RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
LAST MONTH I stated that Giant Scale can be for everyone. It really can! The days of having to pull apart that chain saw or weed wacker to find a suitable power plant are long gone.
The abundance of Giant Scale products and services is mind-boggling. The variety is so great that even if you live in a studio apartment and drive a Geo Metro™, you can still enjoy Radio Control (RC) Giants. How, you ask?
How about a Hangar 9 Piper J-3 Cub with an 80½-inch wingspan and any good .46 engine? There you have it!
You can even throw some military markings on it, and attend some of the popular warbird events. During World War II, some of the early Cubs were pulled right off the assembly line and used by the military in Cub Yellow.
I know that an 80-inch Piper Cub is a long way from that 45-pound Hellcat with flaps, retracts, and so on, but it sure is a good way to get started in Giant Scale.
Your dream may be to build and fly that heavy-metal warbird or something more complex, such as a twin- or four-engine heavy. One day you may do so. However, it is important to have a good starting place.
As the number of Giant Scale modelers grows, so will the choices of new products and services; it's the old theory of supply and demand.
Like the branches of a tree, there are many directions you can go with larger models and many choices to make. Gas, glow, or electric? Civil, military, acrobatic scale, or just plain sport types?
Once you decide what type of airplane and the type of power plant you would like, you can choose Almost Ready to Cover (ARC), Almost Ready to Fly (ARF), kit, or plan-built.
There is something for everyone. Why not give it a try?
Friends
Whatever you build and wherever you fly, it's far more enjoyable if you do it with friends.
If you want to give Giant Scale a try but are hesitant, why not work along with a friend and build two of the same model? For the sake of individuality, you can finish them in different color schemes.
Too often it is difficult to find the inspiration and enthusiasm to stick with a project and see it through to completion. How many times have you seen someone else's work area, or even your own, with many projects started but none completed?
Working with another person, or even with many others, renews your inspiration and enthusiasm.
Bouncing ideas back and forth, sharing building techniques, or just having some good company can make all the difference.
Just remember that Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will your next project. Good luck!
Decals
If you are in the market for 1/4- or 1/6-scale decals, try Major Decals. This company has the larger-size decals available for some WW I- and WW II-type aircraft.
Major Decals also has those hard-to-find propeller decals, such as Hamilton Standard, Hartzell, McCauley, Falcon, Fahlin, Pratt & Whitney, Sensenich, Axial, Dowty Rotol, and MT-Propeller in 1/4- to 1/6-scale sizes, which really add that finishing touch to any model.
These decals are available in pressure-sensitive or water-transfer. Although the catalog lists more than 1,100 choices, and many for the smaller models, Major Decals can also produce special orders.
Decals aren't the company's only business; it also produces and sells engine mounts. They're excellent for reducing transmitted engine/propeller vibration and preventing unwanted loosening at the point of attachment.
Give Major Decals a call at (413) 525-4110, fax to (413) 525-7794, or write to the company at Northeast Screen Graphics, Box 304, East Longmeadow MA 01028. You can also make contact via the Web site: www.majordecals.com.
Weak Link
Say you have a new Giant Scale model. You have installed some high-torque, or even 1/4-scale, servos, and you are running a combination of eight servos instead of the usual four-servo configuration.
So you run out and purchase a nice, new 1,800 or 2,000 mAh battery pack to handle the extra demand. You have that new four-, six-, or eight-channel radio, and you are ready to go.
Hold on a minute! Have you ever taken a good look at the switch harness that comes standard with the radio?
Most new radio systems come with a 600 or 700 mAh battery and the appropriate switch harness to handle the .25 to .60 model sizes. For the larger models, the extra vibration and current draw make the standard switch harness unsuitable.
That's not a problem. Call Electro Dynamics, Inc., and order one of the Heavy Duty 2-in-1 Ultra DSC switches.
The switch comes with a built-in charge jack, charge-jack sliding cover, molded rear nut plate, and exclusive switch guard, which prevents accidental operation. All of this is roughly $15.
