Small - Field flying 2003/11

84 MODEL AVIATION
THE OUTDOOR flying season is
winding down for many of us. Where does
the time go? It seems like the summer
months simply vaporize.
I hope you have been doing a lot of
flying and perhaps were able to attend an
organized flying event. I was fortunate
enough to be able to attend the big
National Indoor Remote-controlled
Aircraft Council (NIRAC) Championships
held in the Detroit, Michigan, area at the
end of May. This event was held indoors,
but the site was really a small field with a
dome thrown over the top.
The Oakland Yard, located northwest
of Detroit, is a great facility and qualifies
as a small-field site even if it has a roof. In
case you don’t remember, there was an
Paul Bradley
S m a l l - F i e l d F l y i n g
32238 Spinnaker Run, Magnolia TX 77354; E-mail: [email protected]
This Sig Bristol Scout that was at the NIRAC Championships in Waterford Hills,
Michigan, is a foam-based, small-field aircraft that can fly indoors or out.
article about the facility and some of the
local flying activity in the February 2002
Model Aviation. Read the article by John
Kilsdonk to set your mouth to watering.
What a site: a perfect small-field venue
with no wind.
Dave Robelen, Bob Aberle, John
Worth, Bob Wilder, and a great group of
modelers were at the gathering and had a
grand time. The NIRAC event saw an
assortment of models ranging from the
micro-micro models of Henry Pasquet to
the larger, slow-flying Scale Antoinette by
Scott Christensen of Sig Manufacturing.
During the two-day event I saw several
things that I think will be of interest to the
small-field-flying enthusiast. You may
have noticed Sig’s magazine
advertisements for its Jenny and Bristol
Scout. These are nice-looking, foam-based
models that offer fine performance. If you
like the World War I-era aircraft, based on
what I saw flying during the NIRAC
gathering you will like the World War I
model from Sig.
Sig had another model on display that I
really liked. The company offers the old
Carl Goldberg Free Flight Rascal design in
a variety of sizes as modern Electric and
glow-powered Radio Control (RC) models.
The Rascal has lovely lines. In the January
and March 2003 editions of this column I
discussed my love affair with the original
little rubber-powered Free Flight Rascal
18 that was sold by TopFlite back in the
1950s and 1960s.
A new 29-inch-span Rascal was at the NIRAC event. This is a
great addition to Sig’s line of small-field aircraft.
The Sig Jenny, a companion to the Scout, demonstrated its fine
flying qualities at the NIRAC gathering.
86 MODEL AVIATION
Sig was showing a small, electricpowered
version of the Rascal. With a 29-
inch wingspan, a flying weight of 8.2
ounces, and the Sig 180 geared electric
motor for power, this new smaller Rascal is
perfect for small fields and larger indoor
venues.
Scott Christensen provided a great
display of this lovely little airplane’s flying
qualities. Hopefully by the time you read
these words, the model will already be on
the shelves of your local hobby shop. If
you are a Rascal fan and a small-field flier,
your day has arrived. Thanks to Bob
Aberle for the photo.
Before I leave the NIRAC gathering,
there is one other area I would like to
mention. One of the competitive events
held was pylon racing. Flown in the style
of Indoor or small-field models, pylon
racing takes on a whole new dimension of
all-out fun.
While watching modified Lite Stiks and
other slow-flying models mix it up during
the race heats, I had an opportunity to
discuss the subject with local flier Archie
Adamisin. Archie is part of the well-known
Adamisin family of Detroit. His dad made
his mark in Control Line Aerobatics.
Archie and his sons have established
themselves in many aspects of
aeromodeling, but are probably best known
for their work in racing.
With the availability of several good
Pat Tritle has another pioneer-era winner on his hands in the form of the Farman
Boxkite. The model spans 35 inches and is 32 inches long.
Archie Adamisin with his NASCARtrimmed
Rare Bear. Small-field indoor
pylon racing can be a ton of fun.
Pat’s Boxkite looks realistic in the air. It requires little power to climb.
foam-based, Reno-type racers such as the
Rare Bear and Strega from Hobby Lobby,
it is possible to organize some great
racing fun in a limited space. The rules
used by NIRAC for its race precluded
using a stock Rare Bear or Strega because
the models were required to rise off the
ground.
Archie did report that the local fliers
hold races in which hand launching is the
order of the day, and they often have four
Rare Bear-type models “barreling”
around the course wingtip to wingtip. The
power and design of these racers limit
their speed, so all the action can take
place while the pilots goad each other
with verbal jabs. If a mishap occurs, it is
normally possible to get the affected
models airborne again quickly so the
action can continue.
Archie had one of the prototype Rare
Bear models with him that he painted and
decorated in NASCAR team colors.
Seeing Archie’s color scheme, it makes
one wish that the manufacturers would
offer unpainted versions of their
prefabricated kits. Being able to add a
personal touch through a unique color
layout would be a nice way to distinguish
models flown in a race.
Getting together with several friends
and doing a little low-key pylon racing
seems like a perfect addition to a smallfield-
flying session.
