126 MODEL AVIATION
A reminder of the ongoing need for jet-oriented safety precautions
Also included in this column:
• BVM KingCat reviewed
• An invitation to attend the
Florida International Jet Rally
[jetmodeler@earthlink.net]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
The KingCat has a painted-in-the-mold finish and comes with a painted canopy hatch and
clean seams that are matched to the base color.
Frank Tumbiola provided his awesome BVM KingCat powered by
a JetCat P-120 for a thorough flight review by the author.
The KingCat’s options include the clear canopy and detailed
cockpit kits, which add greatly to the appearance of this sport
model.
AN EVENT happened in the world of
modeling that brings us back to the reality
of the need for safety in our flying
activities. Some of us have been around
turbine models long enough to appreciate
why we have certain rules and habits in
place as part of turbine operations, but the
newest in our ranks missed the hard-earned
experiences that led to these rules.
One rule involves the requirement to
program your fail-safe operation in your
PCM (pulse-code modulation) radio to shut
down the turbine in case of a radio loss.
Why bother, you may ask? The new
turbine electronic-control units (ECUs)
will shut down the turbine by shutting
down its fuel supply.
Although this is true, it only works if
the receiver is not sending a throttle
position to the turbine’s ECU. When a
radio switch fails and no power is sent to
the receiver, there would be no position
signal and the turbine would shut down.
What if your fail-safe is set to retain the
last position, which is the normal default
mode of a programmable transmitter? This
would result in the receiver maintaining the
10sig4.QXD 8/24/06 1:03 PM Page 126last command position; if it was at full
throttle, full throttle will remain. The
receiver will continue to send a full-throttle
signal to the ECU even though the radio
signal was lost from the transmitter, and the
turbine will not shut down although it has
lost the transmitter signal.
It seems to be common sense, but I have
a copy of instructions for a popular turbine
ECU that states it is not necessary to
program your fail-safe to shut down the
turbine. The ECU will shut down the turbine
if the signal is lost.
The problem is that the instructions are
referring to the throttle signal from the
receiver—not the transmitter signal to the
receiver. You could have no control of your
airplane, but if your throttle signal from the
receiver is set to fail-safe to a running
position, the turbine ECU will still see a
throttle signal and it will not shut down the
turbine.
This is why you must program your
radio’s fail-safe to shut down the turbine.
Let’s move on to another issue you will
see at jet meets. It is frowned upon to point
the model toward the safety line. You
should never see a high-speed circle, or even
a rolling circle, performed at a jet meet. It
places the energy of the model at the
spectators and fellow pilots. Keep the flight
path parallel to the safety line.
Typically, all flying occurs on the far
side of the runway, again to keep the
model’s energy and distance away from the
pilot line and spectator line. The concept is
similar to the methods used in full-scale airshow
activities, which has protected the
spectators in the United States from injuries
for decades.
One last item concerns starting turbines
and the location of the curious spectators.
The turbine exhaust is hot. How many times
have we had people walk behind our jets as
we start them? Don’t burn them for their
lack of knowledge.
It is also a good idea to clear people from
the sides and keep them clear of the jetturbine
arc just as you would the propeller
arc while starting a piston model. Keep an
awareness of the people around you as you
start your turbine and make them aware of
the danger zones.
I’ll step down from the safety soapbox
and move on to some flying.
I had the opportunity to put in some quality
flying time on a Bob Violett Models (BVM)
KingCat: a large ARF designed to provide
the pilot with low-stress jet flying.
It’s a sport model with a large wing, a
thick airfoil, and plenty of washout. The
model has some good aerodynamic tricks to
make slow flight and stalls unexciting;
however, it has wonderful aerobatic
capabilities and retains the high-speed flight
that is typical of our jets.
The KingCat I flight-tested belongs to
Frank Tumbiola. He meticulously followed
the BVM assembly and setup instructions.
They are detailed in terms of basic
building and model setup including servo
types, equipment locations, and even the
specifics of the servo extension leads
required. Servo leads are important on a
large model and even more so when you
include the complexity of routing servo
leads around a twin-boom model to the 14
servos in a KingCat.
