RADIO CONTROL GIANTS 2003/05

May 2003 99
I AM ALWAYS looking for new and innovative products or
services that make a trip to the flying field for the Radio Control
(RC) Giants modeler a more pleasant experience.
In this month’s issue I am happy to write about two additions to
the ever-growing list of products specifically designed for those
who “like ‘em big.” The first is a press release from Ikon N’wst for
its L-19E Bird Dog. The second is a great new fuel pump designed
for gasoline, distributed by Sonic-Tronics.
Ikon N’wst is happy to announce the availability of a new 85-inch
L-19E Bird Dog. This beautiful airplane is 1⁄5 scale and is ready for
shipment today.
The kit includes a fiberglass cowl and aluminum landing gear.
The wings are removable for ease of transportation, and all the
parts are hand-cut from selected balsa wood. The price is $283.50,
plus $13.50 for shipping. As with all of the fine Ikon N’wst kits,
the L-19 is made in the United States.
During the late 1940s the US Army began looking for a
replacement for the Piper L-4 and Stinson L-5 observation aircraft.
The newly formed US Air Force, along with the US Army, issued a
joint specification for a new aircraft.
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
The Ikon N’wst 1⁄5-scale L-19E Bird Dog spans 85 inches and is
available directly from the company.
Sonic-Tronics’ Nifty Gasoline Pump is designed to supply
gasoline, glow fuel, kerosene, or smoke fluid to fuel tanks.
For perspective, Boyd O’Brien stands next to Jerry Smartt’s Miss
Philadelphia, which has a 15-foot wingspan.
Jerry Smartt with his 52% Sopwith Tabloid’s fuselage. He has 65
meters of Oratex covering ready for the aircraft.
100 MODEL AVIATION
Cessna was interested in the competition and used components
of its models 170 and 195 for a new design. Cessna built the
prototype in 90 days and won the competition. In May 1950 a
contract for 418 aircraft under the designation L-19A was issued.
The L-19A could take off and land over an obstacle 50 feet high in
as little as 167 yards.
In June 1950 the Korean War began. The L-19s were pressed
into service and production was increased. General Mark Clark
named the L-19 “Bird Dog” because it represented one of its
primary missions: hunting. The aircraft was also affectionately
called “the Jeep with wings.”
The L-19 series fulfilled many roles, including forward air
controller in Vietnam. It could also be fitted with four underwing
pylons for mixed stores of smoke canisters and “Willie Pete” white
phosphorus rockets.
As a testament to its durability, in February 1952 an L-19 was
hit by enemy antiaircraft fire at an altitude of 6,000 feet. Twelve
feet of the right wing panel was shot off, but the pilot and observer
regained control and miraculously landed the aircraft at an Air
Force base. (Please don’t try this with your model!)
The man behind Ikon N’wst, Emil Neely, has had a lifelong
passion for model aircraft. Emil retired from Boeing in Seattle,
Washington, where his job was to build models/prototypes. He
started Ikon N’wst in the late 1960s and hasn’t looked back.
The belt-driven gearbox in the Tabloid was specially designed for
the aircraft by Martin Lauer of Germany.
Jerry’s Smartt designed the Tabloid’s 14-inch wheels,
constructed from foam and light plywood with balsa rib spokes.
May 2003 103
According to his wife Iris, who runs the
office and does all of the bookkeeping, the
standing joke at Ikon is “for Emil, if it has
wings, we need to kit it!” Emil designs all
of the kits at Ikon.
Although serious illness has slowed him
down a bit, it’s hard to keep a good man
down. We all look forward to seeing your
next design, Emil.
To contact Ikon N’wst, you can write to
the company at 3806 Chase Rd., Post Falls
ID 83854. The E-mail address is
[email protected]. If you prefer the
telephone, dial (800) 327-7198 for orders
only and (208) 773-9001 for technical
information. You can visit Ikon N’wst’s
Web site at www.ikonnwst.com.
Sonic-Tronics Inc. is proud to present its
new Electronic Nifty Gasoline Pump. The
Nifty pump is designed to supply gasoline
(and glow fuel, kerosene, or smoke fluid) to
RC model aircraft, boat, or car fuel tanks.
The pump is a solid-state design and has
no electric motor or spark-generating parts,
and no diaphragms or bearings to wear out
or fatigue, making it safe for use with
gasoline. It is self-priming and will give
many years of good service.
