RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
WELCOME BACK. Part of my responsibility as a contributing editor is to report on new products and services designed for the larger models. This month I had planned to feature two relatively new and exciting products: the Pilatus PC-6 Porter Almost Ready to Fly (ARF) imported by RC Plane Power of Rhode Island and the Fuji BT-32A gas engine distributed by Great Planes.
The BT-32A was my engine of choice to power the Pilatus Porter. My intentions were to write sort of a product review on both; not a full-blown review, but a mini-review in which I would highlight the areas I thought were important or interesting without getting into the minutia. However, the best-laid plans ...
I have the Pilatus completed and the engine running, but the March weather on Long Island has not been cooperative. I must submit this article posthaste to meet the deadline. I am forced to put the Pilatus Porter off until next month; however, I am able to introduce the Fuji now.
Fuji BT-32A
I chose to power my latest project with the Fuji BT-32A engine because of the advertising I had seen about the Automatic Timing Module (ATM) that comes standard on Fuji gas engines. Other standard capacitive discharge (CD) magneto gas engines have their timing preset by the manufacturer to offer a happy medium between easy starting and maximum power output.
A two-stroke gas engine that is specifically timed for easy starting would have less-than-enthusiastic power output at full throttle. If the manufacturer were to preset the timing for maximum power output at full throttle, it would be extremely difficult to start at idle setting. Normally, these two-stroke CD magneto gas engines are timed in such a manner to do both well but not the best.
Engines that offer easier starting and increased output power have separate ignition modules which provide spark by using their own battery source. They are available in a throttle-coupled mechanical advance or electronic advance.
Fuji Engines claims that the ATM offers the best of both worlds: extraordinary power and easy starting. There is no more compromising between high and low timing. You start with low timing for easy starting with no backfiring. As rpm increases, the timing automatically advances to produce more torque during flight.
Fuji engines are not adapted/converted for Radio Control (RC) use, but they are intended strictly for RC use. The cylinder heads feature heat-resistant blue paint with true chrome cylinder plating. Flywheels, propeller hubs, and crankshafts are dynamically balanced to reduce vibration, stress, and metal-on-metal friction. The result is smooth operation, reduced engine wear, and less electrical "noise."
The scale mufflers are designed specifically for RC airplanes. Every Fuji engine includes mounting hardware, a Champion RCJ6Y resistor spark plug, a Walbro carburetor, and a three-year warranty.
Currently, Fuji engines come in three sizes: the BT-32A, the BT-50SA, and the BT-86 twin. However, a new BT-64A will be available at roughly the time this column comes out. In addition, you can purchase optional parts such as an extended propeller hub, a special spinner bolt for Tru-Turn spinners, a spring starter, and a smoke muffler.
I installed a Zinger 18 x 8 propeller without a spinner on the Fuji BT-32A. After an initial prime, I was able to hand-start the engine. It ran smooth at low idle from the get-go. It experienced initial stalling when full throttle was applied. A one-quarter turn of the high-end adjustment needle smoothed things out, and the Fuji purred beautifully thereafter.
After only five minutes of run time, I measured the idle at 1,370 rpm and full throttle at 7,320 rpm with a tachometer. To make sure the readings were correct, I used the Globe tachometer (item GLBPO110) and the Smart Tachometer by Anderson Hobby. I was able to stop the engine by hand-flipping each time.
In next month’s column I will write about the BT-32A’s performance after a suitable break-in period and how it performs in the air.
Starduster II
Paul Sutphen of Branchville, New Jersey is shown with his great-looking Starduster II built from Radio Control Modeler plans. It features formers laminated with 1/4 plywood and 1/8 balsa built around a box configuration. The airplane is covered with white Solartex and three coats of clear epoxy, and it’s trimmed with Rust-Oleum spray paint.
The model is powered by a Quadra Q-42 engine swinging an 18 x 10 propeller and weighs in at 20 1/2 pounds. The top wing spans 72 inches. Paul made the fiberglass cowl by shaping foam blocks and fiberglassing over them. The Starduster is a scale model of the popular home-built design.
Gere Sport Biplane
Jim Gray of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is shown standing next to his oversized Bud Nosen-designed Gere Sport biplane. Jim enlarged the plans to construct this 120-inch-wing-span Giant and powers it with a Walker .58-cubic-inch gas engine. The model is slightly more than 1/2 scale; the full-scale aircraft only had a 19-foot wingspan.
Even with the .58 up front for power, Jim says the model is a really slow flier. The aircraft weighs 54 pounds and is covered with Coverite™ with a Cub-yellow aircraft-dope finish. Jim used 4130 steel tubing for the landing gear and 10-inch-diameter wagon wheels.
George “Bud” Gere Jr. of Minneapolis, Minnesota designed and built the 1933 Gere Sport home-built biplane. I believe he was in his late teens. But he never saw it fly because he was fatally injured by the propeller of an iceboat. His father and others finished the aircraft in Bud’s honor. The aircraft flew beautifully and was an immediate success. A testimony to its success is that the basic design evolved into the EAA Biplane of the 1960s.
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
Ray Davis of East Falmouth, Massachusetts built his pristine 1/9-scale F-15A as a replica of the NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) spin-test prototype, number 0287. It is 84 inches long and has a wingspan of 57 inches, which makes it International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA)-legal.
The F-15 weighs 29 pounds and carries 94 ounces of kerosene to power the AMT (Aviation Microjet Technology) AT280 gas turbine. The 94 ounces of fuel gives it approximately nine minutes of run time. Although it’s a bit greedy with fuel, the engine produces 28 pounds of thrust at 112,000 rpm!
Converted from an Avonds ducted-fan basic kit, the model is fabricated from fiberglass and graphite-reinforced epoxy, balsa, and foam. Systems include pneumatic-driven sequential doors, scale rotation/retracting gear, wheel brakes, a large speed brake, and a smoke system. Ray designed the working bypass louvers and the entire titanium main retract gear mechanisms and gear struts. The model is finished with Ameron white primer that is polished and finished with a wax protection.
The photo was taken at Otis Air Force Base in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The model was flown to second place in Expert Scale at the 2001 District 1 Scale Masters Qualifier. Congratulations on an outstanding technical achievement, Ray!
Giant Scale
I want to clear something up that several readers commented on. This column is titled “RC Giants,” and although I refer to Giant “scale,” often I am writing about model aircraft that fit into the IMAA specification of 80 inches for a monoplane, 60 inches for a multiwing, or two 1/4-scale size, or any jet that has a wingspan plus length of 140 inches or more.
So far, the majority of photos and descriptions I have received have been of scale models, meaning that they are miniature or models of full-scale aircraft. Any model that fits these specifications, whether scale or sport, is welcome in this column. If you have a giant-size Ugly Stik or any other type of nonscale model, send me a photo and a description. I’ll be happy to include it. I’m not picky here; it just has to be big!
As always, any comments, suggestions, and photos are welcome. Stay well and fly safely. Till next month! MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