Frank equipped his model with the fullcockpit
and clear-canopy options, which
dress up the aircraft. The KingCat is an
ARF, so the finish is typical painted in the
mold, nice and clean, but it comes standard
with a painted canopy hatch.
The only minus of painted-in-the-mold
models are the seams. The KingCat’s clean
seams are color-matched to the base color,
and you have to look to find them. Nice job.
A JetCat P-120 turbine powers the
model—nice power for the KingCat. This
was the original power plant of choice when
the aircraft was introduced, and it makes a
nice combination.
Balance and control throws are areas
where you definitely want to study the BVM
manual. Bob and his crew are top-quality
fliers, and they know how to set up a model
to fly well. Break out the ruler to set up
control throws per kit instructions; detail is
important.
Frank Tumbiola flies Futaba radios, so
he missed the opportunity to download the
transmitter setup from BVM because Bob
Violett flies with JR radios. Frank had to
program all the mixes and dual rates in the
Futaba transmitter, but this was not a big
deal because the KingCat’s instructions are
detailed. Read the setup requirements and
program accordingly.
The KingCat is a large model and carries
a great deal of weight in fuel, although it is
strategically located near the CG, resulting
in minimal CG change throughout the flight.
You know it’s a heavy model with full fuel
even when you taxi out for takeoff. It
actually has that feel.
Takeoffs, though, are a breeze. On my
first one I left the KingCat on the ground
for roughly 250 feet and it was more than
ready to fly. In later takeoffs I had the
model off the ground in approximately 150
feet at a comfortable speed for liftoff.
The setup as prescribed by BVM is right
on. There is great control feel and
authority, excellent balance of mixing for
knife-edge flight, and the CG is
comfortable.
The KingCat has the smooth-flying
characteristics of a large model and allows
one to fly it like a smooth Pattern flier.
Rolls—whether they are slow rolls, point
rolls, or consecutive rolls—are easy with
this model, although it takes a bit of downelevator
in the inverted position.
Looping a KingCat is fun. It tracks as if
it were on rails. That swept wing locks it
up in roll as you pull on the elevator. Its
range of speed is incredible. I particularly
enjoyed low-speed positive-G maneuvers
as that big semisymmetrical wing hangs on
well all the way to and through the stall,
but then I’ve always been partial to lowand-
slow flying.
Negative-G maneuvers are best
performed with some additional speed
because of the semisymmetrical wing. The
great speed range of the KingCat allows
flying at normal cruise with comfortable
negative-G aerobatics. You’ll forget it’s a
semisymmetrical wing.
That wing comes into its own during
landing. Frank set up his model with thecrow option for flaps. The flaps come down
and ailerons travel up a few degrees to
increase the drag and control during landing.
I like this setup. It works well, and with the
recommended mixes, no trim changes occur.
The KingCat tends to float during the
final flare because you tend to fly the
approach too fast. It’s hard to get
comfortable with just how slowly it can and
should be flown on final. With the crow
setup, you can come in a little too fast and
allow the excess speed to bleed off during
the landing flare.
One hint is to make sure you slow the
aircraft down enough before touchdown to
ensure that the main landing gear touch
before the nose gear, or the model will
balloon. Left unchecked, this can set up an
uncontrollable hop that will embarrass even
the best. It’s a typical trait of many jets; you
don’t have a blast of power from the
propeller to fly out.
I thank Frank Tumbiola for allowing me
to wring out his pride and joy for this
review. The KingCat is truly a nice jet.
BVM is in the process of retooling the
model. I am sure it will be improved to
further enhance the flying and ownership
experience.
I am a believer in recommending that
modelers who are interested in getting into
jets attend a meet and talk to the pilots.
Find out what these aircraft are about and
what meets your dreams before you lay out
your cash for your first jet.
If you’re in Florida the weekend of
November 4-5, check out the Florida
International Jet Rally in Lake Wales. This
meet focuses on the pilots and flying. It
draws a good number of active jet
modelers. They are happy to share their
experiences and welcome newcomers into
jet modeling.
For additional event information and
general jet flying in Florida, check out the
event Web site at www.floridajetflyers.com.
