TRADITION
CALLS FOR the
new columnist to
introduce himself.
Old-timers don’t
break tradition, so
I’ll do that right
away. But first I
want to give Mike
Keville a hearty thank you for the many interesting Old-Timers (OT)
activity reports and wish him a happy retirement after his years of
producing this column.
Most boys who were in grade school during World War II built
model airplanes. Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight was still
a fresh memory, and the barnstorming era wasn’t quite over. The
sleek, new warbirds became favorite modeling subjects.
However, in Washington school in Cincinnati, Ohio, we had a
great deal of concentrated ignorance about how to build a rubberpowered
model and trim it to fly. Our efforts were crude, yet they
still garnered responses of “neat” at show-and-tell on the
playground.
The local dime store was the sole kit source, where the only
other modeling supplies were small tubes of glue and bottles of
dope. None of us had heard of model magazines and we were
barely acquainted with sandpaper.
Some straight pins and a razor blade were my tool supply, in
addition to mom’s borrowed scissors to cut tissue covering. A 2-
inch square of sandpaper served through several models.
CL flying became the rage at the close of the war. Living in
Bremerton, Washington, I saw my first engine-powered model fly
and I was hooked.
MA’s new Old-Timers columnist introduces himself
Old-Timers Bob Angel | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• An overview of SAM activities
• SAM minischedule
• A correction
Fred Mulholland tends to the engine while wife Barbara
prepares to fly her Lanzo Bomber. SAM isn’t limited by age or
gender. Dave Harding photo.
Rubber power started it all! Jim Elliott launches his BA Cabin
from the takeoff table in the annual Jimmie Allen postal contest.
Jose Tellez hand launches his Playboy in SAM RC 1/2A Texaco at
the John Pond Commemorative. Simple rules allow a Cox reedvalve
.049 with stock 5cc tank.
136 MODEL AVIATION
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probably typical for a small town. The club
was mostly teenagers with more
enthusiasm than experience. Some had
flown a little FF but moved to CL for the
practical reason that most of the county
was either dense trees or Puget Sound
saltwater. But there were plenty of fields
big enough for CL.
The sight and sound of a running
engine probably attracted me to flying as
much as the models themselves. That
sound also attracted hordes of smaller kids.
They seemed to pop up out of the ground
to come running across our nearly invisible
control lines, snagging and kinking them
as we frantically tried to shoo the children
away.
Living in California I found more
modelers with expertise to share, and my
flying skills improved to roughly average.
I had a modeling layoff while I spent a
year on a Korean trip sponsored and paid
for by the US Army. I built a few handlaunched
gliders along the way.
I designed and built some CL models,
but none were published so my only
noteworthy contribution to CL flying was
inventing and sharing the uniflow fuel
tank, which is still in widespread use.
As RC became popular, CL flying dried
up in many places and I flew power RC
and then RC sailplanes for a spell. I
learned about the Model Engine Collectors
Association (MECA) and later the Society
of Antique Modelers (SAM), where I
could actually put some of those old
collectible engines to work and use my
sailplane thermaling experience.
I’ve been the “RC Matters” columnist
for SAM Speaks for a number of years, and
I edit the SAM Chapter 26 newsletter. I
especially like exchanging the technical
nuts and bolts of our hobby. It’s a way to
make up for those early years when many
of us would have welcomed any technical
advice or interchange from more
experienced modelers.
At the time a space shuttle’s initial launch
from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base
was three months away, the Challenger
shuttle exploded. Shortly afterward, politics
intervened and the program was canceled. I
had been working with that program.
My next assignment was slightly less
exciting, and I decided that noisy little
models were just as interesting as noisy big
rockets, so I retired shortly after becoming
eligible. I’m a licensed professional
engineer on the mechanical side, so when
something goes beyond simple electricity
and starts to be called electronics, I often
look for help.
Organized OT activity is represented by
several groups, one of the foremost of
which is SAM. I’ll discuss it first because
that’s where I’m happiest. (Contrary to
rumors, there is no minimum age to join.)
I’ll explore other groups later.
SAM is subdivided into two main
factions: FF and RC fliers. Many members
fly both, but so many events are offered
during the annual SAM Championships
week that most contestants stick to the part
of the field where their favorite categories
take place.
Vintage CL was successfully
introduced during the past couple SAM
Champs, but it will be omitted at this
October’s edition for lack of a volunteer
CD. Let’s hope it comes back next year.
The FFers are the anchors and purists
of SAM. We owe them thanks because FF
was the basis of the movement.
They are more likely to construct their
models using original techniques of tissue
or silk with dope finishes, bamboo,
Ambroid glue, etc. FF modelers have more
tenacity than many of us and will travel
greater distances to find the needed flying
space in our ever more crowded world.
SAM RC fliers are more willing to
concede to the practicalities of modern life.
Therefore, along with adding RC to those
early FF designs, you’re more likely to see
plastic-film covering or carbon-reinforced
wing spars on an RC model.
RC competition recognizes most types
of engines, including spark ignition, glow,
and diesel, and motors. The FF rules
restrict engines to spark-ignition types,
non-Schnuerle glows converted to sparkers,
a few early diesels, and they allow rubber
power. Glow is allowed for some FF
special events using small .049 and .020
engines.
SAM contests are probably the most
laid-back of any form of competition.
There are no judges, engrossed galleries, or
loudspeaker comments.
Most events are basically climb and
glide, plus thermaling for duration. Various
combinations of engine runs are allowed,
from a measured amount of fuel to a
limited number of seconds to gain altitude.
SAM competition rules are fairly
complex taken in their entirety, mostly
because of the large number of events
offered. But after choosing a particular
category you can isolate the rules to a more
comprehensible level.
A SAM rule book is a near necessity for
anyone aspiring to compete. SAM rules
aren’t contained in the AMA rule book.
Competition flying isn’t the only thrust
of SAM. Most members are not active
competitors. They enjoy reading the house
organ, SAM Speaks, building, flying,
collecting, and recollecting the formative
years of model aviation. A little-known
secret in general RC is that a moderately
powered OT aircraft can be the easiest
trainer for quickly learning basic RC flying
skills.
A standard modern technical innovation
for spark-ignition RC models is a
transistorized ignition system. Spark
ignition electrical noise can cause serious
radio glitching.
Anyone who has ever watched a
Frankenstein movie knows that electricity
doesn’t always stay inside the wires.
Metallic shielding of ignition systems was
necessary before transistors, but even that
wasn’t always successful because the
breaker points themselves radiated a
considerable amount of static.
The transistor works like a relay
switch, allowing a much lower current to
be sent through the points. This lets the
transistor become the main current switch,
reducing electrical arcing in the points.
A couple other advantages accrue. By
passing less current, the points can
function more reliably when dirty,
misaligned, or oil soaked. And those hardto-
replace old points suffer much less
erosion, so they last practically forever.
Despite the advantage of transistorized
systems, other tricks are often necessary to
ensure glitch-free radio operation. Mainly,
separation needs to be maintained between
the ignition components up front and the
radio toward the rear of the model. An
engine-running range check is a necessity
before flying an OT RC sparker.
The new spread spectrum radios
promise to behave better in this
environment, but we need more testing to
be sure. The FFers face many technical
challenges, but fortunately suppressing
spark-ignition noise isn’t one of them.
Upcoming SAM Events: The SAM
Champs will take place near Las Vegas,
Nevada, October 7-12. The preceding
weekend (September 28-30), SAM 27
holds its annual RC meet at the Schmidt
Ranch, which is south of Sacramento,
California. It’s timed to attract some of the