RADIO CONTROL SCALE AEROBATICS - 2003/05
Mike Hurley, 11542 Decatur Ct., Westminster CO 80234; E-mail: [email protected]
NEW PRODUCTS for Modelers Who Demand the Best: In past issues I’ve written a great deal about being cost effective and getting a model done right for the least amount of money. But somehow I feel like I might be leaving some of you out. We all like to save a few bucks here and there, but there are those who want to have the finest equipment and hardware that money can buy. Come on, we can’t let the jet pilots have all the cool stuff!
So for those of you who sport a Rolex at work and a Breitling at the flying field, I bring you “Mike’s Picks” for the best “price is no object” equipment, hardware, and accessories for the discriminating Scale Aerobatics (SA) enthusiast. Enjoy and, pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?
Giant Scale Pilots
Bryan Gillmore—one of the head technicians at Desert Aircraft—is producing lightweight fiberglass pilot busts for Giant Scale models. Shown are the F1 pilots. I first saw these at the 2002 Tournament of Champions (TOC) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jason Shulman had one in his 40% FiberClassics Extra 330, and the appearance of the F1 pilot in an SA airplane was fantastic.
These guys are big! The F1 is 8 inches tall and has a shoulder width of 9-1/4 inches. It should work well for those of you who are trying to find a pilot for that 40–50% SA airplane. All of Bryan’s pilots are made from 100% fiberglass and are extremely lightweight; the F1 weighs just 3-1/2 ounces.
For approximately $60 you can buy the pilot in a white gel coat that you paint. That’s not tremendously spendy, you say, but who wants to get paint under their fingernails? The discriminating modeler can opt for one with a wild custom paint job like those shown. Cost for the pilot with custom paint can run anywhere from $100 to $300. An optional carbon-fiber visor can be added for $15; it doesn’t help the guy see any better, but it sure looks cool! Visors are operational too.
Bryan presently makes the F1-style pilot in 45%, and for those who don’t want to be encumbered with silly safety items such as helmets, a 40% fiberglass Dave Von Linsowe pilot with aviator glasses and headphones is available. Bryan also has plans for a 35% pilot in the near future. You can get in touch with him at (520) 241-6121 or order the pilots from www.jasonshulman.com.
PowerfLite Batteries for Electric Airplanes
This past winter’s weather and my insane building schedule have seen me stuck in the workshop more than any healthy person should endure. For a little reprieve I decided to experiment with an SA slow-flyer design that could hover, torque roll, and do all of the 3-D maneuvers that I like to do with my big airplanes.
The key to 3-D is not bigger motors and more power; it’s light weight. And the smaller the airplane, the lower the wing loading must be to achieve the desired performance. My goal was to have a total flying weight of less than 10 ounces, with a wing area of roughly 200 square inches. When complete I had an aircraft that was approximately 7.8 ounces without a battery, so the pack needed to be limited to roughly 2.2 ounces or less.
I wanted to supply 9.6 volts or more to the motor so an eight-cell Ni-Cd pack would work fine. I found a set of cells that fit the bill, but at 110 mAh the model could only hover for approximately 30 seconds, and after that the straight-and-level flight time sloped off dramatically. Enter PowerfLite batteries!
PowerfLite distributes a lithium-polymer cell system that is lightweight, powerful, and long lasting. Try 12.0 volts peak with 10.8 volts nominal at 1020 mAh, all at just 2.2 ounces! With the PowerfLite battery I can torque roll, hover, perform high-alpha flight, and do almost any other power maneuver in the book for roughly 15 minutes straight.
Why, you ask, is this system in a column about upscale accessories? Although the PowerfLites are far superior, once charged, to Ni-Cds in this application, the downside is that they must be charged rather slowly. It takes two to six hours to recharge the lithium-polymer pack. So for use as a flight pack, it’s almost mandatory that you have three or four packs precharged for a nice afternoon of flying. And at $135 a pop, you might have to forego the Grey Poupon and live with French’s for a few weeks.
The PowerfLite lithium-polymer packs seem to be the best technology you can get for this application right now. They made all the difference in my slow-flyer project, but for real practicality you're going to have to make a commitment that requires the pockets of J.D. Rockefeller. Of course, I'm sure that won't be a problem for the Radio Control (RC) connoisseur.
For more information about PowerfLite systems, go to www.skyborneelectronics.com or call (972) 267-5099. (The slow-flyer aircraft design is not mine, and I'm not at liberty to give further information.)
Fast Fueler
Italy's Marco Benincasa may have had a suave Ferrari paint scheme on his TOC airplane that was the envy of aristocratic RC pilots everywhere, but he didn't have a fuel-delivery system that could live up to the panache of the Fast Fueler by Jim Martin!
Any of you who have been around precision RC Aerobatics for more than a few years may remember the name Jersey Jim Martin. In the 1970s Jim was one of the top contenders in the Pattern world, with his share of national titles. Jim even flew in one of the early TOCs, and he's well known for the legendary Banshee Pattern aircraft design. During the 1980s and early 1990s Jim got into automotive racing with his son. Never satisfied with what's available, and being the consummate tinkerer, Jim designed and built upscale parts for his race cars. His products varied from fuel injection to dry-sump oiling systems and more.
The good news for us is that Jim is now into flying Giant Scale SA and is bringing his racing experience and innovative ideas into our sport. Don't get your color meters too close to the Fast Fueler because it's likely to blow the top right off. Jim's fueling system is completely handmade with high-quality aircraft-grade aluminum. Jim does all of the machining, welding, and assembly himself.
The fueler holds approximately three gallons of fuel and operates by pressurization. Plastic gas tanks expand and do not allow much pressure to build up, meaning you get a slow trickle of fuel. The Fast Fueler holds its shape, and with 8 to 10 pounds of pressure, will fill a 50-ounce gas tank in short order. And being a completely closed system, the Fast Fueler prevents any vapors in the car or trailer.
I've been using the Fast Fueler for the last three years. I can attest that besides being extremely high-tech looking, it's fast, safe, and reliable. All right, so we'll share a little with the jet pilots this time. You can get this system especially designed for Jet-A or kerosene; it's called the Jet Fueler. Don't jump off your wallets yet—the Fast Fueler will set you back $350. It's rather extravagant. But, like Marco, if you can appreciate the artistry in a hand-built, high-quality automobile, you'll appreciate the Fast Fueler's appeal.
For those who crave the finest, it's worth every penny.
Prop Balancer
Frustrated with propeller balancers that were meant for 8- to 14-inch propellers, Jim Martin developed a balancer that would work well for those of us in Giant Scale Aerobatics. Staying true to form, Jim designed the balancer to be more than merely functional. As are his fueling systems, Jim's new balancer is made with aircraft-grade aluminum and other high-quality materials, with an aesthetic design that'll make everyone take notice.
The unit uses powerful magnets that suspend the propeller on a shaft with zero friction. Suspended only by magnetism, neither the propeller nor the balancer's centering shaft is in contact with the stand, allowing total freedom of movement that will reveal the slightest balance discrepancy. The centering shaft is designed for large SA-type propellers with a 10 mm center bore.
The picture I’ve included is of the prototype balancer. As usual for projects of this type, expect some evolutionary changes for the production units. The projected price of the balancer will be somewhere near $100.
For the Prop Balancer or the Fast Fueler, contact Jim Martin at JM Service: (570) 296-7756 or E-mail [email protected].
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
