102 Model Aviation April 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
electrics
Greg Gimlick
OLD-TIMERS [email protected]
Bob Angel
[email protected]
Ben Shereshaw was well-rounded
in nearly all aspects of model
aviation as it existed during his
early life, as were many early modelers.
That’s in stark contrast with today,
when most of us aren’t capable of
staying current with even half of the
available modeling disciplines.
Ben started with rubber-powered
models as a teenager during the early
1920s. Gasoline engines were rare at
that time. It wasn’t until the 1930s that
he acquired his first engine: a Loutrel.
The Loutrel was a forerunner of the
infamous GHQ engine, but unlike the
poorly machined GHQ, the Loutrel
was a decent running engine capable of
successfully powering a model.
Using the Loutrel, Ben designed and
flew a model named the Speedster. It
was a pleasant-looking, scalelike, highwing
monoplane. According to Ben’s
official AMA biography, the Speedster
was the first gas model to be offered as a
kit in the US.
The Great Depression made spending
money scarce during the 1930s.
However, the emerging interest in
general aviation, along with Lindbergh’s
famous transcontinental flight, sparked
an interest in model building in nearly
every young man in America, and
business in kits, engines, and modeling
supplies flourished.
Ben designed models and wrote
construction articles for magazines.
He sold designs to kit makers such as
Berkeley and Scientific. As did Ray
Arden, Ben saw a need for smaller,
lighter, more powerful engines. He
acquired some machine equipment and
began building engines in his home. His
first commercially produced engine was
his Bantam 16. After a degree of success
with the 16, Ben produced the Bantam
19, which was first offered circa 1939.
The Bantam 19 engine is
probably Ben’s most notable
product. It was good looking,
powerful, and lightweight.
It dominated the small class
PLUS:
> Trailer hitch uses
> Weird radio frequency
interference problem
> Lost Model Alarm
Ben Shereshaw remembered
competition until Arden’s 19-size engine
came along to claim those honors. The
Bantam used rear rotary valve induction,
which was relatively new to model
engines at the time.
Miniature Motors Company of
New Jersey produced the Bantam 19,
replacing Ben’s home shop. He worked
out a deal with Aluminum Company
of America (ALCOA), which made
the expensive casting dyes and let Ben
pay for them from sales profits. Bantam
cases were cast from either aluminum
or magnesium. With a stake in the
engines, ALCOA also provided valuable
advertising.
Small engines, such as the Bantam
The author
posed his
Bantam 19
for a picture.
Franny Brodigan beautifully executed this electric-powered Ben Shereshaw
Cumulus from a Klarich kit. Franny is building a Shereshaw XP-3.
Right: Steve Boucher is ready to start the Forster 99
in his Shereshaw Nimbus. He has flown this model
regularly since 1980. Mike Salvador photo.
and others, prompted the Champion
Spark Plug Company to produce the
V-3 spark plug, a smaller, short-reach
version of the 1/4-inch V-2 plug. I’m not
sure which came first, but the Bantam
19 could well have been the basis for
selecting .20 as the upper limit for Class
A competition. There were so many
Bantam 19s produced that it’s not hard
to find one for your OT airplane or
your engine collection. The Bantam 14,
however, is relatively rare.
Ben’s airplane designs are “sleepers”
in today’s competition. They are
aerodynamically clean, but their shapely,
rounded fuselages are often overlooked
in favor of more easily built slab-sided
designs.
The Scientific Mercury and the
Commodore are fairly common at OT
contests. A few years back, the Cumulus
and Nimbus were the hot combination
often flown by the Texans in OT RC
competition. I’ve seen Ben’s RC-1
design flown a few times, but because
it is a twin boom model, it’s more
complicated to build and transport.
Chet Lanzo’s earlier RC-1 design of
the same name is of conventional
construction and is flown quite often in
888-343-4463
www.modulinecabinets
competition. Both RC-1s were designed
for radio control.
Ben’s Cavalier was kitted by
Berkeley in several sizes and versions.
Two members of my SAM (Society
of Antique Modelers) chapter are
building the Cavalier Custom Twin
as a joint project. It’s a large, seldomseen
undertaking. It can be built with
either single or twin engines, single or
twin rudders, or both. This one will be
powered alternately by either a Forster
99 or an OK twin. It’s bound to attract
attention at the flying field.
Ben was an engineer and innovator.
Although Ray Arden is generally
credited with inventing the glow plug,
Ben had a hand in its development, as
was described in this column in the
December 2011 issue.
