RADIO CONTROL SCALE
By
Stan Alexander 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211 E-mail: [email protected]
Scale modeling
Modelers who build scale aircraft want them to look right, or have the "right stuff." Making that happen may seem simple to some modelers of vast experience, but it's a huge challenge to newcomers. Getting the details correct and then proving them is a must if you plan to enter competition. If not, it's still fun to make them right.
Simple aircraft make some of the best scale models. To see some, you could go to a full-scale fly-in, the biggest gathering of airplanes on earth in one week at the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, or an EAA fly-in, depending on how long you've been going there. The EAA regularly has more than 12,000 full-scale aircraft. Many are military, but more than half are civil types. It's a scale modeler's treat!
Oshkosh observations
One year a good friend went to Oshkosh with us, and we looked at the classics and antiques before the daily air show. A couple of airplanes caught our eyes, not because of their beauty, their engineering excellence, or their massive engines, but because of the hinge gap between the rudder and the vertical fin.
You could actually stick your finger or thumb between the rudder and vertical fin on each of these aircraft, as you can see in a photo. The first airplane we noticed this on was a beautifully restored Ryan STA (Federal Aviation Administration number 17368). It was extremely glossy red with white trim and black pinstripes. The other aircraft we noticed with the gap between the vertical fin and rudder was an in-line-powered version of a Great Lakes Trainer. The little biplane was overall black with orange trim. It shined like a new penny.
Notice that in each photo the vertical fin is supported at the hinge line by an aluminum rod. This is probably because of the flutter that might be encountered. But with the manufacturing date of these aircraft, the pilots didn't have to worry about breaking the sound barrier and ripping off the rudder in the process. The idea of including these photos is to let you see that the hinge lines are not always hidden, nor are they butted directly against the forward surface. In scale, sometimes there are gaps. Check your documentation, especially the next time you build a light civil aircraft or a classic from the 1920s to 1940s. And if you build a model with a gap this wide, make sure it's a slow performer or you may rip out the hinges.
Civil home-builts and classics
In the last column I listed some of the plans companies that have great selections of goodies for us. Continuing with the Oshkosh theme, I have included a couple of photos that might pique your interest in civil aircraft.
- The Canadian RV-6 home-built is a speedy airplane that can be powered with as much as approximately 200 horsepower. It's fully aerobatic and great for cross-country trips. The little two-place aircraft looks like a model, so why not build one?
- Another aircraft that modelers around the world can build in model or full-scale form is the Pietenpol Air Camper. Kits aren't available that I'm aware of, but it shouldn't be a problem to build with its stick-and-tissue-type structure. This is a Sunday-afternoon floater with a flat-bottom wing, or in some cases an undercambered wing; it depends on who builds it. A full-scale Air Camper will float along at 65–70 miles per hour. Try a civil home-built type for your next project.
Events
Scale fun-flys
Scale fun-flys are great fun, especially if you're one of those who get to fly eight to 12 times a day, with all your buddies watching and cheering you on to the next maneuver. They do cheer for you, don't they? Anyway, it is great fun, as any Scale get-together is.
Warbirds Over the Rockies
The inaugural Warbirds Over the Rockies event was held last summer at Chatfield State Park in Denver, Colorado. Flying was open to any warbird with an authentic military paint scheme. Sport, nonmilitary, and sport-jet models were not permitted.
Hosted by the Jeffco Aeromodelers of Denver, this event was a huge success. More than 145 airplanes and 78 pilots were in attendance. The club had plenty of sponsorship for the fly-in, including many of the usual industry sponsors and O'Meara Ford — the largest Ford dealer in Colorado. Don Bybee was the event CD, and he was assisted by Brian O'Meara and his wife Bonnie.
Top Gun Invitational 2005
The 2005 Top Gun Invitational will be held April 27–May 1. Once again, Frank Tiano will hold this international competition at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida. The site improves each year, and there is plenty of shade if you obtain a pit pass. Scale models, a mid-day air show each day, a food court, and many company booths make this an all-week event.
Tickets are $10 per day. If you plan to visit, I suggest that you make your reservations early. For more information about this and other scale topics, please check out www.franktiano.com.
2005 Scale National Championships
The 2005 Scale National Championships will be held August 5–7 in Muncie, Indiana. This is a date change of roughly two months. In addition to the regular scale classes that include everything from Fun Scale to Designer Scale, there will be Scale RC indoor and RC indoor fun-fly events. The US FAI F4 Scale Team Selection will be held during the Nats, with Mike Gretz heading up the crew that will select the pilots who will travel to the 2006 Scale World Championships in Sweden. It's a great time and is designed for the competitors and families. For more information, contact www.nasascale.org or the Competition Department at AMA.
New Products
You might be one of those lucky modelers who has a Saito 325 five-cylinder radial engine, which has five exhaust pipes. Shown is a Keleo Creations radial exhaust ring for this engine. The collector ring has the look of a full-scale system, as does the engine.
Kelvin Cubbison of Keleo Creations has a full lineup of multicylinder muffler systems for scale modelers. There are systems for the Saito 90 three-cylinder, the Saito 450, the Saito 170, Seidel radials and twins, O.S. engines, and Enya's VT 240.
As of November 7, 2004, the Saito 325 exhaust collector (there is a front and back version of this muffler, depending on your scale application) was $135 plus shipping. That's not bad for a custom-built ring to keep your radial purring under that cowl. Prices vary with the number of cylinders or special applications. Detailed installation instructions accompany the collector ring, which is finished in flat black.
Keleo Creations also does custom work. If you need a pipe turned 90° or other special features, call Kelvin at (503) 359-5318 or contact him through the company's Web site at www.keleocreations.com.
Bookshelf
Romanian Aeronautics in the Second World War by Cristian Craciunoiu and Jean-Louis Roba (ISBN 973-8101-18-2) was published by Modelism International Ltd. in 2003. It tells the story in print and has a wealth of photos of a little-known (at least to most of us) air force in Eastern Europe. In the 264 pages printed in English and Romanian, the book begins the history after World War I.
If rare models are your thing, this is a good source of documentation for some aircraft you don't see too often. Some of the types featured include the Morane-Saulnier MS.35; the IAR 14; the Savoia-Marchetti S.M.55; the IAR 37, 38, and 39; the Fieseler Fi 156; the PZL P-24; and Romania's most well-known aircraft of World War II: the IAR 80 fighter. It looked similar to an Fw 190 at a glance, especially around the engine cowlings.
The book includes large black-and-white photos, some color photos, uniform information including color and rank, and at least 63 color side plates. It's well worth your hard-earned dollars; look for it at your aviation book retailer for $39.95.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
