Small-Field Flying
Paul Bradley 32238 Spinnaker Run, Magnolia TX 77354; E-mail: [email protected]
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 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.
Sig was showing a small, electric-powered 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 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 those 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 small-field-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. 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 four-channel 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 stability 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
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
