indoor (or zero-wind outside) RC segment of the hobby. Their designs
include World War I, World War II, and some civilian airplanes that,
according to videos I have seen and articles I have read, fly very well.
The “Roadkill” philosophy of design is what makes these models
unique.
Imagine an airplane that has just been run over by a steamroller in a
cartoon. The airplane immediately pops up, but the fuselage stays
flat—and then it flies away! That is the Roadkill model. These
airplanes are constructed from laser-cut-balsa and thin-plywood parts
that interlock and are self-fixturing. The result is a good-flying, goodlooking
series of model designs.
Don and Joe have combined the Roadkill design philosophy with
the B-17 and produced a delightful RC model that has multiple electric
motors, can be flown indoors and outdoors in calm winds, and drops
“bombs”!
A four-engine aircraft may not seem to be a good choice for a
model to fly indoors, but Don and Joe made design choices that
resulted in a viable indoor-flying B-17. The magic ingredient is light
weight, which, coupled with a good power-train choice, results in a
nice-flying, tight-maneuvering, realistic model. I am convinced that
you will be happy with the airplane—especially if you take the small
amount of time to add the scale details.
The Roadkill B-17 is for the experienced builder—at least in the
characteristics of balsa and glue. If you are inexperienced, I suggest
using one of the single-motor Roadkill models as a steppingstone to the
B-17. The experienced modeler will enjoy the fun of building and the
uniqueness of having a “four-engine” model.
The B-17 is a simple-to-fly, gentle airplane, but it is not self-
P r o d u c t R e v i e w David Adams
E-mail: [email protected]
DJ Aerotech Boeing B-17
The B-17’s scale panel lines took only a few hours of enjoyable work, and they are well worth the effort to apply.
Left: You can imagine that this is the full-scale Memphis Belle
on its nationwide flying tour after 25 successful World War II
bombing missions.
THE BOEING B-17 Flying Fortress is of tremendous historical
significance in aviation and the affairs of nations. The role of the B-
17—and the Memphis Belle (which has been the subject of a fulllength
movie) in particular—while flying in World War II is well
known. A Web site dedicated to the Memphis Belle is located at
www.memphisbelle.com.
Many people who are interested in airplanes can immediately
recognize the B-17, and most modelers have likely owned a plastic
model of it. The B-17 is seldom modeled as a glow- or gas-powered
RC version. The difficulty involved in getting four engines to run
nicely at the same time has made it a challenge that all but the most
skillful modelers have avoided.
Don Stackhouse and Joe Hahn at DJ Aerotech have produced a
series of designs during the last several years that are aimed at the
November 2004 49
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 49
Photos courtesy the author
righting in roll or pitch—a trait that is required in an airplane for the
beginner. I do not recommend the B-17 to someone with no solo flight
time, but not because it has four motors; the only difference in flight
characteristics between one motor and four is that the propwash from
four motors makes the inner wing section greatly effective at low
speeds.
Construction: As usual with my reviews, I
will not repeat a step-by-step process of
building the airplane. I always skip that part
when I read a review, and it is just a repeat of
the instructions that came with the kit.
The 10-page instruction manual was
liberally illustrated with more than 100 photos.
Each picture was next to its corresponding
written instruction, and it was extremely easy
to keep track of where I was. As with every kit
you build, no matter what your skill level, take
the time to read through and understand what
the instructions are going to ask you to do.
I started construction by separating the
Tail flex shown is the maximum developed while vigorously
shaking the fuselage—not what you will see in the air.
Kit includes many balsa, plywood parts. Instructions show wood sheets, with parts’
names and locations. Be familiar with parts before removing them from sheets.
Radio-equipment installation is easy, but you must assemble and
solder wiring harness for motors. Final flight-battery placement
depends on CG-location needs.
Propulsion system highlights simplicity and ease of construction. Motor and gearbox
assembly makes smooth-running power plant that is ideally mated to airframe.
individual parts from the sheets to which they were attached. I laid the
parts out on the bench in the approximate position where they were to
be glued in the assembly. There were many small parts, and having
everything located before I started gluing with the cyanoacrylate was
really helpful.
The parts fit in the kit was exact because of the laser cutting and,
Pros:
• This airplane “flies” larger than it is.
• It is visually scalelike—except when
seen on its edge. (It’s “Roadkill,” after
all.)
• Great slow-speed characteristics.
• All hardware, motors, gear assemblies,
and propellers are included and well
matched.
• Easy assembly with a good instruction
manual. (See “Concerns and
Modifications.”)
• Excellent parts fit.
• All-wood construction and is rapidbuilding
with cyanoacrylate.
• No covering required.
Cons:
• No full-size plans included.
• Wheels need a better supported
wheel/axle interface; wheels wobble.
• No decals included with kit.
• Flexible aft fuselage; doesn’t affect
flying but requires care in handling.
50 MODEL AVIATION
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 50
52 MODEL AVIATION
where necessary, was self-fixturing. Just be
certain that when you apply the top sheeting
of the wing, the panels are on a flat surface
and you use a slow-drying glue. I used thick
cyanoacrylate and worked rapidly. A more
normal glue, designed for slower curing, or
drying, will work if you want a slower pace.
Once the glue was set, the wing was
incredibly strong in bending and torsion while
retaining a light weight.
I spent a total of four evenings on
construction and radio installation and an
evening detailing the model.
Concerns and Modifications: Although
the airplane was easy to construct without
full-size plans, I would prefer to have a
set from which to work.
While reviewing the wing’s construction, I
noticed that the illustrations showed a
segment of a P-40 wing. Although it
illustrated the technique used and was noted
in the accompanying text, I would be more
comfortable if a photo of the wing being
constructed was used.
The main wheels needed more
reinforcement at the hub. In the landing
photos I noticed that the wheels were cocked
at an angle and seemed wobbly. Now they
tend to sit cocked to one side. I recommend
using a small piece of hard plastic or metal
tubing approximately 3⁄16-inch long that is a
good fit over the wire axle. Use a bit of epoxy
to fillet the tube to the wheel.
Flexibility.
What do you do when your fuel tank installation is a tight fit?
Use a Sullivan Flextank, of course. Flextanks squeeze into all sorts of places. They
can be shaped with a heat gun. And they’ll work with any glow fuel.
Bulkhead too close? Shove it in. Fuselage
too narrow? It’ll go. In fact, this is a good
way to get the most out of the space available.
Plus, Flextanks are very durable. Often
more durable than the plane, if you know
what we mean.
So next time you’re in a jam, try a Flextank. At your dealer now.
One North Haven Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21224 USA.
www.sullivanproducts.com
Sullivan Flextanks.
S741 12 oz
Shown
When you pick up the completed,
unpainted airframe, you will notice that the aft
section of the fuselage is wobbly. From the
wing TE forward, the structure is rigid. The
tail section is also rigid. However, the
fuselage section aft of the wing TE to the front
of the horizontal tail will sag when the
airplane is banked 90°.
Also, when I picked up the airplane by the
aft fuselage (something I can do with all my
airplanes), I heard the sound of balsa
creaking! Not a great confidence builder. I
noticed that the fuselage became stiffer after I
applied a couple coats of spray paint.
I E-mailed Don (a fellow modeler whom I
hope to meet in person someday) at DJ
Aerotech and received a prompt and complete
answer based on his experiences with the
airplane. He assured me that the flexible
fuselage was not a problem in flight, and that
turned out to be true.
However, if I were to build another B-17, I
would run a strip of roughly 1⁄2-inch carbonfiber
tape on either side of the fuselage, which
should stiffen it enough to withstand the
careless handling possibilities. The weight
gain would be negligible.
Finish and Decorations: As you construct
each of the sheet assemblies, carefully sand
each side smooth. Then when you assemble
the wing, tail, motor nacelles, and fuselage,
the airplane will already be sanded and
ready to finish.
Although the instructions didn’t discuss
the finish until Step 100, I recommend that
you paint the airplane before you install the
radio-control system and motors so you
don’t get paint on those components.
DJ Aerotech says not to use excessive
paint and to use markers or two lightly
fogged-on coats of spray paint. I carefully
ignored this advice and ended up a halfounce
heavier, but the airplane does look
nice. I didn’t paint the underside of the B-17
because I had already installed the radio
gear.
I downloaded the Memphis Belle
markings from the DJ Aerotech Web site
and glued them in place. I would have
preferred to have them included in the kit.
Even better, they could have been supplied
on sticky paper. The airplane looked nice at
this stage, but it still looked like a small
model.
I have a large book called The Great
Book of World War II Airplanes, which has
a three-page pullout of the Memphis Belle.
Since it was too cold and windy outside to
fly, I decided to add some scale detail.
I used a thin silver marker and a light,
flexible straightedge, and using the pullout
as a guide, I added major panel lines. I
rubbed the painted balsa at places to add
variations in texture to the finish. Then I
went back and added some of the smaller
panel lines. You can vary the spray and
rubbing to make the flat areas look like
curved panels.
The amount of detail is only limited by
your imagination and how long it stays cold
and windy so you can work on it. The
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 52
54 MODEL AVIATION
process was fun, and I think the finished
airplane looks better for the small effort I
put in.
Radio Equipment: To control the B-17, I
used a Hitec Feather receiver, an ESC of
unknown origin with approximately 10 amps
of capacity (the sticky Velcro is on the label
side of the ESC), and four Hitec HS-50
servos. I used my Futaba 8U transmitter.
I recommend buying a transmitter that is
likely to be better than “sufficient” for all
your flying needs and that is capable of
storing multiple airplane settings. Not having
to change transmitters each time you change
airplanes means that you can use switch
positions and transmitter setup menus until
your automatic reactions take over. Not
having to fumble for a switch might save an
airplane someday.
I powered the B-17 with a seven-cell 700
mAh NiMH battery (the same-size pack I
used in the A-10 and other GWS airplanes).
This AAA-size battery is ideal for lowcurrent-
drain applications where light weight
is beneficial. These batteries also seem to be
forgiving when mishandled.
