Radio Control Scale - 2009/03

Also included in this column:
• PA-11 project gets skins
• Gems from Proctor
• Pro-Mark Graphics
• Plan your trip to Phoenix
now!
THIS YEAR’S Scale National
Championships will be held July 31-
August 2 at the AMA’s International
Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana.
It will be hosted by the National
Association of Scale Aeromodelers
(NASA), which is AMA’s Scale SIG. For
more information and details about hotels,
fees, etc., visit the NASA Web site.
The Scale Nats features classes for
modelers of almost every skill level. You
don’t have to qualify to participate, nor do
you have to be invited. But if you think
you do, you are hereby invited.
As long as you are a current AMA
member and have some sort of Scale
model, there is a class for you. It might be
Fun Scale, which consists of two divisions:
one for Novice
pilots and the other
for Expert or
Designer modelers
who want to fly
more at the national event.
You might say, But I didn’t build my
model; I bought it from a friend. That’s
okay in Fun Scale; there is no builder-ofthe-
model rule. But to receive the 5 static
points, you must have a photo or
something showing the authenticity of
your model’s color scheme compared to
that of the full-scale airplane.
After having your model static-judged
on the first day of competition (Friday),
you have four rounds of flying to complete
on Saturday and Sunday. You fly nine
maneuvers, which are simple for the most
part.
Let’s say you want to fly a
nonaerobatic airplane such as the Piper J-3
Cub; there are plenty of maneuvers for that
model. Or you might want to fly a de
Havilland DHC Chipmunk, which is
aerobatic; there are plenty of maneuvers
for you too. Following are sample flight
routines for each.
Nonaerobatic (Piper J-3 Cub)
1. Takeoff
2. Fly-Past
3. Horizontal Figure Eight
4. Straight Flight Out
5. Procedure Turn
6. Straight Flight Back
7. Touch-and-
8. Go
9. Landing
10. Realism in Flight
Aerobatic (DHC Chipmunk)
1. Takeoff
2. Fly-Past
3. Horizontal Figure Eight
4. Stall Turn
5. Immelmann Turn
6. Split-S
7. Aileron Roll
8. Inside Loop
9. Landing
10. Realism in Flight
The Takeoff, Fly-Past, Figure Eight,
Landing, and Realism in Flight are the five
required maneuvers for any AMA RC Scale
contest. The preceding schedules are fairly
simple except for the Horizontal Figure Eight.
This is one of the most difficult maneuvers for
a Scale model to fly—especially in wind.
There are plenty of maneuvers to
substitute for the options that are numbers
4 through 8 on each list. If it’s a windy
day, and it seems like at contests
everywhere it’s always a windy day, and
most of the time it’s a crosswind, you
might want to change some of the
maneuvers.
For the nonaerobatic schedule, you
could substitute a Chandelle, 360 Degree
Descending Circle, Slow Speed Inspection
Pass, Straight Ahead Stall, and an
Overshoot. Aerobatic alternatives could
include a Stall Turn, Slow Speed
Inspection Pass, 1/2 Reverse Cuban Eight,
Flaps, and Spot Landing.
Those are just examples. There are other
maneuvers, but if you bring one to the judges
that isn’t in the rule book, be sure to share
your documentation with them on what it is
and how you plan to do it. The best bet at
most local and regional events is to stick with
the maneuvers in the rule book. If you need
any help, please e-mail me and I’ll try to
assist you.
The NASA Web site gives you access to a
great bunch of people who are ready to help
newcomers get into Scale modeling. For
more information, contact NASA President
Ed Terry. You can download AMA Scale
rules from the AMA
Web site; go to the
competition sectioPiper PA-11: Judging from the e-mail I
have received in the last couple months,
numerous modelers are interested in Piper
aircraft as well as the PA-11 Piper Cub
Special. Jim Hiller, John Linke, Wilfred
Schmidt, and others have sent in
documentation and construction tips for
different-size Cubs and the PA-11 version.
All much appreciated. Thanks, guys!
Piper changed several design aspects of
the J-3 when it built the PA-11; one was
the rake of the windshield and another was
moving the fuel tank. With the tank
mounted in the port wing panel, the pilot is
moved to the front seat in the PA-11 and
has a little more leg room.
For covering, I selected a product I’ve
used with good results: Solartex. It’s
available from several retailers, but I got
mine from Balsa USA. Solartex comes
either prepainted or in a natural color, with
which this model will be painted. I
selected the natural and started covering
with the tail surfaces, which will be hinged
after the painting is complete.
