Mike Gragg is an idea man. He
was recently named safety
coordinator of the Loudoun
County Aeromodelers Association,
and asked if I had ever put together
a list of safety hints. The answer was
no, because I wasn’t smart enough to
think of doing it. It’d be pretty handy
though, and fun to compile.
Mike dreamed up the concept, so
we’ll call it “Mike’s List.” He even
supplied the rst item: Never reach
over a turning propeller to adjust the
carburetor on your airplane engine. This
is a great start since that practice is a
consistent source of injuries.
Despite the obvious danger, many
pilots still take this little shortcut and
sometimes get cut short. A starting
routine should be arranged in such a
way that it eliminates the temptation to
reach around a running airscrew.
I’ll add my own item to Mike’s List:
Treat an electric propeller or rotor
as though it will come to life at any
moment. Unexpected electric motor
activation is another all-too-common
occurrence.
Some of us old-timers still aren’t used
to the difference between an inert gas
engine and an electric motor that is
always ready to go (with the accidental
ip of a switch). I sometimes nd myself
putting my ngers in or near an inactive
propeller arc when I could grasp the
model farther aft and not run the risk of
getting my digits trimmed.
Please send me your favorite modeling
safety tip for inclusion in Mike’s List.
You’ll see the results here, and maybe
I’ll put the list on a T-shirt. I wear a
2X, so my shirt could hold plenty of
suggestions.
Riley Schupak
As long as you’re sending that email,
consider including your guess on the
mystery airplane in the cropped photo.
Hint: this airplane is seldom modeled,
but the cockpit canopy is unique. I
was deluged with responses to the last
couple of these contests, and sent out loads of the digital prize plans to winners and
to those who just like free plans.
I am unable to predict which of these puzzle pictures will be easy, hard, or popular
with readers. Perhaps this one will be a hit.
There were several hundred correct guesses for the last mystery airplane contest,
but the rst one was from 14-year-old Riley Schupak, who identi ed it as a TBF
Avenger. He recognized the model because he had seen it in
a collection of static Scale models owned by his grandfather,
Tom.
Riley rst showed interest in aeromodeling at the age of
three months when he grabbed the control stick from his
father, Steve, who was ying an RC glider. Riley popped the
aps at an inconvenient moment. (Lesson: Don’t carry your
kid in a papoose-rig while you y, unless he understands
Soaring contests.) I asked young Riley for a Mike’s List tip, and
he came up with a keeper: Read and follow the instructions
carefully, and when in doubt, ask for help.
Ralph Gee’s Improved Plan
The mystery airplane prize this time is digital FF Rubber
plans drawn by my father, Ralph Gee. He saw me working on
a 1936 Guillow’s Endurance Flyer, but was appalled by the
crude “period engineering” of this classic airplane.
His upgrade to the plans includes a stronger and simpli ed
landing gear, various reinforcements, and a smaller overall size
to t today’s ying sites. The new aircraft is called the 2012
Endurance Flyer. It ew with little trimming and is suitable
for small elds or indoor sites. You don’t
have to get the right answer to get
the plans—just ask for it. It is in JPEG
format only.
Ralph’s changes to the 1936-style
structure were a lesson to me about how
far modeling has advanced. My model,
built from an antique kit, is bothersome
to wind and launch because of weak
spots in the fuselage.
I have made repairs that Ralph’s
airplane will never need because
he planned ahead with careful
reinforcement. It’s funny that I like to
build authentic, old-style models— aws
and all—while my father prefers newerdesign
methods. Maybe he got his ll of
broken longerons back in the olden days.
Check Your Linkages
Modern models of all types are
designed so well that we take for
granted the strength and resilience of an
airframe. The 1936 Endurance Flyer has
a imsy balsa-stick undercarriage that
would have broken on each landing. I
deviated from the plans and used music
wire. Who wants busted landing gear
each time the airplane touches down?
FF aircraft sometimes make abrupt
arrivals, so the time to consider landing
loads is while the gear is being made.
Today’s engineering, along with
amazing new materials, has made our
models stronger, safer, and more fun,
because you don’t have to repair them
after each ight (unless you land your
RC airplanes the way I do). A good
example is the modern tip-launched
glider, which survives unbelievable
launch stress because of expert design
and construction.
Sport aircraft have also bene tted
from these engineering advances. If you
are a pilot who shares my complaint that
the earth sometimes gets too close to
your RC models, imagine how dif cult
it was to x them in the olden days with
slow glue, messy nishes, and a marginal
understanding of airframe design.
