RC Jets
I had an interesting opportunity at the Heart of Ohio Jet Scramble to fly the 1/2-scale model of the 1/10-scale model of the Concorde. You may have seen, or at least seen pictures of, Jim Wiegle's 1/10-scale Concorde.
This enormous aircraft is nearing flight stage, but as a developmental precaution, Jim has a 1/2-scale prototype of the Concorde as a flight-test model. The aircraft is powered by one of his reliable AMT Mercury turbines.
The 1/2-scale airframe is carved entirely from foam, with some plywood structure as required.
This is purely a developmental model, intended to answer questions such as proper center of gravity, flight characteristics, and to develop pilot skills with a Concorde prior to flying the 1/10-scale version.
When I got the chance to fly the test model, Larry Kramer was the designated pilot, but he gave me the sticks for a few minutes so I could see how the Concorde really flies. I must say it is different.
This is the first time I have flown an airplane with the thrustline below the wing and fuselage. The Concorde's engine is located under the wing. Try flying a Kangaroo upside-down; that's the best way I can describe the Concorde's flight characteristics.
Changes in power settings affect pitch trim immediately, adding power raises the nose, and reducing power drops the nose. Larry makes it look easy, but the amount of elevator correction required with throttle change is significant.
One interesting characteristic of this low thrustline becomes apparent when executing climbing turns after flybys.
You bank the wings and pull back on the stick to establish a climbing turn. The model slows as it climbs, and you instinctively back off the elevator to maintain a consistent turn and climb; that is, until you realize you are back to neutral elevator and the Concorde's nose is continuing to pitch up.
You can stop this by simply pushing down-elevator or pulling back some power and establishing level flight. The model will accelerate back to cruise speed, and normal pitch trim will again be achieved as it reaches normal cruise speed.
This pitch-to-power-trim issue is in direct contrast to how the elevator reacts in normal level flight.
The Concorde really locks in on pitch, making it an excellent airplane for low passes. It locks in like an F-16. Roll control is awesome, rolls stop immediately, and the aileron authority is incredible.
The Concorde is the first delta flying-wing model I have seen truly stall. Larry Kramer sure showed us his pilot stuff at Heart of Ohio when he slowed the model and stalled it at altitude.
The Concorde stalled by dropping its tail and pointing vertical and performing a tailslide prior to dropping off. The model fell over and immediately pitched up into a secondary stall prior to achieving enough airspeed for recovery.
The recovery is complicated by the low thrustline pushing the model back up into the secondary stalls. Larry recovered the Concorde, flew around a bit to settle his nerves, then landed the model beautifully.
Jim Wiegle and his team have to be complimented for their excellent development program on this Concorde project, and I wish them continued success as they head toward the flight of the 1/10-scale Concorde.
Many of you have probably seen the Kyosho F-86 Almost Ready-to-Fly (ARF) ducted-fan model in advertisements, but I have been fortunate enough to fly this model.
William Jackson has one, and he is flying the wings off it. Between us, we put more than 20 flights on this model at the Heart of Ohio jet meet alone.
This airframe is similar in flight characteristics to any of the excellent F-86 kits on the market today, just in miniature. William is continuing to fine-tune his model to increase the F-86's climb performance.
The Kyosho F-86 is a great-flying model but is limited because of the power-to-weight ratio: a .15 cubic-inch-displacement (cid) engine in a 3-1/2-pound airplane.
That would be equivalent to a 10-1/2-pound, .45 cid Jet Hangar Hobbies F-86 but limited to flight with the gear extended, no retracts.
We have flown William's F-86 in stock form, and later with modifications. I recommend first flights of this model only at flying sites where you can complete the first circuit of the field without having to climb above any trees.
Special thanks for this project is really owed to our local hobby-shop owner, Dick Fano. He operates Aerotech Hobbies in Canton, Ohio and has been a great source of support and inspiration to keep.
The Bandit is also showing up with R&M 900s. These 10- to 12-pound-thrust turbines are bringing back some traditional models as turbine-powered machines.
Additional information is available on the company's Web site: www.rmtjets.com.
The Wren MWS42 are showing up—not in huge numbers yet but they are there. This engine is available in kit or completed form from JD Enterprises at www.jdenterprise.net.
Check out JD Enterprises as another source for the 10- to 12-pound-thrust turbines.
I have been flying a set of Volz Wing-Maxx servos for approximately a year, and I like mine. These are digital servos with great holding power.
The neat thing about the Volz Wing-Maxx servo is its size; it is only 5/16-inch thick. This allows you to mount it directly in the surfaces, such as a fin or stabilizer—no bulge to clear the servo, but all the advantages of a direct, short linkage.
Another nice feature of the Volz Wing-Maxx servo is the servo wire arrangement. They come equipped with a short, 3-inch lead that the servo and an extension that converts from the miniature connector to a normal JR or Futaba connector.
You no longer have to snake servo wires through the wing when you remove or install a servo; just unplug it right at the servo. All servos intended for remote installations should use this feature.
Volz offers a variety of specialty servos, tailor-made for the way we install servos in modern, high-performance applications. For additional information about Volz servos or to purchase them, check out Golden West Models at goldenwestmodels.net.
I just got a new Jet-A fuel can system from Jersey Modeler. It is a five-gallon jug with an electric fuel pump, a 9.6-volt battery, and all the tubing, fittings, and filters we need, sold as a complete package.
The package is very clean and professional in appearance. It came completely assembled with a screen filter on the pickup line and an inline filter on the pump line.
My system was set up to charge the battery off my JR transmitter charger, but the Jersey Modeler can tailor-make yours for your preferred charger. He even includes a hand pump with extra tubing, in case you run your fuel pump battery down.
This fuel can was obviously developed by a modeler for a modeler.
The Jersey Modeler can be reached at 2012 Champlain St., Toms River NJ 08757-1123; Tel: (732) 240-0138. He also has a Web site at www.jerseymodeler.com.
You may notice that I am listing many Web sites these days; it has become an effective way to find information about products. The best jumping-off point for the serious jet modeler is the Jet Pilots' Organization Web site at www.jetpilots.org.
Until next time see you at the jet meets.
M.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