It’s time for me to get back to flying. The
Midwest summer is short and the jet meets
are upon us, so see you there. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 126,127,128
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 126,127,128
126 MODEL AVIATION
A reminder of the ongoing need for jet-oriented safety precautions
Also included in this column:
• BVM KingCat reviewed
• An invitation to attend the
Florida International Jet Rally
[jetmodeler@earthlink.net]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
The KingCat has a painted-in-the-mold finish and comes with a painted canopy hatch and
clean seams that are matched to the base color.
Frank Tumbiola provided his awesome BVM KingCat powered by
a JetCat P-120 for a thorough flight review by the author.
The KingCat’s options include the clear canopy and detailed
cockpit kits, which add greatly to the appearance of this sport
model.
AN EVENT happened in the world of
modeling that brings us back to the reality
of the need for safety in our flying
activities. Some of us have been around
turbine models long enough to appreciate
why we have certain rules and habits in
place as part of turbine operations, but the
newest in our ranks missed the hard-earned
experiences that led to these rules.
One rule involves the requirement to
program your fail-safe operation in your
PCM (pulse-code modulation) radio to shut
down the turbine in case of a radio loss.
Why bother, you may ask? The new
turbine electronic-control units (ECUs)
will shut down the turbine by shutting
down its fuel supply.
Although this is true, it only works if
the receiver is not sending a throttle
position to the turbine’s ECU. When a
radio switch fails and no power is sent to
the receiver, there would be no position
signal and the turbine would shut down.
What if your fail-safe is set to retain the
last position, which is the normal default
mode of a programmable transmitter? This
would result in the receiver maintaining the
10sig4.QXD 8/24/06 1:03 PM Page 126last command position; if it was at full
throttle, full throttle will remain. The
receiver will continue to send a full-throttle
signal to the ECU even though the radio
signal was lost from the transmitter, and the
turbine will not shut down although it has
lost the transmitter signal.
It seems to be common sense, but I have
a copy of instructions for a popular turbine
ECU that states it is not necessary to
program your fail-safe to shut down the
turbine. The ECU will shut down the turbine
if the signal is lost.
The problem is that the instructions are
referring to the throttle signal from the
receiver—not the transmitter signal to the
receiver. You could have no control of your
airplane, but if your throttle signal from the
receiver is set to fail-safe to a running
position, the turbine ECU will still see a
throttle signal and it will not shut down the
turbine.
This is why you must program your
radio’s fail-safe to shut down the turbine.
Let’s move on to another issue you will
see at jet meets. It is frowned upon to point
the model toward the safety line. You
should never see a high-speed circle, or even
a rolling circle, performed at a jet meet. It
places the energy of the model at the
spectators and fellow pilots. Keep the flight
path parallel to the safety line.
Typically, all flying occurs on the far
side of the runway, again to keep the
model’s energy and distance away from the
pilot line and spectator line. The concept is
similar to the methods used in full-scale airshow
activities, which has protected the
spectators in the United States from injuries
for decades.
One last item concerns starting turbines
and the location of the curious spectators.
The turbine exhaust is hot. How many times
have we had people walk behind our jets as
we start them? Don’t burn them for their
lack of knowledge.
It is also a good idea to clear people from
the sides and keep them clear of the jetturbine
arc just as you would the propeller
arc while starting a piston model. Keep an
awareness of the people around you as you
start your turbine and make them aware of
the danger zones.
I’ll step down from the safety soapbox
and move on to some flying.
I had the opportunity to put in some quality
flying time on a Bob Violett Models (BVM)
KingCat: a large ARF designed to provide
the pilot with low-stress jet flying.
It’s a sport model with a large wing, a
thick airfoil, and plenty of washout. The
model has some good aerodynamic tricks to
make slow flight and stalls unexciting;
however, it has wonderful aerobatic
capabilities and retains the high-speed flight
that is typical of our jets.
The KingCat I flight-tested belongs to
Frank Tumbiola. He meticulously followed
the BVM assembly and setup instructions.
They are detailed in terms of basic
building and model setup including servo
types, equipment locations, and even the
specifics of the servo extension leads
required. Servo leads are important on a
large model and even more so when you
include the complexity of routing servo
leads around a twin-boom model to the 14
servos in a KingCat.
