110 MODEL AVIATION
WHEN I REFER to RC Giants, Giant Scale, or the generic term
used for most large models—1/4 scale—I mean models that fall
within the specifications of the International Miniature Aircraft
Association (IMAA). The classifications are an 80-inch-span
monoplane, a 60-inch-span biplane, and a 140-inch total wingspan
and fuselage length for jets and true 1/4 scale.
The last dimension, true 1/4 scale, allows representations of small
full-scale aircraft to participate in IMAA-sanctioned
events. This category includes such aircraft as the wellknown
racer Bonzo, on display at the Experimental
Aircraft Association museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The Bonzo’s wingspan is a mere 17 feet, 2 inches. If
my math is correct, a 1/4-scale model of this diminutive
aircraft is only 51.5 inches and it’s IMAA legal!
You don’t have to own a 100-inch, 30-pound model to
participate in Giant Scale events. Pictured is Hank Riehl’s 1/5-scale
Cox Pica WACO YMF ARF bipe. Hank stripped the covering off
and re-covered it with Hobby Lobby Super Fabric and finished it
with Brodak dope.
A good choice for your first RC Giant
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Also included in this column:
• Adding more detail to your project
• What makes an aerobatic airplane
aerobatic?
Lightweight, large movable surfaces
and a DA-100 engine make the Yak-
54 a highly aerobatic model.
Left: John Camien of Holbrook, New
York, displays his TOC 33% Yak-54 ARF.
The aircraft has a 107-inch wingspan and
is 95 inches long.
Rich Perry of Fort Collins, Colorado, built this fantastic Balsa USA
1/4-scale Fokker D.VII.
Rich uses a Proctor Enterprises 1/4-scale Mercedes in-line sixcylinder
engine to add scale detail to the D.VII.
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The model has a span of 72 inches, is 53.8 inches long, and has
1,431 square inches of wing area. Its flying weight is approximately
12 pounds. Hank powers the WACO with a BCMA Sport26 gas
engine and uses a Spektrum DX7 radio for control.
Hank is an avid, excellent builder and has done a wonderful job
re-covering and finishing the WACO. He won third place in civilian
class at this year’s Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM)
show. This is an excellent choice for competent pilots who would
like to try a larger model.
The WACO comes prebuilt as an ARF (some assembly required).
It was designed to be powered by a .91-1.20 two-stroke glow engine.
It only requires the use of a four-channel radio with five standardsized,
heavy-duty servos. With 16-19 ounces of wing loading, it
should be a real performer in the air.
Why not try it? The Web addresses for Cox Models and BCMA
engines are www.coxmodels.com and www.bcmaengines.com.
In the May issue I wrote about “who’s flying the airplane.” The gist
was to add an appropriate pilot figure to your model. I want to
expand on this theme by writing about adding more detail to your
current project.
It’s nice to see models that have pilot figures in the cockpit, and I
don’t mean Bart Simpson or the head of a teddy bear! Save those for
your Ugly Stick!
This month I’m featuring Rich Perry’s 1/4-scale Fokker D.VII.
Rich is from Fort Collins, Colorado, and I have seen a couple of his
nicely finished models.
Many of the Fokker D.VIIs of World War I fame were painted
with a lozenge pattern on the fabric. This is difficult to replicate,
especially if you try to paint it yourself. You need the patience of a
forever! I have seen them snap, barrel roll,
and fly inverted at a zillion miles per hour
because of the extra power available in
most of them. This is a major factor for
performing aerobatics, but certainly not
the only one.
The basic design of the aircraft is
important. The type of wing foil is
important. The balance of the aircraft also
contributes to its overall aerobatic
performance. However, I believe that a
major factor (other than power-to-weight
ratio) is the size of the movable surfaces.
In the accompanying photos you can
see my friend John Camien with his
Tournament of Champions (TOC) 33%
Yak-54. It has a wingspan of 107 inches, a
length of 95 inches, and is powered by a
DA-100 twin gas engine.
This large, impressive ARF can
perform every aerobatic maneuver in the
book if you know how to control it
properly. The photo shows why.
The movable surfaces—ailerons,
elevator, and rudder—are enormous. In
addition, these surfaces/channels are
mixed together through a computercontrolled
radio to enhance the flight
envelope.
These models typically have a light
wing loading and are easy to fly and land
in a racetrack-type pattern, but it takes
much practice to put them through
maneuvers such as Torque Rolls and other
3-D aerobatics accurately. John is quite a
proficient 3-D flier because he practices
regularly.
If you are interested in aerobatic flying
there are many types and sizes of aircraft
to suit your needs. Troy Built Models has
a lot to offer. Visit the company’s Web
site at www.troybuiltmodels.com.
Tom Pastore of East Aurora, New York,
built his nice Boeing F4B-2 Navy divebomber
from plans roughly 10 years ago.
The model spans 90 inches and weighs
30.5 pounds. A Sachs-Dolmar 80cc twin
gas engine powers it.
The model is covered with Ceconite
and has a dope finish. Tom says that
landings are always exciting with the
narrow landing gear.
The Boeing P-12 series—the Navy
designator was F4B—was the best-known
fighter between the wars. The major
difference between the P-12 series and
earlier aircraft was that the P-12s were
manufactured using bolted-up aluminumtube
construction rather than the accepted
welded steel-tube construction. This type
of construction was mainly aft of the
cockpit; the engine area still utilized
welded steel tube construction because of
engine vibration.
The military purchased 586 of these
fighters in different versions. The later
types shed their fabric covering for
aluminum sheeting.
That’s all for this month. See you at the
field! MA
