104 MODEL AVIATION
ONE OF THIS column’s missions is to
bring you news and information about
what is going on in the precision
Aerobatics world. Occasionally I get Emails
and telephone calls from people who
say they like the column, but ... The “but”
is almost always a request for more
detailed information.
AMA has Special Interest Groups
(SIGs) in which a great deal of this
detailed information circulates. The good
news is that precision Aerobatics has a
SIG called the National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA). This
organization has a membership that
comprises the most knowledgeable people
in the sport of precision Aerobatics.
The NSRCA has a Web site—
http://nsrca.org/—that is linked to the
AMA Web site (http://modelaircraft.org)
and vice versa. As is AMA, NSRCA is a
non-profit organization. In addition,
NSRCA has its own monthly magazine,
aptly called the K Factor. If you do not
have Internet access, contact NSRCA
Secretary Maureen Dunphy at (662) 462-
5466. As soon as you join, you will begin
receiving the monthly K Factor.
The NSRCA divides the USA into eight
competition regions that are designed to
map into the geographic distribution of
competitors. It also includes the east and
west districts of Canada. If you want and
need more technical details about precision
Aerobatics and the latest equipment, you
could do no better than to join NSRCA.
The subject of soft mounts and nose rings
keeps coming up in my E-mail. A nose
ring, in this instance, is a support ring that
goes around the front bearing housing of
an engine. It is fixed to the front of a
Eric Henderson, 303 Shady Ln., Marlton NJ 08053; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL AEROBATICS
Multiplex’s new ultra-powerful 12-channel Royal Evo. Freshly baked isolation mounts await their engine beams.
Merle Hyde hard at work making more Hyde Mounts in his Henderson NV workshop.
Bob Smith Industries’ new Insta-Flex
comes in thin form for Mylar hinges.
106 MODEL AVIATION
fuselage to stop an engine from waving
around on a soft mount. The maestro and
my mentor on soft mounts is Merle Hyde.
Merle lives in Henderson, Nevada,
which happened to be only 10 minutes
from the HobbyVisions show in Las
Vegas, Nevada. This was the first show,
and my wife liked the idea of Vegas at
night; I liked the idea of the show during
the day, so we both went!
I had never met Merle in person, so
dinner was definitely in the cards. Before
we went out, he gave me a tour of his
workshop. There was a freshly baked
batch of isolation mounts awaiting their
engine beams.
We also took a peek into his son Chip’s
old bedroom. Now there was a history of
US Pattern in its own right. Many of
Chip’s early models—all of which he had
flown with distinction—were hanging on
the wall. It was hard not to be affected by
how many campaign stories could be told
in that one small room!
Back to nose rings. Merle is not an
advocate of a nose ring being installed in
the front of a solid-nosed aircraft (one
without a removable cowl). He makes
engine mounts that can be softer if they
are provided with some front-end support.
“The nose ring should normally be
installed in the nose section of a solidnosed
aircraft,” he said. “When I made
nose rings [20 years ago], they were very
loose fitting and were very soft. I got out
of the business of making separate nose
rings several years ago.”
A nose-ring support system works best
when it is projected from the firewall.
Merle believes that a slightly loose-fitting
nose ring will not degrade flight
performance. That is from his experience,
and Chip’s, and from other top fliers’
input.
A loose-fitting nose ring may permit
front-end engine sag and be unappealing
to some modelers who are more interested
in appearance than performance. Fullscale
pilots have told me that the engines
in some World War II propeller aircraft
moved “all over the place.” To get
exceptional vibration protection, the
engine needs to nearly float.
Merle makes the ARI series of mounts
with a firewall-supported nose ring. His
experience with this mount is that it
provides additional noise reduction and
eliminates nose-transmitted airplane shake
associated with a fuselage-attached nose
ring. Interestingly enough, this is currently
the softest version of his mounts. Nose
shake is vibration that needs to be avoided
because it increases current drain and
airborne equipment wear.
If you don’t feel motivated to rush out
and buy an ARI-type mount, Merle asks
that you consider modifying your
installations to have some form of
firewall-supported nose-ring system. He
thinks most modelers are fairly savvy and
should have no trouble designing and
building a nose-ring support
system/device projected from the firewall.