I was privileged to meet Ben
Shereshaw at his induction into the
SAM Hall of Fame in 1990. Such
meetings are sometimes just a quick
handshake and congratulations, but I
bore greetings from an old friend of
Ben’s with whom I happened to work.
Ben hadn’t seen or heard from the man
in years. Those meetings with modeling
pioneers are part of the fun at OT
events.
Ben Shereshaw died in May 2009.
Trailer Hitches
Trailer hitches, whether or not you
tow a trailer, can be useful for modeling
purposes. Free Flighters often use the
square hitch sockets for a chase bike
mount. Those who fly rubber power
can use that socket to set up a winding
stooge. A chunk of steel isn’t necessary;
use a 2 x 2-inch length of hardwood
drilled for the lock pin as a start.
Designing the rest of the stooge should
be easy for a scratch builder.
Another use for the mount can be as
a solid base for an engine test stand. To
avoid sending greasy exhaust into the
back of your vehicle, the stand should
rotate 180° to keep propeller blast at
right angles to the vehicle, with the
exhaust pointed toward the rear. To avoid
instant unpopularity, don’t send that
exhaust into the next person’s car, either.
Trailer electrical outlets safely carry
much more current than a cigarette
lighter socket for heavy battery
charging. Utility trailer renters usually
rig their lighting plugs with something
incompatible with your socket, but
they can rent you a conversion plug
or cut into your wiring with clip-on
connectors.
I bought a spare Bargeman male plug
and wired a smaller four-pin trailer
connector into it. I later added a pair of
Powerpole connectors to the same plug
for field charger use.
Radio Frequency Interference
Radio frequency interference isn’t
limited to radios. It also affects other
electronic gadgets. I incurred a problem
with tachometers being affected by a
running spark ignition engine. It bugged
me for months until I slowly figured out
the “rules.”
When I started an engine on the test
stand, then switched on a tachometer,
the screen wouldn’t light up. If I moved
away from the engine, the tachometer
still didn’t work. I would go into my
shop and clean the battery connections
before the tachometer would light up
and display the correct 3,600 rpm under
the shop lights.
Back outside by the running engine,
it was no-go again. The problem
was repeatable, using two brands of
tachometers. I resorted to checking the
tachometer in the shop and leaving it
on while moving outside and starting
the engine. That worked, and the
tachometer would read correctly.
After failing to switch on next to
a running engine, why did I have to
clean the battery connections before
the tachometer would switch on again?
The first tachometer has a memory, but
no capacitor or small button battery.
That meant the main battery must
be supplying trickle power to retain
the memory, even with the display
switched off.
Cleaning the battery terminals hadn’t
been the trick, but disconnecting the
batteries (or main switch) was allowing
the tachometers to come back to life.
Tachometer number two doesn’t feature
a retained memory. I can only guess that
it probably uses the same circuitry chip
as the first tachometer.
Later, testing on others’ aircraft at
the flying field revealed the problem
to be peculiar to my clip-on ignition
set. It uses a strong coil and no resistor
in the high-tension lead. Because FF
modelers don’t need the high-tension
resistor, it seems more likely they’d see
this problem than would RC fliers. I’m
curious to hear from anyone who has
encountered this odd problem.
Lost Model Alarm
Did you catch the review on page 15
of the November 2011 MA? Plugged
into an unused RC receiver channel, this
gadget emits a beeping sound to help
locate your model should it go down
in bushes, cornfields, trees, or any place
where you can get reasonably close, but
can’t quite see it. It’s lightweight at 3.5
grams and inexpensive at $7.99.
I received test samples of both
models—LMA-A (Lost Model Alarm-
Actively Triggered) and LMA-P (Lost
Model Alarm-Passively Triggered)—and
found they weighed and operated as
specified. But the sound volume was less
than expected; several of us with older
ears had to be much closer than the
300 feet noted by the MA reviewer, or
even the 50 meters (164 feet) advertised
range.
I discovered another benefit of
the LMA-P unit. It serves as a good
reminder to turn off your receiver
should you forget to do so after flying.
It beeps whenever no active signal is
received from the transmitter for 1
minute. The LMA-A unit does this
also, but only if it’s plugged into a
non-failsafe channel and only after the
transmitter is turned off.
I suggested to the provider that
because FF modelers are more likely
to need this unit, he might consider a
self-powered (button-battery) version
that could be wired to a standard
dethermalizer timer. He’s considering
it.