I haven’t made the step to Li-Poly
batteries yet; my charging habits of years of
mistreating Ni-Cd and NiMH doesn’t mix
well with the care that the Li-Poly variety
requires. However, DJ Aerotech has had
success with them, and the lighter weight
for a given battery capacity will add to the
B-17’s performance.
Flying: I viewed videos of the B-17 flying at
one of the large indoor meets early last year.
It flew nicely and dropped bombs. It was a
cute little airplane and didn’t prepare me at all
for what I was about to experience.
A bad thing about this part of the year
(October) is that it is cold, typically overcast,
and usually windy, which is not really
conducive to flying most airplanes and never
a great time to fly a slow flyer. I also have
trouble convincing my body to go outside and
get frostbite even though this is my favorite
hobby. However, one of the many good
things about being retired is that you can fly
anytime the weather allows.
While waiting for the weather to break, I
set up surface deflections per the instructions
and checked the CG. To get the proper CG, I
had to move the battery pack to the side of the
fuselage nose instead of the suggested
position under the wing LE. Don’t fly without
the CG in the recommended position. You
can move it later to fine-tune the airplane to
your individual tastes in handling, but I found
the recommended position perfect.
Finally a morning came when the wind
was dead calm; however, it was gray,
overcast, yecchy, and the temperature was 39
polar bear-frosting degrees. The polar bears
seem to like it, but I certainly don’t! But calm
air is difficult to come by, so off my
photographer and I went.
At the flying field, the battery was peaked,
the gloves came off so I could find the sticks,
and the B-17 was set approximately 30 feet
away from me on the smooth runway. I
applied full power, and the model accelerated,
running with the tail high and straight down
our club’s paved runway. I gave a bit of upelevator
and it lifted off smoothly.
The pitch trim was dead on, and there was
a slight left roll (which a couple clicks of trim
took care of). I remember thinking that it was
an easy-flying airplane. The sound of the
motors and propellers vibrating the airframe
was great. It is a nice low-frequency sound
with enough volume to sound “right.”
I found myself grinning even more than
normal. (Flying airplanes is fun, after all.)
Against the dull, gray sky with the cold,
dreary weather, it was easy to visualize the B-
17 taking off from a field in England and
heading out over the English Channel during
the war.
I found it easy to keep a tight racetrack
pattern over the runway to help the
photographer take the pictures. Turns to the
right and left were nice, elevator response was
good, and full throttle gave a comfortable and
higher-than-scale climb rate. The flight speed
was slow and scalelike.
Although the batteries were still okay after
several minutes, I was getting colder and
decided to land. Cutting throttle gave an all
right glide, but I added a little power to flatten
the descent rate. A final turn positioned the
airplane over the runway, and I proceeded to
add up-elevator until a flare was obtained just
as the wheels touched down. The landing roll
was straight and no problem. The flight was
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 54
MA Pllans Serviice
now online!
The Plans Service on the AMA Web site
now offers pictures of nearly every
model aircraft featured in Model Aviation
construction articles since 1975!
You can see what a model looks like
before purchasing the plans, and
then download the construction article
from the MA Digital Archives.
Remember that the Digital Archives
is a members-only benefit.
www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/plans.asp
of Windows), print them out on 8 x 11-inch
paper, or use them as the basis for another
version of the airplane while in the Paint
program and then print them out.)
Specifications:
Model type: Scale indoor and park flyer
Wingspan: 45.4 inches
Wing area: 270 square inches
Length: 33.4 inches
Recommended weight: 9-11 ounces with sixcell
600 mAh NiMH battery
Review model’s weight (ready to fly): 12.4
ounces with seven-cell 700 mAh NiMH
battery
Power: Four MPS-1A electric motors
(supplied in kit)
Batteries: Seven 700 mAh NiMH
Recommended radio: Four-channel for
aileron, elevator, motor, and rudder with
microreceiver, ESC, and microservos.
Radio used: Futaba 8U transmitter, Hitec
Feather receiver, Hitec HS-50 microservos
(rudder, elevator, one on each aileron), and
10-amp ESC
Materials used in kit: Laser-cut balsa and
plywood
Street price: $124.95 from Web site
Manufacturer:
DJ Aerotech
719 Fisk St.
Piqua OH 45356
(937) 773-6772
Fax: (937) 773-9494
www.djaerotech.com
Products used in review:
Futaba 8U Super Series radio system:
Great Planes Manufacturing
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(217) 398-8970
www.futaba-rc.com
HS-50 servos, Feather receiver:
Hitec RCD USA, Inc.
12115 Paine St.
Poway CA 92064
(858) 748-6948
www.hitecrcd.com
56 MODEL AVIATION
smooth and uneventful—the way you prefer
all flights to be.
As I sat writing this review, I realized that
this was the first airplane I had ever flown
that I had not tried to loop or roll on the first
flight. I was flying it similar to how the fullscale
B-17 would have been flown. The
illusion of its being a bomber is realistic, and
you find yourself flying it as if it is one.
However, flying past a basketball hoop
indoors, the illusion might not be quite as
convincing!
The DJ Aerotech Roadkill-series B-17 is a
great addition to any modeler’s hangar. It is
fun to build and enjoyable to fly. The illusion
of full-scale flight is enhanced because of
the airplane’s slow flight speed. I urge you
to spend the small amount of time necessary
to add some scale details and enhance the
illusion. I recommend this B-17. MA
(Editor’s note: DJ Aerotech wanted us to
convey that since the kit in this review was
produced, the hole diameter in the wheel hub
has been reduced for a tighter fit, which takes
care of the problem cited.
The company also informed us that the
decals were not included in the kit for several
reasons. They add a substantial amount to the
kit price, they tend to dry out in storage, and
it seems as though no matter which individual
aircraft markings are included, someone
inevitably wants another version.
With that in mind, the decals are posted as
a bmp file on DJ Aerotech’s Web site. Anyone
can download them into the Microsoft Paint
program (which is included with every copy
11sig2.QXD 8/24/04 8:36 am Page 56
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 49,50,52,54,56
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 49,50,52,54,56
indoor (or zero-wind outside) RC segment of the hobby. Their designs
include World War I, World War II, and some civilian airplanes that,
according to videos I have seen and articles I have read, fly very well.
The “Roadkill” philosophy of design is what makes these models
unique.
Imagine an airplane that has just been run over by a steamroller in a
cartoon. The airplane immediately pops up, but the fuselage stays
flat—and then it flies away! That is the Roadkill model. These
airplanes are constructed from laser-cut-balsa and thin-plywood parts
that interlock and are self-fixturing. The result is a good-flying, goodlooking
series of model designs.
Don and Joe have combined the Roadkill design philosophy with
the B-17 and produced a delightful RC model that has multiple electric
motors, can be flown indoors and outdoors in calm winds, and drops
“bombs”!
A four-engine aircraft may not seem to be a good choice for a
model to fly indoors, but Don and Joe made design choices that
resulted in a viable indoor-flying B-17. The magic ingredient is light
weight, which, coupled with a good power-train choice, results in a
nice-flying, tight-maneuvering, realistic model. I am convinced that
you will be happy with the airplane—especially if you take the small
amount of time to add the scale details.
The Roadkill B-17 is for the experienced builder—at least in the
characteristics of balsa and glue. If you are inexperienced, I suggest
using one of the single-motor Roadkill models as a steppingstone to the
B-17. The experienced modeler will enjoy the fun of building and the
uniqueness of having a “four-engine” model.
The B-17 is a simple-to-fly, gentle airplane, but it is not self-
P r o d u c t R e v i e w David Adams
E-mail: [email protected]
DJ Aerotech Boeing B-17
The B-17’s scale panel lines took only a few hours of enjoyable work, and they are well worth the effort to apply.
Left: You can imagine that this is the full-scale Memphis Belle
on its nationwide flying tour after 25 successful World War II
bombing missions.
THE BOEING B-17 Flying Fortress is of tremendous historical
significance in aviation and the affairs of nations. The role of the B-
17—and the Memphis Belle (which has been the subject of a fulllength
movie) in particular—while flying in World War II is well
known. A Web site dedicated to the Memphis Belle is located at
www.memphisbelle.com.
Many people who are interested in airplanes can immediately
recognize the B-17, and most modelers have likely owned a plastic
model of it. The B-17 is seldom modeled as a glow- or gas-powered
RC version. The difficulty involved in getting four engines to run
nicely at the same time has made it a challenge that all but the most
skillful modelers have avoided.
Don Stackhouse and Joe Hahn at DJ Aerotech have produced a
series of designs during the last several years that are aimed at the
November 2004 49
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 49
Photos courtesy the author
righting in roll or pitch—a trait that is required in an airplane for the
beginner. I do not recommend the B-17 to someone with no solo flight
time, but not because it has four motors; the only difference in flight
characteristics between one motor and four is that the propwash from
four motors makes the inner wing section greatly effective at low
speeds.
Construction: As usual with my reviews, I
will not repeat a step-by-step process of
building the airplane. I always skip that part
when I read a review, and it is just a repeat of
the instructions that came with the kit.
The 10-page instruction manual was
liberally illustrated with more than 100 photos.
Each picture was next to its corresponding
written instruction, and it was extremely easy
to keep track of where I was. As with every kit
you build, no matter what your skill level, take
the time to read through and understand what
the instructions are going to ask you to do.
I started construction by separating the
Tail flex shown is the maximum developed while vigorously
shaking the fuselage—not what you will see in the air.
Kit includes many balsa, plywood parts. Instructions show wood sheets, with parts’
names and locations. Be familiar with parts before removing them from sheets.
Radio-equipment installation is easy, but you must assemble and
solder wiring harness for motors. Final flight-battery placement
depends on CG-location needs.
Propulsion system highlights simplicity and ease of construction. Motor and gearbox
assembly makes smooth-running power plant that is ideally mated to airframe.
individual parts from the sheets to which they were attached. I laid the
parts out on the bench in the approximate position where they were to
be glued in the assembly. There were many small parts, and having
everything located before I started gluing with the cyanoacrylate was
really helpful.
