RC Scale
Jeff Troy, 759 New Holland Ave., Lancaster PA 17602
I somehow managed to get more than my usual share of stick time this summer, and a great deal of it came with Kyosho’s recently released PT-17 Stearman 40 biplane.
The compact Stearman spans 48 inches, and it’s an Almost Ready-to-Fly (ARF) project that is factory-covered with TopFlite® MonoKote® in Cub Yellow and navy blue.
The airplane takes approximately 20 hours to get ready for the flightline, and it’s a very rewarding 20 hours. Parts fit perfectly, and the workmanship is first-class.
A nice finishing touch is the dummy bank of nine Pratt & Whitney cylinders molded from ABS®. Bits of aluminum tubing are provided for the valve pushrod tubes, and a length of red wire is supplied for the plug wires. The finished result looks surprisingly good.
My airplane is powered by an O.S. 52 four-stroke, and that’s more than enough kick for scalelike flight at two-thirds throttle.
Takeoff is effortless once you learn that you have to keep the up-elevator pressure on the tail wheel to a minimum as the speed builds. Your model is all over the field if the tail starts to bounce.
On the other hand, landing is a cakewalk. The model will fly at amazingly slow speeds without falling from the sky, so approaches can be long and low.
Docu-Search:
Frank Golub wants to scratch-build the Boeing B-314 Clipper, but he’s having trouble finding plans or a three-view with cross-sections. He’s exhausted his sources and could use your help.
If you have information about the Clipper, please contact Frank at 810 W. Oak Ridge Cr., Payson AZ 85541.
Charles Brainard has an almost-complete Mooney Mite in 1/4 scale. He has Bob Baska’s Foto Paak, which has been of tremendous value—especially in detailing the interior—but he still has a problem.
Some of Charlie’s equipment has been “missing” since a recent move, and he is in need of someone who can help him mold a canopy to fit the Mooney. He has a sketch available with all the necessary measurements.
If you have the equipment and the inclination to help, please contact Charles at 145 Dartmouth Dr., Mystic CT 06355.
There is another gentleman like myself, who is enamored with the Republic Seabee. That’s no wonder, since his father owns a full-scale Seabee.
Brian Duke has been through the G&P plan, as well as the sets from Cleveland and Jack Bale, but he is trying to find something in the 1/6- to 1/5-scale range to produce a model that spans 79 to 90 inches.
If you have a similar interest and can help, please contact Brian at 7647 68th St. N.E., Marysville WA 98270.
Industry News:
A number of new kits, ARFs, and RTFs (Ready to Flys) were unveiled in September at the International Model & Hobby Expo. This is the hobby industry's largest full-line trade show, and it takes place just outside of Chicago in the suburb of Rosemont, Illinois.
Great Planes showed dozens of new releases, although I was most impressed by three of its airplanes and the new Futaba 9C radio system. Futaba's 9C is replacing the venerable 8U Super Series, and it has several advantages that go beyond the obvious extra channel.
IMAC (International Miniature Aerobatic Club) pilot Ann-Marie Cross showed me a few of these features at the show, and when you finally see them you'll be as impressed as I was.
Programming begins with the usual two-button procedure, but once you're in the system almost everything is accessed by a single rotating dial. This dial behaves much as a mouse does on a computer.
Rotate the dial to bring up a channel (aileron, elevator, rudder, etc.), then press down on the dial to select it. You're in. Rotate the dial again to change the values (increase/decrease), and press again to lock them in.
Most of the menu is accessible in this manner. There's also a large servo screen to show you which servo you're programming, and the three channel knobs have been replaced with slider controls on the side of the 9C case.
There are many other features in the new 9C transmitter, but I just wanted you to have a heads-up before the rush begins. The specifics will be much better left to the radio experts to explain in their columns.
Of the new releases in Great Planes' ARF lineup, I was most taken by its 1/3-scale Fokker Dr.I. This model is amazingly well-executed for an ARF and is far superior to many kit efforts I've seen.