Frank equipped his model with the fullcockpit
and clear-canopy options, which
dress up the aircraft. The KingCat is an
ARF, so the finish is typical painted in the
mold, nice and clean, but it comes standard
with a painted canopy hatch.
The only minus of painted-in-the-mold
models are the seams. The KingCat’s clean
seams are color-matched to the base color,
and you have to look to find them. Nice job.
A JetCat P-120 turbine powers the
model—nice power for the KingCat. This
was the original power plant of choice when
the aircraft was introduced, and it makes a
nice combination.
Balance and control throws are areas
where you definitely want to study the BVM
manual. Bob and his crew are top-quality
fliers, and they know how to set up a model
to fly well. Break out the ruler to set up
control throws per kit instructions; detail is
important.
Frank Tumbiola flies Futaba radios, so
he missed the opportunity to download the
transmitter setup from BVM because Bob
Violett flies with JR radios. Frank had to
program all the mixes and dual rates in the
Futaba transmitter, but this was not a big
deal because the KingCat’s instructions are
detailed. Read the setup requirements and
program accordingly.
The KingCat is a large model and carries
a great deal of weight in fuel, although it is
strategically located near the CG, resulting
in minimal CG change throughout the flight.
You know it’s a heavy model with full fuel
even when you taxi out for takeoff. It
actually has that feel.
Takeoffs, though, are a breeze. On my
first one I left the KingCat on the ground
for roughly 250 feet and it was more than
ready to fly. In later takeoffs I had the
model off the ground in approximately 150
feet at a comfortable speed for liftoff.
The setup as prescribed by BVM is right
on. There is great control feel and
authority, excellent balance of mixing for
knife-edge flight, and the CG is
comfortable.
The KingCat has the smooth-flying
characteristics of a large model and allows
one to fly it like a smooth Pattern flier.
Rolls—whether they are slow rolls, point
rolls, or consecutive rolls—are easy with
this model, although it takes a bit of downelevator
in the inverted position.
Looping a KingCat is fun. It tracks as if
it were on rails. That swept wing locks it
up in roll as you pull on the elevator. Its
range of speed is incredible. I particularly
enjoyed low-speed positive-G maneuvers
as that big semisymmetrical wing hangs on
well all the way to and through the stall,
but then I’ve always been partial to lowand-
slow flying.
Negative-G maneuvers are best
performed with some additional speed
because of the semisymmetrical wing. The
great speed range of the KingCat allows
flying at normal cruise with comfortable
negative-G aerobatics. You’ll forget it’s a
semisymmetrical wing.
That wing comes into its own during
landing. Frank set up his model with thecrow option for flaps. The flaps come down
and ailerons travel up a few degrees to
increase the drag and control during landing.
I like this setup. It works well, and with the
recommended mixes, no trim changes occur.
The KingCat tends to float during the
final flare because you tend to fly the
approach too fast. It’s hard to get
comfortable with just how slowly it can and
should be flown on final. With the crow
setup, you can come in a little too fast and
allow the excess speed to bleed off during
the landing flare.
One hint is to make sure you slow the
aircraft down enough before touchdown to
ensure that the main landing gear touch
before the nose gear, or the model will
balloon. Left unchecked, this can set up an
uncontrollable hop that will embarrass even
the best. It’s a typical trait of many jets; you
don’t have a blast of power from the
propeller to fly out.
I thank Frank Tumbiola for allowing me
to wring out his pride and joy for this
review. The KingCat is truly a nice jet.
BVM is in the process of retooling the
model. I am sure it will be improved to
further enhance the flying and ownership
experience.
I am a believer in recommending that
modelers who are interested in getting into
jets attend a meet and talk to the pilots.
Find out what these aircraft are about and
what meets your dreams before you lay out
your cash for your first jet.
If you’re in Florida the weekend of
November 4-5, check out the Florida
International Jet Rally in Lake Wales. This
meet focuses on the pilots and flying. It
draws a good number of active jet
modelers. They are happy to share their
experiences and welcome newcomers into
jet modeling.
For additional event information and
general jet flying in Florida, check out the
event Web site at www.floridajetflyers.com.
