RADIO CONTROL GIANTS 2003/03

March 2003 109
NOW IS the time to start thinking about the upcoming season’s new
Radio Control (RC) Giant project. Before you know it, spring, and
then summer, will be upon us and the flying season will be in full
swing. If you have expectations of featuring a new model, now is the
time to get moving.
Since I have been so busy with work myself, my closest friends
tease me about being “finished” or “washed-up” in the hobby. They
say that I will never finish any of the models that I have started.
My answer to them is “bull!” I have told these nonbelievers—my
good “pals”—that like flowers in the spring, my workroom will
“bloom with newly finished aircraft.” Anyone wanna take bets?
Following are a few manufacturers and distributors that might help
get your project off the board this season.
JANACO of Dallas, Texas, manufactures the Jackscrew Linear
Operating Electric Servo. This servo has the power needed to operate
landing gears, flaps, gear doors, accessories, and almost anything else
you can think of that would use a linear adjustable jackscrew with as
much as 10 pounds of thrust power.
The jackscrew is adjustable from 13⁄4 inches down to 5⁄8 inch. The
unit is “noise” squelched for RC operation and can be activated
mechanically with a timer or RC servo. The unit weighs 4 ounces and
is operated using inexpensive AA alkaline batteries or a nine-volt
transistor battery.
The unit comes completely wired with limit switches, a reversing
switch, a powerful low-drain/high-rpm motor, capacitor, and reversing
diodes. It is constructed using high-quality brass and Delron gears.
The servo is activated by tripping the toggle switch in the direction
that you want the screw to travel. The toggle switch is usually tripped
by a standard RC servo or other mechanical means. JANACO provides
drawings that show typical installation details for retracting landing
gear.
For more information about the Jackscrew Linear Operating
Electric Servo, you can call (972) 681-8290 or send an E-mail to
[email protected]. You can also write to the company at
JANACO, 11323 Cotillion, Dallas TX 75228.
ServoCity is a division of Brian Thomas Robotics (BTR), which is
one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality, educational robots in
the world.
Founded in 1994, BTR, with Pitsco, Inc. and Synergistic Systems,
Inc., revolutionized the educational robotic market. With the
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
A JANACO Jackscrew Linear Operating Electric Servo.
This Sterling Stearman PT-17 belongs to Gunny Bumburs (Babylon NY). It took him
roughly one year to construct the model finished in US Army Air Corps colors.
Ron Weiss Plans’ 1⁄3-scale Fleet Bipe spans 112 inches.
Kevin Shaw’s (Middle Island NY) 1⁄4-scale
Sopwith Pup with smoke on in a flyby. It
must have a Dr.I on its tail!
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introduction of the Seeker robot in 1995, followed by the Rooster,
SAM, and Seeker II robots, BTR has steadily built a reputation in
robotics based on quality, durability, and price.
BTR robots are used at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Sun
Microsystems, IBM, Ajile Systems, the world-renowned Kansas
Cosmosphere, the Museum of Discovery, and in thousands of schools.
ServoCity’s mission is to become a leading supplier of servos and
accessories to the hobbyist. The company plans to achieve this by
offering good customer service and technical support, and innovative
products that are the best-designed, -built, -tested, and -priced
components on the market.
ServoCity sells a variety of servos, extensions, receivers, crystals,
servo repair kits, and more. The company offers special package deals,
and it is worth a visit to its Web site at www.servocity.com. To order,
call (877) 221-7071; for technical questions, call (620) 221-0421.
Ron Weiss Plans of Huntington, New York, offers a growing line
of 1⁄3-scale plans including a Fokker D.VIII, Fokker Dr.I, and Fleet
Bipe. His own Fleet Bipe, sporting the Long Island Flying School
insignia, is featured in a photo.
The model has a 112-inch wingspan, 3,360 square inches of wing
area, and weighs 4 pounds. Ron powers the Fleet with a Zenoah G-
62 that fits nicely in the cowling. He used Solartex for the covering
Kevin Shaw installed realistic-looking aluminum cowling and a
scale landing-gear system on his Balsa USA Sopwith Pup.
Bob Allen of Poughkeepsie NY and his TopFlite P-51B. The
wingspan is 841⁄2 inches, and it is Cheetah 42-powered.
Big Airplane Performance On A Small Model Budget!
Herr Engineering leads the industry in high quality computer
designed laser cut kits. They’re a great choice for the sport or the
advanced flyer. Each kit features the finest hand selected balsa, tab
and notch construction for quick and accurate assembly, computer
drawn plans, 3-D cad design for precise part fit, quality hardware
pack, pre-bent landing gear wire, and step by step instructions.
