arF! arF! arF! No, it isn’t my German
shepherd Wolfgang barking to be let in. It’s my
reaction to the latest issue of modelSPORT
video magazine, which includes an extensive
demonstration of the “completion” of an ARF
(Almost Ready-to-Fly) Midget Mustang.
As with other models of its ilk, the
dogsbody work has been completed by the
manufacturer, and the “fiddly bits” are left
to the “model builder.” The ads read, “just
install your radio and engine—and you’re
ready to fly.”
No criticism is intended, but there’s a
great deal of labor to be exercised—even
with the most sophisticated ARF.
Part of the problem is that most ARFs are
precovered. Therefore, stuffing your servos
into the covered wing (before you’ve joined
the wing halves) requires rather complex
measuring. You have to dig into the already
prepared place to find the aileron servo wells.
The same exacting bit of cutting will be
required to find the exit points for rudder and
elevator pushrods, after you’ve bolted your
fuselage servos into the built-in servo tray.
Locating the engine on the bare plywood
firewall will also be a challenge. If you were
building the model from a kit or from
scratch, you would have installed the engine
mounts before you installed the firewall!
The blind nuts could easily be installed to
hold the mount—you could get to them
without having to reach into the blind cavity
of the covered fuselage.
It would also be much easier to install the
fuel tank in the kit-/scratch-built model.
With the ARF, it has to be fished through the
dark hole forward of the wing(s).
If your ARF has a premolded cowling, it will
be tough to locate the hole for the glow-plug
driver and the aperture for the needle valve.
The Midget Mustang featured in the
video tape has a particularly attractive way
of handling this problem. A clear plastic
partial cowl is furnished, and it can be
pinned in place. Marking the necessary
holes is a snap, and transferring them to the
fiberglass cowling is even easier, since the
clear part fits directly over it.
I’m not knocking ARFs; I’m all for
them. They certainly have their place in the
great scheme of RC. I just want to make
sure you understand that you’ll have to do
some work before your new ARF model is
ready to take out to the club field.
Speaking of modelSPORT tapes, the
current edition (MS0303) does include a
Giant Scale portion. There are some short
shots of the Madera (CA) races, which are
truly fascinating. I was surprised at the large
size of the expensive models.
If you’re interested in a great video, the
address is modelSPORT Video Magazine,
Box 12557, Jacksonville NC 28546.
Canadian Scale modeler Ray Gareau sent
some interesting photos of his current
project—a Curtiss-Reid biplane. The
prototype was a sesquiplane, with a vestigial
lower wing.
Ray is the model’s designer, builder, and,
probably by this time, flier.
Of great interest are the wing trailing
edges and wingtips; Ray formed them from
pieces of wire clothes-hanger.
The scale instrument panel is made from
walnut veneer, and the tail feathers are
laminated balsa/walnut strips.
Ray was contemplating making a
fiberglass cowling for the airplane, and he
mounted all bellcranks with ball bearings to
smooth out their action.
The wing spars are carbon-fiber tubes
(which duplicate the aluminum tubing spars
of the prototype).
Ray admits he “cheated a little bit” when
it came to the tail skid; he added a small
wheel (made from a rubber O-ring), and
made it steerable.
The exhaust pipe is braced with parts from
an old typewriter, and many other parts of the
model were made from the same machine!
To provide fuel for the engine, Ray
used two five-ounce hair-dye bottles
arranged in series.
William Pfannenstiel (14405 Inca Ct.,
Westminister CO 80020) has a problem. He
purchased a Giant Scale Condor model at an
auction. He thinks the aircraft is of
European origin—probably French—but he
isn’t sure.
William would like some information
about the model—particularly the specific
location for the center of gravity.
If you can help with the model’s derivation,
contact William at (303) 920-0280.
old friend Frank Beatty of Granite City,
Illinois is still at it—designing and building
gorgeous Scale models.
Frank’s latest project is a Rose Parakeet,
as modified in prototype form by Richard
Borg in 1980. Richard was most cooperative
in Frank’s modeling effort, and he provided
a host of photos and drawings of his
stunning biplane.
The model is built to 21⁄2 inches = 1 foot
scale, and is painted with Brodak dope—
Ag-Cat Yellow matches the prototype
scheme perfectly. Frank built up a scale
propeller using 1⁄32 basswood laminations,
and he had the model’s markings duplicated
with custom-made decals.
My last contact with Frank was regarding
a Curtiss Racer he was designing.
The R3C-2 biplane featured surfacecooling
radiators mounted on the upper
wing. Frank was concerned with the size
and shape of the radiator tubes, since none
John A. de Vries, 4610 Moffat Ln., Colorado Springs CO 80915
RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
Frank Beatty’s (Granite City IL) gorgeous Rose Parakeet biplane. This dead-on scale
model duplicates the prototype owned by Richard Borg.
January 2001 115
of his scale references gave him the
necessary information.
Frank got the data from Mike Eckels,
historian of the Arkansas Air Museum.
If you’re searching for a US aircraft to model,
there is a super book for you! John W.
McDonald has published his Aircraft Year
Book 3-View Drawings, 1903-1946, and it’s a
doozer!
Imagine three-views of practically every
US airplane designed, built, and flown, from
the Wright Bros. through the end of World
War II, military and civilian. There are 275
pages of potential Giants. It’s mind-boggling!
The airplanes are listed alphabetically by
manufacturer, and each three-view is identified
by the year that the drawing was published in
the authoritative Aircraft Year Books.
There’s a close relationship between the
book’s drawings and discussion and
photographs of the same aircraft in Joseph
Juptner’s series of definitive books, which
lists the aircraft by ATC approval number.
These books are a great start in researching
even the most obscure prototypes.
Although John’s book is available from the
major aviation booksellers, you can order it
directly from him at Box 23, Windom KS
67491. The price is $35 + $4 S&H in the US;
$35 + $8 S&H (in US funds) overseas.
It’s a great soft-cover book, and is well
worth the money!
I have a confession: I’ve (temporarily) fallen
away from Giants. I answered the sirens’
song of Electric flight and, in a weak
moment, acquired a “park flier.”
There was a rather obscure rationalization
for the slow-flying model. It was to learn
something about Electric flight, in anticipation
of using the quiet motors in the Giant Scale Bell
YMF-1A that I’ll probably build. At least it will
be a change from “flying” RC on the computer!
Have you started on your winterproject
Giant? MA
