PROJECT SCRATCH BUILD
Club fosters modeling among its members
by Noel "Iceman" Hunt
The desire to scratch build and fly something unique is alive and well—at least among members of the Radio Control Club of Detroit (RCCD). ARF models provide a level of instant gratification for many of us, but there also exists a creative side in some of us that ARFs just don't satisfy.
I had been looking for a way to foster model building in our club. From conversations with many club members, I recognized that some want to build but do not know how to get started. There also are those who can build, but need motivation to start cutting balsa again. Four friends scratch-built nearly identical models together and had a great time. After talking with one of the four, Pete "Rattlesnake" Mlinarcik and I brewed a plan to expand this idea for more club participation. The aircraft was a custom Stik design and the timing was ideal: the beginning of the winter building season.
Club secretary Peter "Maverick" Van Heusden offered the use of his company's laser cutter. Twenty-four club members committed to building the airplanes. Skill levels ranged from those who had just overcome the challenge of assembling their first ARF trainer to veteran builders who wanted to share their experiences and try a few new techniques. Prop Shop, our supportive local hobby shop, bulk-ordered the wood for us. Rattlesnake then created cutting-layout files on his computer for the laser cutter, and the laser cutting was done during the holidays. The "kits" were handed out at the first club meeting of the new year, and construction began.
We established a dedicated area on the club's website for sharing information (see "Sources"), where Rattlesnake's detailed build instructions are posted for download. There is a tips page, and each builder has a page to display pictures and describe progress on his airplane.
Someone started using call signs and the idea spread. Some call signs were requested, but most were earned. Many club members became interested in the build web pages, but it soon became apparent that the pages were being monitored by more than just the participants. Some club members received email comments and questions from the other side of the world.
One satisfying aspect of the project was the help that members gave each other—building together, sharing ideas at the ground schools, or simply being at the other end of a telephone call. Naturally, the communication also took the form of encouragement and good-natured ribbing, such as when Don "Hollywood" Veres II glued in a couple of wing ribs upside down despite the word "bottom" being laser-etched on each rib. There was a suggestion to change his "Hollywood" call sign to "Bottoms Up!"
RCCD holds a club ground school once a month. We used the first few meetings of the year to showcase progress on our projects, discuss challenges and solutions, outline intentions, and conduct instruction sessions on aspects of building such as covering and equipment installation. Club members who were not participating in the project were encouraged to attend the ground schools to share in the information exchange as instructors, learners, or both.
Individual aircraft progress varied as a function of experience, time available for building, or building priorities. Keith "Lightning" Jones lived up to his call sign and was the first to complete his project, in roughly four weeks. By the mid-April club field cleanup, more of the airplanes were nearing completion. Individuality in each model's build was encouraged, and the pictures highlight the successes. The interpretations included a biplane, a twin, a trimotor, influences from various full-scale airplanes, creative covering schemes, and both glow and electric power. A few members chose to explore electric power for the first time, but some found that building the airplane as intended was challenge enough.
Sample builds
- Rattlesnake’s biplane
After deciding to build his as a biplane, Pete had two sets of wing ribs laser cut. He then had to determine the amount of forward wing stagger and wing separation. A flurry of emails and mocking up the wing positions produced a “that-looks-about-right” setup. The fuselage’s basic structure was inverted and turtledeck formers were added to the top. Stringers were affixed fore and aft of the cockpit area. He discovered what many modelers discover with biplanes: it was becoming tail-heavy, so he had to extend the nose length. Rattlesnake’s biplane garnered plenty of attention at the monthly ground schools—not only for the transformation of an Ugly Stik to a good-looking biplane, but for the great workmanship throughout the frame, especially in the cabane- and interplane-strut design.
- George “Snapshot” Dudek’s PZL P-62
George modified his model to resemble the prototype Polish PZL P-62 fighter. For the model, Snapshot inverted the fuselage and added planked top decking. Wing and tail outlines were modified to hint at the P-62, and retracts were integrated. A "deleted" Sukhoi provided a canopy, which required only minor trimming. The cowl is shaped balsa.
- Clint’s and Tee-Square’s Morane-Saulniers
Brothers Phil “Clint” and Jerry “Tee-Square” Laperriere chose to style their airplanes after a World War I Morane-Saulnier, beautifully capturing the spirit of the French monoplane. Presenting their completed airplanes at a club meeting, they shared a poignant observation: “We have not spent this much time together in a long time.” The result of this brotherly cooperation is a pair of spectacular models.
- Rookie’s Rookie
One of the highlights for me was assisting Dave “Rookie” Biegas in getting his first scratch-built airplane in the air. As his call sign implies, this is Rookie’s first year in RC model aviation. The unmodified but well-built airplane required minimal trimming to fly well. The reason for Dave’s big smile after the successful maiden flight was obvious. My smile was from the satisfaction of knowing that Rattlesnake and I had met our original objective: we have cultivated at least one new builder.
- Iceman’s Twin (the RUStik)
My inventory of power plants did not include an unassigned .60-size engine. Two unused Russian-made Norvel .40s in a drawer drove my decision to build a twin and call it the RUStik. I also wanted the flexibility to use the airplane as a test bed for other power systems, so the nacelles and nose are removable. The airplane can be set up as a twin, a single, or even as a trimotor (Hollywood heard about the idea and decided to build a trimotor from the outset). To get the correct nacelle-to-fuselage spacing, an extra 1-1/2-inch rib bay was added to each wing at the root, giving it an overall 70-inch wingspan. To compensate, the tail group was moved rearward without changing the fuselage sides. The vertical fin hinge line is 2 inches aft, and the horizontal stabilizer hinge line is 1 inch rear of the design location.
Getting the Stiks together for a fly-in only seemed natural—and so did the event name—Stik Together Stinic! This was an excuse for club members to have fun; any airplane that could trace its lineage to Das Ugly Stik was welcome. After all, it is about doing something we enjoy, with those whose company we enjoy, and sharing our achievements (and mishaps) with them. Whether constructing from scratch or assembling an ARF, model aviation is what draws us together.
More than 21 Stiks were flown. Roughly 20 mph winds grounded all but two aircraft, but more than 50 people gathered for a hot-dog barbecue and social event that evening.
As we approach the next building season, we want to try a more advanced project. Is the desire to scratch build and fly something unique still alive and well at RCCD? The answer is clear—our participation has nearly doubled to 42 members.
I hope the success of our club project will encourage you to share the building aspect of model aviation in your club. The desire to scratch build may only need a little encouragement.
—Noel Hunt [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