Pioneer Models: Pat Tritle added
another to his lineup. I have had the
pleasure of sharing with you some of the
pioneer-era models that have been
developed by Pat along with his
comments about their development. He is
a prolific designer and builder.
November 2003 89
In his August 2003 “Small” column in
Flying Models, Randy Randolph, that
great small-field-model designer, called
Pat the Earl Stahl of our era. I would
certainly agree with this assessment. Like
the great Earl Stahl, who presented so
many wonderful Free Flight Scale designs
to the modeling community of the 1930s
and 1940s, Pat is bringing forth equally
wonderful models for the current
generation of modelers.
Pat was gracious enough to offer his
comments regarding his latest pioneer-era
model: the Farman Standard IV, or
Boxkite. Once again, Pat’s comments help
us learn something about the tricks of
setting up a new model.
“The Farman Standard Biplane,
designed by Henry Farman, was one of the
most successful airplanes of the era. It was
a large aircraft with a wingspan of 35 feet,
and power was provided by a 50 hp rotary
engine. Control was accomplished using
rudder, ailerons, and elevator as well as a
canard. The ailerons were unique in that
they were actuated by only a lower cable
and had no upward travel. When the
airplane was at rest, the ailerons simply
hung straight down. In the air, the air load
held them up.
“There were three versions of the
Farman Biplane. The most notable
difference was in the fuselage length,
aileron and elevator shape, and canard
size. In 1909, the Farman won the Grande
Prix at Rheims, France, flying 189 km in
three hours and five minutes. The flight
would have been longer, but was called for
darkness. In 1910 a Farman Biplane set an
altitude record of more than 4,600 feet.
“Later Bristol built the Farman Biplane
under license and called it the Boxkite
because of the box tailplane arrangement.
The Bristol Boxkite was the first airplane
in the British aerial arsenal and was used
as an observer. Bristol built 135 Boxkites.
“I have been looking at the Boxkite for
a long time as a potential modeling
project. Upon completion of the Curtiss
Pusher, I thought it would be a great next
project. The airplane is simple by nature
and lent itself well to a Schoolyard Scale
model. The main reason I decided to keep
it small was the complexity of building a
model with removable sections to make a
large model transportable. For that reason,
I chose to model the short version with the
small canard.
“At 1/12 scale, the model spans 35
inches, is 32 inches long, and has 445
square inches of wing area. Originally I
planned to use a geared S-280, but the
airframe seemed small and light for that
much power. I decided on a GWS 6:1
drive on seven cells using a 9 x 6
propeller. That was a good choice as it
turned out—I’ll explain why later.
“Guidance is provided by a fourchannel
RC system. All the controls, with
the exception of the canard, are cable
driven. The canard is operated by a
pushrod, and the elevator is slaved off the
canard by cables. All the cable routing
guides are cut and shaped from aluminum
tubing.
“All set up and ready to fly, the Farman
weighed 9.2 ounces on seven 150 mAh Ni-
Cd cells. Using data I had collected
throughout the years regarding center of
gravity (CG) location, I figured the CG
should be in the neighborhood of 30%. As
it turned out, that was erroneous.
“The first attempt to fly the model was
disappointing, as it refused to leave the
ground. It seemed to be a simple matter of
the CG being too far forward so I started
making adjustments until the Farman flew.
The actual first flight never got more than
two feet off the ground and it took a lot of
up-elevator to hold it, but it was basically
well behaved. After six more adjustments,
I had discovered the best CG location to
be at 45%.
“Here’s the fun part. After I got the
model set up using seven 150 mAh cells, I
tried an eight-cell 300 mAh NiMH battery.
Using the additional cell, the model was
overpowered so that when power was
increased the model would head for the
ground—in a big way! When power was
reduced, the model would settle into a
slow gentle climb. My first thought was
that the motor thrustline needed some
serious adjustment, but upon closer
inspection it occurred to me that there was
a lot more to it than that.
“The way it works is simple. On seven
cells, the power and aerodynamics were
fairly well balanced. On eight cells there
was enough additional airflow over the
deeply undercambered tailplanes to force
the nose down (or tail up). When the
power was reduced, because of the
extreme aft CG dictated by the lifting tail,
the tail would sag causing the nose-up
attitude. The model requires so little
power to climb that it would start climbing
at a very low angle of attack. Beyond that,
the model is well behaved and a lot of fun
to fly.
“I can only imagine what it was like to
design and build one of those old
airplanes, then climb on the wing and go
fly. Just think—no instruments, no
computers, and no seatbelts. What a way
to make a living!”
Pat does nice work.
That brings us to the end of this edition
of “Small-Field Flying.” I would love to
spotlight some of your projects, so be sure
to send me a photo or two. MA
Sources:
Bristol Scout, Jenny, 29-inch Rascal:
Sig Manufacturing
Box 520
Montezuma IA 50171
(641) 623-5154
www.sigmfg.com
Rare Bear and Strega:
Hobby Lobby International
5614 Franklin Pike Cir.
Brentwood TN 37027
(615) 373-1444
www.hobby-lobby.com
Pat Tritle:
Pat’s Custom Models
Albuquerque NM 87112
(505) 296-4511
www.thuntek.net/pcmodels