RADIO CONTROL GIANTS 2003/09

112 MODEL AVIATION
WHEN YOU LIVE in the Northeast, the
winter months seem to drag on painfully with
no relief in sight. However, when you live in
the Northeast and write a monthly column for
Model Aviation, the months seem to whisk
by. I could swear that I submitted last
month’s column just a few days ago and now
I’m working on another. Thanks to our
readers, I have some unique Radio Control
(RC) Giants to write about.
For those reading this column, I want to
mention that I am actually writing it in late
April. April is a great month for me because
of the annual Weak Signals’ Toledo show.
Like a kid in a candy store, I had the
opportunity to spend three days looking at
and buying neat stuff while talking with
hardworking people from across the country
in the RC hobby industry.
This year was special because I met Pete
Calvagna, who has his own RC hobby
electronics service center in Freeport, Illinois.
Pete works on Hitec RCD, JR, and Airtronics
equipment.
If you still haven’t made the connection,
look at the column header and check out my
last name. That’s right; they’re the same. This
was the first time I had ever met Pete, and I
know that we have to be related because the
name is so rare. I wonder if the world is ready
for two Calvagnas in our wonderful hobby.
I think Pete is a nice person, and if you
need your radios serviced, call him at (815)
233-5646 or E-mail him at modeltronics@
aol.com.
Balsa USA of Marinette, Wisconsin, has
done it again! The company has released its
latest in a series of quarter-scale World War I
fighter aircraft: the S.E.5a. The model spans
80 inches with 2,300 square inches of wing
area and a length of 633⁄4 inches. The S.E.5a
is designed for a 25-35cc gas engine or 120-
150 four-stroke glow engine. Its total weight
is 18-20 pounds.
The model sells for $295 and includes
rolled, full-size plans, photo-illustrated
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
Plans for Balsa USA’s newest release: the 1⁄4-scale S.E.5a World War I British fighter.
The finished model spans 80 inches and weighs 18-20 pounds.
This is the simulated World War I propeller hub designed by
Ralph Vannaman of Menominee, Michigan.
A modified Klingberg 100 flying wing was the basis for Donald
Lindgren’s scratch-built KC-135 Stratotanker.
Adam Deleon and Donald Lindgren ready
the KC-135 Stratotanker for flight. The KC-
135 is a rare flying model.
September 2003 113
instructions, preformed wire, a complete
hardware package, ABS cowling, and Balsa
USA’s trademark AAA-grade balsa and
premium-quality basswood and plywood. In
addition to the kit, the company sells a
complete decal set for $36.99, William Bros.
65⁄8-inch World War II wheels for $35.75,
and a quarter-scale Vickers machine gun for
$15.
The full-scale S.E.5a was considered by
many pilots to be the best single-seat British
fighter of World War I. After the
development of the “Scouting Experimental”
5 (S.E.5) with a 150-horsepower engine at the
Royal Aircraft Factory in Farnborough, in
1917 the improved S.E.5a with a 200-
horsepower engine entered the war. It was
superior to all of its German counterparts, and
many pilots preferred it to the Sopwith
Camel. It was faster, easier to fly, performed
better at higher altitudes, and its engine
produced less noise.
Balsa USA has been designing and selling
its successful kits for more than 50 years. I
have had the pleasure of building and flying
three of the company’s Giant Scale models
and have always been satisfied with its
products. I am sure that the S.E.5a will prove
to be the same.
For more information about the S.E.5a or
any of Balsa USA’s products, you can visit
the Web site at www.balsausa.com or write to
Box 164, Marinette WI 54143. You can also
call the order line at (800) 225-7287 or the
customer service line at (906) 863-6421.
Keep an eye on future RC Giants columns as
I build the S.E.5a.
A simulated World War I propeller hub is
available from Ralph Vannaman of
Menominee, Michigan. If necessity is the
mother of invention, Ralph has certainly
proven it. While working on a quarter-scale
Balsa USA Dr. I triplane, his engine of choice
left his model a bit tail-heavy. Anyone who
has built World War I aircraft has surely run
into this problem.
Instead of adding useless weight to the
Lester LeBlanc of Ocala, Florida, is shown with his own-design
540EX. A Moki 1.80 glow engine powers the aircraft.
This is the Boeing 747 built by Vickie Belisle of Tucumcari, New
Mexico. It is powered by four Fox .50 engines.
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114 MODEL AVIATION
nose of his airplane, Ralph decided to design
and build a simulated scale propeller hub that
would improve the look of his model and
add needed weight where it would do the
most good. The result is a great-looking hub
that is sure to improve the appearance of any
World War I model.
