156 MODEL AVIATION
THE SAM [Society of Antique Modelers] Champs is probably the
largest and most active annual gathering of Old-Time (OT) flying
enthusiasts in the world. The weeklong 2007 event was held October 7-
12 in Henderson, Nevada, which is the town just south of and adjacent
to Las Vegas.
I took my turn as CD for the RC events while Gene Wallock
directed the FF competition, which was located a distance across the
flat, dry lakebed. For many years Gene has been giving up his flying to
volunteer for this duty almost every other year. Lately the event has
been rotating between the Nevada site and the AMA flying field in
Muncie, Indiana, where it will be held the week of September 8-12 in
2008.
The 2007 contest attracted more than 160 fliers. We experienced
great weather throughout the week. Temperatures were mild and winds
were calm until mid-afternoons, when a breeze usually kicked up, so
the smart plan was to get flights in early. Several events are scheduled
each day, so most fliers bring a carload of airplanes if they want to fly
every day.
Many fliers come mainly for the social atmosphere and may bring
just one model or none at all. On Monday evening a minibanquet called
a “bean feed” is held; the regular banquet and awards ceremonies take
place Friday evening. The bean feed is a tradition held over from the
early gatherings, when cookouts were held on the field.
Contest attendees came from far and near, representing many
states—there were even a couple avid enthusiasts from Alaska—and
Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The personable
Australians come as a team, complete with
matching, colorful uniforms. Although Aussie
SAM rules vary somewhat from ours, the
team members did well for themselves under
US competition rules.
Grand Championship awards are given to
the fliers who score highest in several selected
events. On the FF side, Californian Ron
Thomas was Grand Champ for ignition
engine power and Herb Kothe of Colorado
was Grand Champ for rubber power.
Bob Hawkins of Texas was the RC Grand
Champion in the ignition and glow-power
categories. He comes well prepared and has
won each of these two categories several
times through the years. Jay Burkhart of
Henderson, Nevada, 2007 SAM Championships
Old-Timers Bob Angel | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• How to unstick an OT engine
• The best FF flying site in the
world
Twin-pusher, rubber-powered models are
as old as modeling itself. This one, which
flies to the right, was part of a large mass
launch. James Lollar photo.
Above: Three generations of fliers. Ted
Patrolia starts his Cobra, which he
designed as a teenager; his son, Mark
Patrolia, holds; and his grandson, Ted
Cheney, observes. All won RC trophies.
Below: A typical group of FF models and
modelers. Who says rubber power is a
simple operation that requires little
support equipment? Ned Nevels photo.
02sig5.QXD 12/20/07 1:26 PM Page 156February 2008 157
Kentucky won the electric Grand
Championship. Complete results are
published in SAM Speaks and will be
available on the SAM Web site.
Besides the flying championships there is
a concours event, in which a large number of
beautifully built models on static display are
voted on during the bean feed. The display
may be static, but each model must make a
qualifying flight. Awards are made in several
categories.
There is also a “collecto” (short for
collectogether), at which many antique and
collectible engines, kits, and other items
change hands. The SAM Champs’ version is
slightly smaller than many MECA (Model
Engine Collectors Association) collectos, but
most of the goodies offered are directly suited
for SAM competition. A raffle is also
featured, and the prizes are mostly OT engines
and kits.
As in the general modeling community,
participation in the seven electric-power
events (offered in RC only) was noticeably
higher. The new Speed 400 electric event was
added quite late, and, surprisingly, 17 people
assembled models and entered.
Not all OT fliers are comfortable with
electric power, but it’s the wave of the future
as populations close in on flying fields. Most
OT ignition engines do not accommodate or
get along well with mufflers, so the noise
factor limits available flying fields.
A good deal is in the works for anyone
who wants to quickly get up to speed on OT
activities. The editor of SAM Speaks, with lots
of help, is compiling a set of two CDs that
will contain the entire collection of SAM
Speaks, from the first issue to date. It will
include decades of history of personalities,
models, engines, events, and years of
accumulated technical know-how to make
you a competent builder and flier of “real”
model airplanes.
The discs will probably be available by the
time you read this. To order, send a $30
(postpaid) check made payable to the Society
of Antique Modelers to Karl Gies at 131 13th
Ave., South Lewiston MT 59457. Postage
costs will be added for overseas delivery.
