Radio Control Giants - 2012/02

Also included in this column:
• Black Horse Models Ryan STA ARF
• FiberClassics P-51 Mustang and
Airworld Fw 190
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
A DC-3 from Paris White’s Model Airplane News plans
WELCOME BACK! MA magazine will
be making some changes in 2012 to its
format and look. As a result, the “RC
Giants” column will run bimonthly. The
column will still feel the same because I
write about products and services that are
designed for the larger models and feature
outstanding Giant Scale models and the
modelers who build and fly them.
In this issue, there are two outstanding
electric-powered civilian models and two
large gas-powered World War II fighters.
Enjoy!
Jeff Weisend from Carson City, Nevada,
built this 1/10-scale DC-3 from Paris
White’s Model Airplane News plans. The
model spans 114 inches and is powered by
a pair of Dualsky brushless motors. It can
fly on either a 2S or 3S lithium battery
pack, although the latter would supply
more power.
Jeff’s decision for scale size was based
on what would fit into his Subaru Forester.
In order to cut down on weight, contestgrade
balsa was used throughout
construction. Jeff says that during the
build, every effort was made to reduce the
model’s weight without compromising
structural integrity.
Ready-to-fly weight, including the
battery packs, was a mere 7¼ pounds. The
DC-3 is covered with Coverite Microlite and
Rust-Oleum spray paint for the plastics.
One of the main issues during
construction was the lack of ready-to-use,
scale landing gear. Because there were no
commercial DC-3 or military version C-47
retractable landing gear available in this
scale, Jeff had to fabricate them. This was
his first attempt to make a scale set of
gear. He made them modular so that they
could be easily disassembled for
maintenance or repair.
“With its 10-ounce wing loading,
the model is quite easy to fly. The tail
comes up quickly during takeoff rolls,
and landings with the flaps deployed
are very slow,” Jeff stated. “As a
fellow club member observed
though, the model looks better in
the air from a
distance, as one can
see the effect on the
plane of the slightest
breath of wind.”
With the three-cell pack, flight duration
is 15 minutes. Jeff belongs to the Sierra
Sagebrush Flyers and points out that the
club’s field has a 5,100-foot elevation.
The Douglas DC-3 revolutionized air
transport in the 1930s and 1940s. It
became one of the most significant aircraft
made. More than 16,000 were eventually
produced and as of December 2010, which
marked the aircraft’s 75th anniversary,
there were still DC-3s being flown around
the world.
American Airlines began passenger
service using the DC-3 on June
26, 1936. General Dwight D.
Eisenhower, future president of
the United States, stated that the
Right: Marty Ludwin and Alfred Fusco with the
90-inch span Ryan STA. Above: The Ryan
makes a photo pass for the camera.
Jeff Weisend displays his
twin electric-powered,
scratch-built, 1/10-scale
Douglas DC-3.
DC-3 builder Jeff Weisend scratch-built the
main retractable landing gear.
February 2012 97
02sig4.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 12/16/11 4:34 PM Page 97military version C-47 Skytrain was one of
the four most important weapons of World
War II.
Alfred Fusco and Marty Ludwin of
Fairfield County, Connecticut, brought a
nice 90-inch wingspan Black Horse
Models Ryan STA ARF to the District 1
International Miniature AircraftAssociation (IMAA) Mini-Fest. The
model is powered by a Scorpion outrunner
electric motor using a Castle Creations
100-amp speed controller. The system
runs on a 10-cell Hyperion 6500s battery
pack. The Ryan STA has a sound system
that simulates engine noise.
The aircraft is constructed from balsa
and light plywood and is finished in
Oracover film covering. For more
information on this great-looking ARF,
please visit the American Pioneer Hobbies
website, listed in “Sources.”
One of the Golden Age of Aviation
favorites, the Ryan Aeronautical
Company, built the first Ryan S-T (Sport-
Trainer) in 1934, powered by a 95-
horsepower engine. The fuselage was
made from alloy rings covered with
Alclad metal sheet.
The wings were a welded steel-tube
structure consisting of solid spruce spar
beams and alloy wing ribs and were
bolted to the bottom side of the fuselage
and covered with fabric. The wings
supported the landing gear, the outer wing
panels, and all the bracing wire trusses.
Following the success of the S-T, Ryan
installed a larger 125-horsepower engine
and changed the designator to STA, which
meant S-T Aerobatic. Eventually, a 150-
horsepower engine was fitted to the STA
Special.
Many variants were produced; some
for export, but most were used for training
in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WW
II. More than 1,500 of all variants and
types were produced.
Stephen Perlbinder from Manhattan, New
York, and Don Spinoso from Teaneck, New
Jersey, teamed up on these two projects, a
FiberClassics P-51 Mustang and Airworld
Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
The P-51 is powered by a 3W-85 twostroke
gas engine, while the Fw 190 sports
an impressive Moki 215, five-cylinder,
four-stroke, gas-powered radial engine.
Both models are roughly ¼ scale; the Fw
190 spans 102 inches and the Mustang, at
a slightly smaller scale, spans 100 inches.
Both models feature prominent coverspanel and hinge lines, rivets, and fasteners
all prebuilt into the fiberglass molds.
Canopies on both aircraft slide to the rear,
allowing a clear view to their detailed
cockpits. The cockpit kits are available
online at Aerocockpit. The company offers
instrumentation, full cockpit kits, and
many cockpit accessories. It’s worth it to
just visit the site listed in “Sources.”
The P-51 uses Sierra Precision landing
gear and is painted with WarbirdColors
paint. As many readers are already aware,
the former FiberClassics is now
Composite-ARF. The Fw 190 was recently
completed and is in operational testing
before it’s painted and finished.
For more information about the
Composite-ARF Mustang and the Fw 190,
visit the companies’ websites, listed in
“Sources.” Both models fly brilliantly;
however, the sound of the Moki radial on
the Fw 190 is music to the ears!
Both models represent two of the finest
fighters built by Germany and the United
States during WW II. Although both had
their strengths and weaknesses, it often came
down to the quality and experience of the
pilots flying these high-performance aircraft
to determine who lived to fly another day.
Don is the owner of Wide World of
Hobbies in Teaneck, New Jersey, so if
you’re in the area, stop in and say hello.
That’s all for this month. Don’t be shy;
send in a photo of your latest RC Giant
creation and I will be happy to feature it in
an upcoming column. See you again in
April! MA
Sources:
American Pioneer Hobbies, Inc.