Small-Field Flying - 2009/02

102 MODEL AVIATION
Small-Field Flying Paul Bradley | [email protected]
The time to build a model airplane has never been better
Also included in this column:
• Mountain Models Lucky Ace
• Steelhead Products Pushy
Panther
• Pat’s two new models
• Aero Craft’s L-15
• Bob Selman’s brushed-tobrushless
ESC converter
Right: The Lucky Ace, a new offering from
Mountain Models, is great for first-time or
low-time builders. The balsa kit features
laser-cut parts.
Another good first-time build is the Pushy Panther from Steelhead Products. It is all foam
and a fast build.
Pat Tritle continues his series of larger small-field models with this agricultural sprayer
aircraft. The 21-ounce model features operational flaps.
THE DAYLIGHT HOURS are shorter, the
outside temperatures are colder, and the wind
is blowing. It must be building season, yeah!
For those of us who like to build, this time
of year can be a lot of fun, even if we are not
flying as much. I love building model
airplanes, but I know that not everyone in the
hobby shares that interest. I can certainly
understand why.
The combination of compressed free time
imposed by our current lifestyles and
availability of good factory-built models puts
building on a different plane (pun intended)
than in past years of the model aviation
hobby. That noted, at this point in the new
year I would like to make a case for dabbling
in the world of model airplane building.
We have some great resources to help us
along the path of building our own models.
For those who would like to experience
assembling a balsa-based aircraft, one supplier
that comes to mind is Mountain Models. The
company recently introduced the Lucky Ace:
a kit that I find especially appealing for smallfield
flying.
The airplane’s structure is designed with
the first-time or low-time builder in mind.
With a 40-inch wingspan and a flying weight
of roughly 16 ounces, the Lucky Ace provides
a nice reward to the builder in terms of
excellent small-field aerobatic flying
performance. See the source listing at the end
of the column for Mountain Models’ contact
information.
In addition to models based on balsa-wood
structures, there are also some great resources
for people who prefer to have their aircraft
built with foam—especially the types of foam
that are highly crash-damage resistant. A good
resource for people who prefer foam is
02sig4.QXD 12/22/08 12:52 PM Page 102
Steelhead Products. The company offers nice
foam wing cores as well as full kits.
Steelhead Products has a nice foam kit that is
perfect for new builders, new fliers, or someone wanting
a platform for aerial photography. The Pushy Panther
represents a good combination of easy-to-build features and
relaxed flying. It has a 60-inch wingspan and a flying weight of
roughly 25 ounces. Contact information for the company is provided in
the source listing.
I could go on about the pleasures of building your own
airplanes. If you currently don’t build your aircraft and have
even a slight interest in giving it a try, you will find some
excellent resources that can take you to a successful and
satisfying completed project.
On the subject of building your own models, prolific
designer and builder Pat Tritle continues to crank ’em out like a
machine. He has two new offerings that are perfect for the small-field
flier.
Pat’s recent designs have been in the larger range of the small-field
spectrum. These airplanes are good for those of us who like one that is
easier to handle during the building phase as well as easier to see while
flying. The nice thing about Pat’s larger aircraft is that they are
lightweight and therefore still comfortable to fly in the small-field
venues.
The first model from Pat that I want to showcase comes from his
larger lightweight series. Please take a look at the model of the
agricultural sprayer developed by a popular civil-aircraft manufacturer.
The recurring design/image licensing issue prevents me from giving the
aircraft company name.
Pat’s nice low-wing model sports a 55-inch wingspan, yielding an
area of 363 square inches. The flying weight is slightly more than 21
ounces, resulting in a wing loading of 8.5 ounces per square foot.
That’s fairly lightweight for a model of this size.
Power comes from an E-flite Park 450 (890 Kv) outrunner brushless
motor turning an 11 x 7 propeller. Energy is provided by a two-cell,
2170 mAh Li-Poly battery pack. Control functions include all flight
controls, throttle, and flaps. Yes, flaps are included in the flight
controls. This makes for some fun small-field flying.
Pat wrote a brief description of the sprayer model’s flying qualities.
“It turned out to be a really nice flier, and with the flaps down (20-
45°) the model slows nicely. The big surprise is that the ailerons never
get soft and require very little rudder input as there’s practically no
February 2009 103
Bob Aberle has developed a nice model of the not-often-seen
Boeing L-15 Scout. The kit will be produced by Aero Craft Ltd. in
the near future.
Pat’s new Gee Bee Model D looks scalelike
in flight and has honest and gentle flying
qualities.