I have cut holes in the LEs and TEs for
the Robart pinpoint hinges, which will be
added later.
I like the Solartex covering, because it
works well with either a sealing iron or a
heat gun. Is it cheap? Nope, it’s close to
$20 a roll. But this material works well on
the corners, and if you goof and make a
crease in the covering, you can remove it
by reheating and stretching.
Leave approximately an inch of excess
material that you can grip to pull the
covering around corners and anywhere, to
make sure that it is clean and properly
adhered.
Next month I’ll look at finishing the
PA-11’s covering and the cowling, added
details, and paint.
New Products: Proctor Enterprises isn’t a
new company, but it is one of the few that
has been around for a long time with a
mostly scale lineup of kits. You have to
actually build these models, and their
construction techniques are similar to those
used in full-scale construction.
The company’s kit listings include the
VK line of smaller scale models such as the
Fokker Dr.I that has a 47-inch wingspan.
The Proctor Antic series has been around
for many years and offers a Nieuport 11,
Sopwith Camel, and Sopwith 11/2-Strutter.
Proctor’s Museum Scale series will
make the Scale expert drool. Scale ribs and
construction methods borrowed from fullscale
aircraft are this kit line’s hallmarks.
The Fokker Eindecker E.III spans 100
inches, and the Fokker D.VII spans 88
inches. The Albatros D.Va has an 89-inch
wingspan, the Curtiss Jenny has an 87.25-
inch wingspan, and the Nieuport 28 spans
80 inches.
If you have the desire to build a
beautiful model using many full-scale
construction features and with all the
flying wires and turnbuckles you can
imagine, try one of these. Even if you are
interested in building your own designs,
Proctor Enterprises is a great source for
hardware to use on different sizes of
models; it has turnbuckles, cables, wires,
fittings, control horns, pulleys, strut
fittings, wheels, and cockpit accessories.
This company also carries many photo
packs for its World War I kit line. Every
scale kit company should have these
available for the kits it sells.
Another exclusive product line that
Proctor sells is the British Laser fourstroke
engines that range in size from .70
cu. in. to the huge 360 V-Twin. The 360
powers many of the 1/3-scale World War I
models you see in World Championships
Scale competition. These power plants are
extremely reliable and built to last.
As with any Scale model, a reliable
engine is much preferred to the most
powerful but somewhat temperamental
engine. An added perk for Scale modelers
is that the Lasers have a low height profile.
Each engine is test-run by the
manufacturer in England before it is
shipped.
On the Web: Pro-Mark Graphics has been
in business for several years. If you have a
Scale model to which you want to add
rivets, markings, or nomenclature such as
“NO STEP” wording, you might need to
visit this company’s Web site.
In addition to offering many of the
markings you see on Scale models today,
Pro-Mark also does custom work on
different types of markings such as nose
art. Check out the company’s prices and
products.
Upcoming Events: The dates for the One
Eighth Air Force Scale Model Fly-In have
been confirmed for March 20-22. This 65th
edition of the event will be held at the
Sun Valley Flyers’ Cave Buttes Park site
at Cave Creek and Jomax roads in
Phoenix, Arizona.
CD Tom Guca and Commander
Austin Goodwin, along with Al Casey
and the crew, are working to have one of
the best Scale fly-ins in recent history.
Any Scale model, ARF, and others are
welcome.
The organizers usually start things off
with a Friday-night mixer featuring a
hearty helping of pizza, wings, and
assorted beverages. On Saturday, you
have the opportunity to fly your model
and see other Scale models fly all day and
attend that night’s traditional steak
dinner. More flying takes place on
Sunday, and awards are presented that
afternoon.
Al Casey is working to have the
largest club auction in One Eighth Air
Force history, and he’s taking donations.
Want to contribute? Send him hobby
items that are in your way, something
hobby related, or just great auction stuff.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Sources:
NASA (Ed Terry, president)
(256) 747-1217
www.nasascale.org
Proctor Enterprises
(503) 651-1918
www.proctor-enterprises.com
One Eighth Air Force Fly In:
Tom Guca, CD
(602) 509-0895
[email protected]
Austin Goodwin, Commander
(480) 357-1816
[email protected]
www.oneeighthairforce.org
Al Casey
13148 N. 21st Ave.
Phoenix AZ 85029