Radio Control Giants - 2011/05

It features a three-piece wing, two-piece fuselage, and two-piece
stabilizer, for easier transportation.
The fuselage is constructed using plywood formers and carbonfiber
longerons. The outer skin is ABS plastic, with scale details
already in the mold. The fuselage is 87 inches long, and the model has
an all-up weight of 29-34 pounds.
The B-17G was designed to be powered
by four .35-.40 two-stroke or four .52 fourstroke
glow engines or the appropriate-size
motors. The model comes painted in olive
drab with clear molded windshields, turrets,
etc. It also has working gear doors when used
with the optional retracts.
With gear installed, the Flying Fortress
requires a six-channel radio system to operate
the ailerons, flaps, elevator, rudder, retracts,
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
ASM 120-inch B-17G Flying Fortress
Also included in this column:
• Top Flite Mustang by Ron
Savage
• 1/3-scale Balsa USA Pup by
Vernon Pain
Vernon Pain (Plantation FL) with his 1/3-scale Balsa USA Sopwith Pup, which spans 108
inches and is powered by a 3W-70 gas engine.
A view of the Pup cockpit. Vernon
installed a Mick Reeves dash and working
scale compass!
Ron Savage (Davie FL) with his 84.5-inch-span Top Flite P-51
Voodoo Reno racer.
A close-up of Ron’s Mustang, which is powered by a DLE-50 gas
engine.
WELCOME BACK to the RC Giants column.
ARFs have come a long way since the Pilot EZ series of the
1980s. Extremely popular in the Aerobatics arena in sizes as large as
46%, giant-scale ARFs are now available in more complex warbird
types, such as the Advanced Scale Models (ASM) “Shoo Shoo Baby”
Boeing B-17G. And ASM didn’t pick just any B-17 to model; this
famous bomber has an interesting history.
The company’s 1/10-scale Flying Fortress has a 120-inch wingspan.
100 MODEL AVIATION
05sig4.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 3/23/11 10:13 AM Page 100
and throttles. In the wet-fuel-powered version, a total of seven heavy-duty and four
standard servos are required.
The aircraft that would become Shoo Shoo Baby arrived in England on March
2, 1944. It was delivered to the 91st Bomb Group on March 23 and began flying
missions the next day.
In a short time frame, the
aircraft flew 24 combat missions.
Its last was to bomb the Focke-
Wulf component factory at
Poznan, Poland, when it was listed
as missing in action on May 29,
1944. The B-17G lost one engine
on the way to Poznan and another
after the bombing run, forcing it to
land at a field in Sweden.
Since it was a neutral country,
the bomber and crew were
interned. A deal was struck that
allowed Sweden to keep a number
of US aircraft that had landed in
the country for the return of
approximately 300 American
crew members.
The Flying Fortress was
converted to an airliner and flown
by SILA, which is now
Scandinavian Airlines. The
aircraft was sold in late 1945 to a
Danish carrier and then to the
Danish Army Air Corps in 1948.
It was acquired by the Danish
Naval Air Service in 1949 and
then by the Danish Air Force in
1952. The B-17G was retired in
1953 and sold to a French
company a couple years later.
May 2011 101
The 1/10-scale ASM B-17G Flying Fortress ARF sits on the tarmac, ready for another mission.
Although the large model spans 120 inches, its three-piece wing, two-piece stabilizer, and twopiece
fuselage make for easier transportation. Inset: The electric-powered B-17G flies past with
gear down. This ARF accepts a wide range of power systems and includes flaps.
05sig4.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 3/23/11 10:14 AM Page 101
102 MODEL AVIATION
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Fromeco’s DC-UP Mark II
It’s back, new and improved. Now capable of 8.4volts,
the new DC-UP can be implemented anywhere in your
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Fromeco’s Cricket
NEW from Fromeco. Cricket is a voltage monitoring
device. Meant to be mounted in a conspicuous area on
your Aircraft. LED light bar configured in a half round dial
configuration. Mount in cockpit floor or behind dash for a
realistic gauge look.
• Light bar captures lowest voltage in flight.
• Brilliant Blue lights above 5 volts and Red below
5 volts.