Sources:
Lost Model Alarm
[email protected]
www.lostmodelalarm.com
Ben Shereshaw’s biography
www.modelaircraft.org/files/Shereshaw-Ben.pdf
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/04
Page Numbers: 102,103,104,105
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/04
Page Numbers: 102,103,104,105
102 Model Aviation April 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
electrics
Greg Gimlick
OLD-TIMERS [email protected]
Bob Angel
[email protected]
Ben Shereshaw was well-rounded
in nearly all aspects of model
aviation as it existed during his
early life, as were many early modelers.
That’s in stark contrast with today,
when most of us aren’t capable of
staying current with even half of the
available modeling disciplines.
Ben started with rubber-powered
models as a teenager during the early
1920s. Gasoline engines were rare at
that time. It wasn’t until the 1930s that
he acquired his first engine: a Loutrel.
The Loutrel was a forerunner of the
infamous GHQ engine, but unlike the
poorly machined GHQ, the Loutrel
was a decent running engine capable of
successfully powering a model.
Using the Loutrel, Ben designed and
flew a model named the Speedster. It
was a pleasant-looking, scalelike, highwing
monoplane. According to Ben’s
official AMA biography, the Speedster
was the first gas model to be offered as a
kit in the US.
The Great Depression made spending
money scarce during the 1930s.
However, the emerging interest in
general aviation, along with Lindbergh’s
famous transcontinental flight, sparked
an interest in model building in nearly
every young man in America, and
business in kits, engines, and modeling
supplies flourished.
Ben designed models and wrote
construction articles for magazines.
He sold designs to kit makers such as
Berkeley and Scientific. As did Ray
Arden, Ben saw a need for smaller,
lighter, more powerful engines. He
acquired some machine equipment and
began building engines in his home. His
first commercially produced engine was
his Bantam 16. After a degree of success
with the 16, Ben produced the Bantam
19, which was first offered circa 1939.
The Bantam 19 engine is
probably Ben’s most notable
product. It was good looking,
powerful, and lightweight.
It dominated the small class
PLUS:
> Trailer hitch uses
> Weird radio frequency
interference problem
> Lost Model Alarm
Ben Shereshaw remembered
competition until Arden’s 19-size engine
came along to claim those honors. The
Bantam used rear rotary valve induction,
which was relatively new to model
engines at the time.
Miniature Motors Company of
New Jersey produced the Bantam 19,
replacing Ben’s home shop. He worked
out a deal with Aluminum Company
of America (ALCOA), which made
the expensive casting dyes and let Ben
pay for them from sales profits. Bantam
cases were cast from either aluminum
or magnesium. With a stake in the
engines, ALCOA also provided valuable
advertising.
Small engines, such as the Bantam
The author
posed his
Bantam 19
for a picture.
Franny Brodigan beautifully executed this electric-powered Ben Shereshaw
Cumulus from a Klarich kit. Franny is building a Shereshaw XP-3.
Right: Steve Boucher is ready to start the Forster 99
in his Shereshaw Nimbus. He has flown this model
regularly since 1980. Mike Salvador photo.
and others, prompted the Champion
Spark Plug Company to produce the
V-3 spark plug, a smaller, short-reach
version of the 1/4-inch V-2 plug. I’m not
sure which came first, but the Bantam
19 could well have been the basis for
selecting .20 as the upper limit for Class
A competition. There were so many
Bantam 19s produced that it’s not hard
to find one for your OT airplane or
your engine collection. The Bantam 14,
however, is relatively rare.
Ben’s airplane designs are “sleepers”
in today’s competition. They are
aerodynamically clean, but their shapely,
rounded fuselages are often overlooked
in favor of more easily built slab-sided
designs.
The Scientific Mercury and the
Commodore are fairly common at OT
contests. A few years back, the Cumulus
and Nimbus were the hot combination
often flown by the Texans in OT RC
competition. I’ve seen Ben’s RC-1
design flown a few times, but because
it is a twin boom model, it’s more
complicated to build and transport.
Chet Lanzo’s earlier RC-1 design of
the same name is of conventional
construction and is flown quite often in
888-343-4463
www.modulinecabinets
competition. Both RC-1s were designed
for radio control.
Ben’s Cavalier was kitted by
Berkeley in several sizes and versions.
Two members of my SAM (Society
of Antique Modelers) chapter are
building the Cavalier Custom Twin
as a joint project. It’s a large, seldomseen
undertaking. It can be built with
either single or twin engines, single or
twin rudders, or both. This one will be
powered alternately by either a Forster
99 or an OK twin. It’s bound to attract
attention at the flying field.
Ben was an engineer and innovator.
Although Ray Arden is generally
credited with inventing the glow plug,
Ben had a hand in its development, as
was described in this column in the
December 2011 issue.