The hubs are machined from steel and
drilled and tapped for 2-56 studs. The studs
are threaded into the hub and 2-56 nuts are
installed. The studs are center-punched on
both sides so that the assembly will not come
loose. The hub is stained with gun bluing
and buffed to give it a weathered look. The
propeller nut was designed to simulate the
propeller shaft on the full-scale aircraft.
The hubs weigh 2 ounces and are 13⁄4
inches in diameter. The sizes available are
5⁄16 inch, 8 millimeter, or 10 millimeter. They
are offered through Balsa USA or directly
from Ralph for $24.95 plus shipping. You
can contact Ralph at his E-mail address—
[email protected]—or write to him at
2301 13th Ave., Menominee MI 49858.
Donald Lindgren, who is a master sergeant
in the United States Air Force at Dyess Air
Force Base in Abilene, Texas, has been
crewing KC-135 Stratotankers for the past
17 years. As crew chief, he is responsible for
everything aft of the cockpit on this big
flying gas station.
As an RC modeler, when Don decided
that he wanted to scratch build something,
guess what he chose? You guessed it! He
opted for the KC-135. Not only is this a
rare flying model; it is also one tough
project to undertake.
There were no plans that Don could use
to build the KC-135, so he started with a
modified Klingberg 100 flying wing as the
basis for the wing. He finished the wing
first and built the fuselage to the scale of
the wing. Construction was typical, using
plywood formers, spruce longerons, and
balsa sheeting.
The model spans slightly less than 80
inches and is 80 inches in length. Don uses
four Magnum XL .36 engines powering 8 x
6 three-blade propellers. The landing gear
is not retractable, but the refueling boom in
the tail is. Don was concerned about the
power during construction, but not after the
first takeoff roll. He adds that he could not
have done it without the help of pilot Adam
Deleon, who is a master sergeant in civil
engineering.
The KC-135 Stratotanker (a commercial
707) was built by Boeing as far back as
1954. The initial production KC-135A was
delivered to Castle Air Force Base in
California in June 1957. The last KC-135
was delivered in 1965. More than 400 have
been modified with newer engines
installed.
If you would like to contact Don, his Email
address is [email protected].
Congratulations on your impressive
scratch-built Stratotanker, Don! By the
way, I support our troops!
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Lester LeBlanc of Ocala, Florida, scratchbuilt
a 540EX (experimental) as an aerobatic
trainer. He has always admired the way the
larger 30-40% aerobatic models fly and
wanted to build an airplane that would fly as
gracefully as the larger models but could still
be powered by a glow engine.
Lester began by building a wing that had
a thick airfoil with a leading edge similar to
the larger Giants. He built the wing at 85
inches and installed tapered wingtips that
flare at the trailing edge to improve slowspeed
stability. The fuselage was designed to
mount the wing directly on the thrustline. He
then modified the stabilizer and rudder
section from a crashed Hangar 9 Edge 540,
purchased a cowling from Stan’s Fiberglass
Specialties, and added landing gear from TnT
Landing Gear Products.
Lester installed a Moki 1.80 glow engine
and used a 20 x 8 APC propeller and
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)
fuel. He installed a Cline PCFS (Proportional
Control Fuel System) pressurized fueldelivery
system and a TME smoke system.
The model has excellent slow- and highspeed
aerobatic performance with unlimited
vertical at full power.
The aircraft weighs 141⁄2 pounds and is a
joy to fly. Lester added that he had more than
100 flights on the 540EX, which he flies with
the South County RC Club in Rhode Island
and On Top of the World RC Flyers Club in
Ocala, Florida.
Vickie Belisle of Tucumcari, New Mexico,
built an amazing model of a Delta Air Lines
747 from pictures in a library book. That’s
correct! She used three-views and developed
her own plans for this project.
The 747 has two receivers, 17 servos,
weighs 41 pounds, and stands 31⁄2 feet at the
tail. The aircraft has a wingspan of 106
inches, is 110 inches long, and is powered by
four Fox .50 glow engines.
Vickie has been modeling RC aircraft
since 1980. As the story goes, she was
visiting a local hobby store looking for a train
set to buy as a present for her son for
Christmas. Since that fateful visit, she has
been hooked on RC airplanes. Vickie has
built more than 50 models. She really likes
the RC Giants and readily touts “Bigger is
better.”
Vickie built the model using standard
construction materials such as balsa and
plywood. The 747 is completely covered with
MonoKote and took six months to build. The
aircraft sports 18 tires and a full exterior
lighting system. Vickie also designed
leading-edge slats that activate when the flaps
are lowered. She says the airplane flies
beautifully.
Vickie has become somewhat of a
celebrity in Tucumcari. She has been featured
in the local newspaper and television news
broadcasts in celebration of the first public
flight of her Giant model 747. Great job,
Vickie!
That’s all for now. Have a great and safe RC
Giants summer and keep your pictures,
comments, and suggestions coming. Thanks
for all your help. MA