The current trend of using bigger twostroke
engines also allows us to use Type
A Hyde Mounts that do not employ a nose
ring. The vibration of a two-stroke with
this setup does not seem to have any
detrimental effects on battery consumption
or associated servo wear.
The HobbyVisions expo was a major
promotional event for the hobby industry.
It was part air show and part trade show.
On the first day there was a flying display
at the Bill Bennett Memorial Field (the
site of many past Tournament of
Champions events). Free buses ran all day
to and from the field.
We were treated to some amazing
flying by Pattern pilots such as Chip Hyde
and Jason Shulman. Jason flew his
electric-powered airplanes and showed
their vertical power and how quiet they
are. Electric power is here and soon may
be price viable.
Jason Shulman used this Hacker motor in his electric-powered
model and finished seventh in the FAI World Championships.
Chip Hyde introduced a line of horns made from anodized
aluminum with a miniature ball bearing pressed into the body.
108 MODEL AVIATION
The trade show was held in the Sands
Expo and Convention Center. It was not
specifically aimed at Radio Control
Aerobatics, but a couple of items were
Pattern-related.
Multiplex may not be as well known as
other radios, but the company makes a
wide range, from four-channel sets to the
new, ultra-powerful 12-channel Royal
Evo. The multichannel sets can be
expanded and customized from a basic
four-channel configuration. Full
“International” sets are now shipping with
the new Multiplex IPD receivers!
The control-stick units feature
precision ball races with selectable
ratchet/self-centering action. The units can
be swiveled through 15°, allowing thumbs
to follow their natural movement. Three
sizes of stick tops are included in the set,
all variable in length. Stick-top switches
can be fitted and use an integral push
button or rocker switch.
For adjusting mixers and exponential
controls, the Royal Evo features
Multiplex’s new 3-D Digi-adjusters! You
can change the mixer values in-flight until
they are the way you want them. When
you assign transmitter controls and
switches, all you need to do is move to the
desired channel and the computer assigns
the channel.
The Evo features a large graphic
display and has modes for in-flight,
scanner, and channel selection, depending
on the Royal model. Using an Evo data
cable, you can connect the Royal Evo
transmitter to your Windows personal
computer. You can transfer model
memories to and from your Royal Evo
transmitter as well. You can also install
updates to the transmitter software as they
become available.
Bob Smith of Bob Smith Industries
showed me a new glue: Insta-Flex
cyanoacrylate that comes in thin form. You
may be familiar with the medium and thick
versions. This glue is designed for use with
items such as Mylar hinges and in any
areas where glue should not be brittle
when it cures.
Chip Hyde, who performed part of his
demo flight with his feet (no kidding!),
introduced me to a new line of horns that
look good. They are made from anodized
aluminum and have a miniature ball
bearing pressed into the body of the horn.
They will accept conventional clevises.
The ball bearings provide a low-friction
connection to the servos. This leads to
much better and noticeable centering of
control surfaces.
I recommend ball-bearing connections
on all four points of a pull-pull system. As
the tension is increased on the pull-pull
wires, the friction increases on the pivot
points of a regular horn and clevis. A ball
bearing greatly reduces the resistance to
movement. In a push-pull situation, ball
bearings allow much smoother operation.
There is a new servo from JR that goes
by the nomenclature 8611. This servo is
just asking for a rudder to drive! If you are
looking for more power to work that
rudder with a bit more authority, it looks
like JR has come up with a servo that will
do the job. In the past I have fitted two
servos to the rudder and noticed a marked
difference. After that, airplanes that would
not knife-edge well had climbing power
when flying on their sides.
I did get to see Jason’s electric Pattern
airplane at the HobbyVisions air show.
Hacker had a booth at the show, so I was
able get a picture of the motor.
Unfortunately, when I asked for more info
they did not have it available at the booth.
They did refer me to the Web site and an
article in another magazine. Sorry I don’t
have anything more for you electric
enthusiasts. I will continue to follow this
trend and report when I have tangible data.