Old spark-ignition engines are an integral
part of many OT flying activities, and I’ve
received requests for basic information about
how to set up and run the old sparkers. Many
modelers have one or more such engines
laying around and would at least like to see
and hear them run.
One SAM member is planning a book
about the subject, but meanwhile you can
glean this information from the CD set I just
mentioned. I’ll offer a few short courses
piecemeal in this column, starting with the
following about cleanup in preparation for
running.
Many engines are found seized up because
they have not run for several years. Those that
were run on the old standard mix of a 3:1 ratio
of gasoline and 70-weight oil are more likely
to turn over more easily than the later glowfueled
engines using methanol with castor-oil
lube.
The first thing is to get the engine freed up
and freshly lubricated. I won’t tackle the
tough cases here, which sometimes involve
special penetrants and disassembly.
Try to identify whether the engine was last
run on gas and oil or glow fuel. A clue that a
sparker was probably run on glow fuel is the
absence of a timer and a glow plug installed
rather than a spark plug. Champion produced
glow plugs that look like spark plugs from the
outside. Those have a “G” designation in the
size/type printed on the porcelain.
You should flush the engine with the fuel
type that was last used; it’s the best solvent to
loosen the old gunk and residue. Do this
regardless of which fuel you plan to run.
Spark-ignition engines will run on either
gas/oil or low- or no-nitro glow fuel. But the
old plastic fuel tanks will be instantly ruined
with glow fuel, so don’t go there.
Try wiping away a little goo from the
engine’s outside with a bit of each type of fuel
on a rag. If gasoline cleans it better, the engine
was probably last run on gasoline and vice
versa for glow fuel.
For mildly frozen-up engines, you can put
the correct fuel in the intake, exhaust, and
plug cavity and let it sit for a while. Then put
on a propeller, get out gloves and a heat gun,
and warm the engine.
Use moderate pressure turning the
propeller so you don’t destroy a prized old
engine. How much pressure should you use?
If something breaks, that was too much.
Once the piston starts to move, you’re
home free. Continue to add fuel, rotate, and
flush thoroughly. Most of the old sparkers
used plain bushings rather than ball bearings,
so just getting the engine to turn freely should
be good enough to get it running.
For later model engines that use ball
bearings, such as Hornets, McCoys, Doolings,
etc., you’ll want to do a more thorough job of
cleaning them out, especially if congealed
castor oil is present in those bearings.
For the tougher cases, in which engines
are thoroughly frozen up, if you aren’t an
engine mechanic you might be better off to
hand it over to someone who is.
I’ll discuss the electric spark business
later, including coils, timers, wiring diagrams,
etc. Meanwhile, if you’re eager to run your
oldie, or if it’s missing the timer, you can just
put in a glow plug and run it on mild glow
fuel—preferably FAI (no nitromethane) or
5% nitro.
Some of the bigger engines used 3/8-24
plugs instead of the now-universal 1/4-32
thread. The big plugs can still be found, but
there are also adapters available to size the
larger threads down to 1/4-32.
Many of these power plants are fragile,
so don’t try to make one into a speed engine
right away. They were fitted to much tighter
tolerances than engines built today, and
most require rich running and prolonged
break-in. This is good in one way because
you’ll often find that these old jewels were
never fully broken in, much less worn out.
The site at Taft, California, has been called
“the world’s best free flight flying field,”
certainly not for its bare dirt surface, but for
the open space, the extremely dependable
flying weather, and the reasonable
accommodations in the little town. But use
of the field has been reported to be in
jeopardy for the last couple years.
SAM Chapter 26 had scheduled the
annual John Pond Commemorative OT RC
contest there last fall, so some serious
research was done on current ownership. It
was found that the various reports we’ve
heard have been nothing more than rumors
based on a large land sale some distance
from the field.
So I can happily announce that all’s well
for continued use of the world’s best FF
field—at least for the near future. MA
Sources:
SAM
www.antiquemodeler.org
SCALE FLIGHT MODEL CO.
Repro Rubber Power Kits, Comet, Megow, Burd,
Scientific, Jasco, also available - Campbell,
Diels, Dumas, Florio Flyer, Guillow’s,
Golden Age Repro, Herr, Micro-X, Peck, Sig.