The parts fit in the kit was exact because of the laser cutting and,
Pros:
• This airplane “flies” larger than it is.
• It is visually scalelike—except when
seen on its edge. (It’s “Roadkill,” after
all.)
• Great slow-speed characteristics.
• All hardware, motors, gear assemblies,
and propellers are included and well
matched.
• Easy assembly with a good instruction
manual. (See “Concerns and
Modifications.”)
• Excellent parts fit.
• All-wood construction and is rapidbuilding
with cyanoacrylate.
• No covering required.
Cons:
• No full-size plans included.
• Wheels need a better supported
wheel/axle interface; wheels wobble.
• No decals included with kit.
• Flexible aft fuselage; doesn’t affect
flying but requires care in handling.
50 MODEL AVIATION
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 50
52 MODEL AVIATION
where necessary, was self-fixturing. Just be
certain that when you apply the top sheeting
of the wing, the panels are on a flat surface
and you use a slow-drying glue. I used thick
cyanoacrylate and worked rapidly. A more
normal glue, designed for slower curing, or
drying, will work if you want a slower pace.
Once the glue was set, the wing was
incredibly strong in bending and torsion while
retaining a light weight.
I spent a total of four evenings on
construction and radio installation and an
evening detailing the model.
Concerns and Modifications: Although
the airplane was easy to construct without
full-size plans, I would prefer to have a
set from which to work.
While reviewing the wing’s construction, I
noticed that the illustrations showed a
segment of a P-40 wing. Although it
illustrated the technique used and was noted
in the accompanying text, I would be more
comfortable if a photo of the wing being
constructed was used.
The main wheels needed more
reinforcement at the hub. In the landing
photos I noticed that the wheels were cocked
at an angle and seemed wobbly. Now they
tend to sit cocked to one side. I recommend
using a small piece of hard plastic or metal
tubing approximately 3⁄16-inch long that is a
good fit over the wire axle. Use a bit of epoxy
to fillet the tube to the wheel.
Flexibility.
What do you do when your fuel tank installation is a tight fit?
Use a Sullivan Flextank, of course. Flextanks squeeze into all sorts of places. They
can be shaped with a heat gun. And they’ll work with any glow fuel.
Bulkhead too close? Shove it in. Fuselage
too narrow? It’ll go. In fact, this is a good
way to get the most out of the space available.
Plus, Flextanks are very durable. Often
more durable than the plane, if you know
what we mean.
So next time you’re in a jam, try a Flextank. At your dealer now.
One North Haven Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21224 USA.
www.sullivanproducts.com
Sullivan Flextanks.
S741 12 oz
Shown
When you pick up the completed,
unpainted airframe, you will notice that the aft
section of the fuselage is wobbly. From the
wing TE forward, the structure is rigid. The
tail section is also rigid. However, the
fuselage section aft of the wing TE to the front
of the horizontal tail will sag when the
airplane is banked 90°.
Also, when I picked up the airplane by the
aft fuselage (something I can do with all my
airplanes), I heard the sound of balsa
creaking! Not a great confidence builder. I
noticed that the fuselage became stiffer after I
applied a couple coats of spray paint.
I E-mailed Don (a fellow modeler whom I
hope to meet in person someday) at DJ
Aerotech and received a prompt and complete
answer based on his experiences with the
airplane. He assured me that the flexible
fuselage was not a problem in flight, and that
turned out to be true.
However, if I were to build another B-17, I
would run a strip of roughly 1⁄2-inch carbonfiber
tape on either side of the fuselage, which
should stiffen it enough to withstand the
careless handling possibilities. The weight
gain would be negligible.
Finish and Decorations: As you construct
each of the sheet assemblies, carefully sand
each side smooth. Then when you assemble
the wing, tail, motor nacelles, and fuselage,
the airplane will already be sanded and
ready to finish.
Although the instructions didn’t discuss
the finish until Step 100, I recommend that
you paint the airplane before you install the
radio-control system and motors so you
don’t get paint on those components.
DJ Aerotech says not to use excessive
paint and to use markers or two lightly
fogged-on coats of spray paint. I carefully
ignored this advice and ended up a halfounce
heavier, but the airplane does look
nice. I didn’t paint the underside of the B-17
because I had already installed the radio
gear.
I downloaded the Memphis Belle
markings from the DJ Aerotech Web site
and glued them in place. I would have
preferred to have them included in the kit.
Even better, they could have been supplied
on sticky paper. The airplane looked nice at
this stage, but it still looked like a small
model.
I have a large book called The Great
Book of World War II Airplanes, which has
a three-page pullout of the Memphis Belle.
Since it was too cold and windy outside to
fly, I decided to add some scale detail.
I used a thin silver marker and a light,
flexible straightedge, and using the pullout
as a guide, I added major panel lines. I
rubbed the painted balsa at places to add
variations in texture to the finish. Then I
went back and added some of the smaller
panel lines. You can vary the spray and
rubbing to make the flat areas look like
curved panels.
The amount of detail is only limited by
your imagination and how long it stays cold
and windy so you can work on it. The
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 52
54 MODEL AVIATION
process was fun, and I think the finished
airplane looks better for the small effort I
put in.
Radio Equipment: To control the B-17, I
used a Hitec Feather receiver, an ESC of
unknown origin with approximately 10 amps
of capacity (the sticky Velcro is on the label
side of the ESC), and four Hitec HS-50
servos. I used my Futaba 8U transmitter.
I recommend buying a transmitter that is
likely to be better than “sufficient” for all
your flying needs and that is capable of
storing multiple airplane settings. Not having
to change transmitters each time you change
airplanes means that you can use switch
positions and transmitter setup menus until
your automatic reactions take over. Not
having to fumble for a switch might save an
airplane someday.
I powered the B-17 with a seven-cell 700
mAh NiMH battery (the same-size pack I
used in the A-10 and other GWS airplanes).
This AAA-size battery is ideal for lowcurrent-
drain applications where light weight
is beneficial. These batteries also seem to be
forgiving when mishandled.
I haven’t made the step to Li-Poly
batteries yet; my charging habits of years of
mistreating Ni-Cd and NiMH doesn’t mix
well with the care that the Li-Poly variety
requires. However, DJ Aerotech has had
success with them, and the lighter weight
for a given battery capacity will add to the
B-17’s performance.
Flying: I viewed videos of the B-17 flying at
one of the large indoor meets early last year.
It flew nicely and dropped bombs. It was a
cute little airplane and didn’t prepare me at all
for what I was about to experience.
A bad thing about this part of the year
(October) is that it is cold, typically overcast,
and usually windy, which is not really
conducive to flying most airplanes and never
a great time to fly a slow flyer. I also have
trouble convincing my body to go outside and
get frostbite even though this is my favorite
hobby. However, one of the many good
things about being retired is that you can fly
anytime the weather allows.
While waiting for the weather to break, I
set up surface deflections per the instructions
and checked the CG. To get the proper CG, I
had to move the battery pack to the side of the
fuselage nose instead of the suggested
position under the wing LE. Don’t fly without
the CG in the recommended position. You
can move it later to fine-tune the airplane to
your individual tastes in handling, but I found
the recommended position perfect.
Finally a morning came when the wind
was dead calm; however, it was gray,
overcast, yecchy, and the temperature was 39
polar bear-frosting degrees. The polar bears
seem to like it, but I certainly don’t! But calm
air is difficult to come by, so off my
photographer and I went.
At the flying field, the battery was peaked,
the gloves came off so I could find the sticks,
and the B-17 was set approximately 30 feet
away from me on the smooth runway. I
applied full power, and the model accelerated,
running with the tail high and straight down
our club’s paved runway. I gave a bit of upelevator
and it lifted off smoothly.
The pitch trim was dead on, and there was
a slight left roll (which a couple clicks of trim
took care of). I remember thinking that it was
an easy-flying airplane. The sound of the
motors and propellers vibrating the airframe
was great. It is a nice low-frequency sound
with enough volume to sound “right.”
I found myself grinning even more than
normal. (Flying airplanes is fun, after all.)
Against the dull, gray sky with the cold,
dreary weather, it was easy to visualize the B-
17 taking off from a field in England and
heading out over the English Channel during
the war.
I found it easy to keep a tight racetrack
pattern over the runway to help the
photographer take the pictures. Turns to the
right and left were nice, elevator response was
good, and full throttle gave a comfortable and
higher-than-scale climb rate. The flight speed
was slow and scalelike.
Although the batteries were still okay after
several minutes, I was getting colder and
decided to land. Cutting throttle gave an all
right glide, but I added a little power to flatten
the descent rate. A final turn positioned the
airplane over the runway, and I proceeded to
add up-elevator until a flare was obtained just
as the wheels touched down. The landing roll
was straight and no problem. The flight was
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 54
MA Pllans Serviice
now online!
The Plans Service on the AMA Web site
now offers pictures of nearly every
model aircraft featured in Model Aviation
construction articles since 1975!
You can see what a model looks like
before purchasing the plans, and
then download the construction article
from the MA Digital Archives.
Remember that the Digital Archives
is a members-only benefit.
www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/plans.asp
of Windows), print them out on 8 x 11-inch
paper, or use them as the basis for another
version of the airplane while in the Paint
program and then print them out.)
Specifications:
Model type: Scale indoor and park flyer
Wingspan: 45.4 inches
Wing area: 270 square inches
Length: 33.4 inches
Recommended weight: 9-11 ounces with sixcell
600 mAh NiMH battery
Review model’s weight (ready to fly): 12.4
ounces with seven-cell 700 mAh NiMH
battery
Power: Four MPS-1A electric motors
(supplied in kit)
Batteries: Seven 700 mAh NiMH
Recommended radio: Four-channel for
aileron, elevator, motor, and rudder with
microreceiver, ESC, and microservos.