Even with all the technological
advances, sometimes a model is released
with a glitch. Steve Sobel wrote to me
about his CL PT-19, an ARF from Hangar
9. He said that several pilots in his club
purchased and ew this ne model.
Although all agreed that it is a wellengineered
kit, Steve said the way the
pushrod attaches to the bellcrank can
allow it to slip out. One of the airplanes
crashed because of this. The solution is
to lock a wheel collar on the end of the
pushrod where it comes through the
bellcrank. Steve urged all PT-19 pilots to
inspect their control systems and make
sure that the pushrod is secure.
Situations such as this are one reason
why building your own model can be an
advantage. Assembling a model aircraft
lets you see and understand its structure.
If you need to make repairs as often as
I do, every bit of knowledge helps. Plus,
making it is half the fun!
Drone Crisis
As dangerous as my thumb on a
transmitter stick is to an RC model,
there are worse threats. Readers have
sent me copies of some newspaper
editorials that could mean trouble for
our hobby. The opinion pieces are about
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in
our national airspace.
Terms such as domestic drones are
mentioned interchangeably with our
sporting airplanes and helicopters. A
reader could easily get model aircraft
confused with commercial UAVs, which
are made to sound dangerous and
threatening. Great! Just what our hobby
needs—an image makeover from fun
and educational, to ominous and scary.
Aeromodeling has few downsides. It
is an exciting and bene cial pursuit that
deserves protection and encouragement
from the government and the public.
The large UAVs that may soon appear
in the national airspace are different
from most of our models, and will have a
separate set of rules to follow.
I urge all modelers to share the truth
with their friends and neighbors, and
don’t let questions about the “drone
crisis” go unanswered. Get your own
letter in a newspaper, and show by
example that our sport deserves
support, not suppression.
Backward Bristol
“Mick” Mickelson has been a modeling
supporter and participant since he
made his rst airplane in 1932. AMA
Headquarters forwarded me a letter
that he wrote, using real paper and a
typewriter, which shows what a classy
guy he is.
Mick said he has had plenty of time to
make all the typical mistakes. His letter
described a moment of adventure at a
local RC field. Mick described a Bristol
M1 he built, and how he mounted the
O.S. .46 engine cylinder at 8 o’clock to
direct the messy exhaust down the belly.
One day the engine got liquid-lock
from fuel in the cylinder head. Mick
removed the glow plug and cranked it
over with the starter, then replaced the
plug and gave it a spin.
He was shocked when the engine
started backward with enough power
to push it off the starting stand and
cut his hand as the propeller passed by.
Apparently, there was enough fuel left in
the cylinder to up the compression ratio.
Poor Mick ended up in the emergency
room. He says he was not alone at the
field, and having someone to help him
and drive him to the hospital was vital
that day.
The engines in our airplanes have
surprising power, especially when they
move unexpectedly. If you’ve been
surprised by a model and want to share
the story as a warning and lesson to
others, please email me. Other pilots will
thank you, and I won’t use your name
unless you say it’s okay.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/07
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/07
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
Mike Gragg is an idea man. He
was recently named safety
coordinator of the Loudoun
County Aeromodelers Association,
and asked if I had ever put together
a list of safety hints. The answer was
no, because I wasn’t smart enough to
think of doing it. It’d be pretty handy
though, and fun to compile.
Mike dreamed up the concept, so
we’ll call it “Mike’s List.” He even
supplied the rst item: Never reach
over a turning propeller to adjust the
carburetor on your airplane engine. This
is a great start since that practice is a
consistent source of injuries.
Despite the obvious danger, many
pilots still take this little shortcut and
sometimes get cut short. A starting
routine should be arranged in such a
way that it eliminates the temptation to
reach around a running airscrew.
I’ll add my own item to Mike’s List:
Treat an electric propeller or rotor
as though it will come to life at any
moment. Unexpected electric motor
activation is another all-too-common
occurrence.
Some of us old-timers still aren’t used
to the difference between an inert gas
engine and an electric motor that is
always ready to go (with the accidental
ip of a switch). I sometimes nd myself
putting my ngers in or near an inactive
propeller arc when I could grasp the
model farther aft and not run the risk of
getting my digits trimmed.
Please send me your favorite modeling
safety tip for inclusion in Mike’s List.
You’ll see the results here, and maybe
I’ll put the list on a T-shirt. I wear a
2X, so my shirt could hold plenty of
suggestions.
Riley Schupak
As long as you’re sending that email,
consider including your guess on the
mystery airplane in the cropped photo.