Until then, manage that throttle and get
better scores. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/04
Page Numbers: 104,106,108
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/04
Page Numbers: 104,106,108
104 MODEL AVIATION
ONE OF THIS column’s missions is to
bring you news and information about
what is going on in the precision
Aerobatics world. Occasionally I get Emails
and telephone calls from people who
say they like the column, but ... The “but”
is almost always a request for more
detailed information.
AMA has Special Interest Groups
(SIGs) in which a great deal of this
detailed information circulates. The good
news is that precision Aerobatics has a
SIG called the National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA). This
organization has a membership that
comprises the most knowledgeable people
in the sport of precision Aerobatics.
The NSRCA has a Web site—
http://nsrca.org/—that is linked to the
AMA Web site (http://modelaircraft.org)
and vice versa. As is AMA, NSRCA is a
non-profit organization. In addition,
NSRCA has its own monthly magazine,
aptly called the K Factor. If you do not
have Internet access, contact NSRCA
Secretary Maureen Dunphy at (662) 462-
5466. As soon as you join, you will begin
receiving the monthly K Factor.
The NSRCA divides the USA into eight
competition regions that are designed to
map into the geographic distribution of
competitors. It also includes the east and
west districts of Canada. If you want and
need more technical details about precision
Aerobatics and the latest equipment, you
could do no better than to join NSRCA.
The subject of soft mounts and nose rings
keeps coming up in my E-mail. A nose
ring, in this instance, is a support ring that
goes around the front bearing housing of
an engine. It is fixed to the front of a
Eric Henderson, 303 Shady Ln., Marlton NJ 08053; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL AEROBATICS
Multiplex’s new ultra-powerful 12-channel Royal Evo. Freshly baked isolation mounts await their engine beams.
Merle Hyde hard at work making more Hyde Mounts in his Henderson NV workshop.
Bob Smith Industries’ new Insta-Flex
comes in thin form for Mylar hinges.
106 MODEL AVIATION
fuselage to stop an engine from waving
around on a soft mount. The maestro and
my mentor on soft mounts is Merle Hyde.
Merle lives in Henderson, Nevada,
which happened to be only 10 minutes
from the HobbyVisions show in Las
Vegas, Nevada. This was the first show,
and my wife liked the idea of Vegas at
night; I liked the idea of the show during
the day, so we both went!
I had never met Merle in person, so
dinner was definitely in the cards. Before
we went out, he gave me a tour of his
workshop. There was a freshly baked
batch of isolation mounts awaiting their
engine beams.
We also took a peek into his son Chip’s
old bedroom. Now there was a history of
US Pattern in its own right. Many of
Chip’s early models—all of which he had
flown with distinction—were hanging on
the wall. It was hard not to be affected by
how many campaign stories could be told
in that one small room!
Back to nose rings. Merle is not an
advocate of a nose ring being installed in
the front of a solid-nosed aircraft (one
without a removable cowl). He makes
engine mounts that can be softer if they
are provided with some front-end support.
“The nose ring should normally be
installed in the nose section of a solidnosed
aircraft,” he said. “When I made
nose rings [20 years ago], they were very
loose fitting and were very soft. I got out
of the business of making separate nose
rings several years ago.”
A nose-ring support system works best
when it is projected from the firewall.
Merle believes that a slightly loose-fitting
nose ring will not degrade flight
performance. That is from his experience,
and Chip’s, and from other top fliers’
input.
A loose-fitting nose ring may permit
front-end engine sag and be unappealing
to some modelers who are more interested
in appearance than performance. Fullscale
pilots have told me that the engines
in some World War II propeller aircraft
moved “all over the place.” To get
exceptional vibration protection, the
engine needs to nearly float.
Merle makes the ARI series of mounts
with a firewall-supported nose ring. His
experience with this mount is that it
provides additional noise reduction and
eliminates nose-transmitted airplane shake
associated with a fuselage-attached nose
ring. Interestingly enough, this is currently
the softest version of his mounts. Nose
shake is vibration that needs to be avoided
because it increases current drain and
airborne equipment wear.
If you don’t feel motivated to rush out
and buy an ARI-type mount, Merle asks
that you consider modifying your
installations to have some form of
firewall-supported nose-ring system. He
thinks most modelers are fairly savvy and
should have no trouble designing and
building a nose-ring support
system/device projected from the firewall.
