Radio Control Scale - 2010/04

102 MODEL AVIATION
• Yard Ranch Dawn
Patrol
• Get to Mint Julep
• Scale soaring, big time
• FAI Scale code updates
• Antique Airplane
Association
• Flightglobal AirSpace
photos
Building a cowl from balsa
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Save the small wood scraps. These seats and control columns
that Stan carved for the PA-11 still need seatbelts and pilots.
The left half of the PA-11 cowling has been
carved and sanded to a rough shape, and
the right side is where things started. Take
your time and fit the cowl to the fuselage
often.
The pit area at the Dawn Patrol Fly-in in Oregon. WW I events
are bursting with builders. Jack Bushmaker photo.
The cowl’s final shape after carving, sanding, and spackling, is
tested for fit against the finished fuselage one last time. It’s ready
for fiberglass and primer.
WHILE WORKING on my Piper PA-11, I
was thinking about different ways to make a
cowling to cover the cylinder heads, as on
the full-scale aircraft. Deciding, finally, to
invert the engine helped make the job easier.
For a project such as this, you could
carve a cowl from a balsa block or make a
form and lay one up with fiberglass. Another
way is to “block it up” using balsa sheets,
and then carve and sand the structure to the
outline needed for the cowl. Sometimes it’s
quicker and cleaner to do this, although my
wife couldn’t figure out how the house got
so dusty. (Ha!)
After measuring the length of the cowl
and the distance between the finished cowl
and the windscreen, I ordered some balsa
with which to make this cowl and for a
couple other projects I have in the works.
One sheet of 3/8 x 4 x 30 balsa made the
outline for all four sides of the cowl, as well
as the top and bottom. Another sheet of 1/2 x
4 x 24 balsa served as filler for the front
upper and lower sections, which would be
carved, sanded (heavily), and later filled for
the fiberglass.
I also added a block of 3/8 x 1 balsa to
the bottom of the sides. Using yellow
Elmer’s wood glue, it dried overnight and
sanded easily.
Also included in this column:
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April 2010 103
A WW I Scout makes a low and slow flyby at the Yard Ranch
Flying Site in Kellog, Oregon. Fly-ins are ideal for finding help and
sharing enjoyment of the hobby. Bushmaker photo.
A Great Planes 1/4-scale Fokker Dr.I dives in to simulate a ground
attack against Snoopy at the Oregon fly-in. Bushmaker photo.
I took the nose bowl outline off of my
three-view and enlarged it to the proper
size for the model. Balsa USA’s 1/3-scale
J-3 Cub is a great reference for the PA-11,
in a much larger size. I made several
copies when I achieved the correct size,
and prepared to make the first cowl.
Why carve it out? Because it’s simple
and, except for the fiberglass cloth later,
the smell is almost nonexistent.
The cowl is almost square at the back.
The sides are 43/4 inches in length, with
the thinnest part at the back end where the
cowl fits over the fuselage just in front of
the windscreen.
I did all of this work with hand tools: a
saw, an X-Acto hobby knife, coarse and
fine sandpaper, a sanding block, and a drill
for the prop shaft opening.
For this project, a good tape measure is
crucial. When I start a piece such as this
cowl, my rule is to use the same tape
measure until I’m finished, because they
can vary slightly.
My sanding block is a short piece of
straight 2 x 4 wood. You should have
several of these, in different lengths and
shapes, for sanding while working on
models.
I use thumbtacks, three per end, to keep
the paper tight and straight. Using a 2 x 4
instead of a piece of wood with less width
gives you more to hold onto and allows
you to press harder, to take off more
material per pass. It works well. Be
careful, especially on soft balsa; the coarse
paper will remove more balsa than you
might think.
I also fashioned a couple of seats from
sheet balsa and flight controls for the
interior. The kids here have been arguing
about who is going to sit in the front seat.
Amazing.
Around Scale: Every once in awhile I
receive photos from locations across the
country where Scale contests or Scale flyins
are held. Bruce Harlow sent me
information about a World War I fly-in,
with photos by Jack Bushmaker.
The Northwest R/C Aviators club
hosted the Dawn Patrol Fly-In, held at the
Yard Ranch Flying Site in Kellog, Oregon.
The field, which is directly off of
Interstate 5, has roughly 80 acres of shortmowed
hay. By this time of the summer,
in August, the grass is starting to turn
brown.
It seems as though more manufacturers
and kits are dedicated to WW I aviation
than any other era. Proctor Enterprises,
Arizona Model Aircrafters, Balsa USA,
and Glenn Torrance Models represent a
large portion of the kit industry in the US.
Other manufacturers sell designs for this
era too; at least 75% of these companies’
models are of pioneer or WW I aircraft.
With the club’s field next to a river, the
morning fog gives the effect of WW I
before “dawn patrol,” so that is how the
event obtained its name. Spectators and 31
pilots, who took 76 airplanes, from six
states attended this gathering.