I was privileged to meet Ben
Shereshaw at his induction into the
SAM Hall of Fame in 1990. Such
meetings are sometimes just a quick
handshake and congratulations, but I
bore greetings from an old friend of
Ben’s with whom I happened to work.
Ben hadn’t seen or heard from the man
in years. Those meetings with modeling
pioneers are part of the fun at OT
events.
Ben Shereshaw died in May 2009.
Trailer Hitches
Trailer hitches, whether or not you
tow a trailer, can be useful for modeling
purposes. Free Flighters often use the
square hitch sockets for a chase bike
mount. Those who fly rubber power
can use that socket to set up a winding
stooge. A chunk of steel isn’t necessary;
use a 2 x 2-inch length of hardwood
drilled for the lock pin as a start.
Designing the rest of the stooge should
be easy for a scratch builder.
Another use for the mount can be as
a solid base for an engine test stand. To
avoid sending greasy exhaust into the
back of your vehicle, the stand should
rotate 180° to keep propeller blast at
right angles to the vehicle, with the
exhaust pointed toward the rear. To avoid
instant unpopularity, don’t send that
exhaust into the next person’s car, either.
Trailer electrical outlets safely carry
much more current than a cigarette
lighter socket for heavy battery
charging. Utility trailer renters usually
rig their lighting plugs with something
incompatible with your socket, but
they can rent you a conversion plug
or cut into your wiring with clip-on
connectors.
I bought a spare Bargeman male plug
and wired a smaller four-pin trailer
connector into it. I later added a pair of
Powerpole connectors to the same plug
for field charger use.
Radio Frequency Interference
Radio frequency interference isn’t
limited to radios. It also affects other
electronic gadgets. I incurred a problem
with tachometers being affected by a
running spark ignition engine. It bugged
me for months until I slowly figured out
the “rules.”
When I started an engine on the test
stand, then switched on a tachometer,
the screen wouldn’t light up. If I moved
away from the engine, the tachometer
still didn’t work. I would go into my
shop and clean the battery connections
before the tachometer would light up
and display the correct 3,600 rpm under
the shop lights.
Back outside by the running engine,
it was no-go again. The problem
was repeatable, using two brands of
tachometers. I resorted to checking the
tachometer in the shop and leaving it
on while moving outside and starting
the engine. That worked, and the
tachometer would read correctly.
After failing to switch on next to
a running engine, why did I have to
clean the battery connections before
the tachometer would switch on again?
The first tachometer has a memory, but
no capacitor or small button battery.
That meant the main battery must
be supplying trickle power to retain
the memory, even with the display
switched off.
Cleaning the battery terminals hadn’t
been the trick, but disconnecting the
batteries (or main switch) was allowing
the tachometers to come back to life.
Tachometer number two doesn’t feature
a retained memory. I can only guess that
it probably uses the same circuitry chip
as the first tachometer.
Later, testing on others’ aircraft at
the flying field revealed the problem
to be peculiar to my clip-on ignition
set. It uses a strong coil and no resistor
in the high-tension lead. Because FF
modelers don’t need the high-tension
resistor, it seems more likely they’d see
this problem than would RC fliers. I’m
curious to hear from anyone who has
encountered this odd problem.
Lost Model Alarm
Did you catch the review on page 15
of the November 2011 MA? Plugged
into an unused RC receiver channel, this
gadget emits a beeping sound to help
locate your model should it go down
in bushes, cornfields, trees, or any place
where you can get reasonably close, but
can’t quite see it. It’s lightweight at 3.5
grams and inexpensive at $7.99.
I received test samples of both
models—LMA-A (Lost Model Alarm-
Actively Triggered) and LMA-P (Lost
Model Alarm-Passively Triggered)—and
found they weighed and operated as
specified. But the sound volume was less
than expected; several of us with older
ears had to be much closer than the
300 feet noted by the MA reviewer, or
even the 50 meters (164 feet) advertised
range.
I discovered another benefit of
the LMA-P unit. It serves as a good
reminder to turn off your receiver
should you forget to do so after flying.
It beeps whenever no active signal is
received from the transmitter for 1
minute. The LMA-A unit does this
also, but only if it’s plugged into a
non-failsafe channel and only after the
transmitter is turned off.
I suggested to the provider that
because FF modelers are more likely
to need this unit, he might consider a
self-powered (button-battery) version
that could be wired to a standard
dethermalizer timer. He’s considering
it.