Radio used: Futaba 8U transmitter, Hitec
Feather receiver, Hitec HS-50 microservos
(rudder, elevator, one on each aileron), and
10-amp ESC
Materials used in kit: Laser-cut balsa and
plywood
Street price: $124.95 from Web site
Manufacturer:
DJ Aerotech
719 Fisk St.
Piqua OH 45356
(937) 773-6772
Fax: (937) 773-9494
www.djaerotech.com
Products used in review:
Futaba 8U Super Series radio system:
Great Planes Manufacturing
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(217) 398-8970
www.futaba-rc.com
HS-50 servos, Feather receiver:
Hitec RCD USA, Inc.
12115 Paine St.
Poway CA 92064
(858) 748-6948
www.hitecrcd.com
56 MODEL AVIATION
smooth and uneventful—the way you prefer
all flights to be.
As I sat writing this review, I realized that
this was the first airplane I had ever flown
that I had not tried to loop or roll on the first
flight. I was flying it similar to how the fullscale
B-17 would have been flown. The
illusion of its being a bomber is realistic, and
you find yourself flying it as if it is one.
However, flying past a basketball hoop
indoors, the illusion might not be quite as
convincing!
The DJ Aerotech Roadkill-series B-17 is a
great addition to any modeler’s hangar. It is
fun to build and enjoyable to fly. The illusion
of full-scale flight is enhanced because of
the airplane’s slow flight speed. I urge you
to spend the small amount of time necessary
to add some scale details and enhance the
illusion. I recommend this B-17. MA
(Editor’s note: DJ Aerotech wanted us to
convey that since the kit in this review was
produced, the hole diameter in the wheel hub
has been reduced for a tighter fit, which takes
care of the problem cited.
The company also informed us that the
decals were not included in the kit for several
reasons. They add a substantial amount to the
kit price, they tend to dry out in storage, and
it seems as though no matter which individual
aircraft markings are included, someone
inevitably wants another version.
With that in mind, the decals are posted as
a bmp file on DJ Aerotech’s Web site. Anyone
can download them into the Microsoft Paint
program (which is included with every copy
11sig2.QXD 8/24/04 8:36 am Page 56
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 49,50,52,54,56
indoor (or zero-wind outside) RC segment of the hobby. Their designs
include World War I, World War II, and some civilian airplanes that,
according to videos I have seen and articles I have read, fly very well.
The “Roadkill” philosophy of design is what makes these models
unique.
Imagine an airplane that has just been run over by a steamroller in a
cartoon. The airplane immediately pops up, but the fuselage stays
flat—and then it flies away! That is the Roadkill model. These
airplanes are constructed from laser-cut-balsa and thin-plywood parts
that interlock and are self-fixturing. The result is a good-flying, goodlooking
series of model designs.
Don and Joe have combined the Roadkill design philosophy with
the B-17 and produced a delightful RC model that has multiple electric
motors, can be flown indoors and outdoors in calm winds, and drops
“bombs”!
A four-engine aircraft may not seem to be a good choice for a
model to fly indoors, but Don and Joe made design choices that
resulted in a viable indoor-flying B-17. The magic ingredient is light
weight, which, coupled with a good power-train choice, results in a
nice-flying, tight-maneuvering, realistic model. I am convinced that
you will be happy with the airplane—especially if you take the small
amount of time to add the scale details.
The Roadkill B-17 is for the experienced builder—at least in the
characteristics of balsa and glue. If you are inexperienced, I suggest
using one of the single-motor Roadkill models as a steppingstone to the
B-17. The experienced modeler will enjoy the fun of building and the
uniqueness of having a “four-engine” model.
The B-17 is a simple-to-fly, gentle airplane, but it is not self-
P r o d u c t R e v i e w David Adams
E-mail: [email protected]
DJ Aerotech Boeing B-17
The B-17’s scale panel lines took only a few hours of enjoyable work, and they are well worth the effort to apply.
Left: You can imagine that this is the full-scale Memphis Belle
on its nationwide flying tour after 25 successful World War II
bombing missions.
THE BOEING B-17 Flying Fortress is of tremendous historical
significance in aviation and the affairs of nations. The role of the B-
17—and the Memphis Belle (which has been the subject of a fulllength
movie) in particular—while flying in World War II is well
known. A Web site dedicated to the Memphis Belle is located at
www.memphisbelle.com.
Many people who are interested in airplanes can immediately
recognize the B-17, and most modelers have likely owned a plastic
model of it. The B-17 is seldom modeled as a glow- or gas-powered
RC version. The difficulty involved in getting four engines to run
nicely at the same time has made it a challenge that all but the most
skillful modelers have avoided.
Don Stackhouse and Joe Hahn at DJ Aerotech have produced a
series of designs during the last several years that are aimed at the
November 2004 49
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 49
Photos courtesy the author
righting in roll or pitch—a trait that is required in an airplane for the
beginner. I do not recommend the B-17 to someone with no solo flight
time, but not because it has four motors; the only difference in flight
characteristics between one motor and four is that the propwash from
four motors makes the inner wing section greatly effective at low
speeds.
Construction: As usual with my reviews, I
will not repeat a step-by-step process of
building the airplane. I always skip that part
when I read a review, and it is just a repeat of
the instructions that came with the kit.
The 10-page instruction manual was
liberally illustrated with more than 100 photos.
Each picture was next to its corresponding
written instruction, and it was extremely easy
to keep track of where I was. As with every kit
you build, no matter what your skill level, take
the time to read through and understand what
the instructions are going to ask you to do.
I started construction by separating the
Tail flex shown is the maximum developed while vigorously
shaking the fuselage—not what you will see in the air.
Kit includes many balsa, plywood parts. Instructions show wood sheets, with parts’
names and locations. Be familiar with parts before removing them from sheets.
Radio-equipment installation is easy, but you must assemble and
solder wiring harness for motors. Final flight-battery placement
depends on CG-location needs.
Propulsion system highlights simplicity and ease of construction. Motor and gearbox
assembly makes smooth-running power plant that is ideally mated to airframe.
individual parts from the sheets to which they were attached. I laid the
parts out on the bench in the approximate position where they were to
be glued in the assembly. There were many small parts, and having
everything located before I started gluing with the cyanoacrylate was
really helpful.
The parts fit in the kit was exact because of the laser cutting and,
Pros:
• This airplane “flies” larger than it is.
• It is visually scalelike—except when
seen on its edge. (It’s “Roadkill,” after
all.)
• Great slow-speed characteristics.
• All hardware, motors, gear assemblies,
and propellers are included and well
matched.
• Easy assembly with a good instruction
manual. (See “Concerns and
Modifications.”)
• Excellent parts fit.
• All-wood construction and is rapidbuilding
with cyanoacrylate.
• No covering required.
Cons:
• No full-size plans included.
• Wheels need a better supported
wheel/axle interface; wheels wobble.
• No decals included with kit.
• Flexible aft fuselage; doesn’t affect
flying but requires care in handling.
50 MODEL AVIATION
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 50
52 MODEL AVIATION
where necessary, was self-fixturing. Just be
certain that when you apply the top sheeting
of the wing, the panels are on a flat surface
and you use a slow-drying glue. I used thick
cyanoacrylate and worked rapidly. A more
normal glue, designed for slower curing, or
drying, will work if you want a slower pace.
Once the glue was set, the wing was
incredibly strong in bending and torsion while
retaining a light weight.
I spent a total of four evenings on
construction and radio installation and an
evening detailing the model.
Concerns and Modifications: Although
the airplane was easy to construct without
full-size plans, I would prefer to have a
set from which to work.
While reviewing the wing’s construction, I
noticed that the illustrations showed a
segment of a P-40 wing. Although it
illustrated the technique used and was noted
in the accompanying text, I would be more
comfortable if a photo of the wing being
constructed was used.
The main wheels needed more
reinforcement at the hub. In the landing
photos I noticed that the wheels were cocked
at an angle and seemed wobbly. Now they
tend to sit cocked to one side. I recommend
using a small piece of hard plastic or metal
tubing approximately 3⁄16-inch long that is a
good fit over the wire axle. Use a bit of epoxy
to fillet the tube to the wheel.
Flexibility.
What do you do when your fuel tank installation is a tight fit?
Use a Sullivan Flextank, of course. Flextanks squeeze into all sorts of places. They
can be shaped with a heat gun. And they’ll work with any glow fuel.
Bulkhead too close? Shove it in. Fuselage
too narrow? It’ll go. In fact, this is a good
way to get the most out of the space available.
Plus, Flextanks are very durable. Often
more durable than the plane, if you know
what we mean.
So next time you’re in a jam, try a Flextank. At your dealer now.
One North Haven Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21224 USA.
www.sullivanproducts.com
Sullivan Flextanks.
S741 12 oz
Shown
When you pick up the completed,
unpainted airframe, you will notice that the aft
section of the fuselage is wobbly. From the
wing TE forward, the structure is rigid. The
tail section is also rigid. However, the
fuselage section aft of the wing TE to the front
of the horizontal tail will sag when the
airplane is banked 90°.
Also, when I picked up the airplane by the
aft fuselage (something I can do with all my
airplanes), I heard the sound of balsa
creaking! Not a great confidence builder. I
noticed that the fuselage became stiffer after I
applied a couple coats of spray paint.
I E-mailed Don (a fellow modeler whom I
hope to meet in person someday) at DJ
Aerotech and received a prompt and complete
answer based on his experiences with the
airplane. He assured me that the flexible
fuselage was not a problem in flight, and that
turned out to be true.
However, if I were to build another B-17, I
would run a strip of roughly 1⁄2-inch carbonfiber
tape on either side of the fuselage, which
should stiffen it enough to withstand the
careless handling possibilities. The weight
gain would be negligible.
Finish and Decorations: As you construct
each of the sheet assemblies, carefully sand
each side smooth. Then when you assemble
the wing, tail, motor nacelles, and fuselage,
the airplane will already be sanded and
ready to finish.
Although the instructions didn’t discuss
the finish until Step 100, I recommend that
you paint the airplane before you install the
radio-control system and motors so you
don’t get paint on those components.
