Author: Sal Calvagna
Edition: Model Aviation - 2015/02
Page Numbers: 105,106,107
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RC GIANTS - 2015/02

by Sal Calvagna [email protected]

47th Annual WRAM Show

Welcome back to the "RC Giants" column. One of the "big three" RC trade shows in the US is about to take place: the 2015 Westchester Radio Aero Modelers (WRAM) Show. It's held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, February 20–22.

There will be more than 150 manufacturers and vendors present, along with magnificent static models of all types for land, sea, and air. Check out the new offerings and maybe you'll find a great deal. It's also a good time to meet up with fellow modelers to renew old friendships.

For more information, please see Sources.

Vailly Aviation S.E.5

It's been a year since Vailly Aviation's newest offering, a 1/3-scale Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5, was last featured in this column. Here's a second look at the completed model.

The aircraft spans 108 inches with a length of 85 inches and an all-up weight between 38 and 46 pounds. The S.E.5 is a 1/3-scale design for World War I sport/fun/scale enthusiasts and is based on W.A. Wylam drawings. It may also be built as an S.E.5a with some changes.

It is designed around a Zenoah G-62 with a Mick Reeves reduction propeller-drive unit (30 x 10 propeller). Other engines with direct drive may also be used.

Construction is an all-wood, built-up structure using conventional materials and assembly techniques. The model features a three-piece wing design with plug-in panels for easy transportation. Functional flying wires provide easy assembly/disassembly at the field.

PA-12 Supercruiser and J-4 Cub Coupe by Randy Smithheisler

Randy Smithheisler of Edgewood, Washington, built both of these immaculate models.

  • The first is a 1/4-scale Piper PA-12 Supercruiser with a 108-inch wingspan. Randy built it in 1996 for an article titled "Electric Conversions for RC Scale" published in the May 1997 issue of Model Aviation. The PA-12 was one of the first electric-powered models to win a trophy at the AMA Nats (1997) and was a U.S. Scale Masters Association (USSMA) qualifier in 1996.
  • The second model is a 1/4-scale J-4 Cub Coupe built using the wing from a Sig Manufacturing kit and a fuselage constructed from Paul Matt three-views. This model has competed in eight USSMA championships, but still feels at home flying at the local field on Sunday afternoons.

Both models are powered by a geared Astro Flight 90 brushed motor using an 11S Hyperion LiPo pack. Very nice work, Randy.

Curtiss Standard J-1 by Keith Zimmerly

Keith Zimmerly of Hamilton Township, New Jersey, is well known for building very large models. This time Keith has gone over the top with his latest project: a 1/2-scale Curtiss J-1 Standard.

The model spans 22 feet and is powered by a 3W-170 gas engine swinging a 36 x 10 propeller. It sports 16-inch bicycle tires and, even at 76.5 pounds, flies like a trainer.

Keith covered the model with Solartex and painted it with Rust-Oleum. The aluminum roof paint for the wings was applied with a roller. He finished the model in a barnstorming-era scheme using part of his own name: "Zimm's Flying Circus." Keith stated that the model will be donated to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York, for display in its museum.

Guess the Aircraft

Just as on a radio show where the listener must guess the song from a few notes, the first reader to identify the aircraft from a photo of only the rudder will win a heavy-duty switch harness with charge port from Maxx Products International (MPi) or Electronic Model Systems/JOMAR (EMS). Email your guess to the address at the top of this column. Good luck!

That's all for now. Send me photos of your current project and I will be happy to include them in an upcoming "RC Giants" column.

SOURCES:

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