The bright-red triplane spans 69 inches and will fly with a variety of engines from .61 two-strokes through 80 four-strokes, although a four-stroke of roughly 72 should be an ideal power/sound match for this widely respected, landmark German aeroplane.
Great Planes also showed a 1/4-scale Extra 300S at 78 inches and an intriguing 1/3-scale Pitts Special. Both models are factory-covered with MonoKote® and complemented by painted fiberglass cowls and wheel pants.
Two-stroke glow engines from 1.6 are recommended for either model. Gasoline engines from 2.5 are also recommended for the Pitts, and the Extra can take gasoline power from 2.2 cubic-inch displacement. Word has it that this is extremely predictable in flight and slows down to land like a trainer.
Contact Great Planes Model Manufacturing Company, Box 9021, Champaign IL 61826-9021; Tel.: (217) 398-6300.
Canadian aerobatics master Dave Patrick introduced a new and smaller version of his Ultimate Bipe at the show. It is a 40-class ARF that packs all the aerobatic authority of the original Dave Patrick design, but in a more portable model with a lower price tag.
Check the new Ultimate on the Web at www.davepatrickmodels.com.
Horizon Hobby had a breathtaking 1/3-scale CAP 232 in its Hangar 9 line. This massive airplane is very impressive and is a limited-edition offering. Get your orders in before they're gone. The big CAP spans 97 inches and uses a Zenoah G-80 twin or the equivalent.
A Hangar 9 80-inch CAP 232 is also available from Horizon Hobby.
Contact Horizon Hobby at 4105 Fieldstone Rd., Champaign IL 61822; Tel.: (217) 352-1958.
Jerry Nelson has a new onboard glow driver called the IGD: Intelligent Glow Driver. Unlike previous units, which merely switch on and off through mechanical or electronic trips, the IGD's microprocessor senses glow-wire temperature to determine whether it should turn itself on or off.
Contact Jerry Nelson at Nelson Hobby Specialties for additional information. His business is at 2900 Cornelius Pass Rd. Unit 762, Hillsboro OR 97123; Tel.: (503) 259-8989.
Bob's Aircraft Documentation, formerly Scale Model Research, has a new catalog. Its latest offering lists more than 8,000 Foto Paaks and 35,000 different pages of three-view line drawings and information.
If you need information, Bob's Aircraft Documentation is an excellent source.
To get the new catalog, postpaid, send $8 (Continental US), $10 (Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada, or Mexico), or $18 (all other countries) in US funds to Bob's Aircraft Documentation, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92626; Tel.: (714) 979-8058.
Dave Platt, "Mr. Scale," has released the fourth installment of his five-part Black Art videotape series The Jet Set.
Volume 4 continues the construction of Dave's award-winning, turbine-powered Hawker Hunter and explains how to make a hatch and fit it perfectly, install the nose-gear steering and door, wing preparation and construction, a description of new primers, "hairy" resin, retract angles, main gear doors, and much more.
The Jet Set Volume 4 is on VHS format and runs approximately two hours. Contact Dave Platt Models, Inc., 1306 Harvey N.W., Palm Bay FL 32907; Tel.: (321) 724-2144.
Modellers' Projects:
Ray Cummings and Jack Hoover tackled their 1/3-scale Fokker D.VII "Flying Razor" as a joint-effort project.
The model started as a kit by J.B. Models in Rhinebeck, New York then received the full treatment from former Valley Forge members Ray and Jack.
The 35-pound model is covered with Coverite®, guided by Futaba, and powered by a Zenoah G-62 engine. Ray built the fuselage and tail section and installed the radio system and engine. Jack did the wings, all the surface and cockpit detailing, landing gear, and finishing.
Ray says that the model flies great, with no bad habits—a really fun machine.
Thanks for staying with me. Build straight and fly safely. We'll do this again. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
