Micro-Flying - 2008/09
Cindy Malinchak reports on the 2008 PERF Indoor event
"My wife took most of the pictures and notes at the Perryville Electric River Fliers (PERF) indoor event, so she decided to write her own review. I'm really glad that she could take the time to write down and share her own impressions for us.
What an experience! For the first time my husband and I attended the Toledo Weak Signals show in Ohio this year. We had a great time! The numerous static display models, new products, and various activities were outstanding. I was very impressed at all the detail and workmanship these skilled modelers put into their creations.
What blew me away was this huge RC tank that entered the building around closing time and parked itself next to the statics. If you could see heads spin!
On Saturday night we attended the PERF indoor micro fly-in. The local RC club ran a fun, well-organized event. The bleachers were packed with enthusiastic onlookers.
I got a kick out of this cool-looking plane: Del Ogren's Gee Bee Ascender. I actually thought it was flying backwards; however my husband informed me that it had a canard in the front and was supposed to fly that way. The model weighs 18.3 grams with a 20-inch wingspan. It was covered with gampi paper. Del used an inkjet printer for the color.
Tim Wolff brought these beautiful DiddleBugs. Both models flew exceptionally well. He used a covering of Litespan synthetic tissue for both models. The larger model had a JMP receiver and is powered by a GWS M20 motor. It weighs 2.97 ounces with a 24-inch wingspan. The smaller version weighs 21.5 grams and has an 18-inch wingspan.
As I continued my journey of photographing and reviewing, I came across this amazing, colorful, eye-catching plane. The model was Bill Lowe's Ghost biplane. I was so impressed I wanted one of my own. However, I found out it was a four-channel aerobatic model, better suited to my husband's flying abilities.
With a weight of only 3.9 ounces and a wingspan of 30 inches, it has a wing loading of only 1.3 ounces. This model is made of laser-cut Depron and is covered with clear plastic wrap. As a 3-D slow flyer it uses a Futaba Spectrum radio and an E-flite .250 motor.
I met his wonderful wife Tina, who Bill quoted as "a huge part of the process of getting the planes out to people that love them!" She did an expert job with the colors of this plane using permanent colored marker. Bill was so kind and allowed my husband to fly the plane. He said it was the slowest and best-flying 3-D model he has flown to date!
There is also a 14-inch-span mini version of the Ghost. This plane uses the ParkZone system for guidance. Bill also flew his slow-flyer design. The model flew very gracefully with the ParkZone system installed.
Kits of these planes are available for purchase. For more details and information, please contact Bill (see Sources).
Friends Bob Selman, Gary Jones, and Ken Spencer brought a variety of fine flying micro models. One of the models that caught my husband's attention was Ken Spencer's Gee Bee Racer. The model uses Gary Jones' 7mm drive and is made from laser-cut Depron foam. He used the Plantraco 0.9-gram receiver and 2 MiniACTs. This model flew great, and hopefully Bob Selman will add it to his growing line of fantastic kits.
In closing my first review for this column, I had the best time at Toledo and PERF and my husband and I are both looking forward to attending next year's event."
Micro-Flying Toledo
After several years of trying to arrange our schedules, my wife and I finally made it out to Toledo, Ohio, for the 54th annual Weak Signals Expo. The show was a real treat for me. I spent all weekend looking at all the new products and beautiful static displays. On Saturday night, I flew my models at the PERF indoor event.
My first stop at the show was the Horizon Hobby display. I couldn't wait to see if there were any new micromodels in the ParkZone line. To my surprise, they had a fantastic new design called the Vapor. It is a 14.75-inch-wingspan, three-channel living-room flyer. It weighs only 12 grams ready to fly.
The best part is that the Vapor uses Spektrum DSM2 radio technology, and it can be bound to any Spektrum DSM2-equipped transmitter. This airplane is at your hobby shop now as an RTF with or without the transmitter.
The next new model that I admired from the ParkZone line was the Micro Citabria. The three-channel aircraft has a 16.5-inch wingspan and weighs 21 grams ready to fly. It is available in three trim colors: red, yellow, and blue. I will be doing a complete review of the new Vapor and Citabria in future issues.
One of the main reasons for attending the show was to enter and support the Micro Static competition. John Worth's RC Micro World sponsored the micro category again this year.
I entered the L-4 Grasshopper Piper Cub that I designed and built several years ago for the NIRAC (National Indoor Remote Controlled Aircraft Council) Championships, and I was awarded first place. I modeled the airplane after a friend's beautifully restored full-scale L-4.
The three-channel model has a 16-inch wingspan, uses a Mighty Midget 3.5-gram outrunner motor, and weighs only 1.3 ounces. I constructed it from Sig contest balsa to save as much weight as possible. I covered the L-4 in Japanese tissue that was airbrushed with the correct colors.
Rob Romash entered his beautiful Aeronca K. The model weighs 14 grams and is covered with tissue and detailed with hand-drawn markings. The aircraft features a full cockpit and pilot. Rob was awarded second place for his efforts.
My wife, Cindy, entered her single-channel, 13-inch-wingspan, CO2-powered Peck-Polymers Cougar featured in my March 2008 column. This was the first model she ever built. It uses the Brown A23 motor and was a state-of-the-art micro RC aircraft at the time it was built. The judges must have thought so too, because she was awarded third place.
Peter De Stefano entered his exceptional Rearwin Speedster. The stick-and-tissue model was nicely executed. I am sorry that I didn't get many details about this aircraft.
Keystone Indoor Electric Fly Update
The club I belong to, the Muncy Indoor Flyers, will hold a micro Fun Scale contest at this year's Keystone event! If you have never entered Fun Scale, this is a good way to get your feet wet.
AMA Fun Scale rules will apply. However, we will have a 2-ounce weight limit. Please see the contest website for more information. — MA
Sources
- Stevens AeroModel
(719) 393-0830 www.stevensaero.com
- Bill Lowe
- ParkZone
(800) 338-4639 www.parkzone.com
- RC Micro World
- Peck-Polymers
(720) 833-9300 www.peck-polymers.com
- Keystone Indoor Electric Fly
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
