Frequently Asked Questions - 2006/12
Scale documentation made easy with Airborne Media’s Aero-Pacs
Bob Aberle | [email protected]
This is the 33rd monthly column in which I try to give you the best possible answers to questions you have written or E-mailed to me. Each new inquiry is given a sequential number for identification purposes.
Until the August 2005 column this material had been published in MA and additional questions and answers had been posted on a special section of the AMA Web site (www.modelaircraft.org). That Web page is now in the process of being revised, and there will be no new postings in the foreseeable future. What you read each month in print is all you will see. I will advise you when we are able to return to the original format. The original “search process” by categories will also be suspended until the posting is back online.
In the meantime, I’m available to help you locate specific subjects of interest. Just drop me an E-mail. Also please keep sending in your questions; that’s the only way I can continue to provide this service to readers.
Q262: "I wish to add some scale details to a new model under construction. I know that you can buy individual photos or even packages of photos of full-scale aircraft to use as a reference. But I'm wondering if there is anything else on the market that can provide all the data I need in one place."
A262: MA advertiser Airborne Media has a line of scale documentation called Aero-Pacs. They provide data about popular full-scale aircraft on individual CD-ROMs.
I received a sample disc recently that covers the Piper J-3 Cub (with the traditional yellow civilian color scheme). I had recently reviewed the BP Hobbies electric-powered Cub in MA's webzine Sport Aviator (www.masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=15&ID=138). I wanted to add scale engine cylinder heads to either side of the cowl.
The Aero-Pac CD-ROM for this (or any) aircraft costs $15.95 plus shipping and handling and contains information about a specific airframe—Cub N38097 in this case. The disc includes detailed three-view drawings and construction drawings.
The groups of pictures include exterior overall photos (via an eight-point walk-around of the aircraft), detailed exterior close-up photos (which included the cylinder heads), interior details (showing the cockpit and instrument panel), and a miscellaneous section that included landing-gear details, factory drawings, flight controls, and even how to reproduce the paint stripes along the side of the fuselage.
The photos are extremely large because they are taken with digital technology and offer an extreme amount of detail. The CD-ROM includes a browser with which you can easily find the pictures for which you are looking. Besides using the features on these discs to help add details to your scale model, you could print out the photos on a color printer and use them as part of your documentation for any scale contest.
Airborne Media has an ever-growing list of Aero-Pac CD-ROMs covering all kinds of aircraft. For a complete listing of what is available and ordering information, go to www.airbornemedia.com/store/aeropac.htm.
Also included in this column:
- Aluminum-landing-gear supplier
- PAMPA’s Stunt News publication
- Charging cooler for batteries
- Accessing AMA plans
- Servo output shaft adapters
Q263: “Years ago a company manufactured aluminum landing gears, like a Cessna type gear. I believe the name was the Hallco Co. These gears came in a variety of sizes varying in tread (width) and height (distance between the fuselage and the wheel axle). I’m sure this company is no longer in business, but was wondering if there is any source of supply for these gears today?”
A263: As I advise so often, try one of the popular search engines and you will find options. I quickly located a distributor by the name of 3D Hobby Shop in Fredericksburg, Texas, that has a good-size line of these aluminum landing gear.
They come in colored anodized finishes (but can be painted to match your aircraft). They also come with axles that make it easy to mount your wheels to the landing gear.
The shop makes several conventional gears that bolt onto the bottom of the fuselage, and they also make a special gear configuration for mounting to a profile fuselage.
These landing gear sell for about $12–$13. You can learn more by calling Ben or Matthew Fischer at 3D Hobby Shop at (830) 990-6978 or visiting www.3dhobbyshop.com.
Q264: “I’m interested in Control Line Stunt flying but find that there isn’t much in the popular hobby magazines these days. In fact some magazines have only RC. Are there any options open to me that I am not aware of?”
A264: MA Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt is a CL Precision Aerobatics (Stunt) national and international champion. After receiving this question I consulted him.
Bob immediately sent me a copy of the latest Stunt News, which is the official journal of the Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association, or PAMPA. The Web site for this CL organization is www.control-line.org.
Stunt News is published every two months. It is not a newsletter, but a full magazine consisting of more than 100 pages. It includes plans, photos, contest schedules, how-to articles, and even information about electric-powered CL flying. Visit the Web site for subscription and ordering details.
Q265: “I’ve noticed that in many of your electric articles that you use a battery cooling device while at the flying field. I believe you used a length of PVC pipe with an electric fan inserted in one end. Is there any such device available on the hobby market already built up?”
A265: I know exactly what you want: the Kool Charge from Kool Flight Systems (www.koolflightsystems.com/products.htm). A 3-inch-diameter brushless fan blows air through a 3-inch-diameter plastic tube that is similar to PVC. The fan motor runs off a 12-volt source.
Insert a warm/hot battery pack in the open end of the tube and it will cool quickly, ready for recharging. Or you could keep the battery inside the tube while charging.
The Web site indicates that the Kool Charge is “currently out of production,” but enough requests might bring it back.
Q266: “I tried accessing a set of plans from the AMA Plans Service recently and found it difficult to find what I was looking for. Is there some kind of trick that I missed?”
A266: A critical note had been omitted from the Plans Service portion of the AMA Web site until recently. If you called and inquired about a specific set of plans, there was no problem. But to look up plans using the site and search commands was difficult until this instruction was added.
After locating the Plans Service page on the AMA Web site (www.modelaircraft.org/plansearch.asp), follow these steps:
- Go to the bottom of that page where there are letters of the alphabet.
- Click on the letter that represents the first letter of the name of the airplane in which you are interested (for example, “I” for Impulse).
- Then go to the top of the page and click on the icon that resembles a pair of binoculars.
- A box will appear at the right side. Type in the full name of the airplane (Impulse) and hit “search.”
The portion of the plans listing that covers that particular model will appear. You can enlarge it to read it more clearly. From that information you can print out an order form and purchase the set of plans. These instructions are now on the Web site.
Q267: “I’m interested in pursuing Free Flight Scale. I know that an article was published on this subject in Model Aviation. I tried looking for it in the MA Digital Archives but could not locate it. Can you help me?”
A267: At this time the MA Digital Archives on the MA Web site only include issues up to the year 2000, which leaves a gap for issues published since then. I remembered the article you were referring to because it was written by my friend Dave Rees, but it was published after 2000.
I asked AMA Librarian Rich LaGrange if he could help me locate the article. You can reach him weekdays at (765) 287-1256, extension 506. Rich quickly figured out that the article was titled "The State of the Sport—Free Flight Scale" and was published in the July 2001 issue of Model Aviation.
AMA offers an article-copying service to members and nonmembers, and the library has nearly every issue of MA ever published. Copies for members are $4 for the first article and $3 for each additional article. Nonmember fees are $5 for the first article and $4 for additional copies. Postage is included in these prices, and you can pay with VISA or MasterCard.
Q268: "A friend of mine told me about a company that sells output shaft adapters for RC servos. It sounded interesting, but I was curious about the application. Is it something I would want to know about and use for my model aircraft?"
A268: If you try hard enough, you can find almost anything on the Internet these days using one of the popular search engines such as Yahoo, Google, or ASK. I searched for RC servo accessories and found an outfit known as ServoCity (www.servocity.com/html/servo_shaft_adaptors.html). From what I could gather, this company makes adapters that allow you to attach a shaft in-line with the servo spline output hub.
ServoCity's products are popular with robotics people. In addition, outputs can be fashioned for sail controls on RC sailboats. I even found some "servo saver" type devices.
I recommend that you visit this Web site and check out what is available. You might be surprised, and you may find some applications for model aircraft as well.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
