Micro-Flying - 2010/09

ADDING A LIGHT system to your model
can add to your flying fun. Lights increase the
airplane’s visibility indoors and in lowvisibility
conditions, and they allow you to fly
at night.
Lighting systems have been around for
several years, but most have been too heavy for
use on small RC aircraft and helicopters.
However, that has changed with the rising
popularity of ParkZone and other RTF
micromodels.
Tiny Brite Lights has designed a
lightweight plug-and-fly system precisely for
our micromodels. I was excited when I learned
that the company is selling a SubMICRO
Warbird set that features six machine gun lights
you can turn on or off with your transmitter.
The SubMICRO Warbird set includes a
10-inch red LED, a 10-inch green LED, a 10-
inch strobe-type white LED, and six 10-inch
white strobing machine gun LEDs, wired on
30-gauge twisted pair enamel wire. The lights
and wires weigh only 1.1 grams and draw only
20 mA.
To test the new system, I put it in my
ParkZone Ultra-Micro P-51. Installation was
simple!
I cut open the fuselage by using my XActo
knife to slice along the decal line on one
side. The control board was installed just
ahead of the receiver and plugged into one of
the extra channel ports on the Spektrum
AR6400. I ran the wires through the hole on
the bottom of the fuselage and neatly secured
September 2010 73
Joe Malinchak Micro-Flying | [email protected]
Joe installed the MICRO Heli lights on
his Blade mCX, which already had glowin-
the-dark upgrades. The Tiny Brite
Lights system was a breeze to install and
made this machine great for night-flying.
Joe installed the MICRO Warbird control board in his P-51, just
ahead of the Spektrum AR6400 receiver, and plugged the unit
into one of the free channels.
The author used O-rings to simulate the chain drive on the fullscale
Wright Flyer. Stefan Gasparin made the parts for the drive
unit, based on the specifications that Joe provided. The unit works
beautifully and has more than enough power for the model.
Also included in this column:
• MICRO Heli Lights too!
• 1909 Peanut Scale Military
Wright Flyer
• 2010 Keystone Indoor
Electric Fly
Warbird magic with Tiny Brite Lights
Right: Tiny Brite Lights has a great line
designed for small RC models. The MICRO
Plane, MICRO Heli, and SubMICRO
Warbird sets are lightweight and require
no soldering.
Above: The SubMICRO Warbird light set
looks fantastic in the air. A machine gun
effect adds to the author’s fun of flying his
ParkZone P-51, and it needs to be seen to
be appreciated!
them in place using small, thin strips of
Blenderm tape.
After making sure everything worked
correctly, I closed the fuselage and used
Blenderm to resecure the halves. I used my
09sig3x_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/10 9:09 AM Page 73
Spektrum DX7 transmitter for control.
I was amazed by how the system could
be turned off completely and turned on
with only navigation and strobe lights
working. The best effect of all was the six
beautiful blazing gun lights. I could hardly
wait to take the Mustang out and give it a try.
After flying the model, I was even more
impressed. The LEDs looked great in the air,
and the machine gun effect has to be seen to be
appreciated.
I removed the main landing gear from the
P-51, so the added 1.5 grams of the light
system was not even noticeable. This was the
first time I had flown the P-51 without the
gear, and the Mustang performed better than it
did before! Low passes with the guns firing
were a dream come true.
I give this new SubMICRO Warbird
lighting system two thumbs up. I plan on
using it on many future projects!
I also tested the MICRO Heli Lights set
from Tiny Brite Lights. It includes a 4-inch
red LED, 4-inch green LED, two 4-inch
white LEDs, 7-inch strobing white LEDs,
and a 7-inch strobing red LED.
This system is plug-and-fly and can be
used with any one-cell helicopter, such as
the mSR or mCX from Blade. I installed the
lights in my Blade mCX, which also had
glow-in-the-dark upgrades.
As were the SubMICRO Warbird lights,
the MICRO Heli Lights were a breeze to
install. They merely plug into the receiver’s
battery connector and then need to be routed
to the desired positions and taped in place.
I installed the two 4-inch white LEDs on
the bottom of the nose; they provide a nice
spotlight effect. The helicopter lights
combined with the glow-in-the-dark
upgrades look great and make the mCX a
fantastic night-flying model!
In addition to the two lighting systems I
have described, Tiny Brite Lights also sells
MICRO Plane Lights and SubMICRO Deluxe
lights. The Plane Lights set includes one 9-
inch red LED, one 9-inch green LED, one 14-
inch strobing white LED, one 14-inch strobing
red LED, and two 9-inch white landing LEDs
on 30-gauge twisted pair enamel wire.
