Radio Control Scale
Stan Alexander [[email protected]]
Indoor RC Scale; it's that time!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! This year has gone more quickly than I expected. It’s almost 2010, and scale modelers who live in colder areas of the country are probably either building airplanes or flying indoors.
Also included in this column:
- Sig’s “Shangri-La”
- Upcoming Scale Events
- Bruce Ream’s P-47
- Book about the Douglas SBD Dauntless
One of the recent plan sets I purchased from AMA was for an FF Pietenpol Air Camper. It spans only 36 inches and is an excellent candidate for indoor electric-powered scale. I’m looking forward to this one.
If you have indoor electric scale models, I want to see them. Winter is also a good time to get those foamies from the hobby shops and try them for some electric-powered RC scale fun inside.
Sig Manufacturing has a line of electric indoor models that are great if you like to build your airplanes. These include the pre-World War I Antoinette, 1909 Demoiselle, and 1910 Deperdussin.
They span 44–50 inches and can fly at the speed of a slow walk in windless conditions. Sig also sells the small-scale Herr models, which include an AT-6 spanning 36 inches and a 35.5-inch-span J-3 Cub, which should fly slowly.
Other companies have kits and ARFs for indoor RC scale, such as Hobbico. It carries a version of the Pietenpol Air Camper, which spans 36 inches and is from a Dumas kit line.
The Dumas kits include an L-19, a WACO, and many others. But if I remember correctly, you have to cut the printed balsa sheets for them.
There are many aircraft out there for almost any size or weight of scale model you would like to build.
I purchased a P-51B ARF from Sig. The model is rated for a .90–1.00 two- or four-stroke engine. With a wingspan of 66.9 inches, it looks to be a good fit for my Saito .80 that is in the engine drawer, waiting for a home.
Upcoming Events
The Top Gun Invitational is scheduled for April 28–May 2, 2010. This international scale contest has been moved back to its traditional week, at the end of April. Frank Tiano and his sponsors and crew put together a great show and competition in the spring in Florida. It’s also a good place to take the family to enjoy some of the nearby parks and attractions; Disney World and other Orlando sites come to mind.
The Scale National Championships will be held July 9–11 at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana. There will be some changes at this year’s event, including the date! Static judging will be held at RC Stage Center for radio-control entrants—not at the armory, as it has been. That is a good move in many ways. For more information about this year’s Scale Nationals, check out the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers website.
Around Scale
This is a great time to be a scale modeler, with so much documentation online as well as photo discs, photo packs—and let’s not forget the full-scale fly-ins. I didn’t mention full-scale air shows. Why? Because most gate guards at those events won't let you get close enough to do walk-around photo shoots.
There are websites on which aviation photographers put some of their best work, but these aren't intended for scale modelers. They might have only one photo of whatever subject you want to model.
Bruce Ream has another way to obtain documentation, but this source is becoming scarce. A couple of years ago, through a fellow modeler, he met and became friends with Lt. Col. Richard (Dick) Hewitt, a highly decorated WWII ace who flew P-47s and P-51s. Dick lives in Lawrence, Kansas.
He wrote a book about his WWII experiences, titled Target of Opportunity. Last year, he attended the Warbirds Over Denver RC fly-in that was hosted by Bruce's club, the Jefco Aeromod'lers.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