Herr Engineering
a division of
SIG MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC.
P. O. Box 520 • Montezuma, Iowa 50171-0520
Phone: 641-623-5154 • Web Site: www.iflyherr.com
AT-6 Texan .049-.061
36” Span, 3-4 Channels
Star Cruiser Trainer .049-.061
42” Span, 3 Channels
Piper J-3 Cub .049-.061
48” Span, 3 Channels
P-51 Mustang .061-.074
42” Span, 4 Channels
Pitts Special .074-.15
30” Span, 4 Channels
Aqua Star Seaplane .049-.061
42” Span, 3 Channels
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112 MODEL AVIATION
and Randolph dope for the finish.
The plans for the Fleet come in two large
sheets and can be purchased directly from Ron
for $44 plus $5 for shipping. If you are
interested in plans for the Fleet, or any other of
Ron’s 1⁄3-scale designs, call him at (631) 427-
7312 or write to him at 20 Linda Pl.,
Huntington NY 11743. The cowling for the
Fleet and Ron’s other 1⁄3-scale designs can be
purchased directly from Mike Gross at (631)
281-0042. The price of the Fleet cowling is
$40.
It took roughly one year, but Gunny Bumburs
of Babylon, New York, built a nice Sterling
PT-17. The model spans 641⁄2 inches and
weighs 101⁄2 pounds. It is powered by an O.S.
91 four-stroke engine swinging a 15 x 6
propeller.
The aircraft is covered with ColorTex and
painted with Top Flite LustreKote paint.
Gunny added scale flying and landing wires
made from flattened K&S aluminum tubing
with 2-56 threaded rods at the ends, and
Nelson scale clevises to attach the wires. He
took the time to polish the tubing to replicate
stainless steel.
Gunny finished his PT-17 in US Army Air
Corps colors, a popular scheme that represents
aircraft used to train many World War II
Allied pilots. Not only does the model look
great, but Gunny reports that it flies well too!
Kevin Shaw of Middle Island, New York,
built a beautiful-looking, great-flying 1⁄4-scale
Sopwith Pup from a Balsa USA kit. To
improve the scale outline of this Stand-Off
Scale kit, Kevin incorporated several changes
during construction. Some of the more
apparent changes were the construction of a
scale shock-absorbing landing-gear system and
the installation of a more realistic aluminum
cowling.
A pull-pull system was installed on the tail
surfaces, and a full set of landing/flying wires
was installed. With a little white paint and a
steady hand, Palmer Cord Aero Tyre was
added to the William Bros. WW I wheels,
which is a nice touch. The Pup is covered with
Solartex and is powered by a Zenoah G-38 gas
engine.
The full-scale Pup was a single-seat
fighting scout and the forerunner to the more
famous Camel. It was named Pup because it
looked like a baby 11⁄2 Strutter. The aircraft
had nearly perfect flying qualities. It was
delightful to fly—small, simple, and reliable
with a generous wing area for a good rate of
climb and agility. It had excellent performance
at height.
It was soon underpowered for combat on
the Western Front against Albatros D.IIIs, but
it could turn twice in the radius of a single turn
by an Albatros. The Pup established the
reputation of Naval 8 RNAS (Royal Naval Air
Service) in late 1916 when the squadron
racked up 20 kills. After removal from the
front, the aircraft was used as a home defense
unit fighter against Zeppelins.
The Pup was powered by the 80-
horsepower LeRhone rotary engine, giving it a
maximum speed of 111 mph. Other engines
were also used including an 80-horsepower
Gnome or the 100-horsepower Gnome
Monosoupape. It was armed with a single
Vickers machine gun mounted on the fuselage
over the engine. It was light and extremely
agile, although slower than its opponent, the
Albatros D.III. Roughly 1,770 Pups were
built—a large number for that time.
Bob Allen of Poughkeepsie, New York, is
shown with his latest creation, a P-51B built
from a TopFlite kit. The model spans 841⁄2
inches and is powered by a Cheetah 42 gas
engine. It uses Robart retractable gear
(including tail-wheel gear) and is painted with
Cheveron Perfect Paint.
The P-51 is finished in Lieutenant Calvin
D. Allen Jr.’s colors. He was assigned to the
5th Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Group, of
the 15th Air Force. Finishing touches include a
TopFlite cockpit kit and TopFlite pilot figure.
Bob did a great job building and finishing this
model and says that it performs well in the air.
On a sad note, Bob says that this model, the
B version, is no longer available from
TopFlite.
That’s all for this month. Send me photos of
your latest creations so I can share them with
AMA’s membership. I will gladly receive any
questions, concerns, or advice you have.
Stay warm and start building! MA
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