RADIO CONTROL GIANTS - 2005/06
Sal Calvagna 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook, NY 11741 E-mail: [email protected]
Welcome to the June RC Giants column. I wish it were June, because as I happily compose this latest column, yet another snowstorm is hammering the Northeast. You may be reading this column in June; however, I am actually working on it in early March.
Although just days away from spring and certain those warmer days are coming, winter just won't let go. I can't wait for June.
There are good things that result from enduring such a long winter; some modelers have kept busy working on their latest projects and I'm happy to show a few to the readers.
Alan Yendle's Caudron
The World War I bug bit Alan Yendle of Atlanta, Georgia, several years ago and he's never looked back. The most recent addition to his Great War collection is a 1/4-scale Caudron G.III that spans 130 inches and weighs 16 pounds. The model was built using Donnie Wilcox outline plans. Alan has mounted a Ryobi 31cc conversion gas engine that uses a C&H ignition system.
- Scale: 1/4
- Span: 130 inches
- Weight: 16 pounds
- Power: Ryobi 31cc conversion gas engine with C&H ignition
As I write this, Alan has not flown the Caudron because of poor weather conditions this winter in the Atlanta area.
The Caudron is an interesting but not often modeled subject. I imagine Alan may have been inspired by the Caudron G.III that is flown at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York.
The G.III first flew in 1914 and was widely used as a reconnaissance/observation and artillery-spotting aircraft. Later in the war it was used to train airmen because of its reliability and ease of piloting. Many of the famous French pilots flew this aircraft during training, and the United States Air Service purchased 192 G.III models for training American pilots. Many of these aircraft were powered by the famous Le Rhône 9C engines and later by Anzani 10 engines. The British even built some under contract. After the war the Caudron G.IIIs were used in aero clubs and some were even flown by private owners.
The G.III used wing warping rather than ailerons, similar to the Fokker Eindecker series. The early G.III aircraft employed a warping horizontal stabilizer, but this was later changed to a hinged surface. Alan decided early on to add ailerons to his model instead of using wing warping. This simplified building the model tremendously. As you can see in the photos, the Caudron typifies early World War I aircraft with many ribs, sticks, struts, wires, and sagging covering material. Well done, Alan! Off to the front!
Wigley Wyvern
Dave Wigley of Smithtown, New York, has been scratch-building a 1/5-scale Westland Wyvern for the past three years. Scratch-building is an understatement because Dave designed the model, made the molds for the cowling and canopy, designed and built the contra-rotating (free-spinning) propeller assembly, and even made the landing-gear struts using a milling machine and lathe. Talk about an overachiever!
According to Dave, the Wyvern spans 100 inches, will be powered by a BME-100 gas engine, and will weigh roughly 50 pounds. Although Dave is pictured with the Wyvern in the bones, he has progressed much further. The model has been sheeted and fiberglassed and is ready for panel lines. What's left to do includes the sliding canopy, cockpit detail, drop tanks, and torpedo. The model is quite large and has removable outer wing panels and a removable vertical stabilizer.
- Scale: 1/5
- Span: 100 inches
- Estimated weight: ~50 pounds
- Power: BME-100 gas engine
- Features: contra-rotating propeller assembly, removable outer wing panels, removable vertical stabilizer
The attraction to building such a model, according to Dave, is that the Wyvern is an unusual and rarely modeled subject. Its rarity on the modeling circuit may have to do with the fighter's history.
The Westland Wyvern ended up as a single-seat strike fighter but started life as a daylight fighter and torpedo bomber. The aircraft was large because of the size of its 24-cylinder piston engine and the later-intended turboprop installation.
The first flight of the Wyvern was on November 12, 1946, and it quickly established a bad reputation because of engine and propeller problems. Only 15 piston-powered Wyverns were built before the turboprop installations commenced. The new engines had problems of their own which were never fully resolved. This only increased the aircraft's unpopularity with the pilots who had to fly them.
The Wyvern was in service with the Fleet Air Arm from 1954 to 1958 and saw action during the Suez Crisis of 1956. Only 127 Wyverns were made after seven long years of development. What seemed to be a good idea in 1945 proved too difficult for success in the early 1950s when turbojets ruled the skies.
Wyvern means a mythical winged dragon; however, the Westland Wyvern is remembered for its excessive losses and some horrific deck-landing accidents.
Hey Dave, you're doing one heck of a job with the Wyvern. I wish you better fortune with the Wigley Wyvern than Westland had with its version.
West P-47
Gary West of Syosset, New York, is shown with his Aerotech P-47. The model is 1/6 scale with a span of 82 inches, weighs 31 pounds, and is powered by a Brison 4.2 gas engine. Gary's model has Robart retractable landing gear and true-operating Fowler flaps. It also has a sliding canopy and a full cockpit.
- Scale: 1/6
- Span: 82 inches
- Weight: 31 pounds
- Power: Brison 4.2 gas engine
- Features: Robart retractable landing gear, operating Fowler flaps, sliding canopy, full cockpit
Gary finished his P-47 using Model Master Metalizer paints and Floquil Model Railroad paints to simulate the aluminum-panel finish. Each panel was sprayed separately to replicate the finish. Gary toned each with black and blue to create the look of separate panels.
This aircraft was finished in the 78th Fighter Group, 84th Fighter Squadron markings. This squadron was based at Duxford, England. Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Mayo flew the full-scale P-47 that Gary modeled.
For more information about those superb Aerotech models, you can visit the company's Web site at www.aerotechmodels.com.
Ziroli Beech Staggerwing
The civilian designation Model 17 became the UC-43 or the YC-43 for the Army Air Corps and the GB-1 or GB-2 for the Navy. Both military services used the Beech aircraft as personnel transports and utility aircraft. The military purchased 425 of the Staggerwing biplanes.
The Ziroli Beech Staggerwing uses conventional building methods that have worked so well with all of the Ziroli designs. The Beech sports a Robart retractable gear system and has plenty of room on the firewall to install a favorite power plant. Plans for the Beech Staggerwing should be available soon.
The Beech Model 17 (Staggerwing) was the first aircraft produced by the newly formed Beech Aircraft Company. It was first flown in 1932 and, with a top speed of 201 mph, it was blistering fast for its day. The Model 17 was faster than the Army's pursuit aircraft of the time. In 1933—just two months after its first flight—the Model 17 won in the Texaco All-American Air Maneuvers at the Miami Air Races. It was at this race that the name Staggerwing was coined.
There have been few aircraft as recognizable as the Beech Staggerwing. It continues to excite airplane enthusiasts and many can still be found flying today.
For more information about any of Ziroli's great-flying models and Giant Scale accessories, you can visit the Nick Ziroli Plans Web site at www.ziroliplans.com.
That's all for now. Show your fellow AMA members what you have been working on. If you have photos of your ongoing or completed RC Giants, send them in and I will do my best to include them in a future RC Giants column. Remember to include a brief write-up about your model and any interesting facts about your project. Inquiring minds want to know!
Best to all, and see you next month. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
