Author: Paul Bradley
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/08
Page Numbers: 102,103,104
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Small-Field Flying

Paul Bradley | [email protected]

Gordon Johnson’s techniques for teaching a youngster to fly

Teaching an 8-year-old to fly—small-field style! For those of us afflicted with the model-airplane bug and who have children, sharing the interest with our sons and daughters is always something special.

All too often, children have a passing interest in the activities of their model-airplane-nut parent(s), but they don’t really follow the hobby on their own. When a child shows genuine interest, we want to do what we can to foster and grow that interest. After all, who better to pass on our accumulated knowledge than our own children?

Gordon Johnson, who lives near Boston, Massachusetts, had such an opportunity. Gordon is a well-established member of the micro-radio-control modeling community. When his 8-year-old son Sam let him know it was time for him to start flying radio-control models, Gordon got the ball rolling.

He happens to be pretty good at developing new model designs on the computer, so it was a natural for him to come up with his own trainer for Sam. Gordon decided to use the outlines of the well-established vintage Buzzard Bombshell FF design.

This planform offers a nice, rectangular-wing layout with a pleasing cabin-style fuselage. Rendered as a foam-based profile model, it would also be easy for Sam to participate in the build. A great approach: encourage building models as well as flying.

The finished model has a wingspan of 18 inches and weighs slightly less than 27 grams. That is less than 1 ounce! The wing loading worked out to be a scant 2 ounces per square foot. That translates into an extremely slow flyer that is perfect for introducing an 8-year-old to the joys of model-airplane flight.

The equipment side of the project includes a 7 mm geared motor, JMP receiver, magnetic actuators, and a single 90 mAh Li-Poly battery. All the equipment came from Bob Selman.

The little Bombshell trainer delivered in spades. Sam was able to solo in no time during the maiden outing. He had the benefit of some dual time with his father on other models, but the Bombshell was his successful venture into solo flight. Gordon noted that the polyhedral wing does a good job of letting the model turn then return to straight flight after the rudder is neutralized. An excellent effort, Gordon and Sam. Gordon, I can’t wait to see what you will come up with for Sam’s 5-year-old brother Chris when he is ready.

Also included in this column:

  • Details of Steve Lawrie’s foam B-25
  • Winged Shadow Systems How High altitude sensor
  • Classic plans source
  • Pat Tritle’s de Havilland D.H.4 highlighted

Steve Lawrie and Marc Stermer

A while back I had the opportunity to share with you some of the projects of Steve Lawrie and Marc Stermer. In case you don’t remember, Steve is doing some interesting work with sheets sliced from blue foam. He was developing a neat B-17 when I last mentioned his efforts. Marc had a nice profile F-7F Tigercat that featured three-dimensional motor cowls. Steve and Marc are flying buddies who like to build and develop models that would appeal to many of us in the small-field-flying community. Both modelers are quite skilled.

If you look through the photos, you will see Steve's nice B-25. On the surface you might think, "Ho hum, another foam-based B-25." I will admit that the B-25 has been seen more often lately from some of the ARF manufacturers. After I reveal some of the details of Steve's effort, I think you will see why this model got my attention.

The B-25 has a 30-inch wingspan, which is good for our favorite small-field venue. Where things get interesting are the working features of this model. One of the photos shows it while under construction. Look carefully and you will see the flaps are deployed. Yes, this small B-25 has working flaps!

Steve installed working bomb-bay doors as well. To cap things off he set up the nose wheel to be steerable. All of this in a 30-inch model! That is impressive.

To power the B-25 Steve is using two direct-drive GWS 50XC motors turning 3 x 2 propellers. Both motors are controlled with a GWS 5-amp ESC. Power comes from a 700 mAh, two-cell Li-Poly battery pack. Control is handled by a Futaba six-channel receiver. The overall flying weight is slightly more than 7 ounces.

Steve reports that the model has excellent power. He likes to fly it in an inflated golf dome, and deploying the flaps slows the model to a comfortable speed for indoor flying. I imagine he really gets the crowd's attention when he starts dropping bombs. It's a nice model, Steve.

After seeing some of the projects from Steve and Marc, I wonder what might be next. Along that front I have some good news. Since they are having so much fun, they decided they would share their creative side with the rest of us.

These flying buddies have formed a partnership to make plans and kits of their creations available for sale. As a teaser, take a look at the photo of Marc's Grumman Skyrocket that was nearing completion at the time of this writing. For those of us who like profile scale models, subjects such as the Skyrocket are a real treat.

