second edition. The 66-page volume
includes full-size plans of the Gollywock II.
The price is $20 (US dollars), postpaid.
The second booklet contains many Scale
models that Bill Henn has created, from the
Chambermaid Golden Age racer to twinfuselage
fighters of World War II. There
will soon be a second edition, which will be
greatly expanded from the first edition. It
will sell for $20 and has the same number
of pages as the Gollywock book. This
second edition will contain full-size plans
of two of Bill Henn’s models.
Also of interest is the new digital edition
of FFQ. This edition costs only $18 per
year, compared to $38 for the print edition.
The FFQ Web site has subscription and
contact information. MA
Sources:
Flying Aces Club
www.aeroaces.com/flyingaces.htm
Golden Age Reproductions
(978) 687-0024
www.goldenagereproductions.com
Flight video of Clive Gamble’s Camel:
www.ffscale.co.uk/movies/g08/g08_camel.
wmv
Diels Engineering
Box 263
Amherst OH 44001
http://dielsengineering.samsbiz.com
Bob’s Aircraft Documentation
(714) 979-8058
http://bobsairdoc.com/catalog.htm
Greg Thomas
505 Wildflower
Burnsville MN 55306
www.thomasdesigns.net
Ercoupes:
www.ercoupe.net/N37143.html
John Ernst:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze8ljo4/johnsmod
els/
Nate Sturman:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffcookup/
Carlson Engine Imports
(602) 863-1684
http://carlsonengineimports.net
Klarich Custom Kits
(916) 635-4588
www.klarichkits.com
FFQ
www.freeflightquarterly.com
National Free Flight Society
http://freeflight.org