October 2006 129
The popularity of Nostalgia events is growing
Also included in this column:
• Where to get FF Nostalgia
designs
• Outdoor Hand Launched Glider
• A novel approach to removing
unwanted warps
• Smaller and lighter ignition coils
• The good thing about RC Assist
• Remembering the Berkeley
Super Duper Zilch
Old-Timers Mike Keville | [email protected]
Gary Sherman and wife Kaye with K&B Torpedo .19-powered
Spacer at Taft CA. Took third in Class A Nostalgia Gas at 2005
SCAMPS Annual. Kevin Sherman photo.
Taken at the September 4, 1938, Los Angeles Midget Air Races at Rosecrans and
Western avenues. Can anyone identify the flier and/or model? Royce Childress photo.
NOSTALGIA FF events have become quite popular. When the
Old-Timer (OT) movement began in 1960, the cutoff date for
eligible designs was merely 18 years prior. That may have
seemed ancient at the time, but many of today’s Nostalgiaeligible
designs date back more than 50 years. Thus to younger
fliers, designs from the late 1940s and early 1950s may in fact be
considered “old time.”
The Spacer, Zeek, Civy Boy, Fubar, etc. evoke warm
memories among a considerable portion of the FF community.
Nostalgia rules also permit the use of such later designs as Ron
St. Jean’s Ramrod, Toshi Matsuda’s Zero, and John Tatone’s
Frisco Kid.
Having previously mentioned CL fliers’ widespread interest
in designs from the 1940s and 1950s, let’s examine what attracts
FFers to designs of the same era. For one thing, they’re built
with traditional materials; that is, balsa and tissue, silkspan, or
silk. They have no auto surfaces, nor are they powered by
screaming Belchfire engines turning 30,000 revolutions.
Nostalgia rules limit the choice of power to specific “period”
engines. No high-zoot racing mills or wiggly surfaces here.
There is just something, well, nostalgic about seeing these old
designs floating overhead. As a young spectator I attended the
1953 Nationals in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. Civy Boys,
Fubars, and Zeeks were everywhere, as were a good number of
other kitted and original designs.
Mike thinks this is Bob Larsh prepping a
red, white, and black Brooklyn Dodger at
the 1966 Nats at NAS Glenview IL.
10sig5.QXD 8/24/06 12:57 PM Page 129Literally hundreds of models were
entered in all classes of Gas, Rubber, and
Glider. Inside the Navy’s workshop
hangar, the aroma of Ambroid and
AeroGloss was ever present as the activity
went on day and night. It was paradise.
If this sort of thing lights your fire, you
can obtain plans from the NFFS (National
Free Flight Society) Plans Service.
Contact Whit Russell at 1375 Ridgefield
Dr., Roswell GA 30075; E-mail:
[email protected], or visit the
NFFS Web site at www.freeflight.org/
store/plans/plans.htm.
Many will build and fly Nostalgia
designs for pure enjoyment, but for those
who plan to enter competition there is a
detailed set of rules including a list of
eligible engines. Nostalgia events also
include Rubber power (Wakefield and
non-Wakefield) and Towline Glider (no
circle-two and no “bunting” allowed).
Are you interested? If so, download a
set of rules from the NFFS Web page:
www.freeflight.org.
Here in Arizona (I live in Tucson) we’re
blessed with some mighty fine flying
weather year-round. From June through
October we hit the field at dawn’s early
light and are usually gone by 9 a.m. since
it does tend to become a bit, uh, toasty in
the summer. “But it’s a dry heat.” (Yes, I
know: so is fire.)
Although it’s no secret that my
primary interest is CL Aerobatics, we
have a couple decent FF fields nearby—a
test site just up the road and a wide-open,
anything-goes site in Eloy, which is
approximately halfway between Phoenix
and Tucson.
This good fortune is in contrast to the
fact that until early 2005 I lived on the
coast of Maine. There were roughly two
other CL fliers in the state, FF was out of
the question, and the weather was—well,
let’s say “less than hospitable” most of
the year.
Why do I mention this? Because
shortly after this issue arrives, many of
you will be looking ahead to the coming
Building Season—a euphemism for those
dreaded months of cold and dark when
you’re confined to the workbench.
That being the case, let your creative
juices flow. Allow yourself to return to those
early days when you took pride in having
produced something flyable from raw balsa,
tissue, and wire. That’s what OT modeling is
all about—cutting, fitting, waiting for the
glue to dry, and holding it up for all to admire
before you turn it loose for that first
(hopefully successful) flight.