The Deluxe system includes one 10-inch
red LED, one 10-inch green LED, one 10-inch
strobing white LED, one 10-inch white spot
LED, and two 10-inch landing LEDs. This set
can be controlled by the transmitter. Lights
can be turned on and off, and the landing and
spot lights can be turned on or off as desired.
The new Tiny Brite Lights MICRO line of
RC lighting is a welcome addition to the
growing line of accessories available for us
“micro modelers.” Please see the company’s
Web site for more information.
The history of aviation has always interested
me. A few years ago I built and flew the 41-
inch-span 1903 Wright Flyer ARF from
Arizona Model Aircrafters.
Experimenting with that model and
getting it to fly was a lesson in history.
During its construction I gained insight into
74 MODEL AVIATION
Right: Joe’s 1909 Peanut Scale Military
Wright Flyer wing is constructed from
contest balsa. Notice the servo
installation and dummy engine with 2-
gram Gasparin G-10 brushless motor.
Below: The author covered the wing with
Japanese tissue. As on the original, the
outside wing struts are attached so that
they can pivot for wing-warping control.
AMA Academy of Model
Aeronautics
ARF Almost Ready to Fly
BEC Battery Eliminator Circuit
CA cyanoacrylate glue
CAD computer-aided design
cc cubic centimeter
CD contest director or
compact disc
CG center of gravity
CL Control Line
cm centimeter
cu. in. cubic inch
dBA DeciBels Adjusted (noise
power calculated in dB
[decibel])
DT dethermalizer
EAA Experimental
Aircraft Association
EPP (foam) expanded
polypropylene
ESC Electronic Speed Control
EPS expanded polystyrene foam
FAA Federal Aviation
Administration
FAI Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale
FCC Federal Communications
Commission
FF Free Flight
GHz gigahertz
ID inside diameter
Kv rpm/volt
kV kilovolt (1,000 volts)
LCD Liquid Crystal Display
LE leading edge
LED light-emitting diode
Li-Poly Lithium Polymer
mA milliamperes
MA Model Aviation
mAh milliampere-hours
MHz megahertz
mm millimeter
Nats AMA Nationals
nitro nitromethane
Ni-Cd Nickel Cadmium
NiMH Nickel Metal Hydride
OD outside diameter
RC Radio Control
rpm revolutions per minute
RTF Ready to Fly
SASE self-addressed, stamped
envelope
SIG Special Interest Group
TE trailing edge
Model Aviation’s
Frequently Used
Abbreviations/Acronyms
09sig3x_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/10 9:09 AM Page 74
how the Wrights used wing warping.
More recently I set out to build the most
realistic micro-size scale version possible.
Arizona Model Aircrafters has a beautiful set
of plans for the 1909 Military Wright Flyer,
which I obtained and reduced to a wingspan of
13 inches.
Then I needed good documentation. This
can be a fun part of scratch-building a scale
model.
The full-scale Military Flyer is hanging in
the Smithsonian National Air and Space
Museum, and a replica is on display at the
National Museum of the US Air Force. This
gave me and my wife, Cindy, a great reason to
visit these wonderful museums. I took many
photos of the airplanes to get the details right.
One of the biggest challenges was the drive
system. I decided to use O-rings to replicate the
chains on the full-scale aircraft. I had planned
on making the pulley system, but after
corresponding with my friend, Stefan
Gasparin, on the project, he graciously offered
to make it for me based on my specifications.
Stefan, who is famous for his work on CO2
motors, is an expert at making small parts, such
as those I needed, from lightweight aluminum.
I am using his 2-gram G10 micro brushless
motor, which will provide plenty of power
with this drive system. The drive unit runs well
and looks fantastic in static tests.
I constructed the wings from contest balsa
to save as much weight as possible. I built the
wings on a small foam building board that was
cut with the proper camber. Then I covered
them with Japanese tissue and airbrushed them
to simulate the look of the original fabric.
I am using muscle wire servos for control,
because they are thin and fit flush with the
bottom of the wing.
I still have a long way to go to complete
this project. Next I will mount the drive system
in the wing and test the wing-warping control. I
am hoping to have this model up and flying in
time for all of the great modeling events that
are coming up this year.
The 2010 Keystone Indoor Electric Fly will be
held October 15-17 in Muncy, Pennsylvania,
near Williamsport. As it was last year, this will
be one of the best events in the world for
micro-RC enthusiasts.
Some of the world’s best micro modelers
will be in attendance. This gathering will also
feature lots of open flying and friendly
competition. Please see the Web site for more information.