DAVE ROBELEN, you will be missed. As I
write this, the news of MA “Micro-Flying”
columnist Dave Robelen’s passing is still
fresh.
It is hard to know where to begin
commenting on the extensive list of
contributions Dave made to the hobby. I
think one of the more significant aspects of
his modeling career was that he was doing
micro RC models before most of us knew
how to spell “micro.”
Dave’s published work in the area started
in the 1960s. I remember reading his articles
back then and being amazed at his
accomplishments, and that never changed.
Throughout the years I developed a
tremendous respect for his innovation, skill,
and willingness to help anyone who asked a
question. His many designs not only cover
the micro realm but offer some great models
in larger sizes. They are all excellent fliers
with nice handling qualities.
I was privileged to meet Dave at the first
National Indoor Remote-Control Aircraft
Council (NIRAC) Championships in 2003.
As one of the main people behind the event,
he was busy with many of the normal details
that must be addressed at such a gathering.
But Dave always made time to chat with the
participants and offer his comments
regarding their many questions.
As is the case with so many of the
notables in this hobby, he was an exemplary
gentleman as well as a top-notch modelairplane
builder. Dave will certainly be
missed by the model-aviation community.
Small-Field Flying Paul Bradley | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• New models from Pat Tritle
• Carl Goldberg’s Ranger 21
as an RC small-field flyer
• New offerings from Bob
Selman Designs
A personal tribute to Dave Robelen
The late Dave Robelen, pictured on the right, served as one of the leaders of the first
NIRAC Championships in the fall of 2003.
Pat Tritle’s UC-78, powered by two GWS IPS geared brushed
motors, is scheduled for release by Dumas later this year.
Richard Cox used the author’s Goldberg Ranger 21 plans to build
this RC electric small-field flyer. Richard Narvaez photo.
The 53-inch-wingspan Aeronca Champ, another new Pat Tritle design, is docile. It flies
and lands at true scale speeds.
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Suitable for small venues is a new Bob Selman Designs British World War II Mosquito
powered by two orange Super Slicks model-car motors.
BSD’s new 13-inch version of the Brad Shepherd Chips powered by a blue Super Slicks
motor.
BSD has made additions to the Mighty Midget line in these tiny 1.5-gram brushless
outrunner motors.
We are fortunate to have the legacy of his
many published articles and plans.
Rest well, Dave. We appreciate all you
contributed to our hobby.
In reflecting on Dave Robelen’s wonderful
designs, I am reminded of another major
designer who has also left this world.
As did Dave, Carl Goldberg developed
great designs that were large and small. In
the small category were his wonderful allsheet-
balsa, rubber-powered FF models.
They were sold by Top Flite as the Jigtime
series and in a series from his own company:
Carl Goldberg Models. These airplanes
appeared from the 1950s through the 1970s.
A number of issues back I shared with
you my love of these old models and my
efforts to develop reproductions of each
airplane in both series. I have been fortunate
to acquire each old kit. They have been used
to develop computer-based drawings of each
set of parts that can be employed to develop
a reproduction.
All the drawing packages are in Adobe
PDF format and can be downloaded free
from my Web site at www.parmodels.com.
Visit the site and go to the plans section to
find all the old Top Flite Jigtime and
Goldberg Models all-balsa, rubber-powered
models.
This is my long-winded way of
introducing the work of Richard Cox. He
used the plans/parts drawing package from
my Web site for the Goldberg Ranger 21
and developed a nice electric-powered RC
rendition of that classic model. The
Goldberg-designed Ranger 21 makes a nice
RC small-field flyer.
Richard used a GWS IPS motor and blue
gearbox to power a GWS 6 x 5 propeller. He
noted that the gearbox had to be trimmed to
fit the nose of the model. He used a two-cell,
220 mAh Li-Poly battery pack.
Two Falcon servos handle the rudder and
elevator functions, and a Spektrum 6100
spread spectrum receiver provides guidance.
The all-up flying weight of this 21-inchwingspan
model is 52 grams. Richard
reports that it cruises nicely at half throttle.
Good work! It sure is great seeing these
classic designs used for modern small-field
models.
It is amazing how the cycle of life seems to
unfold. We said goodbye to Dave Robelen
and at roughly the same time I learned that
Pat Tritle accepted the position of columnist
for Flying Models’ “Small Talk” column.
Unless you’re a newcomer to this
column, you know that Pat has been a huge
contributor to the world of small-field
models. Photos of his wonderful designs
have graced these pages many times.
It’s nice to hear that his knowledge and
great way with the written word will be
shared through the pages of Flying Models.
If you haven’t looked at that magazine for a
while, I encourage you to do so. You will
find reading Pat’s column worthwhile.
Pat continues to turn out one fantastic
new model after another. I have two of his
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new airplanes to share with you.
You may recognize the UC-78 from its
civilian equivalent that was produced by one
of the mainstream general-aviation aircraft
manufacturers (that old copyright problem
keeps me from mentioning the name). The
old television series Sky King featured one of
the civilian versions of the airplane.
Pat’s model is a nice electric-powered
twin. It sports a 43-inch wingspan and has a
flying weight of slightly less than 17
ounces—not bad for a twin.
Two GWS IPS drives with a gearing of
2.6:1 power the model in the photo. The
motors turn 9 x 7 propellers and get their
energy from a single two-cell, 1320 mAh Li-
Poly battery pack. The aircraft features all
functional control surfaces and fixed landing
gear.
Pat reports that the UC-78 is a great flier
and handles well on the ground. Because the
model uses full-size scale ailerons, it needs
some rudder input to maintain coordinated
turns. The UC-78 is scheduled to be released
as a Dumas kit in the latter part of this year.
Pat’s other new model is a nice 1/8-scale
rendition of the Aeronca L-16A Champ. With
a 53-inch wingspan, it is nearly the size of the
old Comet with its 54-inch wingspan. Pat’s
prototype is powered with an outrunner motor
that has a 1,000 rpm/volt rating (kV).
Like the UC-78, the Champ gets its
energy from a two-cell, 1320 mAh Li-Poly
battery pack. The flying weight is 15 ounces
and the model features all flight controls.
Pat had one hour of instruction in a fullscale
L-16A. When it comes to flying
qualities, he wrote:
“The Champ flies like the full-scale
airplane and requires large amounts of rudder
to counter the adverse yaw provided by the
scale-size ailerons. It’s been said that
Aeronca invented adverse yaw then spent