Between the plans and full kits, I have the feeling they will be giving a number of us an opportunity to join the fun. I have their contact information at the end of the column.

Winged Shadow Systems — How High altitude sensor

How high? I can't begin to tell you the number of times I have wondered how high my model was flying. There have been times when it was a speck that nearly disappeared before I had the good sense to get it back down again.

At such times I could not help but wonder how high that thing actually was. I'm sure our perceived altitude and the real number are quite different. Fortunately an innovator named David West has just the gadget to help me answer the how-high question.

David and his company Winged Shadow Systems have recently introduced the How High altitude sensor. This is a unique product in a number of ways. Foremost is the small size and weight. It is roughly the size of a postage stamp and weighs only 2.2 grams.

I like how the device is used. You don't need a computer or any special equipment to extract the information. For radio-controlled models, it plugs into an unused receiver channel or a Y cable if all channels are in use.

If you want to evaluate your FF model, the How High just needs a power source of at least 3.2 volts but not higher than 12 volts. That is a wide source voltage range. For a FF model a small single Li-Poly cell would do.

Once power is applied, you fly the model. No special setup or other steps are required. It is after the model is flown that the innovative features of the How High really come to the forefront. It has been designed for field operation. If you look at the photo of the unit you will see something sticking out of one side. That is not a probe but an LED. That is how the little device communicates.

After the model lands and while you still have things powered up, you point the LED toward a bright light source such as the sun. Move your finger in front of the LED several times. That tells How High you want its stored information. It will then oblige and start the altitude readout.

The LED blinks out the number associated with each digit of the altitude starting with the most significant number. If the altitude your airplane reached was 354 feet, How High blinks three times, pauses, blinks five times, pauses, and then blinks four times. Zeros are represented by a quick double blink that is easily distinguished from the other blinks. If you mess up, just start the sequence again.

How High will remember the value even after power has been removed. That altitude value is actually retained until you fly again. The next time the model is flown, How High will hold the last reading until the model has gained 50 feet in altitude from the launch.

When the model has flown to at least 50 feet above the launch point, How High will reset so it can measure the current flight. The 50-foot threshold is to make sure the unit does not lose the memory from a previous flight because of movement of the model or changes in atmospheric conditions.

How High is accurate and can measure altitudes as high as 7,000 feet. That range should certainly handle our models. I think this is a great device and plan to use one in some of my models. I'm sure we will see other great products come from this innovative manufacturer.

Please see the contact information at the end of the column.

A Great Source for Classic Plans

Those of us who like to build models from plans are always looking for that special set of plans for our next project. There are a number of great sources available. Some plans from the earlier eras of model aviation can be a little harder to track down—especially if you want a copy that is legible and suitable for actually building a model.

Fortunately there are members of our community who specialize in collecting and, more important, enhancing plans from the early years of model aviation. One such individual is Charles Schultz of Louisville, Kentucky. He sent me a few samples of what he has to offer along with a complete selection list. The list is extensive, the quality of the samples is truly first rate, and the prices are quite reasonable.

Glancing through the plans list reveals selections from bygone kit makers including Berkeley, Burd Model Airplane Company, Comet, Ideal, Megow, and many others. A large number of the plans would be great small-field conversion projects as drawn. Others would be perfect for rescaled projects. This is a great plans source. The contact information is at the end of the column.

Pat Tritle Strikes Again

I truly do not know how one person can be so prolific. Thanks to him, I am beginning to have a standard way to end each installment of this column: to introduce another new design from Pat. Pat designs perfect small-field flyers. They are light, fly at modest speeds, and do not require the high-powered, more expensive equipment. This time he has delivered a nice rendition of the de Havilland D.H.4. Please take a look at the photos.

The D.H.4 is a striking biplane. It sports a 35-inch wingspan with 305 square inches. With a flying weight of 7.9 ounces, it is a real floater. Watch for this lovely model to be added to the Dumas line of kits for electric-powered radio-control models.

Here we are at the end of this installment. If you have a project that you would like to share, I can be reached at the E-mail address shown in the column header or via regular mail at:

32238 Spinnaker Run Magnolia, TX 77354

MA

Sources

  • High-quality vintage plans:
  • Charles Schultz
  • 910 Broadfields Dr.
  • Louisville, KY 40207

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.