Radio Control Jets
Jim Hiller
Superman 2006 — Overview
News and technology from the Superman Jet Rally
SUPERMAN 2006 was a success — congratulations to Jerry Caudle for pulling off another sensational event. This year Kent Nogy stepped in to CD the event and handle daily operations. He did a great job, allowing Jerry to concentrate on promotion, organization, coordination, and setup without completely burning out. Team efforts are the way to go when running such a large gathering.
After missing a year because of last year's sudden ban on shutting down airports for non-aviation events, Superman returned successfully. There were plenty of pilots and vendors and all the flying you could handle. Superman 2006 relocated from Jerry's home airport at Metropolis, Illinois, to Missouri; the new site worked out well. As with any event at a new site, some problems crept up, but they were dealt with.
Jet Central (formerly Artes Turbines)
What was the news coming out of Superman? Plenty. Artes Turbines is now Jet Central. Jet Central is the actual manufacturing partner of the original Artes Eagle turbine and has followed up with a complete product line, offering a full range of engines. Jet Central will assume full development and production of this product line.
Eric Clapp of Florida will handle distribution and support of these turbines in the United States. These changes should further firm up this impressive line of turbines as strong contenders in the market. Additional information is available at the company's website: www.jetcentral.com.mx.
Jet Central also announced a lifetime warranty on its entire turbine line. That's unbelievable. Having had an Eagle turbine from the company for a couple years, I can see why Jet Central has such strong belief in its products.
Eric gave me a preview of the latest FADEC electronic control unit (ECU) for the Jet Central engines and I like it. The original FADEC ECU has proven to be a reliable, quality unit with convenient programming and operating features. Improvements to the new unit include:
- Power and programming features that enhance versatility across the full range of turbines (from the 14-pound-thrust Bee to the 36-pound-thrust Rhino).
- Improved packaging: all connections are direct to the unit, with no dangling wires, and provisions are made to mount the ECU securely in an airframe.
Boomerang Series (Baby Boomerang and Boomerang XL)
While at Superman I had the chance to fly demonstrator models of the Baby Boomerang and the larger Boomerang XL. Both are available as ARF models: the smaller Baby Boomerang as a balsa aircraft and the larger Boomerang XL as a composite, painted-in-the-mold model.
Baby Boomerang
- Designed for 12- to 15-pound-thrust turbines.
- Expected empty weight: roughly 14 lb with fixed gear, 15 lb with retracts.
- Wingspan: 74 in; Length: 72 in.
- Great size for a sport model designed for grass-field flying.
Boomerang XL
- Giant-scale version with a 94-inch wingspan.
- Suited for 18- to 30-pound-thrust turbines.
- Expected empty weight: 25–30 lb depending on installed equipment.
The first Boomerang I flew was the Baby — a demonstrator model from Robart Manufacturing, powered by a FunSonic turbine and equipped with Robart retracts. These Baby Boomerangs have light wing loading, great flight characteristics, and generally boost pilot confidence. In the crosswinds on the paved runway at Superman, it proved solid ground handling. A wonderful model for the new jet pilot or anyone wanting an everyday sport jet powered by a turbine.
After an enjoyable flight with the Baby, Alan Cardash (designer and manufacturer of the Boomerang) handed me the transmitter for his Boomerang XL. His XL was Merlin-turbine powered. The XL has all the fun characteristics of the Baby but bigger and better. I had a nice, well-behaved flight and by the end I was doing every maneuver you could name.
I particularly enjoyed rolling the big XL — slow rolls, eight-point rolls, even 16-point rolls — because with the large size and light wing loading you can take an eternity to complete a roll. Knife-edge maneuvers, loops, and spins are also a blast. The XL handled crosswind takeoffs and landings with ease; the reliable and strong Robart landing gear handled ground operations well.
Additional information: www.boomerangjets.com. US distributorship is set up to ease purchases. Robart retract information: www.robart.com.
Airworld Models
I also saw the complete line of Airworld models. These large, detailed aircraft have to be seen to be appreciated.
Highlights:
- Two Albatros L.39s and a big MiG-21 were flown by Airworld representatives. The MiG-21 is an impressive large aircraft — it looks tough and mean but is a great flying machine.
- These Airworld models are built to 1/5 scale and are large:
- Albatros L.39: 75 in wingspan, 96 in length, roughly 35–40 lb.
- MiG-21 (1/5 scale): 52 in wingspan, 111 in length, slightly over 30 lb.
- These are impressive composite kits with a full list of available options for the discriminating modeler.
More information: www.airworld-usa.com.
Electric Ducted Fans (BVM VioFan)
A while ago I wrote about the introduction of 5-inch-diameter electric ducted fans; they are now flying. The Bob Violett Models (BVM) crowd showed up at Superman 2006 with a collection of electric installations.
Participants and models:
- Dave Ribbe brought his old Viper.
- Dustin Buescher had his Aggressor.
- Kent Nogy had his T-33.
- Bob Violett had an F-86 converted to the new electric fan.
They installed the new electric-fan units called the VioFan in their jets at the field and enjoyed flying them together.
Performance and setup:
- Batteries: two 5000 mAh 5C Li-Polys, each fitting into the location once occupied by the glow-fuel saddle tanks.
- Weight increase: approximately 1/2 lb — less than a full set of fuel tanks.
- Power draw: an impressive 107 amps with the 10C battery setup.
- A switch is programmed to provide full power for takeoff, but a lesser amount (roughly 85%) for normal flying to enhance battery life. This setup worked well.
Comparisons with glow-powered jets:
- Dave and Dustin proved their old airframes still had speed. I had my old Viper with a BVM .91, so we had old and new power.
- In one flight I shared the sky with Bob Violett: his electric F-86 and my glow Viper highlighted the difference. Electrics are much quieter, have similar four- to five-minute flight durations, and push the model well.
- Acceleration on takeoff was significantly better with electric; glow engines don't really get going until they unload in the air and get on pipe. Dave Ribbe's Viper, weighing much the same as my glow Viper, was able to follow takeoff with an Immelmann back to the runway — a maneuver I wouldn't attempt in my glow Viper because I can't get on pipe quickly enough.
- Dave's Viper and Dustin's heavier Aggressor had similar speed and vertical performance to my glow Viper. We did not run formal speed comparisons, but visual performance looked comparable.
- Electrics require more careful throttle management to avoid overheating the batteries; glow jets allow leaving the throttle up longer while the engine works hard throughout the flight.
The scale jets of Kent Nogy (T-33) and Bob Violett (F-86) flew nicely with electric power; both have jet-like sounds in the electric installation, making pushing them on electric a notable accomplishment. Kent didn't have as many chances to fly because he was CDing Superman, but he did prove out his new electric installation. Bob had numerous flights on his F-86. Overall, the new BVM electric ducted-fan motor came out in force and proved itself well.
Closing
I saw many more products at Superman. If you like jets and want to see them perform, get to a jet meet this year. See the products in person and on the flying field.
Check out the pictures this month, compliments of Ben Lantreman.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