The current trend of using bigger twostroke
engines also allows us to use Type
A Hyde Mounts that do not employ a nose
ring. The vibration of a two-stroke with
this setup does not seem to have any
detrimental effects on battery consumption
or associated servo wear.
The HobbyVisions expo was a major
promotional event for the hobby industry.
It was part air show and part trade show.
On the first day there was a flying display
at the Bill Bennett Memorial Field (the
site of many past Tournament of
Champions events). Free buses ran all day
to and from the field.
We were treated to some amazing
flying by Pattern pilots such as Chip Hyde
and Jason Shulman. Jason flew his
electric-powered airplanes and showed
their vertical power and how quiet they
are. Electric power is here and soon may
be price viable.
Jason Shulman used this Hacker motor in his electric-powered
model and finished seventh in the FAI World Championships.
Chip Hyde introduced a line of horns made from anodized
aluminum with a miniature ball bearing pressed into the body.
108 MODEL AVIATION
The trade show was held in the Sands
Expo and Convention Center. It was not
specifically aimed at Radio Control
Aerobatics, but a couple of items were
Pattern-related.
Multiplex may not be as well known as
other radios, but the company makes a
wide range, from four-channel sets to the
new, ultra-powerful 12-channel Royal
Evo. The multichannel sets can be
expanded and customized from a basic
four-channel configuration. Full
“International” sets are now shipping with
the new Multiplex IPD receivers!
The control-stick units feature
precision ball races with selectable
ratchet/self-centering action. The units can
be swiveled through 15°, allowing thumbs
to follow their natural movement. Three
sizes of stick tops are included in the set,
all variable in length. Stick-top switches
can be fitted and use an integral push
button or rocker switch.
For adjusting mixers and exponential
controls, the Royal Evo features
Multiplex’s new 3-D Digi-adjusters! You
can change the mixer values in-flight until
they are the way you want them. When
you assign transmitter controls and
switches, all you need to do is move to the
desired channel and the computer assigns
the channel.
The Evo features a large graphic
display and has modes for in-flight,
scanner, and channel selection, depending
on the Royal model. Using an Evo data
cable, you can connect the Royal Evo
transmitter to your Windows personal
computer. You can transfer model
memories to and from your Royal Evo
transmitter as well. You can also install
updates to the transmitter software as they
become available.
Bob Smith of Bob Smith Industries
showed me a new glue: Insta-Flex
cyanoacrylate that comes in thin form. You
may be familiar with the medium and thick
versions. This glue is designed for use with
items such as Mylar hinges and in any
areas where glue should not be brittle
when it cures.
Chip Hyde, who performed part of his
demo flight with his feet (no kidding!),
introduced me to a new line of horns that
look good. They are made from anodized
aluminum and have a miniature ball
bearing pressed into the body of the horn.
They will accept conventional clevises.
The ball bearings provide a low-friction
connection to the servos. This leads to
much better and noticeable centering of
control surfaces.
I recommend ball-bearing connections
on all four points of a pull-pull system. As
the tension is increased on the pull-pull
wires, the friction increases on the pivot
points of a regular horn and clevis. A ball
bearing greatly reduces the resistance to
movement. In a push-pull situation, ball
bearings allow much smoother operation.
There is a new servo from JR that goes
by the nomenclature 8611. This servo is
just asking for a rudder to drive! If you are
looking for more power to work that
rudder with a bit more authority, it looks
like JR has come up with a servo that will
do the job. In the past I have fitted two
servos to the rudder and noticed a marked
difference. After that, airplanes that would
not knife-edge well had climbing power
when flying on their sides.
I did get to see Jason’s electric Pattern
airplane at the HobbyVisions air show.
Hacker had a booth at the show, so I was
able get a picture of the motor.
Unfortunately, when I asked for more info
they did not have it available at the booth.
They did refer me to the Web site and an
article in another magazine. Sorry I don’t
have anything more for you electric
enthusiasts. I will continue to follow this
trend and report when I have tangible data.
