Radio Control Giants - 2004/03

March 2004 119
WELCOME to the Radio Control (RC)
Giants column. In this issue I’ll write about
the nearly finished Balsa USA 1⁄4-scale
S.E.5a and the Miracle Y Harness from
Maxx Products. I’ll conclude with photos
and information about fellow AMA
members of the Rio Grande Flyers in Rio
Grande, Ohio.
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a: The S.E.5a
was one of the better-known British fighters
of World War I—the “Great War.” It was a
typical, boxy, British design that catered to
function rather than form. Looking at the
aircraft from the front it “resembled a farm
tractor with wings”; however, the boxy and
angular appearance belied its outstanding
performance.
The S.E.5a was a fast fighter that was
capable of getting into and out of combat at
will. Strongly built, it was able to withstand
high-speed dives without sustaining
structural failure. The S.E.5a was not as
maneuverable as the famous Sopwith
Camel; however, it was light on the
controls, made an excellent gun platform,
and was a favorite to fly among top-scoring
aces such as Captain William Bishop.
The S.E.5 designation stands for Scout
Experimental, Number 5. The “a” denotes a
later production model.
Balsa USA has introduced its newest in a
line of Great War fighters: the 1⁄4-scale
S.E.5a. I have reported my progress
constructing the model in previous RC
Giants columns. My good friend and avid
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
Ed Hirschfeld is showing the nearly completed 1⁄4-scale Balsa
USA S.E.5a that he says was an enjoyable building project.
The Miracle Y harness, from Maxx Products of Lake Zurich IL, is
designed to control two servos with one channel.
Fuselage stitching using black thread and straight pins is a nice
way to spruce up your World War I project.
Rio Grande Flyers (L-R) Gene Jones, Dick Bach, and Wayne
Saunders, of Rio Grande OH, with Wayne’s Ziroli Beech D-18 twin.
120 MODEL AVIATION
Giant Scale builder Ed Hirschfeld of Selden,
New York, has been collaborating on this
project. Ed is doing the framing, covering,
and painting, while I complete the rigging,
radio installation, pull-pull controls, and
final assembly.
The aircraft, as seen in the photo, is
99.9% complete and will be test-flown
shortly. Ed chose the color scheme of
Captain Bishop. Such colorful and
individualistic markings did not last long
because they were officially discouraged.
Ed reported that the model was a
pleasure to build. It is of standard, stick-built
construction with ample instructions and
photos to guide you through the process.
The Balsa USA assembly manual contains a
list of items needed to complete the kit,
information about different types of
adhesives, a key to all the die-cut parts,
S.E.5a history, and information about color
schemes and markings.
Throughout the instruction manual is a
reminder of the company’s technical
assistance telephone number. Not only
does Balsa USA want to sell you its
product, but its people are there to assist
you and support the product.
Toward the end of the manual you will
find complete information about final
assembly and setup, balancing the model,
final checkout, control movements, and
information about flying the model.
The quality of the wood provided is
excellent. I liked the procedure for installing
the engine. Balsa USA has incorporated an
engine-mount box that can be adjusted into
position for your particular engine choice.
The large hatch cover is a benefit to
modelers as it provides complete access to
whatever engine you decide to install.
The wing assembly is typical of Balsa
USA. If you have built any of the
company’s large-scale models, the technique
and results remain the same—easy-to-
Dick Bach’s scratch-built Cessna 140 is powered by a Quadra 35.
Covered with Sig Koverall, it has a 100-inch wingspan.
Bobby Patterson’s Hangar 9 CAP 232 Almost Ready to Fly is
powered by an O.S. 1.60 FX glow engine.
assemble, accurate wing panels.
All the accessories that you would need
to finish the model—including covering
material (Solartex), wheels, a 1⁄4-scale
Vickers machine gun (Williams Bros.), and
a decal set—can be purchased directly from
Balsa USA. Although Balsa USA does not
have a 1⁄4-scale Lewis gun, the company
provides a simple instruction sheet so that a
modeler can build his or her own.
A final report regarding flying the S.E.5a
model will appear in the next RC Giants
column. For more information about the
Balsa USA 1⁄4-scale model or any of its
other great products, visit the company’s
Web site at www.balsausa.com. You can
call customer service at (906) 863-6421 or
place an order by calling (800) 225-7287.
Miracle Y Harness: With the advent of
better and more reliable radio systems, longlead
servo problems seem to have gone the
way of the dinosaur. More modelers who fly
larger aircraft—especially aerobatic
models—have the installation of servos
located near the movable surface.
The elevator servos in these aircraft are
likely to be installed in the horizontal
stabilizer or the side of the fuselage just
beneath the stabilizer. A short, heavy-duty
pushrod is used with some exotic horns and
hardware. This type of installation gives
absolute precision movement of the
elevators or any other movable surface.
However, this type of installation can
cause another problem. When two elevator
servos are installed on either side of the
fuselage to drive each of the elevator halves,
they operate like ailerons. One servo is
pushing while the other servo is pulling.
You could have one of your elevator
servos modified by an experienced
electronic technician so that it operates in
the opposite direction, but an easier way to
accomplish this is by using a product that
you can install in the servo lead that reverses
it.
Maxx Products International (MPI) of
Lake Zurich, Illinois, sells a Miracle Y
servo-reversing adapter. The Miracle Y is
designed to control two servos by a single
channel where the rotation of the two servos
has to be in the opposite direction.
Installation is simple; hook it up as if you
were using a standard Y harness. Fine
adjustments for perfect alignment can be
made with a trim potentiometer that is
located on the Miracle Y. Other uses for the
Miracle Y are split flaps and twin-engine
control. It will work on 4.8- and 6-volt
systems.
For more information about this and
other fine Maxx products, you can visit the
MPI Web site at www.maxxprod.com or
call the company at (847) 438-2233.
Rio Grande Flyers: Rio Grande Flyers’
club member Bobby Patterson of Point
122 MODEL AVIATION
Pleasant, West Virginia, enjoys flying RC
Giants and he enjoys the company of his
fellow club members—so much so that he
took the time to send me a nice letter and
photos of his fellow RC Giant enthusiasts.
Although Bobby lives in West
Virginia, he travels 18 miles to the club
flying field in Rio Grande, Ohio. The field
is located on the original Bob Evans farm
that is in the middle of approximately
3,000 acres of farmland. Bob Evans is a
restaurant chain operating mainly in the
Mid-Atlantic and in the South.
Although Mr. Evans is no longer
associated with running the corporation,
the Rio Grande Flyers enjoy a wonderful
relationship with the people who run the
farm. Evidently, the Rio Grande Flyers
are well looked after and are fortunate to
have such a magnificent flying field and
the support of the employees of Bob
Evans.
In his letter, Bobby asked if I would
consider putting in a good word for the
Bob Evans people in this column. Here it
goes, Bobby!
A great way to show our support for
the Bob Evans Corporation would be for
all of our 170,000 AMA members to head
straight for the nearest Bob Evans
restaurant and order a double helping of
their favorite dish! Every time I come
across a Bob Evans restaurant, I’m going
off my diet.
Let these people know that we are
extremely grateful for their support of
model aviation. I’ll let the readers decide
how they can individually show their
thanks.
Here I am, at my word limit again so it’s
time to sign off. Come back next month to
read about the S.E.5a test flights and how
the Super Kraft (Kangke Industrial)
Rearwin Speedster Almost Ready to Fly is
going together.
As always, build straight, and fly
safely! MA