Radio Control Giants
Sal Calvagna
A "Kleen" 25% Sukhoi from Montana
In today's world it is hard enough to find the time to slap together a Giant Scale ARF, let alone build one from a kit. Some modelers have the perseverance to cut their own parts and build from plans. There are few who can build an RC Giant from scratch; that is, design their own plans and complete a model by making their own molds for the engine cowling, canopy, etc.
I know only one person who can do all that and then hammer out and fabricate a cowling from aluminum with flush rivets and make his own propeller. Lynn Kleen of Victor, Montana, built his 25% Sukhoi Su-31 from documentation he gathered, and he spent a week drawing side and top views. Following are excerpts from what he submitted to me.
"The main fuselage frame (sides and formers) is 3/32 mahogany plywood (African aircraft grade). A Sukhoi goes from round at the nose to flat sides aft. Using the fuselage formers as templates, foam is cut in place for this transition then sheeted with 1/16 balsa. The turtledeck is also balsa-covered foam. At the aft of the cowl is a canted (42°) fuselage former 'bulkhead' where the cowl attaches.
"The wings are my 'always improving' symmetrical airfoil from foam with 3/32 balsa.
"I did fully faired hinge lines on the ailerons, elevators, and rudder with the big Robart hinge points because I like their efficiency (and besides, beveled hinges look goofy). The appearance alone is worth the work.
"Propeller? Yes, I make my own. This one is hickory, 18 1/4 inches, about 5.5 pitch. The great thing about making your own (besides cost and shipping) is you get what you want, made out of what you want. Small changes make big differences that cannot be bought.
"Now, the cowl. This, so far, is what is first noticed on this airplane. The forward radial nose bowl was formed with a pneumatic air hammer, then rolled on an English wheel to planish (smooth out). The halves were shaped to fit a full-size plug. Then the nose ring leading edge was hand-formed with a nylon hammer over the plug itself. The halves, top and bottom, were then trimmed carefully along with the nose ring until all three mated.
"The bottom one-third of the aft cowl section has the scale-shaped air scoop attached, plus the lower three louvers each side. The top two-thirds (two pieces) have the two 10- and eight-louver vents on them.
"Everything is riveted with flush rivets into one sturdy, solid piece weighing only 17 ounces. Not bad for the forward one-quarter of the fuselage's form. It's solid and polishes up to a mirror shine! Next will be a polished aluminum spinner, but I think I might get lazy and get a Tru-Turn."
Fantastic job, Lynn! And I call myself a modeler? I am not worthy! When Lynn is not building models, he and his wife Deb perform in air shows as the "Blue Sky Parabatics," putting on aerobatic shows with parachutes.
VoltMagic
VoltMagic is a radio-control system that displays battery voltage, records radio glitches on FM and PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) systems, and records peak low voltage (PLV) when your model is in flight and under actual load conditions. It is ideal for high-drain, high-load digital-servo applications.
VoltMagic features:
- Configurable voltage monitor for your particular battery.
- Continuous LED indication of current battery voltage.
- Blinking lower-voltage LED if voltage falls below the chosen PLV.
- GLITCH LED lights and the three LEDs are captured for later download and analysis if a radio glitch occurs.
- Records peak low voltage under actual load conditions.
Specifications and usage:
- Weighs just under one ounce.
- Designed for four- or five-cell NiCd/NiMH receiver packs and two-cell lithium receiver packs.
- No absolute "gas gauge" exists for receiver packs; modern digital servos can draw much more current than older types, so proper pack sizing and monitoring are critical.
For more information, visit www.voltmagic.com. The street price is $39.95. You can purchase the unit through Hangtimes Hobbies at (631) 610-5169 or www.hangtimes.com.
Although I have not yet had the opportunity to try VoltMagic, the information this unit can provide is valuable to me and to the continued success of my RC Giants. When winter breaks and the weather warms up, you can bet I will give VoltMagic a try.
Hellcat 1, 3-D 0
Lou Zackman Sr. of Ridge, New York, is shown with his ever-reliable Hellcat he built from Ziroli plans. The model spans 95 inches, has a fuselage length of 75 inches, and has 1,700 square inches of wing area. Lou used Robart retracts for the landing gear and has a Quadra 100 gas engine up front to pull the Hellcat around the sky.
I met Lou at a local Giant Scale event, where he told me the following story about the day he almost lost his Hellcat in a midair collision.
He and his son attended the 2005 Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In. With 500 models and more than 1,000 RC enthusiasts present, this is one of the largest modeling events held anywhere. Every type of aircraft can be found, whether military, Golden Age, aerobatic, or jet. The only things required to attend are AMA and International Miniature Aircraft Association memberships.
Lou was flying a standard racetrack pattern with his Hellcat when the accident happened. As he made a low pass, a 3-D aerobatic model was performing a torque roll or some other nose-high maneuver across the field. Lou didn't see the other airplane until it was too late, and the Hellcat's propeller came in contact with the aerobatic model's tail surfaces.
Lou flew through the midair and came around for a safe landing. The other model lost its rudder and elevator and came down hard. There were no hard feelings; accidents do happen. Lou thought it would make for interesting conversation to include another kill marking on his Hellcat.
For more information about the Joe Nall event or the 2006 edition, visit www.joenall.com. If you see an odd-looking kill marking on a Ziroli Hellcat at a future event, stop and say hello to Lou — he's a nice guy.
Antoinette
Dave Elias came all the way from Tequesta, Florida, to fly his 3 Sea Bees prototype Antoinette VII at the Rhinebeck Jamboree. This event is held at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York.
The model's wingspan and fuselage length are 92 inches. Weighing approximately 11 pounds 9 ounces, the Antoinette can be powered by a .60–.90 two-stroke or a 90–120 four-stroke glow engine. Dave installed an electric power system.
The accompanying photo shows the Antoinette gently climbing out after a beautiful takeoff. However, a broken propeller adapter/extension brought the model down immediately after the photograph was taken for an uneventful landing. It has a scale flight envelope for an early-1900s aircraft!
The full-scale Antoinette was designed by Léon Levavasseur—an engineer who also designed the engine. The Antoinette company and its aircraft were named after the daughter of the manufacturer's director, Jules Gastambide.
The first version—the Antoinette IV—was designed in 1908 and featured a slim fuselage, trapezoidal wings, and a cruciform tail. It was the first practical monoplane with ailerons. However, the ailerons performed poorly and later versions reverted to wing warping.
Later Antoinette versions set notable records for monoplanes, including staying aloft for more than an hour and achieving an altitude just over 500 feet. Both records were set by Hubert Latham, who made a couple of attempts to fly the English Channel but failed. Louis Blériot made his historic crossing nine days after Latham's last attempt.
The Antoinette company's last effort was a three-place monoplane built in hopes of selling it to the French military. It was so heavy that its 60-horsepower engine could not get it off the ground. The company was dissolved in 1912. If the Antoinette interests you, visit the 3 Sea Bees website at www.3seabees.com.
That's all I have room for this month. Make sure you read next month's column for more interesting RC Giant anecdotes. I'd like all of you to send in some photos and show the rest of us what you have been working on.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