It’s time for me to get back to flying. The
Midwest summer is short and the jet meets
are upon us, so see you there. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 126,127,128
126 MODEL AVIATION
A reminder of the ongoing need for jet-oriented safety precautions
Also included in this column:
• BVM KingCat reviewed
• An invitation to attend the
Florida International Jet Rally
[jetmodeler@earthlink.net]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
The KingCat has a painted-in-the-mold finish and comes with a painted canopy hatch and
clean seams that are matched to the base color.
Frank Tumbiola provided his awesome BVM KingCat powered by
a JetCat P-120 for a thorough flight review by the author.
The KingCat’s options include the clear canopy and detailed
cockpit kits, which add greatly to the appearance of this sport
model.
AN EVENT happened in the world of
modeling that brings us back to the reality
of the need for safety in our flying
activities. Some of us have been around
turbine models long enough to appreciate
why we have certain rules and habits in
place as part of turbine operations, but the
newest in our ranks missed the hard-earned
experiences that led to these rules.
One rule involves the requirement to
program your fail-safe operation in your
PCM (pulse-code modulation) radio to shut
down the turbine in case of a radio loss.
Why bother, you may ask? The new
turbine electronic-control units (ECUs)
will shut down the turbine by shutting
down its fuel supply.
Although this is true, it only works if
the receiver is not sending a throttle
position to the turbine’s ECU. When a
radio switch fails and no power is sent to
the receiver, there would be no position
signal and the turbine would shut down.
What if your fail-safe is set to retain the
last position, which is the normal default
mode of a programmable transmitter? This
would result in the receiver maintaining the
10sig4.QXD 8/24/06 1:03 PM Page 126last command position; if it was at full
throttle, full throttle will remain. The
receiver will continue to send a full-throttle
signal to the ECU even though the radio
signal was lost from the transmitter, and the
turbine will not shut down although it has
lost the transmitter signal.
It seems to be common sense, but I have
a copy of instructions for a popular turbine
ECU that states it is not necessary to
program your fail-safe to shut down the
turbine. The ECU will shut down the turbine
if the signal is lost.
The problem is that the instructions are
referring to the throttle signal from the
receiver—not the transmitter signal to the
receiver. You could have no control of your
airplane, but if your throttle signal from the
receiver is set to fail-safe to a running
position, the turbine ECU will still see a
throttle signal and it will not shut down the
turbine.
This is why you must program your
radio’s fail-safe to shut down the turbine.
Let’s move on to another issue you will
see at jet meets. It is frowned upon to point
the model toward the safety line. You
should never see a high-speed circle, or even
a rolling circle, performed at a jet meet. It
places the energy of the model at the
spectators and fellow pilots. Keep the flight
path parallel to the safety line.
Typically, all flying occurs on the far
side of the runway, again to keep the
model’s energy and distance away from the
pilot line and spectator line. The concept is
similar to the methods used in full-scale airshow
activities, which has protected the
spectators in the United States from injuries
for decades.
One last item concerns starting turbines
and the location of the curious spectators.
The turbine exhaust is hot. How many times
have we had people walk behind our jets as
we start them? Don’t burn them for their
lack of knowledge.
It is also a good idea to clear people from
the sides and keep them clear of the jetturbine
arc just as you would the propeller
arc while starting a piston model. Keep an
awareness of the people around you as you
start your turbine and make them aware of
the danger zones.
I’ll step down from the safety soapbox
and move on to some flying.
I had the opportunity to put in some quality
flying time on a Bob Violett Models (BVM)
KingCat: a large ARF designed to provide
the pilot with low-stress jet flying.
It’s a sport model with a large wing, a
thick airfoil, and plenty of washout. The
model has some good aerodynamic tricks to
make slow flight and stalls unexciting;
however, it has wonderful aerobatic
capabilities and retains the high-speed flight
that is typical of our jets.
The KingCat I flight-tested belongs to
Frank Tumbiola. He meticulously followed
the BVM assembly and setup instructions.
They are detailed in terms of basic
building and model setup including servo
types, equipment locations, and even the
specifics of the servo extension leads
required. Servo leads are important on a
large model and even more so when you
include the complexity of routing servo
leads around a twin-boom model to the 14
servos in a KingCat.
