Small-Field Flying - 2004/03

110 MODEL AVIATION
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]
A WHILE BACK I offered a few comments regarding the
suitability of Guillow’s kits/plans for conversion to small-field
Radio Control (RC) models. After reading those comments, Lex
Taylor of Bedford, Texas, sent me a letter and several photos of
his converted Guillow’s Fokker triplane.
Lex is a longtime modeler and a full-time pilot for FedEx. The
story behind his Fokker triplane conversion is quite interesting, so
I’ll share 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
Lex Taylor’s Guillow’s Fokker triplane is a Radio Control
conversion that flies nicely in his father’s front yard.
Gary Jones’s innovative B-52 is made from BlueCor material
which is available at most building-supply stores.
Gary Jones’s Vector is a flying platform made from BlueCor fanfold
that uses vectored thrust for control.
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
March 2004 111
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-inchwingspan
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.
“Obviously it is possible to make a Guillow’s kit fly as an RC
model without changing any wood and only getting rid of the lead
wheels. It was a fun airplane as it always gets some amazed looks
from those who recognized the airplane as the Guillow’s Dr.I.”
Thanks for sharing your Guillow’s Fokker triplane conversion,
Lex. Great effort!
Near the end of 2003 while on the fly-in circuit, I had a chance to
see several intriguing models designed and developed by Gary
Jones of Clovis, New Mexico. Gary is an innovator and likes to
work with Dow BlueCor fan-fold stock.
Michael Connally’s spectacular 3-D Spitfire is one of several BlueCor fan-fold-design
models he performed with at the Tri-County Barnstormers’ event.
Small-field flier Tyler Morosko, who is 11 years old, was the
overall winner at a 2003 foam-wing Combat event.
This is FanTastic Models’ AT-6—a new kit that fulfills the
author’s wishes. It is perfect for a one-design pylon race.
This blue foam material is available from home building-supply
stores. Its intended use is siding underlayment. It is economical,
and in the hands of someone like Gary Jones it can be turned into
some great small-field flyers.
I’ll begin with Gary’s B-52 model. It has a wingspan of 36
inches and is made from the BlueCor fan-fold stock. The model’s
unique feature is the use of a small GWS 3 x 2 direct-drive
propeller at the rear of the fuselage in a pusher configuration.
Painted black, this propeller is invisible
when the model is in flight.
The power comes from a GWS directdrive
motor that is mounted in the fuselage
near the center of gravity. The propeller is
driven by an extension shaft. A GWS
receiver is used with Hitec HS-55 servos.
Energy is delivered by two 560 mAh
Lithium-Polymer cells in series. The model
has a flying weight of 7.2 ounces.
The B-52 has friendly flying
characteristics and looks most impressive
in the air. Gary flew it indoors during the
Southwest Aeromodeling Conference
(SWAC) held in Dallas early in October
2003. He flew the model outdoors at the
Dallas Electric Aircraft Flyers event held
during the same weekend. The model
handled both venues well. Gary’s use of a
small pusher propeller opens the door to all
kinds of neat jet-aircraft subjects for smallfield
flyers.
In addition to showcasing his B-52,
Gary displayed another innovative flying
machine. Seen in the photos is his Vector.
This is a flat plate of BlueCor fan-fold with
a fixed fin. Yaw control is provided by
varying the speed of the two GWS motors.
Each GWS motor/gearbox is driven by
a separate GWS Electronic Speed Control.
Pitch control comes from articulation of
the motors. Both motors rotate up and
down under pilot command.
To see this fixed-geometry flying
platform perform was something to behold.
The differential thrust created by varying
the speed of each motor provides excellent
and precise yaw control. Watching Gary
fly the Vector, you would never know it
had no moving aerodynamic surfaces.
Gary indicated that the Vector was
developed as a test bed. I wonder what
project he has waiting in the wings for his
vector control system.
In the January 2004 edition of this
column I mentioned some of the exciting
things that are happening relative to 3-D
small-field flying. Shortly after writing
those words I attended a fly-in near my
home. It was an inaugural, all-electric
event hosted by the Tri-County
Barnstormers at the club’s field located
north of Houston, Texas.
The attendees were treated to some
excellent small-field 3-D flying by Michael
Connally. Michael hales from Mineral
Wells, Texas, and is also a master of
BlueCor fan-fold design. Shown is
Michael with his BlueCor profile late-
Mark Spitfire. This was one of several nice
3-D BlueCor models Michael flew at the
event.
The Spitfire has a 44.5-inch wingspan
with a flying weight of 12 ounces. For
power he uses a Razor 400 brushless motor
combined with a GWS C gear drive
(5.33:1).
Michael has flown the model with a
stock GWS brushed motor. It will still do
all the 3-D maneuvers, but not for as long.
He uses two 1200 mAh Lithium-Polymer
cells in series. On either power system the
model will hover and do all those exciting
3-D maneuvers.
Even with the 44.5-inch wingspan,
Michael has been known to hover the
model in his living room. That is an
accomplished 3-D small-field flier!
On the subject of the Tri-County
Barnstormers 2003 all-electric fly-in, I
want to mention the accomplishments of a
younger member of the small-field-flying
crowd: 11-year-old Tyler Morosko of
Conroe, Texas.
One of the events held at the fly-in was
foam flying-wing Combat. For this event,
anyone with a foam flying-wing model was
invited to engage in some full-contact
Combat. Four rounds were held during the
two-day gathering.
Talk about an adrenalin rush! A number
of models are launched at the same time.
The goal is to be the last one flying. You
are required to make every effort to fly into
someone else. If you are caught just
staying out of the way, you are eliminated.
Tyler took on the adults in this event
and won three of the four rounds. He
placed second in the round he did not win.
I don’t know if Tyler plays video games or
is just a natural talent. Either way, he will
be a force to be reckoned with in the years
to come. Well done, Tyler.
A highlight of the SWAC was an indoor
pylon race. I mentioned the pylon races
held at the first NIRAC championships in
the November 2003 column. There I
expressed a wish for a kit manufacturer to
come out with a Reno-style racer suitable
for small-field pylon racing that would also
allow for individualized color schemes.
Right on cue, the people at FanTastic
Models have delivered a great GWSpowered
AT-6 Texan kit. Several of these
models were flown in the SWAC pylon
races. They looked terrific and performed
well during the races and when flown for
fun.
In addition to watching them being
flown indoors, I saw them fly outdoors.
Even with a breeze blowing, the light
foam-based FanTastic Models AT-6 is a
great small-field performer. These models
would be perfect for a one-design pylon
race like the full-scale AT-6 races in Reno.
I liked what I saw so much that I
decided to build one for myself. I will
share the highlights of that experience with
you in the next installment of this column.
Here we are at the end once again. I hope
you are having a great winter building and
flying season. MA
Sources:
FanTastic Models
3204 Johnson Rd.
Southlake TX 76092
(817) 379-6468
www.fan-tasticmodels.com
112 MODEL AVIATION