RC Scale
Jeff Troy, 759 New Holland Ave., Lancaster PA 17602
INDUSTRY NEWS: During last year's trip to the Weak Signals' show in Toledo OH I had the pleasure of meeting John and Christy Craig of Iron Bay Model Company. Although the Craigs' company may already be familiar to many of you, others may not be aware that Iron Bay is the new source for Byron Originals' model-aircraft kits.
After almost 30 years of innovation, kit design, and production, Byron Originals had closed its airplane-kit operation in 1998, turning all its attention to the production of quality model fuel. Byron's fuel business is in high gear right now, with a variety of blends available for airplane, car, and boat enthusiasts. Byron also continues to produce the Craft Cuddler and Pit Pal aircraft accessories.
In March of last year, John Craig's Iron Bay Model Company acquired the model-aircraft-kit-manufacturing division from Byron Originals. The deal included all molds, templates, artwork, copyrights, designs, equipment, and inventory used in the manufacturing of Byron Originals kits.
If you've always wanted to build that special Byron kit, but production was shut down before you made your move, here's the chance to get one of these fine projects started. Iron Bay offers a number of Byron Originals kit designs and propulsion systems.
Just drop a note to John or Christy; I'm sure they have lots of good information for you. Send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Iron Bay Model Company, Box 6383, Wheeling WV 26003.
I'm a strong supporter of RTF (Ready-to-Fly), ARF (Almost Ready-to-Fly), and ARC (Almost Ready-to-Cover) airplanes as a way of getting model fliers with no room to build, no time to build, or limited modeling skills which wish to build into decent-looking, straight and clean, scalelike model airplanes.
I am also one of the first to tell you that there is still no substitute for the accomplishment of building a Scale flying machine from an original design, a set of plans, or even a good kit.
Nick Ziroli is surely one of our industry's most prolific designers. His models are top contenders in all of the country's most notable Scale contests, including the Top Gun Invitational and the US Scale Masters.
A few years back, Nick introduced his 138-inch version of the Spirit of St. Louis. It is a 1/4-scale model, and Nick's suggested power range is almost an easy single-cylinder gas-burner from the Zenoah G-62 to the Quarda Q-75.
I spoke with Nick at length about the plan's accuracy, trying to fish for a little inside edge from this friendly and knowledgeable Scale-modeling icon. Nick asked me to let you know that his outline is correct for the most part, but that the tail surfaces have been enlarged.
After flying his prototype model with the enlarged tail, Nick is sure that substituting correctly proportioned tail surfaces for contest work or a more exacting model would present no real problem at all in the air. During the model's design stage he was uncertain about the Spirit's extraordinarily small tail feathers, so he simply wanted to provide some insurance and a more balanced and more pleasing appearance for the finished model.
In addition to the three-leaf, full-size plan set, Nick offers a spun-aluminum spinner with a machined backplate for the Spirit of St. Louis. Nick also has dozens of other World War I, World War II, and civilian plan sets and accessories available. Send $3 for the complete catalog of interesting projects to Nick Ziroli Plans, 29 Edgar Dr., Smithtown NY 11787.
I received a new custom-cut airplane kit from Chuck Gill at The Aeroplane Works in New Jersey. In almost-perfect coincidental concert with the arrival of Nick Ziroli's three-sheet plan set, Chuck sent me a magnificently hand-cut kit of Ziroli's Spirit of St. Louis—the famous Ryan NYP. I'm very excited to get this project onto the workbench.
As are other custom-cut kits I've received from The Aeroplane Works, this rendition of the Spirit is a flawless production—a work of art in itself.
The wood is carefully selected for where it is to be used in the model, and the quality of the cutting and sanding is nothing short of outstanding. Sheets, sticks, and blocks are cut from top-shelf materials, and Chuck personally grows many of the harder woods on his property. This is a first-class kit to complement a first-class design and plan.
Following that heartfelt and glowing personal sendoff, if you're still apprehensive about having a kit custom-cut from designer plans, I have additional assurance for you from The Aeroplane Works. Chuck sends his personal guarantee out with every finished kit.
"If you are not satisfied with any piece in the kit, The Aeroplane Works will replace it with no questions asked. Furthermore, we know that even the best modelers will occasionally make a mistake. If you do, call us. We will replace the wood too!"
Chuck produces quality kits from Ziroli plans as well as those from many other internationally recognized designers, including Jerry Bates, Don Smith, and Rich Uravitch. For information about what's available, send a "Book to Chuck" to The Aeroplane Works, 2134 Gilbride Rd., Martinsville NJ 08836.
There's more. For modelers who want the best of everything for their Ziroli Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis projects, Robart Manufacturing provides an incredible set of functional scale landing gear, all beautifully machined for long life and perfect fit. Robart even offers a set of scale wing struts for this magnificent 134-inch model. For information, send $3 to Robart Mfg., Box 1247, Saint Charles IL 60174.
A complete selection of two-mil-thick vinyl graphics is available for this historically significant aircraft. Write to Model Graphics at 312 Martin Oaks Dr., Lafayette LA 70501.
Three-views and assorted Foto Paaks are available from Bob's Aircraft Documentation, formerly Scale Model Research, at 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92626.