The pump produces a constant pressure
of 6 psi. It requires a 12-volt DC source at
roughly 1 amp to operate, which is easily
supplied from your field starter battery. The
Sonic-Tronics Nifty Gasoline Pump is UL
listed.
The Nifty is a one-way pump that
cannot reverse operation by reversing
polarity. At present, to empty the model’s
fuel tank, the fuel lines must be reversed. I
have been told that by the time this column
is printed, a reversing valve will be
included with the Nifty pump.
For more information about this product
and the company’s other fine products, visit
the Sonic-Tronics Web site at
www.sonictronics.com or E-mail the
company at [email protected].
You can call Sonic-Tronics at (215) 635-
6520 or write to the company at 7865 Mill
Rd., Elkins Park PA 19027.
Jerry Smartt of Warsaw, Missouri,
certainly has a couple of large, interesting
RC Giants to share with us this month. The
first model is a 200%-size 1933 Miss
Philadelphia. The model spans 15 feet and
has a 28-inch wing chord. The horizontal
stabilizer alone spans 7 feet!
What is really fascinating is that this
monster airplane only weighs 20 pounds
and is powered by an electric motor! That’s
right. Jerry installed an Astro geared 90
motor swinging an 18 x 8 propeller. He
powers the Astro motor with 35 cells.
In 1933, Maxwell Bassett and Bill
Brown collaborated to complete the first
gas-powered Free Flight model, the Miss
Philadelphia. Maxwell designed the model
and Bill designed the engine, the Brown Jr.
The model spanned 71⁄2 feet, which was
quite large for those days. In 1997 a
commemorative meet was held in
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the
original aircraft. Everyone was to build a
version of Maxwell’s Miss Philly.
Jerry had the original plans enlarged to
200%. He uses two receivers, one in the tail
and one in the nose. In this manner he
avoids the huge expanse of wiring
necessary to operate the model.
The 9-inch wheels are inner tubes for a
go-kart-type wheel, which replicate the
1933 Trexlers. Jerry designed a three-piece
wing for easier transportation and covered
the whole model with Oracover. He used
20 rolls of covering! By the way, this was
Jerry’s first RC Giant.
The second model, currently under
construction, is a 52% Sopwith Tabloid.
Jerry obtained a set of plans for a 30%
Tabloid from a friend and had them
enlarged to 52%. I asked him why 52%,
and he said that two other gas fliers had
built the model at 50%. He wanted a larger
one that would be powered by an electric
motor.
Jerry plans to power the Tabloid with a
Dino motor by Plettenburg that has a
custom-made, belt-driven gearbox
designed by Martin Lauer of Germany.
The Tabloid spans 13 feet and has a 32-
inch chord.
The 14-inch wheels for the Tabloid are
Jerry’s own design, constructed from foam
and light plywood, with balsa ribs for
spokes. He uses a bicycle-type tire with
tube, and covers the balsa spokes with
material that is doped and painted.
Jerry will have four propellers available
to fine-tune the performance of this large
electric biplane. The first is a 36 x 22
laminated propeller that came with the
engine. Sixty-four 3000 mAh cells will be
used to spin it. He has 65 meters of Oratex
covering on hand for this biplane and he
hopes that he won’t need anymore.
Introduced toward the end of 1913, the
Sopwith Tabloid won the Schneider Trophy
at Monaco in 1914. An unarmed singleseater,
it was one of the first British
biplanes to be used in combat.
On the afternoon of October 9, 1914, in
the first successful bombing mission of the
war, the Royal Naval Air Service sent two
Tabloids to attack the Zeppelin sheds at
Dusseldorf and Cologne. Only one of the
airplanes reached its target, but Zeppelin Z-
9 was destroyed in its shed at Dusseldorf
when the Tabloid pilot released two 20-
pound bombs from a height of roughly 600
feet.
Jerry sums it up by saying that he enjoys
RC Giants for two reasons: they fly better
and they present a challenge. Nice work,
Jerry. Remember to send me some photos
of the finished Tabloid. I am sure we would
all love to see them.
That wraps it up for this month. If you
know of any new products or services
designed for RC Giants, please let me know
so that I can share them with readers.
As always, keep your photos and Emails
coming. Thanks. MA