Hint: this airplane is seldom modeled,
but the cockpit canopy is unique. I
was deluged with responses to the last
couple of these contests, and sent out loads of the digital prize plans to winners and
to those who just like free plans.
I am unable to predict which of these puzzle pictures will be easy, hard, or popular
with readers. Perhaps this one will be a hit.
There were several hundred correct guesses for the last mystery airplane contest,
but the rst one was from 14-year-old Riley Schupak, who identi ed it as a TBF
Avenger. He recognized the model because he had seen it in
a collection of static Scale models owned by his grandfather,
Tom.
Riley rst showed interest in aeromodeling at the age of
three months when he grabbed the control stick from his
father, Steve, who was ying an RC glider. Riley popped the
aps at an inconvenient moment. (Lesson: Don’t carry your
kid in a papoose-rig while you y, unless he understands
Soaring contests.) I asked young Riley for a Mike’s List tip, and
he came up with a keeper: Read and follow the instructions
carefully, and when in doubt, ask for help.
Ralph Gee’s Improved Plan
The mystery airplane prize this time is digital FF Rubber
plans drawn by my father, Ralph Gee. He saw me working on
a 1936 Guillow’s Endurance Flyer, but was appalled by the
crude “period engineering” of this classic airplane.
His upgrade to the plans includes a stronger and simpli ed
landing gear, various reinforcements, and a smaller overall size
to t today’s ying sites. The new aircraft is called the 2012
Endurance Flyer. It ew with little trimming and is suitable
for small elds or indoor sites. You don’t
have to get the right answer to get
the plans—just ask for it. It is in JPEG
format only.
Ralph’s changes to the 1936-style
structure were a lesson to me about how
far modeling has advanced. My model,
built from an antique kit, is bothersome
to wind and launch because of weak
spots in the fuselage.
I have made repairs that Ralph’s
airplane will never need because
he planned ahead with careful
reinforcement. It’s funny that I like to
build authentic, old-style models— aws
and all—while my father prefers newerdesign
methods. Maybe he got his ll of
broken longerons back in the olden days.
Check Your Linkages
Modern models of all types are
designed so well that we take for
granted the strength and resilience of an
airframe. The 1936 Endurance Flyer has
a imsy balsa-stick undercarriage that
would have broken on each landing. I
deviated from the plans and used music
wire. Who wants busted landing gear
each time the airplane touches down?
FF aircraft sometimes make abrupt
arrivals, so the time to consider landing
loads is while the gear is being made.
Today’s engineering, along with
amazing new materials, has made our
models stronger, safer, and more fun,
because you don’t have to repair them
after each ight (unless you land your
RC airplanes the way I do). A good
example is the modern tip-launched
glider, which survives unbelievable
launch stress because of expert design
and construction.
Sport aircraft have also bene tted
from these engineering advances. If you
are a pilot who shares my complaint that
the earth sometimes gets too close to
your RC models, imagine how dif cult
it was to x them in the olden days with
slow glue, messy nishes, and a marginal
understanding of airframe design.
Even with all the technological
advances, sometimes a model is released
with a glitch. Steve Sobel wrote to me
about his CL PT-19, an ARF from Hangar
9. He said that several pilots in his club
purchased and ew this ne model.
Although all agreed that it is a wellengineered
kit, Steve said the way the
pushrod attaches to the bellcrank can
allow it to slip out. One of the airplanes
crashed because of this. The solution is
to lock a wheel collar on the end of the
pushrod where it comes through the
bellcrank. Steve urged all PT-19 pilots to
inspect their control systems and make
sure that the pushrod is secure.
Situations such as this are one reason
why building your own model can be an
advantage. Assembling a model aircraft
lets you see and understand its structure.
If you need to make repairs as often as
I do, every bit of knowledge helps. Plus,
making it is half the fun!
Drone Crisis
As dangerous as my thumb on a
transmitter stick is to an RC model,
there are worse threats. Readers have
sent me copies of some newspaper
editorials that could mean trouble for
our hobby. The opinion pieces are about
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in
our national airspace.
Terms such as domestic drones are
mentioned interchangeably with our
sporting airplanes and helicopters. A
reader could easily get model aircraft
confused with commercial UAVs, which
are made to sound dangerous and
threatening. Great! Just what our hobby
needs—an image makeover from fun
and educational, to ominous and scary.
Aeromodeling has few downsides. It
is an exciting and bene cial pursuit that
deserves protection and encouragement
from the government and the public.
