RC Giants
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
WELCOME TO "Radio Control Giants". In this edition I will feature a selection of readers' projects. I hope you find them interesting.
A pair of photos shows Phil DeLuca of Shirley, New York with a rare biplane from the 1920s: a Fokker D.XIII. The model is nearly ready for covering at this stage and was built solely using three-views from a 1975 issue of American Aircraft Modeler.
What is more amazing is that Phil constructed this model from someone's back deck. No, not on the deck—from the deck!
As told to me, a cedar deck was built on an exclusive home. The owner was not happy with it and had it torn down. Not one to waste perfectly good building material, Phil was able to acquire the cedar, and he proceeded to cut some of it into stringers and other stock to frame the Fokker D.XIII.
Every part of the model was built from scratch and beautifully done! Phil intends to power this big airplane with a Zenoah G-62.
Although this aircraft has two wings, it is not a biplane. Since the bottom wing is less than half the area of the top wing, as clearly shown in one photo, it is considered a sesquiplane. The bottom wing's purpose is to support the struts that stiffen the top wing.
The Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I also sought to end German militarism. All aircraft manufacturing in Germany, civil or military, was banned in the short term. All existing aircraft were ordered confiscated or destroyed.
This did not sit well with Germany's generals, who, having learned the value of aviation, were determined to possess this weapon again.
Fifty Fokker D.XIIIs were purchased clandestinely from Anthony Fokker, who had returned to Holland after the war to again produce aircraft. The D.XIII set a number of records for speed with payload and handled quite well, thus was ideally suited for advanced training.
Argentina supposedly purchased these aircraft in order to circumvent the Treaty of Versailles. However, the airplanes were shipped to Russia, where German aviators trained at the Lipetsk Air Combat School, located 250 miles south of the Soviet capital.
RC Giants
Another photo came all the way from Rawson, Argentina; José Domijan is posing with his first Giant Scale model: a 3/4-scale J-3 Cub from Great Planes.
The model is powered by an O.S. .61 FSR, which was given to José as a gift years ago and has sat around just waiting for that perfect airframe to come calling.
He writes, "I am a subscriber of Model Aviation for many years" and further states that he loves Giant Scale models. He would like to expand his repertoire of Giants with a big gas-burner but adds that the price of these engines in Argentina is more than twice as much as in the USA.
As with other modelers worldwide, where there's a will, there's a way, and José, along with a couple of his friends, are overcoming this problem. He bought a Homelite® chain saw at a great price and will modify it for Radio Control use.
José has made his own CDI ignition, which he tested in a Weed Eater® trimmer engine with a mechanical advance. The CDI was made from a high-voltage coil from a Honda CR250 and Ni-Cds discarded in a local dump. The Ni-Cds come from old battery packs used in video cameras and cellular telephones.
Other parts were scavenged from television sets and old key telephone systems (copper windings). He is currently building three more CDI units!
Buena suerte, José.
Medenbach of Pikesville, Maryland with his one-week-old, 28-pound Wayne Sweetwater-cowitch Model P-51 Mustang. Phil wrote that it comes in a box as big as your house!
The P-51 spans 94 inches and features an all-sheeted, carbon-fiber molded one-piece wing with a tip-to-tip aluminum spar built in. Phil installed a Moki 210 glow power plant that consumes fuel at a shameful rate, with a tuned pipe that exits the cowl radiator door.
Phil also models a Nelson hobby shop, a dual 16-ounce saddle tanks, and spins a 20x10 propeller. He uses a JR 10X radio with a combination of 4311, 4721, and 615 servos. The landing gear was made by Century Jet, using Clippard medical-grade cylinders operated by a UP2 air-control valve. Phil has a full cockpit installed, a sliding canopy, and working drop tanks. The whole works is powered by an SR Batteries 2800 mAh six-volt system.
Most of us in the hobby pursuit are familiar with the P-51 Mustang. Even people who are not interested in aviation recognize the name or know something about this famous World War II fighter. However, very few know about this aircraft's origin.
The Mustang was designed by Edgar Schmued in 120 days. Schmued was a self-taught engineer who emigrated from Germany in roughly 1930 and was once part of Willy Messerschmitt's design group.
The P-51 was an instant success with the Allies in combat, but it became the Cadillac of the sky with the installation of the British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
How ironic that one of the best fighter aircraft of WWII, which was able to escort heavy bombers all the way into Germany and back, was basically designed by a German!
If you are interested in owning an Aerotech Mustang, go to the Web site at www.aerotechmodels.com for all the facts.
The last picture is of a stunning 1/2-scale Gee Bee R-2 racer. The R-2 was a collaborative effort by Matt Uldson of Seaford, New York and Joe Zagorski of North Massapequa, New York.
The model took two years to construct and was built from modified Wendell Hosterder plans. It weighs a hefty 54 pounds and is powered by a SW-140 gas-burning monster that turns a 30x10 propeller.
The cowl and wheel pants are from Fiberglass Specialties. Robertson made the landing gear, and the Gee Bee was painted with Sherwin-Williams basecoat/clearcoat automotive paint.
Matt owns Sunrise Hobbies, which is located in Seaford. It is what I consider a full-service hobby store; it caters to all Radio Control needs, whether it be cars, boats, or airplanes, and it has a parts kit line and other hobby-related items. Since Matt is active in the hobby as well, he can always help customers with his expertise.
At any time you can find a cadre of the Nassau Flyers—a local Radio Control club—
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