No, all flights are not successful. No
one who’s been doing this for any length
of time will try to fool you into thinking
each of his or her creations flies right off
the board. We tinker, we patch, we adjust
things, and we hope the next attempt will
result in success.
Sure, the RC-assist fliers can twiddle a
stick or two, but many of us don’t have
(or refuse to have) that luxury. Guys such
as Sal Taibi and Bill Lovins still fire ’em
up and turn ’em loose—more often than
not knowing with a certain degree of
confidence that their models will fly as
intended. The rest of us have to take it a
little slower.
Speaking of which, do you remember
Outdoor Hand Launched Glider?
Although I’m on the “youthful” side of
this OT thing at age 66, there’s not a
snowball’s chance that I’d try to fling one
of those models as we did 30 or 40 years
ago unless I wanted to spend the rest of
the day with an orthopedic surgeon.
In case you haven’t heard, we now
have Catapult Glider—an event that
allows us to launch those airplanes with a
loop of rubber tied to a stick. Sounds
simple, right? Don’t believe it!
The velocity attained, although
somewhat less than that of a .30-caliber
bullet, still exceeds that of the legendary
arms of Bill Blanchard and Lee Hines.
Rules for the event can be downloaded from
the AMA Web site’s competition section.
One nice thing about writing these columns
is the fact that I’m on the mailing list for
many clubs’ newsletters. Thus as do other
columnists, I occasionally get to (ahem)
“borrow” useful items.
Freely lifted from the pages of the
Southern California Ignition Flyers’
Flightplug (Mike Myers, editor), following
is an unusual suggestion for helping to
remove unwanted warps. Mike does such a
good job of writing that I’ll include most of
it more or less verbatim.
“Bob Angel of Santa Maria [CA] came
up with the most unusual method. [He] uses
a hot air popcorn popper with the top part
removed. This shoots the heat straight up,
allowing both hands free to twist things. It’s
a bigger heat surface than the heat gun and
you have to work a little closer to it. Then
just move away with the twist held in place
and let cool.
“With microwave popcorn, the device
may be almost obsolete, but Bob suggests
that you might find a hot air popper in a
thrift store. Using the hot air poppercertainly solves the third-hand problem—
the one that occurs when you’ve got a
wing wedged between your knees and are
directing the hot air from a heat gun over
the surface with one hand and trying to
twist with the other.”
Let’s go to the mailbag. Larry Davidson
advised that he can now provide new,
smaller, and lighter ignition coils,
allowing easier fits into tight spots while
reducing the total weight.
His Modelectric coils list for $30, and
the new “Larry’s” coil costs $20. Add
$5.50 for shipping within the US. Contact
Larry at 66 Casa Mia Cir., Moneta VA
24121; Tel.: (540) 721-4563; E-mail:
[email protected].
Earlier this year I received a nice letter
from Bob Haines (Uncasville,
Connecticut) letting me know about the
success he has enjoyed with OT models
converted to RC Assist. Among them is an
American Ace powered by a Fox .15
engine and controlled via a three-channel
Airtronics rig. Covered with silk and
Solartex, Bob said it was a real floater.
“Twice at Westover Air Force Base, it
caught thermals so strong it would have
gone out of sight if not for the RC
system,” wrote Bob. “It has been flown in
winds so strong that the Free Flight guys
wouldn’t fly.”
Another model is a larger version of
the Coronet cabin airplane that was once
published in MA as a construction article
by D.B. Mathews. Bob enlarged the plans
to yield a wingspan of 69 inches versus
the original’s 46 inches, and he changed
the wing from polyhedral to straight
dihedral.
Powered with a four-stroke Enya .53
engine and covered with Solartex, the new
Coronet weighs just less than 4 pounds
and, as Bob put it, “cruises around on way
less than half throttle.”
Florida’s Don Ogren wrote:
“Recently I ran across an old photo of
me and a friend (now deceased) and my
Zilch. I remember getting the kit as soon
as it was in the hobby shop.
“At the time, I lived in Clarksburg WV
and was very active in all events,
including Jet Speed, Free Flight of all
types, and CL Stunt. Now I’m retired and
flying RC as well as CL Stunt again. This
year will be my fifth straight annual trip to
the Nats.”
Don E-mailed that photo, which can’t
be reproduced here. It shows him and his
friend, each holding a Super Duper Zilch—
a Berkeley kit that first appeared in 1949.