Send $2.00 for Model Airplane Catalog
Penn Valley Hobby Center
837-A W. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446
www.pennvalleyhobbycenter.com
02sig5.QXD 12/20/07 2:02 PM Page 157
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/02
Page Numbers: 156,157
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/02
Page Numbers: 156,157
156 MODEL AVIATION
THE SAM [Society of Antique Modelers] Champs is probably the
largest and most active annual gathering of Old-Time (OT) flying
enthusiasts in the world. The weeklong 2007 event was held October 7-
12 in Henderson, Nevada, which is the town just south of and adjacent
to Las Vegas.
I took my turn as CD for the RC events while Gene Wallock
directed the FF competition, which was located a distance across the
flat, dry lakebed. For many years Gene has been giving up his flying to
volunteer for this duty almost every other year. Lately the event has
been rotating between the Nevada site and the AMA flying field in
Muncie, Indiana, where it will be held the week of September 8-12 in
2008.
The 2007 contest attracted more than 160 fliers. We experienced
great weather throughout the week. Temperatures were mild and winds
were calm until mid-afternoons, when a breeze usually kicked up, so
the smart plan was to get flights in early. Several events are scheduled
each day, so most fliers bring a carload of airplanes if they want to fly
every day.
Many fliers come mainly for the social atmosphere and may bring
just one model or none at all. On Monday evening a minibanquet called
a “bean feed” is held; the regular banquet and awards ceremonies take
place Friday evening. The bean feed is a tradition held over from the
early gatherings, when cookouts were held on the field.
Contest attendees came from far and near, representing many
states—there were even a couple avid enthusiasts from Alaska—and
Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The personable
Australians come as a team, complete with
matching, colorful uniforms. Although Aussie
SAM rules vary somewhat from ours, the
team members did well for themselves under
US competition rules.
Grand Championship awards are given to
the fliers who score highest in several selected
events. On the FF side, Californian Ron
Thomas was Grand Champ for ignition
engine power and Herb Kothe of Colorado
was Grand Champ for rubber power.
Bob Hawkins of Texas was the RC Grand
Champion in the ignition and glow-power
categories. He comes well prepared and has
won each of these two categories several
times through the years. Jay Burkhart of
Henderson, Nevada, 2007 SAM Championships
Old-Timers Bob Angel | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• How to unstick an OT engine
• The best FF flying site in the
world
Twin-pusher, rubber-powered models are
as old as modeling itself. This one, which
flies to the right, was part of a large mass
launch. James Lollar photo.
Above: Three generations of fliers. Ted
Patrolia starts his Cobra, which he
designed as a teenager; his son, Mark
Patrolia, holds; and his grandson, Ted
Cheney, observes. All won RC trophies.
Below: A typical group of FF models and
modelers. Who says rubber power is a
simple operation that requires little
support equipment? Ned Nevels photo.
02sig5.QXD 12/20/07 1:26 PM Page 156February 2008 157
Kentucky won the electric Grand
Championship. Complete results are
published in SAM Speaks and will be
available on the SAM Web site.
Besides the flying championships there is
a concours event, in which a large number of
beautifully built models on static display are
voted on during the bean feed. The display
may be static, but each model must make a
qualifying flight. Awards are made in several
categories.
There is also a “collecto” (short for
collectogether), at which many antique and
collectible engines, kits, and other items
change hands. The SAM Champs’ version is
slightly smaller than many MECA (Model
Engine Collectors Association) collectos, but
most of the goodies offered are directly suited
for SAM competition. A raffle is also
featured, and the prizes are mostly OT engines
and kits.
As in the general modeling community,
participation in the seven electric-power
events (offered in RC only) was noticeably
higher. The new Speed 400 electric event was
added quite late, and, surprisingly, 17 people
assembled models and entered.
Not all OT fliers are comfortable with
electric power, but it’s the wave of the future
as populations close in on flying fields. Most
OT ignition engines do not accommodate or
get along well with mufflers, so the noise
factor limits available flying fields.
A good deal is in the works for anyone
who wants to quickly get up to speed on OT
activities. The editor of SAM Speaks, with lots
of help, is compiling a set of two CDs that
will contain the entire collection of SAM
Speaks, from the first issue to date. It will
include decades of history of personalities,
models, engines, events, and years of
accumulated technical know-how to make
you a competent builder and flier of “real”
model airplanes.
The discs will probably be available by the
time you read this. To order, send a $30
(postpaid) check made payable to the Society
of Antique Modelers to Karl Gies at 131 13th
Ave., South Lewiston MT 59457. Postage
costs will be added for overseas delivery.