Until then, manage that throttle and get
better scores. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/04
Page Numbers: 104,106,108
104 MODEL AVIATION
ONE OF THIS column’s missions is to
bring you news and information about
what is going on in the precision
Aerobatics world. Occasionally I get Emails
and telephone calls from people who
say they like the column, but ... The “but”
is almost always a request for more
detailed information.
AMA has Special Interest Groups
(SIGs) in which a great deal of this
detailed information circulates. The good
news is that precision Aerobatics has a
SIG called the National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA). This
organization has a membership that
comprises the most knowledgeable people
in the sport of precision Aerobatics.
The NSRCA has a Web site—
http://nsrca.org/—that is linked to the
AMA Web site (http://modelaircraft.org)
and vice versa. As is AMA, NSRCA is a
non-profit organization. In addition,
NSRCA has its own monthly magazine,
aptly called the K Factor. If you do not
have Internet access, contact NSRCA
Secretary Maureen Dunphy at (662) 462-
5466. As soon as you join, you will begin
receiving the monthly K Factor.
The NSRCA divides the USA into eight
competition regions that are designed to
map into the geographic distribution of
competitors. It also includes the east and
west districts of Canada. If you want and
need more technical details about precision
Aerobatics and the latest equipment, you
could do no better than to join NSRCA.
The subject of soft mounts and nose rings
keeps coming up in my E-mail. A nose
ring, in this instance, is a support ring that
goes around the front bearing housing of
an engine. It is fixed to the front of a
Eric Henderson, 303 Shady Ln., Marlton NJ 08053; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL AEROBATICS
Multiplex’s new ultra-powerful 12-channel Royal Evo. Freshly baked isolation mounts await their engine beams.
Merle Hyde hard at work making more Hyde Mounts in his Henderson NV workshop.
Bob Smith Industries’ new Insta-Flex
comes in thin form for Mylar hinges.
106 MODEL AVIATION
fuselage to stop an engine from waving
around on a soft mount. The maestro and
my mentor on soft mounts is Merle Hyde.
Merle lives in Henderson, Nevada,
which happened to be only 10 minutes
from the HobbyVisions show in Las
Vegas, Nevada. This was the first show,
and my wife liked the idea of Vegas at
night; I liked the idea of the show during
the day, so we both went!
I had never met Merle in person, so
dinner was definitely in the cards. Before
we went out, he gave me a tour of his
workshop. There was a freshly baked
batch of isolation mounts awaiting their
engine beams.
We also took a peek into his son Chip’s
old bedroom. Now there was a history of
US Pattern in its own right. Many of
Chip’s early models—all of which he had
flown with distinction—were hanging on
the wall. It was hard not to be affected by
how many campaign stories could be told
in that one small room!
Back to nose rings. Merle is not an
advocate of a nose ring being installed in
the front of a solid-nosed aircraft (one
without a removable cowl). He makes
engine mounts that can be softer if they
are provided with some front-end support.
“The nose ring should normally be
installed in the nose section of a solidnosed
aircraft,” he said. “When I made
nose rings [20 years ago], they were very
loose fitting and were very soft. I got out
of the business of making separate nose
rings several years ago.”
A nose-ring support system works best
when it is projected from the firewall.
Merle believes that a slightly loose-fitting
nose ring will not degrade flight
performance. That is from his experience,
and Chip’s, and from other top fliers’
input.
A loose-fitting nose ring may permit
front-end engine sag and be unappealing
to some modelers who are more interested
in appearance than performance. Fullscale
pilots have told me that the engines
in some World War II propeller aircraft
moved “all over the place.” To get
exceptional vibration protection, the
engine needs to nearly float.
Merle makes the ARI series of mounts
with a firewall-supported nose ring. His
experience with this mount is that it
provides additional noise reduction and
eliminates nose-transmitted airplane shake
associated with a fuselage-attached nose
ring. Interestingly enough, this is currently
the softest version of his mounts. Nose
shake is vibration that needs to be avoided
because it increases current drain and
airborne equipment wear.
If you don’t feel motivated to rush out
and buy an ARI-type mount, Merle asks
that you consider modifying your
installations to have some form of
firewall-supported nose-ring system. He
thinks most modelers are fairly savvy and
should have no trouble designing and
building a nose-ring support
system/device projected from the firewall.