Sources:
Lost Model Alarm
[email protected]
www.lostmodelalarm.com
Ben Shereshaw’s biography
www.modelaircraft.org/files/Shereshaw-Ben.pdf
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/04
Page Numbers: 102,103,104,105
102 Model Aviation April 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
electrics
Greg Gimlick
OLD-TIMERS [email protected]
Bob Angel
[email protected]
Ben Shereshaw was well-rounded
in nearly all aspects of model
aviation as it existed during his
early life, as were many early modelers.
That’s in stark contrast with today,
when most of us aren’t capable of
staying current with even half of the
available modeling disciplines.
Ben started with rubber-powered
models as a teenager during the early
1920s. Gasoline engines were rare at
that time. It wasn’t until the 1930s that
he acquired his first engine: a Loutrel.
The Loutrel was a forerunner of the
infamous GHQ engine, but unlike the
poorly machined GHQ, the Loutrel
was a decent running engine capable of
successfully powering a model.
Using the Loutrel, Ben designed and
flew a model named the Speedster. It
was a pleasant-looking, scalelike, highwing
monoplane. According to Ben’s
official AMA biography, the Speedster
was the first gas model to be offered as a
kit in the US.
The Great Depression made spending
money scarce during the 1930s.
However, the emerging interest in
general aviation, along with Lindbergh’s
famous transcontinental flight, sparked
an interest in model building in nearly
every young man in America, and
business in kits, engines, and modeling
supplies flourished.
Ben designed models and wrote
construction articles for magazines.
He sold designs to kit makers such as
Berkeley and Scientific. As did Ray
Arden, Ben saw a need for smaller,
lighter, more powerful engines. He
acquired some machine equipment and
began building engines in his home. His
first commercially produced engine was
his Bantam 16. After a degree of success
with the 16, Ben produced the Bantam
19, which was first offered circa 1939.
The Bantam 19 engine is
probably Ben’s most notable
product. It was good looking,
powerful, and lightweight.
It dominated the small class
PLUS:
> Trailer hitch uses
> Weird radio frequency
interference problem
> Lost Model Alarm
Ben Shereshaw remembered
competition until Arden’s 19-size engine
came along to claim those honors. The
Bantam used rear rotary valve induction,
which was relatively new to model
engines at the time.
Miniature Motors Company of
New Jersey produced the Bantam 19,
replacing Ben’s home shop. He worked
out a deal with Aluminum Company
of America (ALCOA), which made
the expensive casting dyes and let Ben
pay for them from sales profits. Bantam
cases were cast from either aluminum
or magnesium. With a stake in the
engines, ALCOA also provided valuable
advertising.
Small engines, such as the Bantam
The author
posed his
Bantam 19
for a picture.
Franny Brodigan beautifully executed this electric-powered Ben Shereshaw
Cumulus from a Klarich kit. Franny is building a Shereshaw XP-3.
Right: Steve Boucher is ready to start the Forster 99
in his Shereshaw Nimbus. He has flown this model
regularly since 1980. Mike Salvador photo.
and others, prompted the Champion
Spark Plug Company to produce the
V-3 spark plug, a smaller, short-reach
version of the 1/4-inch V-2 plug. I’m not
sure which came first, but the Bantam
19 could well have been the basis for
selecting .20 as the upper limit for Class
A competition. There were so many
Bantam 19s produced that it’s not hard
to find one for your OT airplane or
your engine collection. The Bantam 14,
however, is relatively rare.
Ben’s airplane designs are “sleepers”
in today’s competition. They are
aerodynamically clean, but their shapely,
rounded fuselages are often overlooked
in favor of more easily built slab-sided
designs.
The Scientific Mercury and the
Commodore are fairly common at OT
contests. A few years back, the Cumulus
and Nimbus were the hot combination
often flown by the Texans in OT RC
competition. I’ve seen Ben’s RC-1
design flown a few times, but because
it is a twin boom model, it’s more
complicated to build and transport.
Chet Lanzo’s earlier RC-1 design of
the same name is of conventional
construction and is flown quite often in
888-343-4463
www.modulinecabinets
competition. Both RC-1s were designed
for radio control.
Ben’s Cavalier was kitted by
Berkeley in several sizes and versions.
Two members of my SAM (Society
of Antique Modelers) chapter are
building the Cavalier Custom Twin
as a joint project. It’s a large, seldomseen
undertaking. It can be built with
either single or twin engines, single or
twin rudders, or both. This one will be
powered alternately by either a Forster
99 or an OK twin. It’s bound to attract
attention at the flying field.
Ben was an engineer and innovator.
Although Ray Arden is generally
credited with inventing the glow plug,
Ben had a hand in its development, as
was described in this column in the
December 2011 issue.