Old spark-ignition engines are an integral
part of many OT flying activities, and I’ve
received requests for basic information about
how to set up and run the old sparkers. Many
modelers have one or more such engines
laying around and would at least like to see
and hear them run.
One SAM member is planning a book
about the subject, but meanwhile you can
glean this information from the CD set I just
mentioned. I’ll offer a few short courses
piecemeal in this column, starting with the
following about cleanup in preparation for
running.
Many engines are found seized up because
they have not run for several years. Those that
were run on the old standard mix of a 3:1 ratio
of gasoline and 70-weight oil are more likely
to turn over more easily than the later glowfueled
engines using methanol with castor-oil
lube.
The first thing is to get the engine freed up
and freshly lubricated. I won’t tackle the
tough cases here, which sometimes involve
special penetrants and disassembly.
Try to identify whether the engine was last
run on gas and oil or glow fuel. A clue that a
sparker was probably run on glow fuel is the
absence of a timer and a glow plug installed
rather than a spark plug. Champion produced
glow plugs that look like spark plugs from the
outside. Those have a “G” designation in the
size/type printed on the porcelain.
You should flush the engine with the fuel
type that was last used; it’s the best solvent to
loosen the old gunk and residue. Do this
regardless of which fuel you plan to run.
Spark-ignition engines will run on either
gas/oil or low- or no-nitro glow fuel. But the
old plastic fuel tanks will be instantly ruined
with glow fuel, so don’t go there.
Try wiping away a little goo from the
engine’s outside with a bit of each type of fuel
on a rag. If gasoline cleans it better, the engine
was probably last run on gasoline and vice
versa for glow fuel.
For mildly frozen-up engines, you can put
the correct fuel in the intake, exhaust, and
plug cavity and let it sit for a while. Then put
on a propeller, get out gloves and a heat gun,
and warm the engine.
Use moderate pressure turning the
propeller so you don’t destroy a prized old
engine. How much pressure should you use?
If something breaks, that was too much.
Once the piston starts to move, you’re
home free. Continue to add fuel, rotate, and
flush thoroughly. Most of the old sparkers
used plain bushings rather than ball bearings,
so just getting the engine to turn freely should
be good enough to get it running.
For later model engines that use ball
bearings, such as Hornets, McCoys, Doolings,
etc., you’ll want to do a more thorough job of
cleaning them out, especially if congealed
castor oil is present in those bearings.
For the tougher cases, in which engines
are thoroughly frozen up, if you aren’t an
engine mechanic you might be better off to
hand it over to someone who is.
I’ll discuss the electric spark business
later, including coils, timers, wiring diagrams,
etc. Meanwhile, if you’re eager to run your
oldie, or if it’s missing the timer, you can just
put in a glow plug and run it on mild glow
fuel—preferably FAI (no nitromethane) or
5% nitro.
Some of the bigger engines used 3/8-24
plugs instead of the now-universal 1/4-32
thread. The big plugs can still be found, but
there are also adapters available to size the
larger threads down to 1/4-32.
Many of these power plants are fragile,
so don’t try to make one into a speed engine
right away. They were fitted to much tighter
tolerances than engines built today, and
most require rich running and prolonged
break-in. This is good in one way because
you’ll often find that these old jewels were
never fully broken in, much less worn out.
The site at Taft, California, has been called
“the world’s best free flight flying field,”
certainly not for its bare dirt surface, but for
the open space, the extremely dependable
flying weather, and the reasonable
accommodations in the little town. But use
of the field has been reported to be in
jeopardy for the last couple years.
SAM Chapter 26 had scheduled the
annual John Pond Commemorative OT RC
contest there last fall, so some serious
research was done on current ownership. It
was found that the various reports we’ve
heard have been nothing more than rumors
based on a large land sale some distance
from the field.
So I can happily announce that all’s well
for continued use of the world’s best FF
field—at least for the near future. MA
Sources:
SAM
www.antiquemodeler.org
SCALE FLIGHT MODEL CO.
Repro Rubber Power Kits, Comet, Megow, Burd,
Scientific, Jasco, also available - Campbell,
Diels, Dumas, Florio Flyer, Guillow’s,
Golden Age Repro, Herr, Micro-X, Peck, Sig.
Send $2.00 for Model Airplane Catalog
Penn Valley Hobby Center
837-A W. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446
www.pennvalleyhobbycenter.com
02sig5.QXD 12/20/07 2:02 PM Page 157