RC Giants
Sal Calvagna 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741 E-mail: [email protected]
It is late April as I'm diligently working on the September Giant Scale column, and I have to wonder where the summer went.
I know that, in reality, I have the whole summer to look forward to; however, I am still trying to get accustomed to this writing/editing business. It's April, and I am writing for the September issue of Model Aviation, which will be out in late July!
All I can say is, thank goodness I am not reporting on time-sensitive issues, such as stock or bond investing!
Giant Scale aviation suffered a double loss recently, with the passing of former International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) President Bob Dean and IMAA District II President and AMA District II Associate Vice President Bob McKay. Both gentlemen were significant contributors to the world of model aviation—more specifically, to the advancement of Giant Scale model aircraft. They will be sorely missed.
Modeler Meets Hero
Giant Scale modeler Gary West of Syosset, New York had the great pleasure of meeting retired Colonel Francis (Gabby) Gabreski at Gabby's birthday celebration at the Polish American Congress in Brooklyn, New York, January 6, 2001.
Gabby is a true American hero, who holds the distinction of being a two-time fighter ace. He was America's leading ace in Europe during World War II, with 28 kills, and an F-86 fighter ace in Korea, with 6½ kills.
Gary brought his beautifully built Aerotech P-47, which was finished in Colonel Gabreski's color scheme. This was the last fighter Gabby flew during WWII.
The P-47 is 1/2 scale with an 82-inch wingspan, and is powered by a Bristol 4.2 gas engine. It weighs 31 pounds and has functional exhaust, true Fowler flaps, and a sliding canopy.
The model is so well finished that Gary won first place in the Post WW I category at the 2001 WRAM (Westchester Radio Aero Modelers) Show.
This is not the first time Gabby has been introduced to the modeling world; he has appeared at a few of our local modeling events and is a great fan and supporter of our miniature warbirds.
Great job, Gary!
RC Giants
Italian Nieuport
Prolific modeler Ed Hirschfeld of Selden, New York recently completed a fine-looking 1/4-scale Nieuport 17 (one of this month's photos) from Wayne Lesse plans. The aircraft spans 82 inches and is done in Italian colors.
Unlike in WWII, Italy fought on the British, US, and French side during WWI.
The model is powered by a Zenoah G-38 and was painted with acrylic craft paints and Krylon® spray paint.
Pull-pull
If you are looking for that scale appearance for your Giant Scale early flier, install a pull-pull system on your tail feathers that works really well.
This system works equally well on aerobatic types that use pull-pull for rudder, or any other models that have internal cables as they exit the rear fuselage sides. They are attached to elevator and rudder horns with a standard crimp sleeve.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