I was privileged to meet Ben
Shereshaw at his induction into the
SAM Hall of Fame in 1990. Such
meetings are sometimes just a quick
handshake and congratulations, but I
bore greetings from an old friend of
Ben’s with whom I happened to work.
Ben hadn’t seen or heard from the man
in years. Those meetings with modeling
pioneers are part of the fun at OT
events.
Ben Shereshaw died in May 2009.
Trailer Hitches
Trailer hitches, whether or not you
tow a trailer, can be useful for modeling
purposes. Free Flighters often use the
square hitch sockets for a chase bike
mount. Those who fly rubber power
can use that socket to set up a winding
stooge. A chunk of steel isn’t necessary;
use a 2 x 2-inch length of hardwood
drilled for the lock pin as a start.
Designing the rest of the stooge should
be easy for a scratch builder.
Another use for the mount can be as
a solid base for an engine test stand. To
avoid sending greasy exhaust into the
back of your vehicle, the stand should
rotate 180° to keep propeller blast at
right angles to the vehicle, with the
exhaust pointed toward the rear. To avoid
instant unpopularity, don’t send that
exhaust into the next person’s car, either.
Trailer electrical outlets safely carry
much more current than a cigarette
lighter socket for heavy battery
charging. Utility trailer renters usually
rig their lighting plugs with something
incompatible with your socket, but
they can rent you a conversion plug
or cut into your wiring with clip-on
connectors.
I bought a spare Bargeman male plug
and wired a smaller four-pin trailer
connector into it. I later added a pair of
Powerpole connectors to the same plug
for field charger use.
Radio Frequency Interference
Radio frequency interference isn’t
limited to radios. It also affects other
electronic gadgets. I incurred a problem
with tachometers being affected by a
running spark ignition engine. It bugged
me for months until I slowly figured out
the “rules.”
When I started an engine on the test
stand, then switched on a tachometer,
the screen wouldn’t light up. If I moved
away from the engine, the tachometer
still didn’t work. I would go into my
shop and clean the battery connections
before the tachometer would light up
and display the correct 3,600 rpm under
the shop lights.
Back outside by the running engine,
it was no-go again. The problem
was repeatable, using two brands of
tachometers. I resorted to checking the
tachometer in the shop and leaving it
on while moving outside and starting
the engine. That worked, and the
tachometer would read correctly.
After failing to switch on next to
a running engine, why did I have to
clean the battery connections before
the tachometer would switch on again?
The first tachometer has a memory, but
no capacitor or small button battery.
That meant the main battery must
be supplying trickle power to retain
the memory, even with the display
switched off.
Cleaning the battery terminals hadn’t
been the trick, but disconnecting the
batteries (or main switch) was allowing
the tachometers to come back to life.
Tachometer number two doesn’t feature
a retained memory. I can only guess that
it probably uses the same circuitry chip
as the first tachometer.
Later, testing on others’ aircraft at
the flying field revealed the problem
to be peculiar to my clip-on ignition
set. It uses a strong coil and no resistor
in the high-tension lead. Because FF
modelers don’t need the high-tension
resistor, it seems more likely they’d see
this problem than would RC fliers. I’m
curious to hear from anyone who has
encountered this odd problem.
Lost Model Alarm
Did you catch the review on page 15
of the November 2011 MA? Plugged
into an unused RC receiver channel, this
gadget emits a beeping sound to help
locate your model should it go down
in bushes, cornfields, trees, or any place
where you can get reasonably close, but
can’t quite see it. It’s lightweight at 3.5
grams and inexpensive at $7.99.
I received test samples of both
models—LMA-A (Lost Model Alarm-
Actively Triggered) and LMA-P (Lost
Model Alarm-Passively Triggered)—and
found they weighed and operated as
specified. But the sound volume was less
than expected; several of us with older
ears had to be much closer than the
300 feet noted by the MA reviewer, or
even the 50 meters (164 feet) advertised
range.
I discovered another benefit of
the LMA-P unit. It serves as a good
reminder to turn off your receiver
should you forget to do so after flying.
It beeps whenever no active signal is
received from the transmitter for 1
minute. The LMA-A unit does this
also, but only if it’s plugged into a
non-failsafe channel and only after the
transmitter is turned off.
I suggested to the provider that
because FF modelers are more likely
to need this unit, he might consider a
self-powered (button-battery) version
that could be wired to a standard
dethermalizer timer. He’s considering
it.
