106 MODEL AVIATION
WHO’S FLYING the airplane? I know what the answer is: it’s
the person who’s holding the funny-looking box in his or her
hands that guides the model through its paces. However, the pilot
figure completes the transformation from model to a miniature
aircraft.
If you’re going to take the time to build or assemble a nice
model, go that extra step and install an appropriate pilot figure.
Take a good look at the photos in this month’s column. No matter
how detailed your model is, the pilot figure adds the finishing
touch.
The pilot figure can range from only the head to a full-body
version. Some are less detailed and others can be surprisingly
realistic. The two figures shown are from Aces of Iron and Vailly
Aviation. Both were professionally painted by Kevin of Zombie
Pilots.
Finding the appropriate pilot figure for your model
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Also included in this column:
• Wendell Hostetler’s newest offering: 26%
Taylorcraft BC 12-D
• Ray Jacomini’s Bücker Jungmann
• Response to February’s column concerning
engine vibration
• Response to January’s World War I color column
This 1/4-scale full-body pilot figure is available from Roy
Vaillancourt at Vailly Aviation.
Vailly Aviation’s full-body pilot figure is finished in a World War I
British scheme.
A highly detailed 1/4-scale Aces of Iron pilot is ready for action in a
Fokker D.VII.
Tommy Jacomini’s 1/4-scale Bücker Jungmann is a German trainer
from before World War II.
05sig4.QXD 3/26/07 10:09 AM Page 106
Aces of Iron pilots can be found for sale on eBay directly from
the manufacturer. Vailly Aviation pilots are available from Roy
Vaillancourt at 18 Oakdale Ave., Farmingville NY 11738; Tel.:
(631) 732-4715 after 8 p.m. Visit the company’s Web site at
www.vaillyaviation.com.
If you would like your pilot figure professionally painted, you
can contact Kevin directly at (631) 921-7071.
Hostetler Taylorcraft: If you would like to build and fly a little
bit of history, Wendell Hostetler can help! His latest release is a
26% Taylorcraft BC 12-D. The model spans 112 inches, is 68
inches in length, and has a wing area of 1,812 square inches.
Wing loading is 18 ounces per square foot. It weighs between 14
and 15 pounds.
The aircraft was designed to be powered by your favorite gas
engine, glow engine, or electric motor. The power range for the
electric power system should be between 1,200 and 2,000 watts.
The model requires a 1.20 to 2.60 gas or glow engine.
The plans include two 42 x 96-inch sheets, 23 construction
photos, a wiring diagram, a bill of materials, and special
multiview drawing, all for $46.50 plus $7 for shipping. In
addition, the cowl, optional wheel pants, landing gear, and lasercut
wood kits are available separately.
These items are available directly from Wendell Hostetler’s
Plans at 545 Jerome Dr., Orrville OH 44667; Tel./Fax: (330) 682-
8896, or through Hostetler’s Web site at www.aero-sports.com/
whplans.
Jacomini Jungmann: Tommy Jacomini of Brenham, Texas, built
a stunning Bücker Jungmann from an old Pilot kit. It was
originally patterned after the single-seat version, which had a flat
four-cylinder opposed engine and competed in the 1980
Tournament of Champions (TOC) in Las Vegas.
Tommy changed the aircraft to a two-seater and installed a
Zenoah G-45 (in-line cowl version) for power. The model spans
82 inches and is covered with Stits covering and Poly-Tone finish.
The color scheme is from a German pre-
World War II trainer and has the Olympic
rings logo to celebrate the 1936 Olympic
Games that took place in Germany.
Tommy and his friends fly at his
personal field located at his farm in
Brenham, Texas. He has an 800 x 200-foot
field adjacent to his 2,500-foot runway
that he and his son use to fly their fullscale
Pitts S-2B.
The full-scale Jungmann was designed
by Carl Bücker. Jungmann translates to
“young man,” or “freshman” in English. It
was one of the finest primary aerobatic
trainers ever built. The airplane possessed
fine flying qualities and could be easily
recognized by its distinctive double sweptback
wings. With its low weight and
agility, combined with its strength, it
became the aircraft for primary training in
the mid-1930s.
The Jungmann was used by the German
Luftwaffe and was adopted by
Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary,
South Africa, and Spain before World War
II. During and after the war many other
countries bought or built them under
license, including Yugoslavia, Brazil,
Uruguay, Chile, and Japan.
One of the airplane’s features was
interchangeable upper and lower wings,
making it easy to repair and manufacture.
The wing panels weighed a mere 25
pounds, and four ailerons added greatly to
the aircraft’s maneuverability.
After the war the Jungmann was
considered such a good aircraft that the
Swiss Air Force used it until the early
1960s. At that time it was still being
manufactured in Spain! As the Air Forces
retired them, private owners began
collecting Jungmanns, and they are
appreciated to this day.
More About Vibration: In response to the
February 2007 “RC Giants” column that
discussed engine vibration, AMA member
Scott Broughton of Lufkin, Texas, wrote:
“I just read your article on vibration and
you made some good points. There is one
more thing that I would like to point out for
your consideration: ‘run out’ on the hub of
any factory-assembled engine. If all the
parts involved in making a mount for a
propeller are machined to perfection and
simply bolted together, you will have at
least .005 run out on the propeller mounting
bolt, maybe much more.
“I have checked many of one of the
more popular RC engines (Zenoah G-62)
and they average roughly .010 to .012 of
vibration-producing run out. The only way
this vibration can be decreased is by a
machinist trueing the face of the hub while
everything is assembled, and then bolting
on a well-made, single-bolt mounting
system after a hole has been made in the
hub to receive the ‘boss’ on the back of the
single bolt. The engine must be completely
because anything Scale interests me. I would
like to offer comments on two things you
have had in recent columns.
“You remarked that color photography
was not available during ‘the war to end all
wars.’ As a matter of fact, there were three
systems available, one dating to the 19th
century. I had this information from a booklet
put out by Eastman Kodak, but the book was
not mine and I do not have it in hand to cite
chapter and verse for you.
“I can tell you, however, that the
Australian War Memorial at Canberra used to
have on display prints made from photos
taken by a photographer using one of those
three systems. He was with the Australian
Flying Corps in Mesopotamia and the photos
of Bristol Fighters, Martinsyde Elephants,
and B.E.12s are sharp and crisp, as one would
expect from glass-plate negatives, and the
colors only slightly grayed.
“Secondly, where did you get the
translation ‘Circus Master’ for Rittmeister
[November 2006 column]? It sounds rather
Internet. Rittmeister was a military rank, a
captain in the cavalry.
“Manfred von Richthofen was an excavalryman
and had attained that rank. On the
other hand, Hermann Goering, of whom you
wrote, had been an infantryman and was not
even in line for that rank. Indeed, by war’s
end he had not reached the infantry
equivalent, Hauptman, and finished up as an
Oberlieutenant.”
Thank you very much, Charles, for taking
the time and effort to write. I did some
checking soon after receiving your letter and
was astonished to find color photos on the
Internet from World War I. Truly amazing!
Since so little was available during that
period, I still believe that World War I is seen
as a “black-and-white” war.
You are also correct about Rittmeister.
Thanks for your assistance and thank you for
reading the “RC Giants” column.
Thank you again to all those who respond to
the “RC Giants” column. I greatly appreciate
all the assistance from our readers. Keep up
the good work!