Glen Simpers’ Zero Peanut - 201209

Glen Simpers created his clipped-wing
Zero Peanut from a modified Peck
Polymers kit. The planform and cowling
shape were modified to more closely resemble
the full-scale aircraft. Compared to the plans,
the vertical tail was decreased in size, dihedral
increased, and a larger propeller was used to
improve the spiral stability.
It uses a 51/2-inch Sleek Streak plastic
propeller and a loop of 1/8-inch rubber weighing
3.8 grams. It flies in a left-left pattern as though
it is on rails.
The clipped-wing version of the Mitsubishi
A6M3 Zero was known as the Hamp. Glen’s
is modeled after the restored Hamp that is in
a museum in New Zealand. The laser-cut Peck
Polymers Zero kit is available from A2Z.
Electric Fokker D.VIII
Several years ago, George White built a 20-
inch wingspan Fokker D.VIII. It was too heavy to
fly well with rubber power and was relegated to
a static display. This past year George removed
the rubber motor and installed an electric motor
from a ParkZone P-51. Stew Meyers wired the
installation for George with a 150 mAh LiPo
battery and a metal-oxide-semiconductor fieldeffect
transistor (MOSFET) Pico timer that he
designed and produced.
George mounted the components on a tray
attached to the nose block. The timer is activated
through the open cockpit. At 55 grams, the
model is heavy, so the trick is to keep the motor
running for whatever time you want it to fly.
The lozenge pattern was printed on the tissue
with an ink-jet printer.
George doesn’t think that electric flight has
the panache of rubber power, but in this case
it rescued a beautiful model from the ignominy of a hanging
display and returned it to the open air of the flying field.
Wally Farrell’s MiG 3
Wally Farrell has a MiG 3 which he built from the Easy Built
kit based on Earl Stahl plans. Wally said the laser-cut kit went
together well.
I built the the Easybuilt Mr. Smoothie kit a couple of years
ago and was impressed with the quality of the wood and the
way the parts fit. I was also impressed with the way it flew out
of sight on a 300-turn test flight, but that’s another story …
Wally’s MiG weighs 35.5 grams empty, and has a 23-inch
wingspan. He estimates the wing area at roughly 75 square
inches. He had been trying to fly it with two loops of 1/8-inch
rubber and an 8-inch Peck propeller with balsa spinner.
A bail-type freewheeler was used to get around the spinner.
When things were going well, it would do 60 seconds and
Wally suspected the model was a bit underpowered.
He switched to a Peck 9.5-inch propeller cut to 9 inches and
lightened. He also replaced the motor with one 3/16-inch loop
and one 1/8-inch loop and now it flies! It
did 90 seconds on two of three flights.
Shaving Propellers
Why would you want to lighten a
plastic propeller when you may have to
add nose weight? I am convinced that
models fly better with lighter propellers.
I first encountered this technique
roughly 20 years ago in a tip sheet Dave
Smith sent with his Fiat G55 plans.
Start with a Peck 8- or 9.5-inch
propeller, depending on the size of your
model. I like to put a cloth on my pant
leg to support the propeller’s concave
surface.
Shave the front of the propeller with
a new single-edged razor or #11 blade,
stroking from the root of the propeller
to the tip. Hold the blade perpendicular
to the surface. This will produce a curl
or shaving of plastic. Have a wastebasket
and a vacuum handy because this can be
messy.
As you progress, the propeller
will become lighter and more
flexible. Be sure to balance the
propeller as you proceed. Aim
for a 30% to 40% reduction
in weight. I think you will be
pleased with the result. Note:
this is not legal for P-30.
All American
Nostalgia Wakefield has
proven to be a popular event
with the Society of Antique
Modelers (SAM) fliers. After
looking at a number of possible
designs, Al Pardue selected
the All American, a model designed
by the late R.J. Dunham from Tulsa,
Oklahoma.
R.J. was still actively flying when I got
back into FF more than 20 years ago.
His son, Robert, who had been active
since he was a kid, dropped out of FF
for several years, but I am happy to say
he is now flying again with several new
models in his hangar.
Al’s All American has a 41.3-inch
wingspan and 209 square inches of wing
area. The propeller is a 16-inch folder
from Bob Gourdon at Superior Props.
Following Mike Moskow’s advice, Al
is starting with 24 strands of 1/8-inch
rubber, 32 inches long and weighing 77
grams.
The model is covered with Polyspan
and finished with four coats of clear,
thinned Brodak nitrate dope. Al’s basic
finish is 25% dope, 25% lacquer thinner,
and 50% nitrate thinner. The red, white,
and blue striping is Brodak Butyrate
Dope.
Bob Holman has the plans and a short
kit for this model and also offers lasercut
triangles, which Al found invaluable
when framing the basic box of the
fuselage. Jim O’Reilly has plans for the
All American and many more Nostalgiaera
Wakefields.
No-Cal P-39
I couldn’t resist showing John Murphy’s No-Cal P-39. The
airplane is another of my favorites and I especially like the
white tail feathers. The markings are a composite of a number
of P-39s found online.
John built his 6-gram model from Michael Morrow plans,
available from Aero Aces. When flying it in the National
Building Museum in Washington, D.C., John uses a 20-inch
loop of .080 Tan Super Sport rubber with 1,950 turns.
John reported a best time of 1 minute, 35 seconds. He said
he still has much to learn because Michael reported getting up
to 4 minutes with his model!
No-Cals are relatively simple to build and fly, especially
outdoor models. When flying outdoors, the aircraft has to have
enough strength to withstand a gust of wind. You can use
heavier, stronger wood and slightly larger wood sizes and still
have a light model. Indoor flying is a different scenario.
Some Indoor No-Cals can be fragile, with the main structure
built from 1/20 square balsa and the tail feathers built using 1/32
square balsa. Our Indoor FF group uses a minimum weight of
6.2 grams for No-Cal World War II Combat. Models built to
this weight are easy to handle and still give good performance.
We also require the propeller to be no more than 7 inches in
diameter. A larger propeller would give better performance, but
again, the 7-inch propeller is easy to construct and gives good
performance. As with any type of modeling, wringing the best
performance out of No-Cals is a combination of art, science,
and experience.
Tom Hallman’s Fairchild
Last winter, Tom Hallman built a 20-inch wingspan Fairchild
using plans from the old Scientific series kits of the mid-1930s.
These plans were published in the March 2011 issue of Flying
Aces. Back copies are available from Blake Mayo for $5.
The model came in at 19.24 grams with the propeller and
DT. Tom discovered that his dad had these plans many years
ago. In his honor, Tom changed the registration numbers on the
model to reflect his dad’s birthdate of March 17, 1921.
Although the lines on the Fairchild were from an inkjet
printer, Tom applies panel lines to some models by hand. He
had been using Micron brand pens, but has switched to Copic
Multiliner pens which use pigment ink.
Available in a variety of colors, you can buy Copic pens for
single use (less expensive) or refillable (twice as expensive, but
they last a lifetime). They go on smoothly and don’t puddle as
much as some brands. They give clean lines in a wide variety of
widths, 0.03mm to 1.0mm.
Tom has found that the 0.3mm nib works well for most
models from 16-inch to 36-inch wingspans. These pens can
be found at stores that cater to art and drafting interests. One
online supplier is listed in “Sources.”
US FF Championships
Don’t forget the US FF Championships at Lost Hills,
California, September 21-23. Contact Ted Firster or see the
Lost Hills FF website for details.