The Northwest R/C Aviators held
several diverse events to raise
participation at this fly-in, including a pre-
WW I event for models of aircraft
manufactured before 1914. There was also
a Proctor Antic event, which involved 21
Antic sport models of all sizes.
Bruce Harlow served as the CD for this
fly-in. It takes many dedicated workers to
make such an event happen.
If you are in the western part of the US
in August, this looks like a great field and
a talented group of modelers with whom to
fly. I hope to see them there.
Upcoming Events: Like the rites of
spring, Scale contests start popping up
across the country this time of year. One
of my favorites is held roughly two hours
from where I live, in Nashville,
Tennessee: the Mint Julep Scale Contest.
This year the dates are May 14-16.
The Southern Indiana R/C Modelers
hosts this event each year, and it takes
place at the Rough River Dam State Resort
Park in Falls of Rough, Kentucky. This is
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roughly an hour’s drive north of Bowling
Green, Kentucky.
For many years, Dale Arvin and John
Guenther co-CDed the Mint Julep. Paul
Cain has taken over as CD, and things are
going well.
This venue provides plenty of asphalt to
fly off of (a full-size runway), and Master
of Ceremonies Dale Arvin provides the
entertainment. This is a great time for the
family and for all.
JR has scheduled the JR Aerotow for
June 4-6, 2010, in Champaign, Illinois. This
event features large scale gliders that are
carried aloft by powered tug models. Check
the JR Web site for more information.
FAI Scale: For those of us aeromodelers
who are interested in international
competition, the FAI Web site is the source
for most contest information. The FAI
Sporting Code is the equivalent of AMA’s
Competition Regulations.
The new 2010 Sporting Code for F4
(Scale) competition, including all classes
therein, has been posted on the Web site. Be
ready; with 81 pages for the printer, there’s
lots of material.
To get to the updated Sporting Code, go
to the CIAM (International Aeromodelling
Commission of FAI) home page and click
on “Documents.” Scroll down to “FAI
Sporting Code Section 4—2010 Edition”
and click on it. From there, go to “F4 Flying
Scale Models” and click on the “Belgium”
download site.
Some of the best diagrams I’ve seen for
RC, as well as CL Scale maneuvers, are
included in these pages. The depictions give
good reference for centering maneuvers and
the shape and size of each one.
A new provisional class is F4H, which is
a sport-scale division for RC Scale. This
category has been in existence for only this
past year. It has gained popularity in
Europe, where it was flown at the 2009
European Scale Championships.
A provisional class that has been around
for a few years is F4G, for “Large Scale
Radio Control Models” that weigh more
than 15 kilograms, or 33 pounds. In the US,
we have learned that, with Scale airplanes
especially, the bigger they, are the better
they fly. Europe is also familiar with big
models.
The 2010 Scale World Championships
will be held in Czestochowa, Poland, July
30-August 8. Three countries—Great
Britain, China, and Spain—have submitted
bids for the 2012 World Championships.
As soon as a venue selection is made,
I’ll let you know. It should be sometime late
this summer. So it looks like the new
classes are having at least one of the desired
effects: more participation from organizers.
If any CD out there is interested in
hosting a Scale event, please contact either
the AMA Competition Department or me;
one of us will be glad to assist you.
Resources, including blank score sheets, are
available from the NASA (National
Association of Scale Aeromodelers) Web
site.
Resources: The Antique Airplane
Association, located in Blakesburg, Iowa,
has a full-scale fly-in each year during
Labor Day week. In 2009, more than 360
aircraft (a record, I believe) and more than
1,000 people were in attendance.
Airplane makes represented included
Bellanca, Piper, Aeronca, Bücker, WACO,
Stearman, Rearwin, Travel Air, and others.
There were lots of sticks, stringers, and
round engines.
For information about, history of, and
great photos and videos of antique airplanes,
the Antique Airplane Association has a
great Web site. It might inspire your next
build!
On the Internet: Web sites with good,
clear photos of aircraft from the Golden Age
of Aviation are rare. Thanks to Mike Gretz
for sending me information about a site that
features aircraft and scenes from the 1934
Mac Robertson Race. Check out the
Flightglobal Web site address in the
“Sources” list.
Fair skies and tailwinds! MA
Sources:
Proctor Enterprises
(503) 651-1918
www.proctor-enterprises.com
Arizona Model Aircrafters
(602) 971-5646
www.arizonamodels.com
Balsa USA
(800) 225-7287
www.balsausa.com
Glenn Torrance Models
(919) 765-0814
www.flygtm.com
JR
(800) 338-4639
www.jrradios.com
FAI
www.fai.org
CIAM
www.fai.org/aeromodelling
NASA
www.nasascale.org
Antique Airplane Association
(641) 938-2773
www.antiqueairfield.com
Flightglobal AirSpace 1930s images:
www.flightglobal.com/airspace/photos/histo
rical1930scivil/default.aspx