DJ Aerotech says not to use excessive
paint and to use markers or two lightly
fogged-on coats of spray paint. I carefully
ignored this advice and ended up a halfounce
heavier, but the airplane does look
nice. I didn’t paint the underside of the B-17
because I had already installed the radio
gear.
I downloaded the Memphis Belle
markings from the DJ Aerotech Web site
and glued them in place. I would have
preferred to have them included in the kit.
Even better, they could have been supplied
on sticky paper. The airplane looked nice at
this stage, but it still looked like a small
model.
I have a large book called The Great
Book of World War II Airplanes, which has
a three-page pullout of the Memphis Belle.
Since it was too cold and windy outside to
fly, I decided to add some scale detail.
I used a thin silver marker and a light,
flexible straightedge, and using the pullout
as a guide, I added major panel lines. I
rubbed the painted balsa at places to add
variations in texture to the finish. Then I
went back and added some of the smaller
panel lines. You can vary the spray and
rubbing to make the flat areas look like
curved panels.
The amount of detail is only limited by
your imagination and how long it stays cold
and windy so you can work on it. The
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 52
54 MODEL AVIATION
process was fun, and I think the finished
airplane looks better for the small effort I
put in.
Radio Equipment: To control the B-17, I
used a Hitec Feather receiver, an ESC of
unknown origin with approximately 10 amps
of capacity (the sticky Velcro is on the label
side of the ESC), and four Hitec HS-50
servos. I used my Futaba 8U transmitter.
I recommend buying a transmitter that is
likely to be better than “sufficient” for all
your flying needs and that is capable of
storing multiple airplane settings. Not having
to change transmitters each time you change
airplanes means that you can use switch
positions and transmitter setup menus until
your automatic reactions take over. Not
having to fumble for a switch might save an
airplane someday.
I powered the B-17 with a seven-cell 700
mAh NiMH battery (the same-size pack I
used in the A-10 and other GWS airplanes).
This AAA-size battery is ideal for lowcurrent-
drain applications where light weight
is beneficial. These batteries also seem to be
forgiving when mishandled.
I haven’t made the step to Li-Poly
batteries yet; my charging habits of years of
mistreating Ni-Cd and NiMH doesn’t mix
well with the care that the Li-Poly variety
requires. However, DJ Aerotech has had
success with them, and the lighter weight
for a given battery capacity will add to the
B-17’s performance.
Flying: I viewed videos of the B-17 flying at
one of the large indoor meets early last year.
It flew nicely and dropped bombs. It was a
cute little airplane and didn’t prepare me at all
for what I was about to experience.
A bad thing about this part of the year
(October) is that it is cold, typically overcast,
and usually windy, which is not really
conducive to flying most airplanes and never
a great time to fly a slow flyer. I also have
trouble convincing my body to go outside and
get frostbite even though this is my favorite
hobby. However, one of the many good
things about being retired is that you can fly
anytime the weather allows.
While waiting for the weather to break, I
set up surface deflections per the instructions
and checked the CG. To get the proper CG, I
had to move the battery pack to the side of the
fuselage nose instead of the suggested
position under the wing LE. Don’t fly without
the CG in the recommended position. You
can move it later to fine-tune the airplane to
your individual tastes in handling, but I found
the recommended position perfect.
Finally a morning came when the wind
was dead calm; however, it was gray,
overcast, yecchy, and the temperature was 39
polar bear-frosting degrees. The polar bears
seem to like it, but I certainly don’t! But calm
air is difficult to come by, so off my
photographer and I went.
At the flying field, the battery was peaked,
the gloves came off so I could find the sticks,
and the B-17 was set approximately 30 feet
away from me on the smooth runway. I
applied full power, and the model accelerated,
running with the tail high and straight down
our club’s paved runway. I gave a bit of upelevator
and it lifted off smoothly.
The pitch trim was dead on, and there was
a slight left roll (which a couple clicks of trim
took care of). I remember thinking that it was
an easy-flying airplane. The sound of the
motors and propellers vibrating the airframe
was great. It is a nice low-frequency sound
with enough volume to sound “right.”
I found myself grinning even more than
normal. (Flying airplanes is fun, after all.)
Against the dull, gray sky with the cold,
dreary weather, it was easy to visualize the B-
17 taking off from a field in England and
heading out over the English Channel during
the war.
I found it easy to keep a tight racetrack
pattern over the runway to help the
photographer take the pictures. Turns to the
right and left were nice, elevator response was
good, and full throttle gave a comfortable and
higher-than-scale climb rate. The flight speed
was slow and scalelike.
Although the batteries were still okay after
several minutes, I was getting colder and
decided to land. Cutting throttle gave an all
right glide, but I added a little power to flatten
the descent rate. A final turn positioned the
airplane over the runway, and I proceeded to
add up-elevator until a flare was obtained just
as the wheels touched down. The landing roll
was straight and no problem. The flight was
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 54
MA Pllans Serviice
now online!
The Plans Service on the AMA Web site
now offers pictures of nearly every
model aircraft featured in Model Aviation
construction articles since 1975!
You can see what a model looks like
before purchasing the plans, and
then download the construction article
from the MA Digital Archives.
Remember that the Digital Archives
is a members-only benefit.
www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/plans.asp
of Windows), print them out on 8 x 11-inch
paper, or use them as the basis for another
version of the airplane while in the Paint
program and then print them out.)
Specifications:
Model type: Scale indoor and park flyer
Wingspan: 45.4 inches
Wing area: 270 square inches
Length: 33.4 inches
Recommended weight: 9-11 ounces with sixcell
600 mAh NiMH battery
Review model’s weight (ready to fly): 12.4
ounces with seven-cell 700 mAh NiMH
battery
Power: Four MPS-1A electric motors
(supplied in kit)
Batteries: Seven 700 mAh NiMH
Recommended radio: Four-channel for
aileron, elevator, motor, and rudder with
microreceiver, ESC, and microservos.
Radio used: Futaba 8U transmitter, Hitec
Feather receiver, Hitec HS-50 microservos
(rudder, elevator, one on each aileron), and
10-amp ESC
Materials used in kit: Laser-cut balsa and
plywood
Street price: $124.95 from Web site
Manufacturer:
DJ Aerotech
719 Fisk St.
Piqua OH 45356
(937) 773-6772
Fax: (937) 773-9494
www.djaerotech.com
Products used in review:
Futaba 8U Super Series radio system:
Great Planes Manufacturing
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(217) 398-8970
www.futaba-rc.com
HS-50 servos, Feather receiver:
Hitec RCD USA, Inc.
12115 Paine St.
Poway CA 92064
(858) 748-6948
www.hitecrcd.com
56 MODEL AVIATION
smooth and uneventful—the way you prefer
all flights to be.
As I sat writing this review, I realized that
this was the first airplane I had ever flown
that I had not tried to loop or roll on the first
flight. I was flying it similar to how the fullscale
B-17 would have been flown. The
illusion of its being a bomber is realistic, and
you find yourself flying it as if it is one.
However, flying past a basketball hoop
indoors, the illusion might not be quite as
convincing!
The DJ Aerotech Roadkill-series B-17 is a
great addition to any modeler’s hangar. It is
fun to build and enjoyable to fly. The illusion
of full-scale flight is enhanced because of
the airplane’s slow flight speed. I urge you
to spend the small amount of time necessary
to add some scale details and enhance the
illusion. I recommend this B-17. MA
(Editor’s note: DJ Aerotech wanted us to
convey that since the kit in this review was
produced, the hole diameter in the wheel hub
has been reduced for a tighter fit, which takes
care of the problem cited.
The company also informed us that the
decals were not included in the kit for several
reasons. They add a substantial amount to the
kit price, they tend to dry out in storage, and
it seems as though no matter which individual
aircraft markings are included, someone
inevitably wants another version.
With that in mind, the decals are posted as
a bmp file on DJ Aerotech’s Web site. Anyone
can download them into the Microsoft Paint
program (which is included with every copy
11sig2.QXD 8/24/04 8:36 am Page 56
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 49,50,52,54,56
indoor (or zero-wind outside) RC segment of the hobby. Their designs
include World War I, World War II, and some civilian airplanes that,
according to videos I have seen and articles I have read, fly very well.
The “Roadkill” philosophy of design is what makes these models
unique.
Imagine an airplane that has just been run over by a steamroller in a
cartoon. The airplane immediately pops up, but the fuselage stays
flat—and then it flies away! That is the Roadkill model. These
airplanes are constructed from laser-cut-balsa and thin-plywood parts
that interlock and are self-fixturing. The result is a good-flying, goodlooking
series of model designs.
Don and Joe have combined the Roadkill design philosophy with
the B-17 and produced a delightful RC model that has multiple electric
motors, can be flown indoors and outdoors in calm winds, and drops
“bombs”!
A four-engine aircraft may not seem to be a good choice for a
model to fly indoors, but Don and Joe made design choices that
resulted in a viable indoor-flying B-17. The magic ingredient is light
weight, which, coupled with a good power-train choice, results in a
nice-flying, tight-maneuvering, realistic model. I am convinced that
you will be happy with the airplane—especially if you take the small
amount of time to add the scale details.
The Roadkill B-17 is for the experienced builder—at least in the
characteristics of balsa and glue. If you are inexperienced, I suggest
using one of the single-motor Roadkill models as a steppingstone to the
B-17. The experienced modeler will enjoy the fun of building and the
uniqueness of having a “four-engine” model.
The B-17 is a simple-to-fly, gentle airplane, but it is not self-
P r o d u c t R e v i e w David Adams
E-mail: [email protected]
DJ Aerotech Boeing B-17
The B-17’s scale panel lines took only a few hours of enjoyable work, and they are well worth the effort to apply.
Left: You can imagine that this is the full-scale Memphis Belle
on its nationwide flying tour after 25 successful World War II
bombing missions.
THE BOEING B-17 Flying Fortress is of tremendous historical
significance in aviation and the affairs of nations. The role of the B-
17—and the Memphis Belle (which has been the subject of a fulllength
movie) in particular—while flying in World War II is well
known. A Web site dedicated to the Memphis Belle is located at
www.memphisbelle.com.