Sources:
Lost Model Alarm
[email protected]
www.lostmodelalarm.com
Ben Shereshaw’s biography
www.modelaircraft.org/files/Shereshaw-Ben.pdf
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/04
Page Numbers: 102,103,104,105
102 Model Aviation April 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
electrics
Greg Gimlick
OLD-TIMERS [email protected]
Bob Angel
[email protected]
Ben Shereshaw was well-rounded
in nearly all aspects of model
aviation as it existed during his
early life, as were many early modelers.
That’s in stark contrast with today,
when most of us aren’t capable of
staying current with even half of the
available modeling disciplines.
Ben started with rubber-powered
models as a teenager during the early
1920s. Gasoline engines were rare at
that time. It wasn’t until the 1930s that
he acquired his first engine: a Loutrel.
The Loutrel was a forerunner of the
infamous GHQ engine, but unlike the
poorly machined GHQ, the Loutrel
was a decent running engine capable of
successfully powering a model.
Using the Loutrel, Ben designed and
flew a model named the Speedster. It
was a pleasant-looking, scalelike, highwing
monoplane. According to Ben’s
official AMA biography, the Speedster
was the first gas model to be offered as a
kit in the US.
The Great Depression made spending
money scarce during the 1930s.
However, the emerging interest in
general aviation, along with Lindbergh’s
famous transcontinental flight, sparked
an interest in model building in nearly
every young man in America, and
business in kits, engines, and modeling
supplies flourished.
Ben designed models and wrote
construction articles for magazines.
He sold designs to kit makers such as
Berkeley and Scientific. As did Ray
Arden, Ben saw a need for smaller,
lighter, more powerful engines. He
acquired some machine equipment and
began building engines in his home. His
first commercially produced engine was
his Bantam 16. After a degree of success
with the 16, Ben produced the Bantam
19, which was first offered circa 1939.
The Bantam 19 engine is
probably Ben’s most notable
product. It was good looking,
powerful, and lightweight.
It dominated the small class
PLUS:
> Trailer hitch uses
> Weird radio frequency
interference problem
> Lost Model Alarm
Ben Shereshaw remembered
competition until Arden’s 19-size engine
came along to claim those honors. The
Bantam used rear rotary valve induction,
which was relatively new to model
engines at the time.
Miniature Motors Company of
New Jersey produced the Bantam 19,
replacing Ben’s home shop. He worked
out a deal with Aluminum Company
of America (ALCOA), which made
the expensive casting dyes and let Ben
pay for them from sales profits. Bantam
cases were cast from either aluminum
or magnesium. With a stake in the
engines, ALCOA also provided valuable
advertising.
Small engines, such as the Bantam
The author
posed his
Bantam 19
for a picture.
Franny Brodigan beautifully executed this electric-powered Ben Shereshaw
Cumulus from a Klarich kit. Franny is building a Shereshaw XP-3.
Right: Steve Boucher is ready to start the Forster 99
in his Shereshaw Nimbus. He has flown this model
regularly since 1980. Mike Salvador photo.
and others, prompted the Champion
Spark Plug Company to produce the
V-3 spark plug, a smaller, short-reach
version of the 1/4-inch V-2 plug. I’m not
sure which came first, but the Bantam
19 could well have been the basis for
selecting .20 as the upper limit for Class
A competition. There were so many
Bantam 19s produced that it’s not hard
to find one for your OT airplane or
your engine collection. The Bantam 14,
however, is relatively rare.
Ben’s airplane designs are “sleepers”
in today’s competition. They are
aerodynamically clean, but their shapely,
rounded fuselages are often overlooked
in favor of more easily built slab-sided
designs.
The Scientific Mercury and the
Commodore are fairly common at OT
contests. A few years back, the Cumulus
and Nimbus were the hot combination
often flown by the Texans in OT RC
competition. I’ve seen Ben’s RC-1
design flown a few times, but because
it is a twin boom model, it’s more
complicated to build and transport.
Chet Lanzo’s earlier RC-1 design of
the same name is of conventional
construction and is flown quite often in
888-343-4463
www.modulinecabinets
competition. Both RC-1s were designed
for radio control.
Ben’s Cavalier was kitted by
Berkeley in several sizes and versions.
Two members of my SAM (Society
of Antique Modelers) chapter are
building the Cavalier Custom Twin
as a joint project. It’s a large, seldomseen
undertaking. It can be built with
either single or twin engines, single or
twin rudders, or both. This one will be
powered alternately by either a Forster
99 or an OK twin. It’s bound to attract
attention at the flying field.
Ben was an engineer and innovator.
Although Ray Arden is generally
credited with inventing the glow plug,
Ben had a hand in its development, as
was described in this column in the
December 2011 issue.
