Radio Control Jets — Jim Hiller [[email protected]]
The jet scene at the Toledo R/C Expo in Ohio
Another Toledo Expo has come and gone, and again the jet products were on display in force. We had turbines, electric fans of all sizes, ARFs, and kits on display to meet all needs. The best part was the incredible jet models on the display tables showing off the quality building skills of the modelers.
The Kerrs had their new BobCat XLs out there for all to see, and they took home some well-deserved honors. The paint work on these models was near perfection; the Kerrs are master builders and painters. Jerry Kerr Jr.'s BobCat XL took a well-earned third place in the Best Finish Category—an open class for all airplanes on display.
Additional scale jets on display included Lewis Patton's new Century Jets F-18 Hornet, powered with an Artes turbine. Lewis plans to use this new model for Scale competition. Good luck with it! I have to mention Eric Baugher's detailed F-4 Phantom. I'm sure it will be a trophy winner in the future.
Best Jet Plane went to Graeme Mears for his finely detailed Bob Violett Models (BVM) F-86 Sabre. In second place was Dennis Crooks' latest rendition of the Yellow Aircraft F-14, complete with the swing-wing option. Nice job, Dennis! Third place went to the sport jet of Jerry Kerr Jr., beating out quite a few wonderful Top Gun–caliber scale jets. That's recognizing quality in a sport jet.
New products for jet modeling were everywhere. There was even an RTF electric ducted-fan jet at the Hobby Lobby booth, complete with radios installed. Hobby Lobby also showed a delta-wing Mirage and a twin-ducted-fan Su-27 Flanker. These are park-flyer-size models of simple foam construction. I have seen the videos of these aircraft flying. They work well and look good in the air. Hobby Lobby's web site is www.hobby-lobby.com.
Turbine manufacturers showed up, with AMT USA staffing a booth and reminding us that the company may be under new ownership but its commitment to supporting our hobby is unwavering. AMT USA has expanded its reach into the RPV (Remotely Piloted Vehicle) markets. Its web site, www.usamt.com, reflects the additional direction the company is pursuing, but not at the cost of leaving our hobby business. AMT USA is one of the longest-running model-turbine manufacturers, and its turbines have earned a solid reputation for reliability and durability.
Jet Central—formerly Artes Turbines—came in force to Toledo as the company continues to roll out its new name. Eric Clapp came from Florida and owner and developer Felipe Nieto came from Mexico to talk turbines with modelers. Felipe is extremely proud of the durability and reliability of the Jet Central turbine line and is backing it up with a limited lifetime warranty, exclusive of crash damage. I have an older Eagle, and Felipe discussed the improvements incorporated into the new turbine to improve its durability. My vintage Eagle has had one overhaul already because of extensive flight time. Felipe strongly suggested I upgrade my turbine combustion chamber at the next scheduled 25-hour inspection visit to the shop. It sounds like this upgrade will be a good investment since I fly this turbine hard and often.
The Jet Central line of turbines was on display at Toledo. It is one of the most comprehensive lines available, but the company is not done yet. Turbines of larger and smaller sizes are in development stages with no immediate production plans. These experimental engines are in addition to some new products Jet Central is in the final stages of developing. Be patient. Jet Central will not release new products until the staff is confident they meet the company's commitment to a lifetime warranty. Additional information on the full line of Jet Central turbines is available at www.jetartes.com.
While on the turbine path, nearby was Kerry Sterner and the SimJet line. He picked up the distribution and repair services of the SimJet line in North America roughly a year ago, and he has really stepped up.
I know a few modelers in northeast Ohio who have sent turbines to Kerry for repairs and all have had good experiences. One would expect nothing less, given his long-standing, solid reputation in this hobby.
The SimJet line of turbines covers the complete range of performance, and the company has developed a dependable name. Kerry has his own web site at www.simjettlc.com to keep you up to date on all the products in the SimJet line.
You couldn't miss the SimJet booth. Kerry had his 1/4-scale de Havilland Vampire suspended above it in grand style. This 41-pound model is powered by the SimJet Nexus 36-pound-thrust turbine and it offers great performance on a straight-wing jet.
The wingspan of this aircraft is 120 inches, and it has almost 20 square feet of wing. That's a truly light wing loading for such a large model.
Also seen at Toledo was the Wren turbine line distributed in the United States by Jet Hangar Hobbies. Larry Wolfe proudly displayed the new Wren 44 and Wren 54 along with the upcoming excitement of the new Wren 200XL boasting 35 pounds of thrust. This company continues to grow.
The Wren is one of the few turbines available in ready-to-run and kit forms—a great option for the modeler who is interested in how his or her turbine is made and works. The kit-building process is only an assembly process, with no machining or drilling necessary. Assembling your own turbine is educational. It requires only a few evenings and it's fun!
Jet Hangar Hobbies' web site, www.jethangar.com, is also the home of a great line of ducted-fan models, all available for conversion to the Wren turbines. Last year, the company rolled out the ARF A-7, and this year it had three on display, each with a different scale color scheme.
The A-7 is no hangar queen. Larry flies his models and develops products around it.
The A-7 is now available with a nice-looking scale nose gear and a stout main gear system for retracting into the fuselage. You don't have to use a standard retract unit angled off at a weird, weak direction. Larry's solution is simple and strong. It should hold up well with continued hard use.
What else was new on the table at Jet Hangar Hobbies? The Electric-Turbax fan system is now a proven power package in customer hands. This is an electric version of the successful Turbax ducted-fan unit. It puts out the power to push the entire line of ducted-fan Jet Hangar Hobbies aircraft with more authority than the original fuel-powered unit.
My favorite item on the Jet Hangar Hobbies table was the prototype for the new F-86 Sabre ARF. It is based on their company's hugely successful and great-flying F-86. The Sabre is 1/3 scale, making a nice compact package at 50.5 inches in overall length with a 50.5-inch wingspan.
You have to look closely at this new version of the F-86 to appreciate the improvements to the design. On the stabilizer mounting system the horizontal stabilizers are removable, yet upon installation the elevator linkage will align and connect with no linkages to hook up—a well-engineered piece.
The power-package options, as for the A-7, will be the Turbax fuel ducted fan, the E-Turbax electric fan, or a Wren 44. Any of these will make the F-86 a great-flying model.
Almost the only place one can see Yellow Aircraft jets is at the Toledo Expo. The company is not abandoning jets; it just doesn't show them off very often.
Yellow Aircraft is introducing an F-22 Raptor that looks big and mean. It should be a great scale model. A new, large sport jet of twin-boom design was also on display.
These new models are in addition to the already large line of jets available from the company. Information about its complete line is available at www.yellowaircraft.com.
BVM set up a booth again this year, and its new, exciting product is the Electra Jet for the company's EVE electric fan. The Electra has the look and feel of the grand old Ultra Viper but with design provisions for electric power, and that doesn't mean power conversions only.
The new Electra is set up and designed specifically to optimize performance with electric power with the EVE unit. The Electra has a 60-inch wingspan, more than 710 square inches of wing, and weighs roughly 13 pounds. The two-piece removable wing with a one-piece center section makes this a quiet replacement to the old ducted-fan jets.
The fiberglass wing of a USA-built BVM jet has always been durable, and the Electra reflects that quality. The wing has a modern silhouette and construction both for weight and strength, since you can expect speeds of 160 mph or more with this model.
Check out www.bvmjets.com for full details.
It's time to pack and fly. I have many jet meets to attend this summer. See you there! — JM
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
