Radio Control Giants

IN RECENT COLUMNS, I have touched on
the subject of using blended fuels in our small
gas engines and the effect it has on our fuel
systems. Some readers have switched to white
gas (Coleman fuel) to halt the use of ethanol
altogether. Others have been content using the
readily available gasoline/ethanol blend.
For those who are looking to replace
hardened fuel lines, Nick Ziroli Plans (NZP)
has tubing that resists the ethanol content. It’s
called “Viton”: a synthetic rubber that is
extremely resistant to a variety of
hydrocarbons that normally act as solvents on
rubber.
This tubing has an excellent temperature
range, of -10° to 400°, and is known to offer the widest chemical-resistance range of any
commercial rubber. As such, it is an excellent choice for fuel and oil lines.
If you would like to try Viton in your model, contact NZP; contact information is at the end
of the column in the source listing. The company sells this material in
1/4-inch-OD and 1/8-inch-ID sizes, and it can be purchased in varying
lengths.
The two most influential fighters that flew with Germany’s Luftwaffe
were the Messerschmitt Me 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and that
probably can’t be disputed. Where the argument gets heated is if you
ask which one was better.
You might as well whack a hornet’s nest with a stick, because you’ll
get a similar response. WW II ended roughly 65 years ago, and the
controversy still rages. As long as there are aviation fans and amateur
historians, I doubt that the debate will end.
Thanks to a few people, we have great models of both aircraft
available. Roy Vaillancourt of Vailly Aviation sells an award-winning
Giant Scale Fw 190 in two sizes.
The one shown spans 90.5 inches, has a wing area of 1,305 square
inches, and can be powered by your favorite 50cc or larger gas engine.
Roy also sells many accessories with which to nicely finish and outfit
the aircraft. The other version spans 113 inches.
In the description of the Fw 109, Roy’s Web page reads:
“The plans show a built-up structure
drawn full size and includes the installation
of flaps and two sets of retracts. The retracts
shown are our specially designed scale
retracts (Check out our Giant Scale Retracts),
although the sport flyer may use other brands
of retracts with some modifications to the
wing. Full size templates are also shown for
all ribs, formers and other various parts.
“For the scale purist we have also shown
scale construction for the ailerons, elevators
and rudder. Accessory parts available are a
fiberglass cowl, clear plastic canopy,
Aluminum spinner, droppable bomb or belly
tank, A-5 or A-8 Gun Hood, scale retracts,
landing gear door liners, wing ammo covers,
scale wheels and functional cooling fan. A
fiberglass fuselage with molded-in fin (when
available) to help speed building time.”
For more information about Vailly
Aviation’s Fw 190 in both sizes, please visit
the Web site or call Roy after 8 p.m. (That’s
Eastern Standard Time.) The company is
closed on Sunday.
The full-scale Fw 190’s landing gear was
operated electrically—not by a hydraulic
system, which was common in period
fighters. The flaps were also operated
electrically, with a push of a button; that was
highly unusual for the time. The cowling fit
so tightly to the radial engine and the spinner
was so large that a fan-blade assembly was
used to force air into the engine, to keep it
cool.
The aircraft’s designer, Kurt Tank, had
presented liquid-cooled, in-line engine
designs to the Reich Air Ministry, but the
radial-engine-powered design caught its
attention, partly because of a shortage of inline
power plant production, which was
needed for the Me 109 and other aircraft. It
was also easier to manufacture the simpler
air-cooled radial engine.
The Fw 190 dominated the skies when it
was introduced in 1941; it was clearly
superior to all Allied fighters. Nearly 40
versions were produced. One of the latter was
the Ta 152, which sported a bigger wing area
and a liquid-cooled engine. These were
designed for high-altitude bomber
interception.
The designation “Ta” was for Kurt Tank,
because the Air Ministry changed the naming
conventions to reflect the chief designer
rather than the company that produced the
aircraft. This was a rare honor, and Tank was
the first engineer to be so recognized.
The Ta 152 was capable of speeds of
approximately 440 mph and had a service
ceiling of close to 49,000 feet. But as with
many of Germany’s late-war technical
achievements, it was too little, too late.
If you’re at the field with a bunch of
pilots, it’s too windy to fly, and you’re bored,
throw out the question of whether the Fw 190
or the Me 109 was the better fighter. You
probably won’t be bored for long. Have fun!
The Russian Polikarpov I-16 was the
world’s first monoplane fighter with
retractable landing gear. Similar to in the
Grumman F3F Wildcat, retracting the gear
required the pilot to operate a hand crank.
That crank was difficult to use and
required much strength. As the pilot turned
it with his right arm, his left arm was still
on the control stick to guide the airplane.
As a result of this tedious operation, it was
common to see the I-16 porpoise a bit after
takeoff as the gear was being retracted.
Although the I-16 was revolutionary for
its time, with its innovations, some of the
old construction methods and materials
remained. The vertical and horizontal
stabilizers and rudder and elevator were
covered with cloth and doped, as were the
outer wing panels.
The empennage on my 1/4-scale I-16 was
easy to replicate. I used 1/8 balsa sheet for
the stabilizer’s center support and added
ribs on both sides, followed by balsa stock
LEs and TEs. Once sanded to shape, I
covered them with Solartex iron-on
material.
However, since my model’s wing has a
foam core that was sheeted with balsa, I
needed to add some sort of rib tape to
simulate an open-bay, cloth-covered, doped
outer wing panel. Leaving a smooth finish
on the wing would look incorrect.
After studying numerous photos of the I-
16, I made cloth rib tape from 3/16-inchwide
Solartex strips and ironed them onto
the fiberglass-coated wings at the rib
locations. Then I primed the wing, applying
a heavy coat along the Solartex strips to
mute the edges a bit. This provides the
illusion of many coats of dope.
The last step was to throw in some
stitching or raised rivets using RC/56 white
glue (which dries clear) and a final coat of
paint.
I’m nearly finished with the I-16’s
construction, and I hope to feature the
completed model in next month’s column.
Wish me luck!
Thanks for visiting the RC Giants column.
If you have any comments, concerns, or
questions, don’t hesitate to write. MA
Sources:
Nick Ziroli Plans
(631) 467-4765
www.nickziroliplans.com
Vailly Aviation
(631) 732-4715
www.vaillyaviation.com