Many people who are interested in airplanes can immediately
recognize the B-17, and most modelers have likely owned a plastic
model of it. The B-17 is seldom modeled as a glow- or gas-powered
RC version. The difficulty involved in getting four engines to run
nicely at the same time has made it a challenge that all but the most
skillful modelers have avoided.
Don Stackhouse and Joe Hahn at DJ Aerotech have produced a
series of designs during the last several years that are aimed at the
November 2004 49
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 49
Photos courtesy the author
righting in roll or pitch—a trait that is required in an airplane for the
beginner. I do not recommend the B-17 to someone with no solo flight
time, but not because it has four motors; the only difference in flight
characteristics between one motor and four is that the propwash from
four motors makes the inner wing section greatly effective at low
speeds.
Construction: As usual with my reviews, I
will not repeat a step-by-step process of
building the airplane. I always skip that part
when I read a review, and it is just a repeat of
the instructions that came with the kit.
The 10-page instruction manual was
liberally illustrated with more than 100 photos.
Each picture was next to its corresponding
written instruction, and it was extremely easy
to keep track of where I was. As with every kit
you build, no matter what your skill level, take
the time to read through and understand what
the instructions are going to ask you to do.
I started construction by separating the
Tail flex shown is the maximum developed while vigorously
shaking the fuselage—not what you will see in the air.
Kit includes many balsa, plywood parts. Instructions show wood sheets, with parts’
names and locations. Be familiar with parts before removing them from sheets.
Radio-equipment installation is easy, but you must assemble and
solder wiring harness for motors. Final flight-battery placement
depends on CG-location needs.
Propulsion system highlights simplicity and ease of construction. Motor and gearbox
assembly makes smooth-running power plant that is ideally mated to airframe.
individual parts from the sheets to which they were attached. I laid the
parts out on the bench in the approximate position where they were to
be glued in the assembly. There were many small parts, and having
everything located before I started gluing with the cyanoacrylate was
really helpful.
The parts fit in the kit was exact because of the laser cutting and,
Pros:
• This airplane “flies” larger than it is.
• It is visually scalelike—except when
seen on its edge. (It’s “Roadkill,” after
all.)
• Great slow-speed characteristics.
• All hardware, motors, gear assemblies,
and propellers are included and well
matched.
• Easy assembly with a good instruction
manual. (See “Concerns and
Modifications.”)
• Excellent parts fit.
• All-wood construction and is rapidbuilding
with cyanoacrylate.
• No covering required.
Cons:
• No full-size plans included.
• Wheels need a better supported
wheel/axle interface; wheels wobble.
• No decals included with kit.
• Flexible aft fuselage; doesn’t affect
flying but requires care in handling.
50 MODEL AVIATION
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 50
52 MODEL AVIATION
where necessary, was self-fixturing. Just be
certain that when you apply the top sheeting
of the wing, the panels are on a flat surface
and you use a slow-drying glue. I used thick
cyanoacrylate and worked rapidly. A more
normal glue, designed for slower curing, or
drying, will work if you want a slower pace.
Once the glue was set, the wing was
incredibly strong in bending and torsion while
retaining a light weight.
I spent a total of four evenings on
construction and radio installation and an
evening detailing the model.
Concerns and Modifications: Although
the airplane was easy to construct without
full-size plans, I would prefer to have a
set from which to work.
While reviewing the wing’s construction, I
noticed that the illustrations showed a
segment of a P-40 wing. Although it
illustrated the technique used and was noted
in the accompanying text, I would be more
comfortable if a photo of the wing being
constructed was used.
The main wheels needed more
reinforcement at the hub. In the landing
photos I noticed that the wheels were cocked
at an angle and seemed wobbly. Now they
tend to sit cocked to one side. I recommend
using a small piece of hard plastic or metal
tubing approximately 3⁄16-inch long that is a
good fit over the wire axle. Use a bit of epoxy
to fillet the tube to the wheel.
Flexibility.
What do you do when your fuel tank installation is a tight fit?
Use a Sullivan Flextank, of course. Flextanks squeeze into all sorts of places. They
can be shaped with a heat gun. And they’ll work with any glow fuel.
Bulkhead too close? Shove it in. Fuselage
too narrow? It’ll go. In fact, this is a good
way to get the most out of the space available.
Plus, Flextanks are very durable. Often
more durable than the plane, if you know
what we mean.
So next time you’re in a jam, try a Flextank. At your dealer now.
One North Haven Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21224 USA.
www.sullivanproducts.com
Sullivan Flextanks.
S741 12 oz
Shown
When you pick up the completed,
unpainted airframe, you will notice that the aft
section of the fuselage is wobbly. From the
wing TE forward, the structure is rigid. The
tail section is also rigid. However, the
fuselage section aft of the wing TE to the front
of the horizontal tail will sag when the
airplane is banked 90°.
Also, when I picked up the airplane by the
aft fuselage (something I can do with all my
airplanes), I heard the sound of balsa
creaking! Not a great confidence builder. I
noticed that the fuselage became stiffer after I
applied a couple coats of spray paint.
I E-mailed Don (a fellow modeler whom I
hope to meet in person someday) at DJ
Aerotech and received a prompt and complete
answer based on his experiences with the
airplane. He assured me that the flexible
fuselage was not a problem in flight, and that
turned out to be true.
However, if I were to build another B-17, I
would run a strip of roughly 1⁄2-inch carbonfiber
tape on either side of the fuselage, which
should stiffen it enough to withstand the
careless handling possibilities. The weight
gain would be negligible.
Finish and Decorations: As you construct
each of the sheet assemblies, carefully sand
each side smooth. Then when you assemble
the wing, tail, motor nacelles, and fuselage,
the airplane will already be sanded and
ready to finish.
Although the instructions didn’t discuss
the finish until Step 100, I recommend that
you paint the airplane before you install the
radio-control system and motors so you
don’t get paint on those components.
DJ Aerotech says not to use excessive
paint and to use markers or two lightly
fogged-on coats of spray paint. I carefully
ignored this advice and ended up a halfounce
heavier, but the airplane does look
nice. I didn’t paint the underside of the B-17
because I had already installed the radio
gear.
I downloaded the Memphis Belle
markings from the DJ Aerotech Web site
and glued them in place. I would have
preferred to have them included in the kit.
Even better, they could have been supplied
on sticky paper. The airplane looked nice at
this stage, but it still looked like a small
model.
I have a large book called The Great
Book of World War II Airplanes, which has
a three-page pullout of the Memphis Belle.
Since it was too cold and windy outside to
fly, I decided to add some scale detail.
I used a thin silver marker and a light,
flexible straightedge, and using the pullout
as a guide, I added major panel lines. I
rubbed the painted balsa at places to add
variations in texture to the finish. Then I
went back and added some of the smaller
panel lines. You can vary the spray and
rubbing to make the flat areas look like
curved panels.
The amount of detail is only limited by
your imagination and how long it stays cold
and windy so you can work on it. The
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 52
54 MODEL AVIATION
process was fun, and I think the finished
airplane looks better for the small effort I
put in.
Radio Equipment: To control the B-17, I
used a Hitec Feather receiver, an ESC of
unknown origin with approximately 10 amps
of capacity (the sticky Velcro is on the label
side of the ESC), and four Hitec HS-50
servos. I used my Futaba 8U transmitter.
I recommend buying a transmitter that is
likely to be better than “sufficient” for all
your flying needs and that is capable of
storing multiple airplane settings. Not having
to change transmitters each time you change
airplanes means that you can use switch
positions and transmitter setup menus until
your automatic reactions take over. Not
having to fumble for a switch might save an
airplane someday.
I powered the B-17 with a seven-cell 700
mAh NiMH battery (the same-size pack I
used in the A-10 and other GWS airplanes).
This AAA-size battery is ideal for lowcurrent-
drain applications where light weight
is beneficial. These batteries also seem to be
forgiving when mishandled.
I haven’t made the step to Li-Poly
batteries yet; my charging habits of years of
mistreating Ni-Cd and NiMH doesn’t mix
well with the care that the Li-Poly variety
requires. However, DJ Aerotech has had
success with them, and the lighter weight
for a given battery capacity will add to the
B-17’s performance.
Flying: I viewed videos of the B-17 flying at
one of the large indoor meets early last year.
It flew nicely and dropped bombs. It was a
cute little airplane and didn’t prepare me at all
for what I was about to experience.
A bad thing about this part of the year
(October) is that it is cold, typically overcast,
and usually windy, which is not really
conducive to flying most airplanes and never
a great time to fly a slow flyer. I also have
trouble convincing my body to go outside and
get frostbite even though this is my favorite
hobby. However, one of the many good
things about being retired is that you can fly
anytime the weather allows.
While waiting for the weather to break, I
set up surface deflections per the instructions
and checked the CG. To get the proper CG, I
had to move the battery pack to the side of the
fuselage nose instead of the suggested
position under the wing LE. Don’t fly without
the CG in the recommended position. You
can move it later to fine-tune the airplane to
your individual tastes in handling, but I found
the recommended position perfect.
Finally a morning came when the wind
was dead calm; however, it was gray,
overcast, yecchy, and the temperature was 39
polar bear-frosting degrees. The polar bears
seem to like it, but I certainly don’t! But calm
air is difficult to come by, so off my
photographer and I went.
At the flying field, the battery was peaked,
the gloves came off so I could find the sticks,
and the B-17 was set approximately 30 feet
away from me on the smooth runway. I
applied full power, and the model accelerated,
running with the tail high and straight down
our club’s paved runway. I gave a bit of upelevator
and it lifted off smoothly.
The pitch trim was dead on, and there was
a slight left roll (which a couple clicks of trim
took care of). I remember thinking that it was
an easy-flying airplane. The sound of the
motors and propellers vibrating the airframe
was great. It is a nice low-frequency sound
with enough volume to sound “right.”
I found myself grinning even more than
normal. (Flying airplanes is fun, after all.)
