Changing technology keeps pilots interested
by Mark Fadely [email protected]
Hey, everybody, it is the middle of the summer! How is your flying season going? Feeling the warm wind and smelling burning nitro gets the blood pumping!
Every aviation modeler has gazed toward the sky, amazed by something in flight. The airborne recipient of his or her fascination could be an airplane, bird, insect, or even a leaf riding the air currents of a looming storm cloud.
Our infatuation with flying things is the catalyst that keeps us pursuing that next project. Detailed static models are cool, but models that fly really trip our triggers.
Flying model airplanes has been around for more than 2,000 years. The Chinese made models from papyrus paper way back when. Wow, our hobby has a much longer history than I imagined!
Indy Helis
The ultimate modeling eye candy is a full-blown replica featuring every detail of the original, full-size machine. Scale airplanes have been around for a long time, but in this column, the focus is on rotary-wing aircraft. Scale model helicopters are relative newcomers to the scene, but recent advancements in RC heli kits have boosted their appeal.
If you have ever considered flying a more-realistic model, read on. Kerry Muncy, the original owner of Indy Helis, took on the ultimate helicopter challenge. He designed, built, and kitted a new 1/5-scale Apache AH-64.
Kerry and his wife, Sarah, started the helicopter manufacturing company with the intention of producing an “ultimate” Scale kit. The couple made major personal sacrifices to complete the Apache project, and eventually sold Indy Helis.
Sarah had this to say about the experience: “The key is to have a true passion for the hobby. We pretty much had to put our lives on hold to see this project through. Without the support of our family and friends, the Apache would have never become a reality.”
The kit’s success has been well deserved. It is a champion model with a first-place win at the Toledo R/C Expo Scale competition. The kit can still be purchased. Email me for the contact information.
Bill Pirschel
A recent surprise in the Scale community has been Bill Pirschel. Bill built a big, beautiful Vietnam-era Huey, raising more than a few eyebrows among the seasoned Scale pilots.
I asked Bill to tell me about his journey into the Scale arena. He told me the following:
“Anyone who gets into this hobby because of his or her fascination with full-scale helicopters eventually can’t resist the desire to build a Scale model. After more than six years of flying pod-and-boom helicopters, I wanted a different challenge. The project was sparked by the desire to fly a turbine.
“I think the best home for a turbine is a scale fuselage. It’s the ultimate in scale fidelity. After talking with expert Scale modelers, Al Wert and Dr. Tim, I ultimately decided on a Len Mount UH-1C. Al was the first to tell me it would be a challenging project for a first-time builder, but it had characteristics that were well suited for the turbine.
“Construction involved a lot of scratch building, due to the subject I was modeling. I wanted to build one I hadn’t seen modeled before and #137 caught my eye. I was able to get help with the details from Jim McDaniel, who is the webmaster for the 174th Assault Helicopter Company and was one of the pilots for #137 in Vietnam.
“I made some of the more difficult parts such as the grenade launcher and rocket support arms first to be sure I could. If I couldn’t, then I would not be so far along that I couldn’t change subjects.
“While it may be irresponsible to recommend this type of project for a first Scale model, I do think it is important to pick something that will hold your interest and will keep you pushing through the more tedious and frustrating parts of the build.
“We have a growing Scale community within this hobby that is very helpful and wants to see you succeed. So it is a great time to turn that dream project into a reality.”
Thank you, Bill. I would like to share another pilot’s story. His name is Michael Rose and he is a good example of how to be successful in Scale without spending much time or money.
Michael bought an inexpensive fuselage to fit over his pod-and-boom mechanics. He added a coat of paint and placed third in the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Scale competition! He related the following:
“I started in this hobby at 14 years old, but lacked funds to excel, plus around this area there were not a lot of people to help me learn. In my mid-20s, I started to really get back into it. I have always loved the Scale aspect of flying models, but never wanted to do 3-D.
“My good friend, Craig Bradley, pushed me to compete in Scale. I had a great time and did place in the top three at IRCHA. I have competed at the Scale Nats several times and the turnout has been better each year.
“The biggest hurdle I would say is [finding] a full-size model and [detailing] your model identical to it, plus, having all of the photos with a complete set of documentation showing what you have reproduced in your model.
“I think building a good model and being able to fly consistently are the
There are great-looking scale bodies available for nearly any size of helicopter. Even the 450 park flyer-size helis have dozens of cool-looking, prepainted, scale fuselages. There has never been an easier or affordable time to give Scale modeling a try.
Thanks so much Kerry, Bill, and Michael for your input this month. Whether you have been a heli fanatic for two months or two decades, you owe it to yourself to give a Scale aircraft a try. You might find another aspect of the hobby to be fanatical about.
Wow! This helicopter addiction never ends!
SOURCES:
International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association www.ircha.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
