Radio Control Giants
Sal Calvagna [[email protected]]
The author covers his Balsa USA Fokker D.VII wings with SR-Tex.
WELCOME BACK! As you can see, I continue to make progress with the D.VII build. The wings are covered with antique-finish SR-Tex, available from SR Batteries, and are ready for paint.
This popular material is manufactured by Solarfilm of England and is commonly sold with the suffix "Tex." Generally, it is found in 5- or 10-meter rolls. SR Batteries has it available in antique and white finish, and it is sold by the foot in any length you desire.
Once covered, I gave the wings one coat of clear nitrate dope. The dope is certainly not necessary, but an old friend taught me that a coat of nitrate dope will help keep the material from wrinkling in hot weather.
The wings of the D.VII are lightweight but strong. The photo provides an interesting view. The bottom wing has less area than the top one but still has more than half the area of the upper wing. Aircraft that have a lower wing that is less than half the area of the upper wing are classified as sesquiplanes and not biplanes. A good example of this is the diminutive Nieuport 11 (Bébé). This is not the case with the D.VII.
Although ailerons are found only on the top wing, unlike other aircraft of that period, they are surprisingly effective. Many of the World War I–era biplanes had extremely effective rudders but less responsive ailerons. Since I'm not an aerodynamicist, I can't begin to explain why they work so well on the D.VII. Come back next month to see the finished model!
Another Fine D.VII
Dennis Tjaden is a member of the Grand Island Modelers Association in Nebraska. He has been following my slow-but-steady progress on the 1/4-scale Fokker D.VII and sent in a photo of his finished one. Dennis is a scale buff and likes to build the larger airplanes. His club field features an 800-foot grass runway that is perfect for this type of model.
Dennis used lozenge covering available from Arizona Model Aircrafters, as well as its leather kit, machine guns, gauges, and dash panel. He installed a SuperTigre 3250 glow engine in the D.VII and found that the lightweight power plant exaggerated an already tail-heavy condition.
Most giant-scale World War I models do very well with heavier gas engines. They need the weight up front to help balance them. Dennis says that his model is surprisingly agile and flies quite well. Great job, Dennis!
All in the Family
Michael is flying a 1/4-scale Nieuport 28 from Balsa USA that is powered by a Zenoah G-26. Marshal has the Balsa USA 1/4-scale Fokker D.VII powered by the same type of engine. Their father, Mike, completed his 1/4-scale Sopwith Camel.
The Camel was built by kit-bashing a 1/4-scale Balsa USA Pup using accurate Camel three-views. The distinctive hump is clearly seen in the close-up photo. Mike powers his Camel with a Zenoah G-23 and the model flies well.
The Gross family built their World War I models for their local club's World War I contest that will take place during this flying season. Similar to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Jamboree of years past, the contest consists of spot landing, bomb drop, mock dogfight, and flight realism.
Judges score each participant on the four categories. At the end of the flying season, awards are presented to the pilots with the highest scores.
The graphics for all three models were made by Marshal Gross. His company, Red 5 Designs, creates and produces vinyl graphics for any commercial or hobby-related application. He can make stencils that are ideal for fine spray-painting. If you're looking for custom vinyl graphics for your next project, visit Marshal's Web site at www.red5design.com or call him at (516) 353-8860.
Clearly, there's much modeling talent in the Gross family. Hats off to Mike for mentoring his sons in this great hobby. They represent the next generation of AMA model builders. Let's follow Mike's lead and pass it on!
Just one last comment for Mike and the boys regarding the World War I contest—it's all but over when I, the "Rittmeister," come calling with the D.VII! It's the finest fighter of World War I. Surrender now!
Hannover CL.II
Jim Suchy of Brecksville, Ohio, built his beautiful two-seat Hannover CL.II working from enlargements of the Windsock Data File views. It has a span of 115 inches, weighs 27 pounds, and is powered by a Kioritz 2.4 gas engine.
Jim covered the model with Sig Koverall, sealed it with water-based Minwax Polycrylic, and used latex house paint. The lozenge pattern was applied using an airbrush and thin plastic stencils. Jim reports that the model is smooth and stable in flight.
The Hannover CL.II was a successful two-seat aircraft that was used as an escort fighter, for reconnaissance, and in ground-attack roles. Its unusual tail arrangement was designed to allow a wider range of fire for the rear gunner. Allied fighters sometimes attacked the CL.II thinking it was a single-seat fighter, and the rear gunner provided a nasty surprise to the unwitting attacker.
The full-size aircraft spanned 38 feet, 5 inches, and was powered by an Opel-Argus six-cylinder, liquid-cooled, in-line engine. The airplane was highly maneuverable and more than 600 were built by Hannover.
Byron Gee-Bee R-2
Kevin Shaw of Middle Island, New York, is proud of his newly completed Byron Gee-Bee R-2. The model has a fiberglass fuselage and built-up wings. It is designed to be powered by a Zenoah G-62 equipped with Byron's Purr-Power system. The R-2 was one of the last models designed by Byron Originals back in the early 1990s.
The popularity of the Gee-Bee models exploded after the successful flights of Delmar Benjamin and his replica Gee-Bee racer. Delmar flew his airplane at air shows throughout the country, exhibiting his mastery of the airplane in maneuvers such as the climbing knife edge. He proved the opposite of the historical account about how the little racer was hard to handle and twitchy to fly.
The Granville brothers of Springfield, Massachusetts, designed and built some of the fastest racing aircraft in the 1930s. Their airplanes won many of the day’s prestigious races. The brothers became well known in the industry; however, the Depression and some bad publicity about a few serious accidents with their aircraft sealed their fate.
The model spans 80 inches, has a length of 56 inches, and weighs roughly 25 pounds when completed. Although Byron Originals is no longer in business, many of its designs are now offered by Iron Bay Model Company of Wheeling, West Virginia.
For more information about the Gee-Bee, visit the Iron Bay Web site at www.ironbaymodelcompany.com or call (304) 232-7511. The address is Box 6383, Wheeling, WV 26003.
So ends another column. Keep sending those photos! I'm sure our readers would like to see your latest RC giant. I know I would.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