The large UAVs that may soon appear
in the national airspace are different
from most of our models, and will have a
separate set of rules to follow.
I urge all modelers to share the truth
with their friends and neighbors, and
don’t let questions about the “drone
crisis” go unanswered. Get your own
letter in a newspaper, and show by
example that our sport deserves
support, not suppression.
Backward Bristol
“Mick” Mickelson has been a modeling
supporter and participant since he
made his rst airplane in 1932. AMA
Headquarters forwarded me a letter
that he wrote, using real paper and a
typewriter, which shows what a classy
guy he is.
Mick said he has had plenty of time to
make all the typical mistakes. His letter
described a moment of adventure at a
local RC field. Mick described a Bristol
M1 he built, and how he mounted the
O.S. .46 engine cylinder at 8 o’clock to
direct the messy exhaust down the belly.
One day the engine got liquid-lock
from fuel in the cylinder head. Mick
removed the glow plug and cranked it
over with the starter, then replaced the
plug and gave it a spin.
He was shocked when the engine
started backward with enough power
to push it off the starting stand and
cut his hand as the propeller passed by.
Apparently, there was enough fuel left in
the cylinder to up the compression ratio.
Poor Mick ended up in the emergency
room. He says he was not alone at the
field, and having someone to help him
and drive him to the hospital was vital
that day.
The engines in our airplanes have
surprising power, especially when they
move unexpectedly. If you’ve been
surprised by a model and want to share
the story as a warning and lesson to
others, please email me. Other pilots will
thank you, and I won’t use your name
unless you say it’s okay.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/07
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
Mike Gragg is an idea man. He
was recently named safety
coordinator of the Loudoun
County Aeromodelers Association,
and asked if I had ever put together
a list of safety hints. The answer was
no, because I wasn’t smart enough to
think of doing it. It’d be pretty handy
though, and fun to compile.
Mike dreamed up the concept, so
we’ll call it “Mike’s List.” He even
supplied the rst item: Never reach
over a turning propeller to adjust the
carburetor on your airplane engine. This
is a great start since that practice is a
consistent source of injuries.
Despite the obvious danger, many
pilots still take this little shortcut and
sometimes get cut short. A starting
routine should be arranged in such a
way that it eliminates the temptation to
reach around a running airscrew.
I’ll add my own item to Mike’s List:
Treat an electric propeller or rotor
as though it will come to life at any
moment. Unexpected electric motor
activation is another all-too-common
occurrence.
Some of us old-timers still aren’t used
to the difference between an inert gas
engine and an electric motor that is
always ready to go (with the accidental
ip of a switch). I sometimes nd myself
putting my ngers in or near an inactive
propeller arc when I could grasp the
model farther aft and not run the risk of
getting my digits trimmed.
Please send me your favorite modeling
safety tip for inclusion in Mike’s List.
You’ll see the results here, and maybe
I’ll put the list on a T-shirt. I wear a
2X, so my shirt could hold plenty of
suggestions.
Riley Schupak
As long as you’re sending that email,
consider including your guess on the
mystery airplane in the cropped photo.
Hint: this airplane is seldom modeled,
but the cockpit canopy is unique. I
was deluged with responses to the last
couple of these contests, and sent out loads of the digital prize plans to winners and
to those who just like free plans.
I am unable to predict which of these puzzle pictures will be easy, hard, or popular
with readers. Perhaps this one will be a hit.
There were several hundred correct guesses for the last mystery airplane contest,
but the rst one was from 14-year-old Riley Schupak, who identi ed it as a TBF
Avenger. He recognized the model because he had seen it in
a collection of static Scale models owned by his grandfather,
Tom.
Riley rst showed interest in aeromodeling at the age of
three months when he grabbed the control stick from his
father, Steve, who was ying an RC glider. Riley popped the
aps at an inconvenient moment. (Lesson: Don’t carry your
kid in a papoose-rig while you y, unless he understands
Soaring contests.) I asked young Riley for a Mike’s List tip, and
he came up with a keeper: Read and follow the instructions
carefully, and when in doubt, ask for help.
Ralph Gee’s Improved Plan
The mystery airplane prize this time is digital FF Rubber
plans drawn by my father, Ralph Gee. He saw me working on
a 1936 Guillow’s Endurance Flyer, but was appalled by the
crude “period engineering” of this classic airplane.
His upgrade to the plans includes a stronger and simpli ed
landing gear, various reinforcements, and a smaller overall size
to t today’s ying sites. The new aircraft is called the 2012
Endurance Flyer. It ew with little trimming and is suitable
for small elds or indoor sites. You don’t
have to get the right answer to get
the plans—just ask for it. It is in JPEG
format only.