I was privileged to meet Ben
Shereshaw at his induction into the
SAM Hall of Fame in 1990. Such
meetings are sometimes just a quick
handshake and congratulations, but I
bore greetings from an old friend of
Ben’s with whom I happened to work.
Ben hadn’t seen or heard from the man
in years. Those meetings with modeling
pioneers are part of the fun at OT
events.
Ben Shereshaw died in May 2009.
Trailer Hitches
Trailer hitches, whether or not you
tow a trailer, can be useful for modeling
purposes. Free Flighters often use the
square hitch sockets for a chase bike
mount. Those who fly rubber power
can use that socket to set up a winding
stooge. A chunk of steel isn’t necessary;
use a 2 x 2-inch length of hardwood
drilled for the lock pin as a start.
Designing the rest of the stooge should
be easy for a scratch builder.
Another use for the mount can be as
a solid base for an engine test stand. To
avoid sending greasy exhaust into the
back of your vehicle, the stand should
rotate 180° to keep propeller blast at
right angles to the vehicle, with the
exhaust pointed toward the rear. To avoid
instant unpopularity, don’t send that
exhaust into the next person’s car, either.
Trailer electrical outlets safely carry
much more current than a cigarette
lighter socket for heavy battery
charging. Utility trailer renters usually
rig their lighting plugs with something
incompatible with your socket, but
they can rent you a conversion plug
or cut into your wiring with clip-on
connectors.
I bought a spare Bargeman male plug
and wired a smaller four-pin trailer
connector into it. I later added a pair of
Powerpole connectors to the same plug
for field charger use.
Radio Frequency Interference
Radio frequency interference isn’t
limited to radios. It also affects other
electronic gadgets. I incurred a problem
with tachometers being affected by a
running spark ignition engine. It bugged
me for months until I slowly figured out
the “rules.”
When I started an engine on the test
stand, then switched on a tachometer,
the screen wouldn’t light up. If I moved
away from the engine, the tachometer
still didn’t work. I would go into my
shop and clean the battery connections
before the tachometer would light up
and display the correct 3,600 rpm under
the shop lights.
Back outside by the running engine,
it was no-go again. The problem
was repeatable, using two brands of
tachometers. I resorted to checking the
tachometer in the shop and leaving it
on while moving outside and starting
the engine. That worked, and the
tachometer would read correctly.
After failing to switch on next to
a running engine, why did I have to
clean the battery connections before
the tachometer would switch on again?
The first tachometer has a memory, but
no capacitor or small button battery.
That meant the main battery must
be supplying trickle power to retain
the memory, even with the display
switched off.
Cleaning the battery terminals hadn’t
been the trick, but disconnecting the
batteries (or main switch) was allowing
the tachometers to come back to life.
Tachometer number two doesn’t feature
a retained memory. I can only guess that
it probably uses the same circuitry chip
as the first tachometer.
Later, testing on others’ aircraft at
the flying field revealed the problem
to be peculiar to my clip-on ignition
set. It uses a strong coil and no resistor
in the high-tension lead. Because FF
modelers don’t need the high-tension
resistor, it seems more likely they’d see
this problem than would RC fliers. I’m
curious to hear from anyone who has
encountered this odd problem.
Lost Model Alarm
Did you catch the review on page 15
of the November 2011 MA? Plugged
into an unused RC receiver channel, this
gadget emits a beeping sound to help
locate your model should it go down
in bushes, cornfields, trees, or any place
where you can get reasonably close, but
can’t quite see it. It’s lightweight at 3.5
grams and inexpensive at $7.99.
I received test samples of both
models—LMA-A (Lost Model Alarm-
Actively Triggered) and LMA-P (Lost
Model Alarm-Passively Triggered)—and
found they weighed and operated as
specified. But the sound volume was less
than expected; several of us with older
ears had to be much closer than the
300 feet noted by the MA reviewer, or
even the 50 meters (164 feet) advertised
range.
I discovered another benefit of
the LMA-P unit. It serves as a good
reminder to turn off your receiver
should you forget to do so after flying.
It beeps whenever no active signal is
received from the transmitter for 1
minute. The LMA-A unit does this
also, but only if it’s plugged into a
non-failsafe channel and only after the
transmitter is turned off.
I suggested to the provider that
because FF modelers are more likely
to need this unit, he might consider a
self-powered (button-battery) version
that could be wired to a standard
dethermalizer timer. He’s considering
it.
Sources:
Lost Model Alarm
[email protected]
www.lostmodelalarm.com
Ben Shereshaw’s biography
www.modelaircraft.org/files/Shereshaw-Ben.pdf
