RC Giants
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
KNOWING THAT the January issue of Model Aviation will be out on the shelves and delivered to our homes in late November, I take this opportunity to wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and wonderful holiday season.
Naturally, since all of you have been good boys and girls (regardless of age) throughout the year, I hope you receive those Radio Control (RC) goodies you have been yearning for.
There have been many Giant Scale events held in the Northeast this season. Although I could not attend them all, I have been fortunate enough to participate in more than a few.
Warbirds Over Pennsylvania, in its sixth year, was hosted by the Buc-Le Aero Sportsmen at their beautiful 900-foot grass field in Quakertown PA August 4-5.
Saturday the weather was hazy, hot, and humid. Between flights we all huddled under the security of our tents to escape the sun and cool down with our favorite refreshments.
Although only Giant Scale aircraft were permitted Saturday, Sunday was open to any size of military model. Saturday there were 70 registered pilots and 80 aircraft.
After the registration and inspection process, the sky was the limit. There were five flight stations to fly from and plenty of opportunity for all to get airborne.
Similar to other major events, the transmitter was yours if your frequency was available. It was your responsibility to queue up at one of the flight stations to grab a flight. This system kept things moving smoothly and efficiently.
A spotter was required for each pilot, to keep the flightline and all concerned safe.
At noon the flying stopped and all the aircraft were lined up in center field for the spectators to view close-up. I was able to speak with many of the pilots and chose the following to share with the readers.
If you think RC model flying — more specifically, Giant-Scale flying — is only for the retired or nearly retired, take a good look at Chris Maier of Whitehall, Pennsylvania and his 1/4-scale Fokker Dr.I.
Chris is 13 years old and says he has been flying for the past eight years. If you think he flies his impressive Dr.I on a buddy box with an experienced pilot, you're wrong. He flies the model so well, I believe he is one of the finest young pilots I have seen.
I was so taken with Chris's ability to fly the Dr.I in past events that he inspired me to build my own 1/4-scale Dr.I.
I hope he continues to succeed and inspires others his age to take up the hobby/sport and to stick with it as the years pass. He and those like him are the future of the AMA. Three cheers for you, Chris!
If you attend one of these events in the Northeast and see a PT-19, an Eindecker, or an L-19 coming across the field in a knife-edge low pass or a one-wheel touch-and-go, you must be watching Adam Lilley at work.
Adam is king of the knife-edge low pass! He is also an avid Giant-Scale-event participant. He isn't content to put on a flight or two; you can measure his total time in the air in flight hours.
It is people such as Adam who make these events the success they are. Keep up the good work!
Hank Likes of The Likes Line landing gear and accessories company attended the event with his 1/3-scale Balsa USA PT-17.
Unlike retractable landing gear by some other makers, The Likes Line retracts are electrical jackscrew operations that provide standard and rotation strut movement. Retracts are available for .90- to 1.20-, 1/2-, 1/4-, and 1/3-size aircraft.
Retracts come complete with struts, battery pack, charger, and switch harness. For more information, call Hank directly at (717) 732-0636 or visit his Web site at www.acrossports.com/likesline.
Drake Edwards of Raleigh, North Carolina flew his 102-inch-span Bud Nosen P-51 powered by a Precision Eagle 8.4 twin. Drake said the 8.4 twin is roughly 140cc and his model weighs 45 pounds.
Those of us who have been in the hobby for some time probably remember the inexpensive Giant Scale Bud Nosen kits, which were originally designed to be powered by a .60-size glow engine on a Du-Bro geared propeller drive. That's amazing!
Charlie Kellogg of Warrington, Pennsylvania attended with his very fine Ziroli C-45 powered by two Zenoah G-38s. The 43-pound C-45 has Robart retracts, scale flaps, landing-gear doors, and RAM navigation lights.
Charlie put on some great flights for us Saturday.
Tony Urbano of Browns Mills, New Jersey brought his nicely weathered Ziroli A6M5 Zero powered by a Zenoah G-62 with Robart retracts and a B&B smoke system. The model weighs 35 pounds.
Tony's model is a great example of how a full-scale A6M5 would have looked after many sorties from Rabaul or some other forward-area Japanese air base.
Too often we see the squeaky-clean versions of models that look far better than the new aircraft as they rolled off the assembly line. Tony took that extra step to display a more "scale" model. Great job!
There were many great-looking Giant
RC Giants
Scale models at the event, and unfortunately I cannot include them all in this column.
In addition to the vendors present, Mike and Nancy Roselli of A.M.R. Productions were there to videotape the action and offer their extensive collection of aircraft documentation and videos from past events. Mike is ever present at these events and does a great job of recording the happenings for us to enjoy. I have had the dubious honor of being included in his popular "crash" tape on more than one occasion!
If you are interested in acquiring one of Mike's tapes, write to him at A.M.R. Productions, Box 1613, Toms River NJ 08754 or view his Website at www.takemeout.net/avbirds.
The Buc-Le Aero Sportsmen did a wonderful job of putting on a safe and fun Giant Scale event. There was plenty of food and drink available and good company to enjoy.
As in the past, no landing fees were charged to participate in this event. Thanks to all the Buc-Le members who made Warbirds Over Pennsylvania the success it has grown to be.
If you are interested in this event or the Buc-Le Aero Sportsmen club, visit the Web site at http://members.aol.com/bucsbrst.
New F3A Engine: Antonio Sequiini of Italy is offering the 3M Minto. It produces 3.7 horsepower and will spin an APC 16 x 14 propeller at 7,800 rpm. It weighs 780 grams and comes with an incorporated fuel pump.
The engine operates with two glow plugs. Antonio says that the 3M Minto is compatible with the O.S. .140 RX and can use the same muffler and pipe.
The 3M Minto's introductory price is $360, which includes shipping. Anyone interested in this engine can contact Antonio directly at [email protected].
This ends another segment of RC Giants. Next month I will cover some of the happenings at the "mecca" of early aviation/WWII warbirds: the Rhino/Redneck Jamboree Fly-In. Remember to send me those photos of your current project, and best wishes for all your endeavors in 2002.
Cheers! Ron
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
