At the Field—Offbeat Stories About R/C Model Airplanes And The People Who Fly Them
By David P. Andersen
At The Field—Offbeat Stories About R/C Model Airplanes and the People Who Fly Them by David P. Andersen, [email protected]; Web site: www.tcrconline.com/pages/dave_andersen.htm.
This 188-page online book is an anthology of the best of David P. Andersen's magazine writing to date. It contains articles from Model Aviation, Radio Control Modeler, R/C Report, RC club newsletters, and other magazines.
The book features short stories, how-to technical articles, flying techniques, humor, aviation history, theory, and building tips, but no advertising. Modelers who write for their club newsletter are encouraged to copy anything they find in the book—permission to do so is granted to all.
At The Field is available as a 1.7 MB PDF file, free of charge, on the Web site. You can contact the author to request a 4 MB Microsoft Word file or for any other correspondence.
Giant Scale Handbook @ $12.95 + $5 S&H from the International Miniature Aircraft Association, Box 10189, Albuquerque NM 87184; Tel.: (505) 792-4458; Fax: (505) 898-8281; Web site: www.fly-imaa.org.
The International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) announces the release of the first Giant Scale Handbook. This 156-page resource directory includes cross-referenced listings of more than 170 Giant Scale engines, more than 250 Giant Scale plans, and more than 50 servos for large scale RC aircraft.
Also included are many technical articles about building and finishing techniques, control-linkage installation, converting gas models to electric power, and a complete construction article about building an inexpensive "Phony Fokker Einduckker"—an IMAA-legal, 80-inch-span, Stand-Way-Off Scale model of the famous World War I fighter. The entire aircraft and engine can be built for considerably less than $200.
Feature articles about the secrets of MonoKote covering, understanding the Ackerman principle of control-linkage geometry, a comparison of the weights of different covering and painting methods, and an event format for getting everyone into the air at a fly-in are an excellent part of this great Giant Scale reference book.
Once you have purchased the book, full-size plans for the Phony Fokker Einduckker and a data CD that includes all of the resource directory information are also available.
Dealer inquiries are invited. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal payments are accepted. Visit the Web site for more information and an Internet link to the Verisign Secure Shopping Cart server.
OV-10 Bronco @ $189.99 + $13.99 S&H from K&A Models Unlimited, Box 66527, Albuquerque NM 87193; Tel.: (505) 994-8083; Web site: www.kamodels.com.
The OV-10 Bronco first saw action in the late 1960s in Vietnam. This aircraft was so versatile that it served the Marines and the Air Force for many years.
K&A Models' Speed 400-size OV-10 Bronco is a scale rendition of this famous airplane. With its realistic scale looks and sport performance, this kit certainly captures the spirit of the aircraft.
Fiberglass and foam construction is used throughout, and the kit includes many vacuum-formed accessories to finish out this model, such as the gun sponsons and assorted blisters. The wings come pre-sheeted, and the fiberglass booms and center fuselage are preprimed in gray for an easy finish.
This OV-10 Bronco spans 42.5 inches, has a wing area of 335 square inches, and weighs 42–46 ounces ready to fly. It requires a four-channel radio with four servos, ESC motor control, an eight-cell NiMH or three-cell Li-Poly battery pack, and two Speed 400 motors or two brushless motors of a similar size, such as the Mega 16/16.
Super Brain 977
Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) announces the release of the newest pro-level AC/DC battery charger: the Super Brain 977.
This charger with dual output and discharge function is feature-rich, yet affordable. Its MicroPeak technology safely and effortlessly charges and discharges one- to nine-cell Ni-Cd or NiMH batteries, as well as gel-cell and lead-acid batteries.
A practically foolproof setting for one- to three-cell Li-Ion/Li-Poly batteries makes it safe and easy to put maximum energy back into your packs. The big 10.0-amp AC power supply and the Super Brain 977 are fan-cooled to keep components cool during continuous charging cycles.
Simultaneous charging and discharging of dissimilar packs has been carried over from MRC's highly successful Super Brain 969; charge time varies at the same time, even if they are different voltages and/or different battery types.
The discharge function allows you to get the most out of your batteries, increasing battery life and thereby avoiding the cost of purchasing new batteries.
The large LCD display puts a wealth of information at your fingertips: battery status, battery voltage, charge rate, peak threshold in mV, capacity in mAh, number of cells in the pack, and charging time in minutes.
The 977's selectable charge rate with 0.10-amp increments allows you to use charge rates from 0.20 amp all the way up to a powerful 5.0 amps. Similarly, you can select an appropriate and safe discharge rate with 0.10-amp increments from 0.20 amp down to a rapid 4.0 amps. The peak threshold can be selected in 5 mV increments from 5 to 50 mV.
The Super Brain 977 uses Digital Signal Processing to filter out noise and provide a high level of measurement accuracy. Along with its 12-bit analog-to-digital converter, the charger's measurement resolution is first rate.
Optimum charging of Lithium batteries is no longer a delicate and questionable process. You simply use a 1C charge rate, enter the number of cells (one to three), and the Li-Poly setting does the rest.
The Super Brain 977 comes complete with AC power supply and cables for DC operation in the field. It has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $139.98 and will be available in August.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
