Old-Timers
Bob Angel
THE BASIC FUEL mix in the spark-ignition-engine era was usually known as three-to-one, often written in abbreviated form as 3:1. It was a simple mixture of three parts white gas and one part 70-weight oil.
Most modelers mixed it themselves, often in a readily available quart fruit jar. The exact amounts weren't too critical. I remember seeing ads for premixed gasoline fuels, priced at maybe 10¢ for a cylindrical quart can, but I never saw a modeler actually use that high-priced commercial mix.
After I mentioned the 3:1 mix in the April column, I received a nice note from Douglas Dahlke, who is a longtime member of MECA (the Model Engine Collectors Association). He suggested that I mention that the "slag" engines were a breed unto themselves and should use higher oil content. Most who were knowledgeable about engines would use a 2:1 mix, and Doug has one instruction sheet directing the user to employ a one-to-one mix of gas and oil!
"Slag" is the derogatory term applied to many low-priced, low-quality engines made in roughly the 1940s. They were generally characterized by an aluminum piston running in an aluminum cylinder. They were the Thors, Genies, Judcos, Rogers, Buzzes, etc., and they were seldom fitted with great precision.
As you can imagine, a plain aluminum piston running in an aluminum cylinder needs all the help it can get in terms of lubrication. Do you remember the short-lived automobile that had an engine with that feature?
Doug pointed out that if you could get an engine running on the 50/50 mixture, you'd be surrounded by a rising column of smoke. I hadn't even thought of suggesting running these engines, because most never started and ran in the first place.
Some were worn out by flipping the propeller for hours on end, without ever running. They developed one's propeller-flipping muscles early in the modeling career. And some reinforced that propeller-flipping finger with scar tissue.
But the slags have their place in history, as a tribute to the perseverance of those who continued modeling after their first encounters with one. Several engine collectors even specialize in them and have nicely organized displays that are shown at "collectogethers." And sometimes they fire up these engines for demonstrations.
I take some pride in the fact that I have a much-modified Thor, which I've started and run at the amazing speed of approximately 5,500 rpm. Anything beyond that results in overheating and seizing up. And 20 minutes at that speed would probably have it worn out.
Old-Timers
Bob Angel
Since I mentioned the higher oil ratios, I should also mention the lower ones. A few engine instructions specified thinner oil mixes. Those were usually for larger engines, such as the Forster .99, which I believe specified roughly 9:1.
Many fliers are taken aback by such a recommendation and still use a larger percentage of oil. That's okay and doesn't hurt anything, other than creating a little more smoke and maybe fouling plugs a little quicker.
Doug's letter also mentioned an episode from an early post-World War II national AMA meet. Modelers gathered for repairs and socializing in the large hangars on military bases. One proud owner was bragging about how his new high-horsepower Super Cyclone .60 engine was one-quarter-horsepower stronger than another modeler's old Forster .99.
A bet was made, and they tied the tails of two FF models together and started the engines. The .99, with its 14-inch propeller, pulled the Cyke around the hangar floor.
It was a lesson in torque, propeller diameters, and maybe even propeller pitches. In such a contest, a lower-pitch propeller usually has more static thrust than a higher-pitch propeller.
By the time you read this, the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, will have hosted another SAM [Society of Antique Modelers] Champs (September 7-12) and another Vintage Radio Control Society (VR/CS) Celebration of RC event (September 22-26). For next year, the VR/CS plans to expand the Muncie event to a full week, while the SAM Champs will be held near Las Vegas again.
One neat thing about these events is that you can meet many of the early "heroes" of model flying and development who are still living and participating in the events. The AMA, SAM, the National Free Flight Society (NFFS), and VR/CS each has a hall of fame, and many modelers are included in more than one of those distinguished rosters.
I'll mention a few of those people from time to time, and one of the first who comes to mind is Sal Taibi. As of this writing, he is in his late 80s and still flying FF models weekly at Perris in Southern California.
Sal's modeling biography is too extensive to even begin reciting here, but he has attended more than 60 AMA and pre-AMA Nats, more than 40 SAM Champs, and probably as many NFFS events. He has at least a dozen model designs to his credit; a couple of the more well known are the Powerhouse and the Brooklyn Dodger.
He has won many championships and at times has earned a living in the modeling industry. In 1936 he was a co-founder of the Brooklyn Skyscrapers club, which is still active today.
Sal gives back to the hobby by instructing, helping, and willingly sharing his extensive expertise on the flying field. After flying hours he becomes a great source of historical information and anecdotes.
At major events, he can sit down in the headquarters hotel lobby and the disciples start gathering. A discussion starts, and soon someone asks Sal a key question and a story begins to unfold. He's a great story teller, and I'll attempt to share an abbreviated version of my favorite. It's about a gentler, more reasonable time in America.
On weekends, young Sal and companions would take their models on public transportation to a large park in the middle of the city. This particular park had signs posted that read, "No model airplane flying." The boys would get there early, before many people had arrived at the park, and put up several flights.
A horse-mounted policeman patrolled the park, but he always seemed to be at the other end during that part of the day. Later in the morning, after most of the flying was done and more people began using the park, the policeman would ride his horse over at a leisurely pace and calmly announce, "Boys, model airplane flying isn't allowed in the park." Sal and companions would politely reply, "Oh, we didn't know that, so I guess we'll pack up and leave."
The same cast of characters played out this little drama every week, and the charade was carried out with no outward sign that any of the players recognized each other.
The Breezy biplane was a Ken Willard design published in the August 1955 Model Airplane News. Ron Needham built one with a nonproportional radio and single-channel rudder control. Those early radios used escapements rather than servos, and motive power was a rubber band.
According to Ron, flying with that setup was difficult and he crashed often. But he still liked the cute little airplane, so he built another. He wrote:
"Fast forward to 2007 when I contacted AMA to see if they had plans for the Breezy and a copy of the original article. Wow, I was still in love with this little biplane so I built another. However, this time it would have a modern 2.4 GHz radio and servos.
"I did however build a mock up of the Babcock BCR three-tube type receiver and mount it in the model. I also set up the servos to drive torque rods, so from an exterior view the plane appeared to be single channel and have an escapement.
"It's powered by an MP Jet .061 glow engine turning an APC 6.5 x 2.9 propeller. The covering is silk and dope.
"I have to say the Breezy has not disappointed me. It's a great little flyer considering it's an old time 1/2A. It is not an aerobatic plane by any stretch but you can coax it into a loop or roll. What I enjoy most is a nice slow fly by."
Float-Flying: As I write this, I've just received the July MA, which is the float-flying issue. It reminded me of the fact that Old-Timer (OT) models can not only be adapted to floats, but float-flying can often open up extra flying venues.
Many lakes that allow water skiing, boats, etc. are accustomed to loud engines. Since most of our older engines do not adapt themselves to mufflers, the noise factor isn't as much of an issue as it is at normal flying sites. There are several lakes in my state where float-flying takes place. Many, but not all, of these events are informal club affairs.
Sometimes, in addition to OT contests near Woodland, California, that featured a well-attended Texaco float-fly event along with the regular OTRC classes. The Woodland Davis modelers were fortunate enough to have their own small lagoon beside a fine flying facility that had both cement and grass runways and a big, shaded pit area.
Let's gather here again in the December issue. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