Frank equipped his model with the fullcockpit
and clear-canopy options, which
dress up the aircraft. The KingCat is an
ARF, so the finish is typical painted in the
mold, nice and clean, but it comes standard
with a painted canopy hatch.
The only minus of painted-in-the-mold
models are the seams. The KingCat’s clean
seams are color-matched to the base color,
and you have to look to find them. Nice job.
A JetCat P-120 turbine powers the
model—nice power for the KingCat. This
was the original power plant of choice when
the aircraft was introduced, and it makes a
nice combination.
Balance and control throws are areas
where you definitely want to study the BVM
manual. Bob and his crew are top-quality
fliers, and they know how to set up a model
to fly well. Break out the ruler to set up
control throws per kit instructions; detail is
important.
Frank Tumbiola flies Futaba radios, so
he missed the opportunity to download the
transmitter setup from BVM because Bob
Violett flies with JR radios. Frank had to
program all the mixes and dual rates in the
Futaba transmitter, but this was not a big
deal because the KingCat’s instructions are
detailed. Read the setup requirements and
program accordingly.
The KingCat is a large model and carries
a great deal of weight in fuel, although it is
strategically located near the CG, resulting
in minimal CG change throughout the flight.
You know it’s a heavy model with full fuel
even when you taxi out for takeoff. It
actually has that feel.
Takeoffs, though, are a breeze. On my
first one I left the KingCat on the ground
for roughly 250 feet and it was more than
ready to fly. In later takeoffs I had the
model off the ground in approximately 150
feet at a comfortable speed for liftoff.
The setup as prescribed by BVM is right
on. There is great control feel and
authority, excellent balance of mixing for
knife-edge flight, and the CG is
comfortable.
The KingCat has the smooth-flying
characteristics of a large model and allows
one to fly it like a smooth Pattern flier.
Rolls—whether they are slow rolls, point
rolls, or consecutive rolls—are easy with
this model, although it takes a bit of downelevator
in the inverted position.
Looping a KingCat is fun. It tracks as if
it were on rails. That swept wing locks it
up in roll as you pull on the elevator. Its
range of speed is incredible. I particularly
enjoyed low-speed positive-G maneuvers
as that big semisymmetrical wing hangs on
well all the way to and through the stall,
but then I’ve always been partial to lowand-
slow flying.
Negative-G maneuvers are best
performed with some additional speed
because of the semisymmetrical wing. The
great speed range of the KingCat allows
flying at normal cruise with comfortable
negative-G aerobatics. You’ll forget it’s a
semisymmetrical wing.
That wing comes into its own during
landing. Frank set up his model with thecrow option for flaps. The flaps come down
and ailerons travel up a few degrees to
increase the drag and control during landing.
I like this setup. It works well, and with the
recommended mixes, no trim changes occur.
The KingCat tends to float during the
final flare because you tend to fly the
approach too fast. It’s hard to get
comfortable with just how slowly it can and
should be flown on final. With the crow
setup, you can come in a little too fast and
allow the excess speed to bleed off during
the landing flare.
One hint is to make sure you slow the
aircraft down enough before touchdown to
ensure that the main landing gear touch
before the nose gear, or the model will
balloon. Left unchecked, this can set up an
uncontrollable hop that will embarrass even
the best. It’s a typical trait of many jets; you
don’t have a blast of power from the
propeller to fly out.
I thank Frank Tumbiola for allowing me
to wring out his pride and joy for this
review. The KingCat is truly a nice jet.
BVM is in the process of retooling the
model. I am sure it will be improved to
further enhance the flying and ownership
experience.
I am a believer in recommending that
modelers who are interested in getting into
jets attend a meet and talk to the pilots.
Find out what these aircraft are about and
what meets your dreams before you lay out
your cash for your first jet.
If you’re in Florida the weekend of
November 4-5, check out the Florida
International Jet Rally in Lake Wales. This
meet focuses on the pilots and flying. It
draws a good number of active jet
modelers. They are happy to share their
experiences and welcome newcomers into
jet modeling.
For additional event information and
general jet flying in Florida, check out the
event Web site at www.floridajetflyers.com.
It’s time for me to get back to flying. The
Midwest summer is short and the jet meets
are upon us, so see you there. MA