That’s it for now. This feature returns in
two months. Let us hear from you, and
please remember that any photos
submitted must be originals measuring 4 x
6 inches or larger. Photocopies and Emailed
images won’t work here, so says
the boss. MA
10sig5.QXD 8/24/06 1:15 PM Page 130
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 129,130
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 129,130
October 2006 129
The popularity of Nostalgia events is growing
Also included in this column:
• Where to get FF Nostalgia
designs
• Outdoor Hand Launched Glider
• A novel approach to removing
unwanted warps
• Smaller and lighter ignition coils
• The good thing about RC Assist
• Remembering the Berkeley
Super Duper Zilch
Old-Timers Mike Keville | [email protected]
Gary Sherman and wife Kaye with K&B Torpedo .19-powered
Spacer at Taft CA. Took third in Class A Nostalgia Gas at 2005
SCAMPS Annual. Kevin Sherman photo.
Taken at the September 4, 1938, Los Angeles Midget Air Races at Rosecrans and
Western avenues. Can anyone identify the flier and/or model? Royce Childress photo.
NOSTALGIA FF events have become quite popular. When the
Old-Timer (OT) movement began in 1960, the cutoff date for
eligible designs was merely 18 years prior. That may have
seemed ancient at the time, but many of today’s Nostalgiaeligible
designs date back more than 50 years. Thus to younger
fliers, designs from the late 1940s and early 1950s may in fact be
considered “old time.”
The Spacer, Zeek, Civy Boy, Fubar, etc. evoke warm
memories among a considerable portion of the FF community.
Nostalgia rules also permit the use of such later designs as Ron
St. Jean’s Ramrod, Toshi Matsuda’s Zero, and John Tatone’s
Frisco Kid.
Having previously mentioned CL fliers’ widespread interest
in designs from the 1940s and 1950s, let’s examine what attracts
FFers to designs of the same era. For one thing, they’re built
with traditional materials; that is, balsa and tissue, silkspan, or
silk. They have no auto surfaces, nor are they powered by
screaming Belchfire engines turning 30,000 revolutions.
Nostalgia rules limit the choice of power to specific “period”
engines. No high-zoot racing mills or wiggly surfaces here.
There is just something, well, nostalgic about seeing these old
designs floating overhead. As a young spectator I attended the
1953 Nationals in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. Civy Boys,
Fubars, and Zeeks were everywhere, as were a good number of
other kitted and original designs.
Mike thinks this is Bob Larsh prepping a
red, white, and black Brooklyn Dodger at
the 1966 Nats at NAS Glenview IL.
10sig5.QXD 8/24/06 12:57 PM Page 129Literally hundreds of models were
entered in all classes of Gas, Rubber, and
Glider. Inside the Navy’s workshop
hangar, the aroma of Ambroid and
AeroGloss was ever present as the activity
went on day and night. It was paradise.
If this sort of thing lights your fire, you
can obtain plans from the NFFS (National
Free Flight Society) Plans Service.
Contact Whit Russell at 1375 Ridgefield
Dr., Roswell GA 30075; E-mail:
[email protected], or visit the
NFFS Web site at www.freeflight.org/
store/plans/plans.htm.
Many will build and fly Nostalgia
designs for pure enjoyment, but for those
who plan to enter competition there is a
detailed set of rules including a list of
eligible engines. Nostalgia events also
include Rubber power (Wakefield and
non-Wakefield) and Towline Glider (no
circle-two and no “bunting” allowed).
Are you interested? If so, download a
set of rules from the NFFS Web page:
www.freeflight.org.
Here in Arizona (I live in Tucson) we’re
blessed with some mighty fine flying
weather year-round. From June through
October we hit the field at dawn’s early
light and are usually gone by 9 a.m. since
it does tend to become a bit, uh, toasty in
the summer. “But it’s a dry heat.” (Yes, I
know: so is fire.)
Although it’s no secret that my
primary interest is CL Aerobatics, we
have a couple decent FF fields nearby—a
test site just up the road and a wide-open,
anything-goes site in Eloy, which is
approximately halfway between Phoenix
and Tucson.
This good fortune is in contrast to the
fact that until early 2005 I lived on the
coast of Maine. There were roughly two
other CL fliers in the state, FF was out of
the question, and the weather was—well,
let’s say “less than hospitable” most of
the year.
Why do I mention this? Because
shortly after this issue arrives, many of
you will be looking ahead to the coming
Building Season—a euphemism for those
dreaded months of cold and dark when
you’re confined to the workbench.
That being the case, let your creative
juices flow. Allow yourself to return to those
early days when you took pride in having
produced something flyable from raw balsa,
tissue, and wire. That’s what OT modeling is
all about—cutting, fitting, waiting for the
glue to dry, and holding it up for all to admire
before you turn it loose for that first
(hopefully successful) flight.