Last flown in 1961, the French
government donated the aircraft to the US
Air Force in 1972. It was restored in the
time between 1978 and 1988, after it had
been flown more than 60,000 man-hours. In
October 1988 the restored bomber was
flown to the Air Force Museum in Dayton,
Ohio.
ASM products are available from Hobby
People. For more information about and
photos of the B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby ARF,
please visit the company’s Web site.
Ron Savage of Davie, Florida, built his
beautiful version of the Voodoo Reno racer
from a Top Flite giant-scale Mustang. It
spans 84.5 inches, is 73.5 inches long, and
has a wing area of 1,245 square inches. The
all-up weight is approximately 20 pounds,
with a wing loading of 32-35 ounces per
square foot.
The Mustang is covered in fiberglass
cloth and painted with PPG paints. It is
powered by a DLE50 gas engine swinging
an APC 22 x 12 propeller.
Ron used liquid mask to paint the
checkerboard pattern. He painted everything
except the “Voodoo” and the “5” on the
stabilizer. According to Ron, this is one of
his best-flying models.
Carrying on the tradition of air racing in
Cleveland, Ohio, from the 1920s through
the 1940s, Bill Stead organized an air race
near Reno, Nevada, in 1964. Thus the Reno
National Championship Air Races was
born.
This contest has been going strong for 47
years; it was interrupted only in 2001, when
all aircraft were grounded following the
terrorist attacks in New York and
Washington, D.C. The Reno Air Races is
touted as the world’s fastest motor sport and
brings thousands of racing and aircraft
enthusiasts from around the world.
Vernon Pain of Plantation, Florida,
finished his 1/3-scale Balsa USA Sopwith
Pup as a replica of Captain S.H. Pratt’s
A7327 46 Squadron Sopwith Scout. This
large, impressive World War I model spans
108 inches, is 77 inches long, and has a total
wing area of 4,428 square inches.
The kit, which is made in the US, comes
with rolled full-size plans, instructions, and
illustrations. It features premium-quality
AAA balsa, birch aircraft-grade plywood,
and premium model-grade light plywood.
Also included are a spun-aluminum cowl,
flying and landing wires, and scale threeview
drawings.
The Pup took Vernon roughly 10 months
to complete, and his friend, Marty Weiss,
helped with the framing. The covering is
Solartex finished with latex paints.
All ribs were taped, and all markings
were hand-painted. A 3W-70 gas engine
provides the power, and a JR 2.4 radio
system is used for control.
Vernon is originally from England, but he
spent many years in Australia before moving
to Florida. He has recently taken ill, and he
wrote, “What a great bunch of mates I have
in this hobby who, along with my family,
have been a fantastic source of support.”
For more information about the 1/3-scale
Sopwith Pup or any other fine Balsa USA
offerings, please visit the Web site.
The Sopwith Pup entered service with the
British Royal Flying Corps and the Royal
Naval Air Service in the latter part of 1916. It
immediately became a favorite with pilots,
because its light weight, generous wing area,
and dual ailerons gave it excellent flying
characteristics.
The Pup outclassed the German fighters
of the time, including the Albatros D.III.
Flying Ace James Thomas Byford
McCudden stated:
“ ... when it came to maneuvering, the
Sopwith Pup would turn twice to an
Albatros’ once. It was a remarkably fine
machine for general all around flying. It was
so extremely light and well surfaced that after
a little practice one could almost land it on a
tennis court.”
However, the Pup was outclassed by
newer German fighters by the spring of 1917.
The aircraft was also used in the first
carrier experiments. In the summer of 1917 a
Pup became the first airplane to land aboard a
moving ship and began carrier operations in
early 1918. Other Pups were deployed to
cruisers and battleships, launched from
platforms attached to the main gun turrets.
The Pup’s official name was the “Scout”;
however, those who flew it called it the
“Pup” because it looked like a smaller
version of the Sopwith 11/2-Strutter.
That’s all for this month. Spring is here, and
that means flying season is upon us. So go
have fun, but please be careful. MA
Sources:
Hobby People
(800) 854-8471
www.hobbypeople.net
Balsa USA
(800) 225-7287
www.balsausa.com
International Miniature Aircraft Association
www.fly-imaa.org
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