Small-Field Flying
Paul Bradley 32238 Spinnaker Run, Magnolia TX 77354; E-mail: [email protected]
Lex Taylor’s Guillow’s Fokker Dr.I conversion
After I offered a few comments about converting Guillow’s kits to small-field RC models, Lex Taylor of Bedford, Texas, sent a letter and photos of his converted Guillow’s Fokker Dr.I. Lex is a longtime modeler and a full-time FedEx pilot. The story behind his conversion is interesting; here is an excerpt from his letter:
" My lifelong interest in models and airplanes in general led me to a career as a Boeing 727 pilot for FedEx. When I am not flying full-scale airplanes, I am building small scale aircraft.
" Early in my employment with FedEx, I was at my 'crash pad' (a room I rented from a fellow FedEx pilot in Memphis, Tennessee, while I was on reserve) and was talking with my friend/landlord about hobbies, interests, etc. and I said that I built model airplanes. He immediately got up, left the room, and returned a minute later with a Guillow’s Fokker Dr.I.
" He handed me the box and said, 'My aunt gave this to me 10 years ago. I will never, ever build it. Here, it is yours if you’d like it.' I thanked him and kind of chuckled to myself. 'What am I going to do with this?' Well, sitting around Memphis, bored out of my mind, away from home, family, and shop, I decided to build that Dr.I.
" I had all of the time in the world, so I chose to use Titebond for glue. I really put in the effort to build the little Fokker the best I could. I hated the iron-hard balsa and the endless fuselage stringers, but again, I had nothing but time. I got all of the subassemblies framed up and then I put the airplane away. I mulled over putting a radio in it, but dismissed it as folly.
" I am active with the group here in the mid-cities that flies at the Bedford Boys Ranch every Thursday. We have the founder of the National Indoor Remote-Controlled Aircraft Council (NIRAC) Bob Wilder in our midst as well as many other well-known modelers.
" A kid showed up one Thursday with a $12 pre-built foam Ultimate biplane from Hobby Lobby craft stores that was meant for Free Flight rubber power. He had put a radio and a direct-drive GWS motor in it and the darn thing flew. The little 12-inch-wingspan biplane worked! Why not my 21-inch triplane?
" I went home and blew the dust off my Dr.I and started mulling the possibilities. The uncovered subassemblies of the Dr.I weighed slightly more than 2 ounces. I figured with radio, engine, battery, and covering, the airplane ought to weigh approximately 7 ounces. It turned out to be 7.5 ounces.
" I threw out the boat-anchor solid wheels that came with the kit and used a pair of Lite Stik wheels. That alone saved me more than 2 ounces. I used Hitec HS-55 servos on the rudder and elevator and a Hitec Feather receiver with the antenna strung back and forth along the inside of the fuselage.
" I used a GWS gearbox that I reworked to a 4:1 gear ratio to power the GWS 8 x 6 propeller. The battery was seven 150 mAh cells. I covered the model with Balsa Loc and red Litespan.
" For the maiden flight, I was at my father’s home. He lives in a cul-de-sac and I would say that counts as a small field. My dad was on hand with a digital camera and the picture is from the first flight.
" The airplane is not an easy one to fly. It is fast and maneuverable—kind of like a Dr.I. Landing the aircraft proved to be a real chore and the first six flights of the airplane resulted in me having to completely reattach at least one wing and the landing gear. I finally made it over the learning curve and was able to successfully fly the thing inside the gym at the Boys Ranch, complete with landings the pilot could have walked away from."
Lex’s Dr.I shows it is possible to make a Guillow’s kit fly as an RC model without changing any wood and only replacing the heavy solid wheels. It drew amazed looks from those who recognized it as a Guillow’s Dr.I.
Gary Jones — BlueCor fan-fold designs
Near the end of 2003 I saw several models by Gary Jones of Clovis, New Mexico. Gary likes to work with Dow BlueCor fan-fold stock (siding underlayment available from home building-supply stores). It’s economical and, in Gary’s hands, turns into excellent small-field flyers.
Gary’s B-52
- Wingspan: 36 inches
- Construction: BlueCor fan-fold stock
- Propulsion: small GWS 3 x 2 direct-drive propeller in a pusher configuration at the rear of the fuselage (painted black so it’s nearly invisible in flight)
- Motor: GWS direct-drive motor mounted near the CG; prop driven by an extension shaft
- Radio: GWS receiver; Hitec HS-55 servos
- Battery: two 560 mAh Lithium-Polymer cells in series
- Flying weight: 7.2 ounces
- Notes: Flown indoors at SWAC and outdoors at the Dallas Electric Aircraft Flyers event; friendly flying characteristics and impressive appearance. Gary’s use of a small pusher prop opens possibilities for jet-like subjects in small-field models.
Gary’s Vector
- Construction: flat plate of BlueCor fan-fold with a fixed fin
- Control: yaw by varying the speed of two GWS motors (differential thrust); each motor/gearbox driven by a separate GWS ESC
- Pitch: controlled by articulating the motors, which rotate up and down under pilot command
- Notes: The Vector is a fixed-geometry flying platform with no moving aerodynamic surfaces; differential thrust gives precise yaw control. Gary indicated the Vector was developed as a test bed.
Michael Connally and Tri-County Barnstormers all-electric fly-in
Shortly after my January 2004 column I attended an inaugural all-electric fly-in hosted by the Tri-County Barnstormers north of Houston. Michael Connally of Mineral Wells, Texas, demonstrated excellent small-field 3-D flying with BlueCor fan-fold designs.
Michael’s late-model Spitfire
- Wingspan: 44.5 inches
- Flying weight: 12 ounces
- Motor: Razor 400 brushless motor with GWS C gear drive (5.33:1)
- Alternate: can be flown with a stock GWS brushed motor (less endurance)
- Battery: two 1200 mAh Lithium-Polymer cells in series
- Performance: capable of hovering and full 3-D maneuvers; Michael has even hovered it in his living room.
Michael’s work shows how effective BlueCor designs can be for high-performance small-field 3-D flying.
Foam flying-wing Combat — Tyler Morosko
At the Tri-County Barnstormers event a foam flying-wing Combat contest was held. The rules encouraged full-contact combat: multiple foam flying-wing models are launched simultaneously and the goal is to be the last one flying. Participants must actively engage others; hiding or staying out of the way leads to elimination.
Eleven-year-old Tyler Morosko of Conroe, Texas, took on the adults and won three of the four rounds, placing second in the remaining round. A strong performance and a sign he’ll be a force in the hobby going forward.
SWAC indoor pylon race and FanTastic Models AT-6 Texan
A highlight of the SWAC was an indoor pylon race. I previously mentioned small-field pylon racing in the November 2003 column and hoped for a Reno-style kit suitable for small-field pylon racing and individualized color schemes. FanTastic Models answered that call with a GWS-powered AT-6 Texan kit.
- The AT-6 Texan kit flew indoors at SWAC pylon races and performed well.
- It also handled outdoor flying in a breeze—an excellent small-field performer.
- These kits would be well suited to a one-design pylon racing format similar to full-scale AT-6 races in Reno.
I liked the AT-6 so much I decided to build one myself; I’ll share highlights of that build in the next installment.
Closing
I hope you are having a great winter building and flying season.
Sources
- FanTastic Models
3204 Johnson Rd. Southlake TX 76092 (817) 739-6468 www.fan-tasticmodels.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