Contact Electro Dynamics, Inc. at (800) 537-1638 or check out the Web site at www.electrodyneiam.com.
Ambitious Project
I have always admired those who dare convention by building and flying the unusual. I respect those who have gone the extra mile to bring us those complex twin- and four-engine behemoths.
Dave Wigley of Smithtown, New York has earned my respect and admiration for his current project. He is working on a 1/10-scale version of the US Marines' V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
This aircraft is a hybrid design; it's a helicopter and a fixed-wing airplane. It takes off and lands as a helicopter does, but after takeoff the engines rotate 90° to propel it as if it's a fixed-wing airplane. The full-scale aircraft is able to accomplish this with the use of sophisticated computers.
Dave has been working hard to overcome some complex problems. To keep the aircraft level in the rotary mode, the ailerons (roll) are not effective. He is using differential thrust by adjusting ignition timing on his electronic-ignition Zenoah G-38 engines. He also runs the engines in opposite directions, to counter torque.
Dave has completed initial (tethered) hovering tests to prove out the power-to-weight ratio. Now he is working on pitch control while in hovering mode.
Dave is shown with his V-22 mockup as the engines rotate from fixed-wing to rotary-wing position.
Keep us informed of your progress, and the best of luck to you, Dave!
Albatross C.I.
Other photos depict a 1914 German observation aircraft constructed by premier builder Alan Yende of Atlanta, Georgia. He writes:
"The model is quarter scale. It was scratch-built from a set of 1/6 D&B Sport and Scale plans that I enlarged. It has a top wingspan of 129 inches with a bottom span of 109 inches. The wing area is approximately 3,960 square inches.
"The wing rigging is stainless steel wire and uses over 80 Du-Bro fittings. The wings come off as a pair of box kits so that assembly is just three bolts and four clevises. The covering is Solartex.
"The fuselage is covered with 1/64 birch ply which has been stained. The model is powered with a Moki 2.10 with an IGS onboard glow system. The control column in the cockpit moves forward and back with elevator movement and the aileron wheel on the control column turns with aileron movement.
"The rear turret is mounted directly onto a servo and operates using the flap-control knob on the transmitter. Finished weight is 39 pounds and it took me under a year to complete."
Good luck with your first flight, Alan! If you have an opportunity to meet and talk with Alan, please don't let his accent fool you; although he lives in the Deep South, he hails from across the pond.
Giants Over DeLand
My friend Jim Kiehl of Largo, Florida sent me a few photos of the Giants Over DeLand meet, which was held February 1-4 this year.
Although the weather was not as cooperative as in the past, approximately 150 pilots and roughly 200 aircraft were present at this chilly event.
The meet was governed by International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) rules, with the exception that ducted-fan and turbine-powered jets were prohibited. A good mixture of sport aerobatic and military types were present.
A close-knit group who call themselves "The Lucky Bastards" brought many fine examples of WWII aircraft. I believe that name was taken from an Army Air Corps group of the same period.
One photo shows a 103-inch-span Messerschmitt Me 262 jet aircraft built by Joe Saitta of Seminole, Florida. The airplane was allowed to fly at this nonjet event because it is powered by two O.S. .91s turning propellers.
If you look closely, you can see the props directly in front of the engine nacelles. Joe says he will convert the 262 to turbine power as soon as he wins the Florida lottery!
Tripe
Gunther Uthgenannt of Syosset, New York has a 30% Fokker Dr.I triplane that spans 85 inches and is powered by a Zenoah G-45 gas engine. The Dr.I weighs 25 pounds, and is finished in the original Cole Palen color scheme.
Cole Palen was a great visionary who devoted his life to recreating the dream of the development of early aviation and preserving it at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.
In his honor, Gunther even made a Cole look-alike pilot for his Dr.I, which he says flies great!
Nice going, Gunther!
That's all for this month. Send me your comments, suggestions, and information about interesting projects, and I will do my very best to accommodate you.
Keep 'em flying! MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