The current trend of using bigger twostroke
engines also allows us to use Type
A Hyde Mounts that do not employ a nose
ring. The vibration of a two-stroke with
this setup does not seem to have any
detrimental effects on battery consumption
or associated servo wear.
The HobbyVisions expo was a major
promotional event for the hobby industry.
It was part air show and part trade show.
On the first day there was a flying display
at the Bill Bennett Memorial Field (the
site of many past Tournament of
Champions events). Free buses ran all day
to and from the field.
We were treated to some amazing
flying by Pattern pilots such as Chip Hyde
and Jason Shulman. Jason flew his
electric-powered airplanes and showed
their vertical power and how quiet they
are. Electric power is here and soon may
be price viable.
Jason Shulman used this Hacker motor in his electric-powered
model and finished seventh in the FAI World Championships.
Chip Hyde introduced a line of horns made from anodized
aluminum with a miniature ball bearing pressed into the body.
108 MODEL AVIATION
The trade show was held in the Sands
Expo and Convention Center. It was not
specifically aimed at Radio Control
Aerobatics, but a couple of items were
Pattern-related.
Multiplex may not be as well known as
other radios, but the company makes a
wide range, from four-channel sets to the
new, ultra-powerful 12-channel Royal
Evo. The multichannel sets can be
expanded and customized from a basic
four-channel configuration. Full
“International” sets are now shipping with
the new Multiplex IPD receivers!
The control-stick units feature
precision ball races with selectable
ratchet/self-centering action. The units can
be swiveled through 15°, allowing thumbs
to follow their natural movement. Three
sizes of stick tops are included in the set,
all variable in length. Stick-top switches
can be fitted and use an integral push
button or rocker switch.
For adjusting mixers and exponential
controls, the Royal Evo features
Multiplex’s new 3-D Digi-adjusters! You
can change the mixer values in-flight until
they are the way you want them. When
you assign transmitter controls and
switches, all you need to do is move to the
desired channel and the computer assigns
the channel.
The Evo features a large graphic
display and has modes for in-flight,
scanner, and channel selection, depending
on the Royal model. Using an Evo data
cable, you can connect the Royal Evo
transmitter to your Windows personal
computer. You can transfer model
memories to and from your Royal Evo
transmitter as well. You can also install
updates to the transmitter software as they
become available.
Bob Smith of Bob Smith Industries
showed me a new glue: Insta-Flex
cyanoacrylate that comes in thin form. You
may be familiar with the medium and thick
versions. This glue is designed for use with
items such as Mylar hinges and in any
areas where glue should not be brittle
when it cures.
Chip Hyde, who performed part of his
demo flight with his feet (no kidding!),
introduced me to a new line of horns that
look good. They are made from anodized
aluminum and have a miniature ball
bearing pressed into the body of the horn.
They will accept conventional clevises.
The ball bearings provide a low-friction
connection to the servos. This leads to
much better and noticeable centering of
control surfaces.
I recommend ball-bearing connections
on all four points of a pull-pull system. As
the tension is increased on the pull-pull
wires, the friction increases on the pivot
points of a regular horn and clevis. A ball
bearing greatly reduces the resistance to
movement. In a push-pull situation, ball
bearings allow much smoother operation.
There is a new servo from JR that goes
by the nomenclature 8611. This servo is
just asking for a rudder to drive! If you are
looking for more power to work that
rudder with a bit more authority, it looks
like JR has come up with a servo that will
do the job. In the past I have fitted two
servos to the rudder and noticed a marked
difference. After that, airplanes that would
not knife-edge well had climbing power
when flying on their sides.
I did get to see Jason’s electric Pattern
airplane at the HobbyVisions air show.
Hacker had a booth at the show, so I was
able get a picture of the motor.
Unfortunately, when I asked for more info
they did not have it available at the booth.
They did refer me to the Web site and an
article in another magazine. Sorry I don’t
have anything more for you electric
enthusiasts. I will continue to follow this
trend and report when I have tangible data.
Until then, manage that throttle and get
better scores. MA