Against the dull, gray sky with the cold,
dreary weather, it was easy to visualize the B-
17 taking off from a field in England and
heading out over the English Channel during
the war.
I found it easy to keep a tight racetrack
pattern over the runway to help the
photographer take the pictures. Turns to the
right and left were nice, elevator response was
good, and full throttle gave a comfortable and
higher-than-scale climb rate. The flight speed
was slow and scalelike.
Although the batteries were still okay after
several minutes, I was getting colder and
decided to land. Cutting throttle gave an all
right glide, but I added a little power to flatten
the descent rate. A final turn positioned the
airplane over the runway, and I proceeded to
add up-elevator until a flare was obtained just
as the wheels touched down. The landing roll
was straight and no problem. The flight was
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 54
MA Pllans Serviice
now online!
The Plans Service on the AMA Web site
now offers pictures of nearly every
model aircraft featured in Model Aviation
construction articles since 1975!
You can see what a model looks like
before purchasing the plans, and
then download the construction article
from the MA Digital Archives.
Remember that the Digital Archives
is a members-only benefit.
www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/plans.asp
of Windows), print them out on 8 x 11-inch
paper, or use them as the basis for another
version of the airplane while in the Paint
program and then print them out.)
Specifications:
Model type: Scale indoor and park flyer
Wingspan: 45.4 inches
Wing area: 270 square inches
Length: 33.4 inches
Recommended weight: 9-11 ounces with sixcell
600 mAh NiMH battery
Review model’s weight (ready to fly): 12.4
ounces with seven-cell 700 mAh NiMH
battery
Power: Four MPS-1A electric motors
(supplied in kit)
Batteries: Seven 700 mAh NiMH
Recommended radio: Four-channel for
aileron, elevator, motor, and rudder with
microreceiver, ESC, and microservos.
Radio used: Futaba 8U transmitter, Hitec
Feather receiver, Hitec HS-50 microservos
(rudder, elevator, one on each aileron), and
10-amp ESC
Materials used in kit: Laser-cut balsa and
plywood
Street price: $124.95 from Web site
Manufacturer:
DJ Aerotech
719 Fisk St.
Piqua OH 45356
(937) 773-6772
Fax: (937) 773-9494
www.djaerotech.com
Products used in review:
Futaba 8U Super Series radio system:
Great Planes Manufacturing
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(217) 398-8970
www.futaba-rc.com
HS-50 servos, Feather receiver:
Hitec RCD USA, Inc.
12115 Paine St.
Poway CA 92064
(858) 748-6948
www.hitecrcd.com
56 MODEL AVIATION
smooth and uneventful—the way you prefer
all flights to be.
As I sat writing this review, I realized that
this was the first airplane I had ever flown
that I had not tried to loop or roll on the first
flight. I was flying it similar to how the fullscale
B-17 would have been flown. The
illusion of its being a bomber is realistic, and
you find yourself flying it as if it is one.
However, flying past a basketball hoop
indoors, the illusion might not be quite as
convincing!
The DJ Aerotech Roadkill-series B-17 is a
great addition to any modeler’s hangar. It is
fun to build and enjoyable to fly. The illusion
of full-scale flight is enhanced because of
the airplane’s slow flight speed. I urge you
to spend the small amount of time necessary
to add some scale details and enhance the
illusion. I recommend this B-17. MA
(Editor’s note: DJ Aerotech wanted us to
convey that since the kit in this review was
produced, the hole diameter in the wheel hub
has been reduced for a tighter fit, which takes
care of the problem cited.
The company also informed us that the
decals were not included in the kit for several
reasons. They add a substantial amount to the
kit price, they tend to dry out in storage, and
it seems as though no matter which individual
aircraft markings are included, someone
inevitably wants another version.
With that in mind, the decals are posted as
a bmp file on DJ Aerotech’s Web site. Anyone
can download them into the Microsoft Paint
program (which is included with every copy
11sig2.QXD 8/24/04 8:36 am Page 56
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 49,50,52,54,56
indoor (or zero-wind outside) RC segment of the hobby. Their designs
include World War I, World War II, and some civilian airplanes that,
according to videos I have seen and articles I have read, fly very well.
The “Roadkill” philosophy of design is what makes these models
unique.
Imagine an airplane that has just been run over by a steamroller in a
cartoon. The airplane immediately pops up, but the fuselage stays
flat—and then it flies away! That is the Roadkill model. These
airplanes are constructed from laser-cut-balsa and thin-plywood parts
that interlock and are self-fixturing. The result is a good-flying, goodlooking
series of model designs.
Don and Joe have combined the Roadkill design philosophy with
the B-17 and produced a delightful RC model that has multiple electric
motors, can be flown indoors and outdoors in calm winds, and drops
“bombs”!
A four-engine aircraft may not seem to be a good choice for a
model to fly indoors, but Don and Joe made design choices that
resulted in a viable indoor-flying B-17. The magic ingredient is light
weight, which, coupled with a good power-train choice, results in a
nice-flying, tight-maneuvering, realistic model. I am convinced that
you will be happy with the airplane—especially if you take the small
amount of time to add the scale details.
The Roadkill B-17 is for the experienced builder—at least in the
characteristics of balsa and glue. If you are inexperienced, I suggest
using one of the single-motor Roadkill models as a steppingstone to the
B-17. The experienced modeler will enjoy the fun of building and the
uniqueness of having a “four-engine” model.
The B-17 is a simple-to-fly, gentle airplane, but it is not self-
P r o d u c t R e v i e w David Adams
E-mail: [email protected]
DJ Aerotech Boeing B-17
The B-17’s scale panel lines took only a few hours of enjoyable work, and they are well worth the effort to apply.
Left: You can imagine that this is the full-scale Memphis Belle
on its nationwide flying tour after 25 successful World War II
bombing missions.
THE BOEING B-17 Flying Fortress is of tremendous historical
significance in aviation and the affairs of nations. The role of the B-
17—and the Memphis Belle (which has been the subject of a fulllength
movie) in particular—while flying in World War II is well
known. A Web site dedicated to the Memphis Belle is located at
www.memphisbelle.com.
Many people who are interested in airplanes can immediately
recognize the B-17, and most modelers have likely owned a plastic
model of it. The B-17 is seldom modeled as a glow- or gas-powered
RC version. The difficulty involved in getting four engines to run
nicely at the same time has made it a challenge that all but the most
skillful modelers have avoided.
Don Stackhouse and Joe Hahn at DJ Aerotech have produced a
series of designs during the last several years that are aimed at the
November 2004 49
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 49
Photos courtesy the author
righting in roll or pitch—a trait that is required in an airplane for the
beginner. I do not recommend the B-17 to someone with no solo flight
time, but not because it has four motors; the only difference in flight
characteristics between one motor and four is that the propwash from
four motors makes the inner wing section greatly effective at low
speeds.
Construction: As usual with my reviews, I
will not repeat a step-by-step process of
building the airplane. I always skip that part
when I read a review, and it is just a repeat of
the instructions that came with the kit.
The 10-page instruction manual was
liberally illustrated with more than 100 photos.
Each picture was next to its corresponding
written instruction, and it was extremely easy
to keep track of where I was. As with every kit
you build, no matter what your skill level, take
the time to read through and understand what
the instructions are going to ask you to do.
I started construction by separating the
Tail flex shown is the maximum developed while vigorously
shaking the fuselage—not what you will see in the air.
Kit includes many balsa, plywood parts. Instructions show wood sheets, with parts’
names and locations. Be familiar with parts before removing them from sheets.
Radio-equipment installation is easy, but you must assemble and
solder wiring harness for motors. Final flight-battery placement
depends on CG-location needs.
Propulsion system highlights simplicity and ease of construction. Motor and gearbox
assembly makes smooth-running power plant that is ideally mated to airframe.
individual parts from the sheets to which they were attached. I laid the
parts out on the bench in the approximate position where they were to
be glued in the assembly. There were many small parts, and having
everything located before I started gluing with the cyanoacrylate was
really helpful.
The parts fit in the kit was exact because of the laser cutting and,
Pros:
• This airplane “flies” larger than it is.
• It is visually scalelike—except when
seen on its edge. (It’s “Roadkill,” after
all.)
• Great slow-speed characteristics.
• All hardware, motors, gear assemblies,
and propellers are included and well
matched.
• Easy assembly with a good instruction
manual. (See “Concerns and
Modifications.”)
• Excellent parts fit.
• All-wood construction and is rapidbuilding
with cyanoacrylate.
• No covering required.
Cons:
• No full-size plans included.
• Wheels need a better supported
wheel/axle interface; wheels wobble.
• No decals included with kit.
• Flexible aft fuselage; doesn’t affect
flying but requires care in handling.
50 MODEL AVIATION
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:58 pm Page 50
52 MODEL AVIATION
where necessary, was self-fixturing. Just be
certain that when you apply the top sheeting
of the wing, the panels are on a flat surface
and you use a slow-drying glue. I used thick
cyanoacrylate and worked rapidly. A more
normal glue, designed for slower curing, or
drying, will work if you want a slower pace.
Once the glue was set, the wing was
incredibly strong in bending and torsion while
retaining a light weight.
I spent a total of four evenings on
construction and radio installation and an
evening detailing the model.
Concerns and Modifications: Although
the airplane was easy to construct without
full-size plans, I would prefer to have a
set from which to work.
While reviewing the wing’s construction, I
noticed that the illustrations showed a
segment of a P-40 wing. Although it
illustrated the technique used and was noted
in the accompanying text, I would be more
comfortable if a photo of the wing being
constructed was used.
The main wheels needed more
reinforcement at the hub. In the landing
photos I noticed that the wheels were cocked
at an angle and seemed wobbly. Now they
tend to sit cocked to one side. I recommend
using a small piece of hard plastic or metal
tubing approximately 3⁄16-inch long that is a
good fit over the wire axle. Use a bit of epoxy
to fillet the tube to the wheel.
Flexibility.
What do you do when your fuel tank installation is a tight fit?