Flight Report: In early December, just as the flying season in the Northeast was closing for winter, I finished an interesting, though very offbeat, sort-of-sport project from Don Dombrowski at House of Balsa. For decades Don's company has produced high-in-scale quality 1/2A Radio Control kits of civilian lightplanes and World War II fighters, and many of the all-wood, built-up kits in his series are still in production today. His models have clearly stood the test of time, consistently proving their value to modelers who are looking for something a little different.
In recent years, Don has added a Schoolyard Scale Profile Series to his company's lineup, and one of the models in this relatively new series is the Extra 300L.
Although "Scale" might be something of a stretch for a profile airplane, House of Balsa's Profile Extra 300L is a clever design. The Extra spans just 36 inches tip to tip, but it flies with the groove of a 40-size model. There's no squirrely wiggle-wobble in the air; the tiny Extra goes exactly where it's pointed, and it gets there as if it was riding on rails.
The Extra 300L kit is inexpensive, but no compromise is made in the model's quality. The kit is expertly laser-cut from quality balsa and plywood, spruce and balsa sticks, and balsa sheets are all carefully selected. A premium hardware package of genuine Du-Bro parts is included. The model's full-size plans are CAD (computer-aided design)-drawn and easy to read, and a step-by-step instruction manual with check-off boxes is provided.
House of Balsa is the "left"-Coast distributor for Pacer adhesives, makers of ZAP® glues. ZAP® cyanoacrylate glue and epoxy adhesives are recommended, although any similar adhesives of good quality are acceptable for the model's construction.
The Extra's airframe builds in just three to four hours, and the more experience you have on the bench, the more you will appreciate the engineering in this kit. Construction is a pleasurable experience, and you'll enjoy every step along the way.
Wing construction is light and sturdy, and the parts fit together as if they were cut from a finished wing then separated to create the kit. The profile fuselage is built "ukie" style, with a couple of 1/16 plywood plates that sandwich the balsa core in the engine/fuel-tank area at the nose.
Tail surfaces are sheet balsa, and they require no more than a light sanding before final assembly and covering. The wheel pants are built from eight laminates of 3/16 balsa, then they are shaved and sanded to shape.
The model can be built for .1/4A power with two channels of radio control for aileron and elevator, or it can be built for .074 to .12-size engines and flown full-house on four channels.
My Extra is powered with an O.S. .10 LA sport two-stroke engine, and I'm using Hitec's new Eclipse 7 computer radio. My Extra carries a Hitec flight pack onboard, consisting of the tiny model 555 receiver, a 270 mAh battery, a mini switch harness, and four HS-80 microservos.
I wasn't sure of what to expect when the model went airborne, so I bided my time, hoping against hope for a relatively warm and dead-calm day in mid-December. It finally came on the 16th, following a cold and blustery spell. Temperature was in the low 40s, but the wind was very light at zero to three miles per hour.
Club buddies Harris Malkin, Dennis Dotterer, and I ran two tanks of 15% fuel through the new O.S. .10 LA. The engine was beginning to loosen nicely, and since this might indeed have been the last decent flying day of the year, we felt that the time to fly the tiny airplane was at hand.
Working in a relaxed manner for a half-hour or so the previous evening, Hitec's Eclipse 7 computer transmitter had made it easy to set the Extra's control surfaces exactly where House of Balsa had called for them in the instruction manual. I added 30% exponential as the starting point for elevator, aileron, and rudder, with the dual rate for all three commands set at 65%.
The Radio Control system was charged, range-checked, and ready, the engine was ready, the camera was loaded, the wind was light, and we were anxious to see what the Extra had in store for us. After a final top off of the two-ounce Sullivan oval tank, Dennis cranked the O.S., Harris handled the transmitter, I was on the camera, and the model was heading down the runway.
We loved it. Even from our grass field, the Extra rolled straight down the line for a smooth and bounce-free takeoff. The airplane lifted realistically, and only slight trim changes were necessary to produce straight and level flight.
The best surprise was the model's feel, which was much more like a 40-size sport airplane than a model with a 36-inch wingspan had any right to deliver.
Harris is an accomplished 3-D pilot, so he was able to put the model through much more than an old and slow World War I and biplane guy like myself could have done. Of course I flew the Extra too, and we all felt that the airplane was a lot of fun to fly — and well worth the meager dollar investment it takes to get a model such as this into the air.
Fuel economy was also surprisingly good; the airplane flew for almost 20 minutes on just two ounces of glow fuel.
If you're looking for a diversion from the normal Scale airplane kit, Don Dombrowski's Extra 300L will do it for you. It's small but packed with clever design features and rewarding flight performance. It's a most enjoyable building experience too.
House of Balsa has some terrific little models, including a four-channel, full-fuselage, 47-inch Spacewalker I'm building for a Thunder Tiger .07 and a 35-inch Micro Electric Cub I'm building for the AstroFlight brushless 010 electric motor and Electronic Speed Control. You'll see both of these models in future columns. For more information contact House of Balsa, 10101 Yucca Rd., Adelanto CA 92301.
I hope each of you is enjoying the new year and all the fine things you found waiting under your holiday tree or bush for whatever holiday, if any, you choose to celebrate. (My, that politically correct rhetoric is exhausting, and it really takes the good cheer out of anything, doesn't it?) Whatever you have going, be sure to build it straight and fly it safely. We'll do this again. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