Ralph’s changes to the 1936-style
structure were a lesson to me about how
far modeling has advanced. My model,
built from an antique kit, is bothersome
to wind and launch because of weak
spots in the fuselage.
I have made repairs that Ralph’s
airplane will never need because
he planned ahead with careful
reinforcement. It’s funny that I like to
build authentic, old-style models— aws
and all—while my father prefers newerdesign
methods. Maybe he got his ll of
broken longerons back in the olden days.
Check Your Linkages
Modern models of all types are
designed so well that we take for
granted the strength and resilience of an
airframe. The 1936 Endurance Flyer has
a imsy balsa-stick undercarriage that
would have broken on each landing. I
deviated from the plans and used music
wire. Who wants busted landing gear
each time the airplane touches down?
FF aircraft sometimes make abrupt
arrivals, so the time to consider landing
loads is while the gear is being made.
Today’s engineering, along with
amazing new materials, has made our
models stronger, safer, and more fun,
because you don’t have to repair them
after each ight (unless you land your
RC airplanes the way I do). A good
example is the modern tip-launched
glider, which survives unbelievable
launch stress because of expert design
and construction.
Sport aircraft have also bene tted
from these engineering advances. If you
are a pilot who shares my complaint that
the earth sometimes gets too close to
your RC models, imagine how dif cult
it was to x them in the olden days with
slow glue, messy nishes, and a marginal
understanding of airframe design.
Even with all the technological
advances, sometimes a model is released
with a glitch. Steve Sobel wrote to me
about his CL PT-19, an ARF from Hangar
9. He said that several pilots in his club
purchased and ew this ne model.
Although all agreed that it is a wellengineered
kit, Steve said the way the
pushrod attaches to the bellcrank can
allow it to slip out. One of the airplanes
crashed because of this. The solution is
to lock a wheel collar on the end of the
pushrod where it comes through the
bellcrank. Steve urged all PT-19 pilots to
inspect their control systems and make
sure that the pushrod is secure.
Situations such as this are one reason
why building your own model can be an
advantage. Assembling a model aircraft
lets you see and understand its structure.
If you need to make repairs as often as
I do, every bit of knowledge helps. Plus,
making it is half the fun!
Drone Crisis
As dangerous as my thumb on a
transmitter stick is to an RC model,
there are worse threats. Readers have
sent me copies of some newspaper
editorials that could mean trouble for
our hobby. The opinion pieces are about
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in
our national airspace.
Terms such as domestic drones are
mentioned interchangeably with our
sporting airplanes and helicopters. A
reader could easily get model aircraft
confused with commercial UAVs, which
are made to sound dangerous and
threatening. Great! Just what our hobby
needs—an image makeover from fun
and educational, to ominous and scary.
Aeromodeling has few downsides. It
is an exciting and bene cial pursuit that
deserves protection and encouragement
from the government and the public.
The large UAVs that may soon appear
in the national airspace are different
from most of our models, and will have a
separate set of rules to follow.
I urge all modelers to share the truth
with their friends and neighbors, and
don’t let questions about the “drone
crisis” go unanswered. Get your own
letter in a newspaper, and show by
example that our sport deserves
support, not suppression.
Backward Bristol
“Mick” Mickelson has been a modeling
supporter and participant since he
made his rst airplane in 1932. AMA
Headquarters forwarded me a letter
that he wrote, using real paper and a
typewriter, which shows what a classy
guy he is.
Mick said he has had plenty of time to
make all the typical mistakes. His letter
described a moment of adventure at a
local RC field. Mick described a Bristol
M1 he built, and how he mounted the
O.S. .46 engine cylinder at 8 o’clock to
direct the messy exhaust down the belly.
One day the engine got liquid-lock
from fuel in the cylinder head. Mick
removed the glow plug and cranked it
over with the starter, then replaced the
plug and gave it a spin.
He was shocked when the engine
started backward with enough power
to push it off the starting stand and
cut his hand as the propeller passed by.
Apparently, there was enough fuel left in
the cylinder to up the compression ratio.
Poor Mick ended up in the emergency
room. He says he was not alone at the
field, and having someone to help him
and drive him to the hospital was vital
that day.
The engines in our airplanes have
surprising power, especially when they
move unexpectedly. If you’ve been
surprised by a model and want to share
the story as a warning and lesson to
others, please email me. Other pilots will
thank you, and I won’t use your name
unless you say it’s okay.
