Modeling Spoken Here
Bob Hunn — Aeromodeling Editor
... mistakes happen, but how we handle them and grow from them is the key.
THEY SAY CONFESSION is good for the soul. In a few minutes my soul should be in wonderful shape!
In the April MA, "Engines 101" was published as part of the ongoing "From the Ground Up" series. It was intended to be an integral part of the informational series for beginners that began in the March 2003 issue. The response to that series has been wonderful and extremely positive for the most part. Many have called or written to let us know how much they enjoy the series and how much it has helped them. We have been overwhelmingly gratified by this response, and have roundly patted ourselves on the back for our foresight and wisdom. What was that old saying about what wipes out a lot of attaboys? Well, never mind. Let's just say that we were well and truly grounded after receiving the first salvo of reviews about the first "From the Ground Up" installment dedicated to explaining model-airplane engines, their theory, and their operation.
We have been informed—and we agree—that some of the information included in that first article was misleading and some was just plain wrong. And as President Truman liked to say, "The buck stops here" on the matter of accountability for the misinformation. I must stand up and apologize to all of you for letting any misinformation slip through into publication. I will offer no excuses; it's my job to see that the information we print is as correct and accurate as possible. I've always been able to make engines run well, prop them efficiently, and make them respond to various tunings, but I'm afraid that I'm just now realizing that I still have much to learn about the actual theory of their operation. Apparently Frank Granelli and I are in the same boat in this respect to some degree.
I asked Frank to write these pieces about engines in good faith that he could pass on the proper information. In his defense, the majority of the information he presented was valid, but there were a few gray areas and one or two that absolutely needed correction. I've known Frank for more than 23 years and have only known him to be helpful, sincere, and quick to serve our community. If he has a fault here, it is that he wanted to do as much as he could for newcomers as quickly as he could. We are both learning a hard lesson here. And we are both going back to school on engine theory and operation to ensure that we don't make a similar mistake again. Again, Frank is not at fault here for this information being published; that distinction belongs to me.
Engines 101 Revisited
In this issue we are running "Engines 101 Revisited." This piece has been reviewed by several engine experts, and we are confident that it addresses the issues that were in error in "Engines 101."
We have established a review board to take a look at all articles that contain technical material, just to be certain that the information we present is accurate and valid. So to put a positive spin on this, let's agree that mistakes happen, but how we handle them and grow from them is the key.
There, I feel a bit better. I hope you will all judge this mistake with just a thought to the abundance of accurate and successful material we have presented in the past.
Skinny Scale
The T-28 Trojan construction article featured in this issue is, in our opinion, an excellent example of original thinking. Gary Fuller decided that he wanted a sport-scale model of a famous Navy training airplane. This subject would have been challenging to design as a simply constructed model if strict scale outlines were retained. Gary wanted to capture the essence of the design but produce it in a very easy-to-build format.
Profile models are simple to build, but they leave a lot to be desired in equipment mounting and in proper torsional support of the flying surfaces. Gary's solution of a very narrow fuselage that has the right look from a side view—but is just wide enough to house the servos, battery, receiver, and engine—seems to open a whole new vista of design possibilities for subjects that are normally passed by because of their complexity. We asked Gary if we could call this new concept "Skinny Scale," and he agreed.
The T-28 is the first of Gary's work that we have published, but it certainly won't be the last. In fact, I've just hung up the phone from a conversation with Gary about his next project. He's working on a Lockheed P2V Neptune twin-engine model. It, too, will receive the Fuller "Skinny Scale" treatment.
I'm particularly excited about this one because when I was young I lived near Willow Grove Naval Air Station (just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), and P2Vs were operating from there all day and all night long. They would pass right over my house on their approach to the air station, and I came to love the sight of them.
If you have a favorite full-scale airplane but have been reluctant to model it because it is too complicated, why not give Gary's treatment a try?
If you feel the need to contact me (or yell at me), I can be reached at:
Bob Hunn Box 68, Stockertown, PA 18083 Telephone: (610) 614-1747 Email: [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
