Author: Sal Calvagna
Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/04
Page Numbers: 109,110,111
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A new product and two great Giant Scale offerings

by Sal Calvagna [email protected]

Welcome back to the "RC Giants" column. In this issue there are a couple of superbly done Giant Scale models from members.

Occasionally I come across a product that just seems to make sense. Marcy Jones of Brattleboro, Vermont, hopes you think so too.

I’ve met Marcy at different modeling events in the Northeast for a number of years, but I never knew how inventive she was until she showed me a product she designed that bore her name: Marcy’s Marvelous Wheel Chocks. They are offered by Sullivan Products and are used to stabilize model aircraft in transport, storage, display, etc.

These wheel chocks are made from high-strength aluminum and come with mounting screws. They allow you to securely store your fuselage in a vertical or horizontal position. The chocks have a slot in which the landing gear axle rests. The slot is large enough to handle most axle sizes and is designed to capture the axle so the gear will not slide off. It can be mounted on the inside or outside of the wheel. Marcy’s Marvelous Wheel Chocks are a great way to neatly organize aircraft for storage. Of course, these work best for aircraft where the landing gear is mounted directly to the fuselage.

For more information, visit Sullivan Products' website (listed in "Sources").

Advanced Scale Models B-17

Nine-year-old RC pilot Andrew Sabini of Brentwood, New York, is pictured with his Advanced Scale Models (ASM) B-17 that he commands at flying events throughout the East Coast.

The ASM B-17 spans 120 inches and is powered by four E-flite 46 electric motors and four E-flite 60-amp ESCs. Four 4S 5000 mAh LiPo packs allow for 8- to 10-minute flights. The model was assembled and detailed by Andrew’s dad, who produced a realistic finish.

The model is finished as the Scheherazade of the 4th Bomb Wing/3rd Air Division, 447th Bomber Group based in Rattlesden, England. It is one of the original 447th aircraft that survived the war and returned to the United States. It was credited with accomplishing 126 missions without a single loss or aborted flight.

The aircraft’s nickname, Scheherazade, is after a legendary queen and storyteller in the book One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. The tale goes that every day the king would marry a new wife and have her disappear the next day after finding his first wife had betrayed him. Scheherazade asked the king if she might tell a story during the long night. The king lay awake and listened with awe as Scheherazade told her first story. She stopped in the middle of the story at dawn; the king spared her life for one day so she could finish the tale the next night. Each night she finished the previous story and began another, stopping again at dawn. The king spared her day by day to hear the continuations. Over one thousand and one nights, the king fell in love with Scheherazade, was made wiser and kinder, and finally made her his queen.

Lt. Philip Zanoya, the pilot of Scheherazade, having read the story, named the B-17 after Scheherazade in the hopes that he, too, could be spared and return safely every evening from his bombing missions.

A Huge Nieuport 17

Walt Moucha of Fort Pierce, Florida, sent information about his latest project, a humongous 1/2-scale Nieuport 17. The Nieuport spans 162 inches, has a chord of 26 inches, a fuselage length of 114 inches, and weighs in at a whopping 84 pounds.

The Nieuport is powered by a 3W 140 gas engine swinging a 32 x 10 propeller. The model is covered with 100 linear feet of silver Solartex.

Thanks to the AMA's Large Model Airplane Program for models heavier than 55 pounds, members can build and fly models up to 125 pounds. For more information about the restrictions and requirements of this program, visit the AMA website's "AMA Documents" section (listed in "Sources").

If you're interested in building this model, please call or write to Walt at the contact information listed in "Sources."

That's all for now. See you in June.

SOURCES:

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.