No, all flights are not successful. No
one who’s been doing this for any length
of time will try to fool you into thinking
each of his or her creations flies right off
the board. We tinker, we patch, we adjust
things, and we hope the next attempt will
result in success.
Sure, the RC-assist fliers can twiddle a
stick or two, but many of us don’t have
(or refuse to have) that luxury. Guys such
as Sal Taibi and Bill Lovins still fire ’em
up and turn ’em loose—more often than
not knowing with a certain degree of
confidence that their models will fly as
intended. The rest of us have to take it a
little slower.
Speaking of which, do you remember
Outdoor Hand Launched Glider?
Although I’m on the “youthful” side of
this OT thing at age 66, there’s not a
snowball’s chance that I’d try to fling one
of those models as we did 30 or 40 years
ago unless I wanted to spend the rest of
the day with an orthopedic surgeon.
In case you haven’t heard, we now
have Catapult Glider—an event that
allows us to launch those airplanes with a
loop of rubber tied to a stick. Sounds
simple, right? Don’t believe it!
The velocity attained, although
somewhat less than that of a .30-caliber
bullet, still exceeds that of the legendary
arms of Bill Blanchard and Lee Hines.
Rules for the event can be downloaded from
the AMA Web site’s competition section.
One nice thing about writing these columns
is the fact that I’m on the mailing list for
many clubs’ newsletters. Thus as do other
columnists, I occasionally get to (ahem)
“borrow” useful items.
Freely lifted from the pages of the
Southern California Ignition Flyers’
Flightplug (Mike Myers, editor), following
is an unusual suggestion for helping to
remove unwanted warps. Mike does such a
good job of writing that I’ll include most of
it more or less verbatim.
“Bob Angel of Santa Maria [CA] came
up with the most unusual method. [He] uses
a hot air popcorn popper with the top part
removed. This shoots the heat straight up,
allowing both hands free to twist things. It’s
a bigger heat surface than the heat gun and
you have to work a little closer to it. Then
just move away with the twist held in place
and let cool.
“With microwave popcorn, the device
may be almost obsolete, but Bob suggests
that you might find a hot air popper in a
thrift store. Using the hot air poppercertainly solves the third-hand problem—
the one that occurs when you’ve got a
wing wedged between your knees and are
directing the hot air from a heat gun over
the surface with one hand and trying to
twist with the other.”
Let’s go to the mailbag. Larry Davidson
advised that he can now provide new,
smaller, and lighter ignition coils,
allowing easier fits into tight spots while
reducing the total weight.
His Modelectric coils list for $30, and
the new “Larry’s” coil costs $20. Add
$5.50 for shipping within the US. Contact
Larry at 66 Casa Mia Cir., Moneta VA
24121; Tel.: (540) 721-4563; E-mail:
[email protected].
Earlier this year I received a nice letter
from Bob Haines (Uncasville,
Connecticut) letting me know about the
success he has enjoyed with OT models
converted to RC Assist. Among them is an
American Ace powered by a Fox .15
engine and controlled via a three-channel
Airtronics rig. Covered with silk and
Solartex, Bob said it was a real floater.
“Twice at Westover Air Force Base, it
caught thermals so strong it would have
gone out of sight if not for the RC
system,” wrote Bob. “It has been flown in
winds so strong that the Free Flight guys
wouldn’t fly.”
Another model is a larger version of
the Coronet cabin airplane that was once
published in MA as a construction article
by D.B. Mathews. Bob enlarged the plans
to yield a wingspan of 69 inches versus
the original’s 46 inches, and he changed
the wing from polyhedral to straight
dihedral.
Powered with a four-stroke Enya .53
engine and covered with Solartex, the new
Coronet weighs just less than 4 pounds
and, as Bob put it, “cruises around on way
less than half throttle.”
Florida’s Don Ogren wrote:
“Recently I ran across an old photo of
me and a friend (now deceased) and my
Zilch. I remember getting the kit as soon
as it was in the hobby shop.
“At the time, I lived in Clarksburg WV
and was very active in all events,
including Jet Speed, Free Flight of all
types, and CL Stunt. Now I’m retired and
flying RC as well as CL Stunt again. This
year will be my fifth straight annual trip to
the Nats.”
Don E-mailed that photo, which can’t
be reproduced here. It shows him and his
friend, each holding a Super Duper Zilch—
a Berkeley kit that first appeared in 1949.
That’s it for now. This feature returns in
two months. Let us hear from you, and
please remember that any photos
submitted must be originals measuring 4 x
6 inches or larger. Photocopies and Emailed
images won’t work here, so says
the boss. MA
10sig5.QXD 8/24/06 1:15 PM Page 130