Use a Sullivan Flextank, of course. Flextanks squeeze into all sorts of places. They
can be shaped with a heat gun. And they’ll work with any glow fuel.
Bulkhead too close? Shove it in. Fuselage
too narrow? It’ll go. In fact, this is a good
way to get the most out of the space available.
Plus, Flextanks are very durable. Often
more durable than the plane, if you know
what we mean.
So next time you’re in a jam, try a Flextank. At your dealer now.
One North Haven Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21224 USA.
www.sullivanproducts.com
Sullivan Flextanks.
S741 12 oz
Shown
When you pick up the completed,
unpainted airframe, you will notice that the aft
section of the fuselage is wobbly. From the
wing TE forward, the structure is rigid. The
tail section is also rigid. However, the
fuselage section aft of the wing TE to the front
of the horizontal tail will sag when the
airplane is banked 90°.
Also, when I picked up the airplane by the
aft fuselage (something I can do with all my
airplanes), I heard the sound of balsa
creaking! Not a great confidence builder. I
noticed that the fuselage became stiffer after I
applied a couple coats of spray paint.
I E-mailed Don (a fellow modeler whom I
hope to meet in person someday) at DJ
Aerotech and received a prompt and complete
answer based on his experiences with the
airplane. He assured me that the flexible
fuselage was not a problem in flight, and that
turned out to be true.
However, if I were to build another B-17, I
would run a strip of roughly 1⁄2-inch carbonfiber
tape on either side of the fuselage, which
should stiffen it enough to withstand the
careless handling possibilities. The weight
gain would be negligible.
Finish and Decorations: As you construct
each of the sheet assemblies, carefully sand
each side smooth. Then when you assemble
the wing, tail, motor nacelles, and fuselage,
the airplane will already be sanded and
ready to finish.
Although the instructions didn’t discuss
the finish until Step 100, I recommend that
you paint the airplane before you install the
radio-control system and motors so you
don’t get paint on those components.
DJ Aerotech says not to use excessive
paint and to use markers or two lightly
fogged-on coats of spray paint. I carefully
ignored this advice and ended up a halfounce
heavier, but the airplane does look
nice. I didn’t paint the underside of the B-17
because I had already installed the radio
gear.
I downloaded the Memphis Belle
markings from the DJ Aerotech Web site
and glued them in place. I would have
preferred to have them included in the kit.
Even better, they could have been supplied
on sticky paper. The airplane looked nice at
this stage, but it still looked like a small
model.
I have a large book called The Great
Book of World War II Airplanes, which has
a three-page pullout of the Memphis Belle.
Since it was too cold and windy outside to
fly, I decided to add some scale detail.
I used a thin silver marker and a light,
flexible straightedge, and using the pullout
as a guide, I added major panel lines. I
rubbed the painted balsa at places to add
variations in texture to the finish. Then I
went back and added some of the smaller
panel lines. You can vary the spray and
rubbing to make the flat areas look like
curved panels.
The amount of detail is only limited by
your imagination and how long it stays cold
and windy so you can work on it. The
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 52
54 MODEL AVIATION
process was fun, and I think the finished
airplane looks better for the small effort I
put in.
Radio Equipment: To control the B-17, I
used a Hitec Feather receiver, an ESC of
unknown origin with approximately 10 amps
of capacity (the sticky Velcro is on the label
side of the ESC), and four Hitec HS-50
servos. I used my Futaba 8U transmitter.
I recommend buying a transmitter that is
likely to be better than “sufficient” for all
your flying needs and that is capable of
storing multiple airplane settings. Not having
to change transmitters each time you change
airplanes means that you can use switch
positions and transmitter setup menus until
your automatic reactions take over. Not
having to fumble for a switch might save an
airplane someday.
I powered the B-17 with a seven-cell 700
mAh NiMH battery (the same-size pack I
used in the A-10 and other GWS airplanes).
This AAA-size battery is ideal for lowcurrent-
drain applications where light weight
is beneficial. These batteries also seem to be
forgiving when mishandled.
I haven’t made the step to Li-Poly
batteries yet; my charging habits of years of
mistreating Ni-Cd and NiMH doesn’t mix
well with the care that the Li-Poly variety
requires. However, DJ Aerotech has had
success with them, and the lighter weight
for a given battery capacity will add to the
B-17’s performance.
Flying: I viewed videos of the B-17 flying at
one of the large indoor meets early last year.
It flew nicely and dropped bombs. It was a
cute little airplane and didn’t prepare me at all
for what I was about to experience.
A bad thing about this part of the year
(October) is that it is cold, typically overcast,
and usually windy, which is not really
conducive to flying most airplanes and never
a great time to fly a slow flyer. I also have
trouble convincing my body to go outside and
get frostbite even though this is my favorite
hobby. However, one of the many good
things about being retired is that you can fly
anytime the weather allows.
While waiting for the weather to break, I
set up surface deflections per the instructions
and checked the CG. To get the proper CG, I
had to move the battery pack to the side of the
fuselage nose instead of the suggested
position under the wing LE. Don’t fly without
the CG in the recommended position. You
can move it later to fine-tune the airplane to
your individual tastes in handling, but I found
the recommended position perfect.
Finally a morning came when the wind
was dead calm; however, it was gray,
overcast, yecchy, and the temperature was 39
polar bear-frosting degrees. The polar bears
seem to like it, but I certainly don’t! But calm
air is difficult to come by, so off my
photographer and I went.
At the flying field, the battery was peaked,
the gloves came off so I could find the sticks,
and the B-17 was set approximately 30 feet
away from me on the smooth runway. I
applied full power, and the model accelerated,
running with the tail high and straight down
our club’s paved runway. I gave a bit of upelevator
and it lifted off smoothly.
The pitch trim was dead on, and there was
a slight left roll (which a couple clicks of trim
took care of). I remember thinking that it was
an easy-flying airplane. The sound of the
motors and propellers vibrating the airframe
was great. It is a nice low-frequency sound
with enough volume to sound “right.”
I found myself grinning even more than
normal. (Flying airplanes is fun, after all.)
Against the dull, gray sky with the cold,
dreary weather, it was easy to visualize the B-
17 taking off from a field in England and
heading out over the English Channel during
the war.
I found it easy to keep a tight racetrack
pattern over the runway to help the
photographer take the pictures. Turns to the
right and left were nice, elevator response was
good, and full throttle gave a comfortable and
higher-than-scale climb rate. The flight speed
was slow and scalelike.
Although the batteries were still okay after
several minutes, I was getting colder and
decided to land. Cutting throttle gave an all
right glide, but I added a little power to flatten
the descent rate. A final turn positioned the
airplane over the runway, and I proceeded to
add up-elevator until a flare was obtained just
as the wheels touched down. The landing roll
was straight and no problem. The flight was
11sig2.QXD 8/23/04 1:59 pm Page 54
MA Pllans Serviice
now online!
The Plans Service on the AMA Web site
now offers pictures of nearly every
model aircraft featured in Model Aviation
construction articles since 1975!
You can see what a model looks like
before purchasing the plans, and
then download the construction article
from the MA Digital Archives.
Remember that the Digital Archives
is a members-only benefit.
www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/plans.asp
of Windows), print them out on 8 x 11-inch
paper, or use them as the basis for another
version of the airplane while in the Paint
program and then print them out.)
Specifications:
Model type: Scale indoor and park flyer
Wingspan: 45.4 inches
Wing area: 270 square inches
Length: 33.4 inches
Recommended weight: 9-11 ounces with sixcell
600 mAh NiMH battery
Review model’s weight (ready to fly): 12.4
ounces with seven-cell 700 mAh NiMH
battery
Power: Four MPS-1A electric motors
(supplied in kit)
Batteries: Seven 700 mAh NiMH
Recommended radio: Four-channel for
aileron, elevator, motor, and rudder with
microreceiver, ESC, and microservos.
Radio used: Futaba 8U transmitter, Hitec
Feather receiver, Hitec HS-50 microservos
(rudder, elevator, one on each aileron), and
10-amp ESC
Materials used in kit: Laser-cut balsa and
plywood
Street price: $124.95 from Web site
Manufacturer:
DJ Aerotech
719 Fisk St.
Piqua OH 45356
(937) 773-6772
Fax: (937) 773-9494
www.djaerotech.com
Products used in review:
Futaba 8U Super Series radio system:
Great Planes Manufacturing
Box 9021
Champaign IL 61826
(217) 398-8970
www.futaba-rc.com
HS-50 servos, Feather receiver:
Hitec RCD USA, Inc.
12115 Paine St.
Poway CA 92064
(858) 748-6948
www.hitecrcd.com
56 MODEL AVIATION
smooth and uneventful—the way you prefer
all flights to be.
As I sat writing this review, I realized that
this was the first airplane I had ever flown
that I had not tried to loop or roll on the first
flight. I was flying it similar to how the fullscale
B-17 would have been flown. The
illusion of its being a bomber is realistic, and
you find yourself flying it as if it is one.
However, flying past a basketball hoop
indoors, the illusion might not be quite as
convincing!
The DJ Aerotech Roadkill-series B-17 is a
great addition to any modeler’s hangar. It is
fun to build and enjoyable to fly. The illusion
of full-scale flight is enhanced because of
the airplane’s slow flight speed. I urge you
to spend the small amount of time necessary
to add some scale details and enhance the
illusion. I recommend this B-17. MA
(Editor’s note: DJ Aerotech wanted us to
convey that since the kit in this review was
produced, the hole diameter in the wheel hub
has been reduced for a tighter fit, which takes
care of the problem cited.
The company also informed us that the
decals were not included in the kit for several
reasons. They add a substantial amount to the
kit price, they tend to dry out in storage, and
it seems as though no matter which individual
aircraft markings are included, someone
inevitably wants another version.
With that in mind, the decals are posted as
a bmp file on DJ Aerotech’s Web site. Anyone
can download them into the Microsoft Paint
program (which is included with every copy
11sig2.QXD 8/24/04 8:36 am Page 56