Below: Pat Tritle’s nice 32-inch-span Gee Bee Model D Golden Age racer
is expected to be featured as a construction article in Model Airplane News.
Bob Selman developed a micro converter to adapt the output of a
microreceiver’s ESC to an external brushless ESC.
02sig4.QXD 12/22/08 12:26 PM Page 103
adverse yaw throughout the speed range. In
fact, this is undoubtedly the best flying lowwing
airplane I’ve had yet.”
This model sure would be fun to fly at my
local small-field venue. Pat is selling short kits
of this enticing design directly. Please see the
source listing for contact information.
Just when I’m starting to think Pat is
spending all of his time on the larger airplanes,
he comes along with a pleasing rendition of
the Gee Bee Model D with a 32-inch
wingspan. This is a nice addition to his vast
collection of small-field designs. The photo
makes me think he has another winner in his
stable.
Specifications for the Gee Bee Model D
include a 4900 Kv Feigao brushless motor in a
4:1 GWS IPS gearbox with a GWS 8 x 6
propeller. The battery pack is a two-cell, 800
mAh Li-Poly unit. At a flying weight of 8.6
ounces, the 800 mAh battery pack delivers 25
minutes of flying enjoyment.
Pat had a few words regarding this
miniature version of the Golden Age racer.
“In the air, the little Gee Bee is rock solid.
It rolls into the turns very nicely and grooves
through the turns effortlessly. Speedwise, the
model is not what I would call fast, but looks
scalelike in flight. In all, the honest and gentle
flying qualities of the model were a very
pleasant surprise.”
This aircraft will be the subject of a
construction article in Model Airplane News
and kits will follow publication of the article.
A bit of good news is that Pat will be
designing some other models of Golden Age
racers in the same scale. It appears we may
have a future opportunity for some relaxed
small-field Pylon Racing.
Something you don’t see every day is a
model of the Boeing L-15. This rather unusual
observation aircraft was developed by Boeing
in the late 1940s in the hope of gaining a
military contract. Although that did not
happen, Boeing did come up with a design that
is almost perfect for the small-field scale
modeler.
The L-15 was not only unusual in its
appearance, but it also featured flaperons.
Many of us did not consider flaperons until
modern-generation radios offered flaperon
mixing. I don’t know how many other fullscale
airplanes use the ailerons for both roll
control and flaps.
The unique features of the Boeing L-15
were recognized by MA’s Technical Editor
Bob Aberle. He developed a nice model that is
great for small-field flying, including indoor
venues. The photo he provided shows off the
unique look of the airplane. It has a flying
weight of 9.5 ounces with 150 square inches of
wing area. Propulsion comes from an AXi
2204/54 turning an APC 7 x 4 propeller on a
two-cell, 800 mAh pack.
If you would like to duplicate Bob’s neat
Boeing L-15, a kit is coming from Aero Craft
Ltd., the people who make kits for Hobby
Lobby. See the contact information at the end
of the column.
While on the subject of models that work
well indoors or outdoors, I would like to
mention an event that took place in October
2008. This was the first of what should
become a nice annual affair called the
Keystone Indoor Electric Fly (KIEF).
Although it is called an indoor fly, it is held
in a facility that may be larger than the outdoor
small-field locations some of us use for flying.
That facility is an inflated dome located in
Muncy, Pennsylvania (approximately 8 miles
from Williamsport, Pennsylvania).
Bob Aberle has written a great report on
the event for the Internet-based publication,
RC Micro World. As a way of introducing
people to this fine subscription-based
publication, Bob’s article is available to
everyone.
Reading the report does require access to
the Internet. For anyone interested in the
micro aspect of our hobby, I highly
recommend subscribing to RC Micro World.
I know that in the pages of MA, the world of
micro RC flying is the realm of Joe
Malinchak, but I want to mention an item
that has caught my attention. I’m sure Joe has
or will be covering this as well because of its
significance.
The development of brushless motors for
micromodels continues to drive the size and
weight lower. There is now a neat little
outrunner that weighs a scant .6 gram.
When the motors get that small, you need
extremely lightweight RC gear. The gear has
been around for a while but is intended for
the small brushed motors. The receivers
include a built-in motor speed control in a
package that weighs a half gram or so. That’s
great, but what about the emerging tiny
brushless motors?
Bob Selman has developed a small
converter that will allow the tiny receivers
intended for brushed motors to drive an
external brushless speed control. This is a
great development, since many micro-fliers
have a good inventory of microreceivers for
brushed motors. This development also
opens the door for using brushless motors
with the new micro brick radio systems seen
in the RTF micro flyers.
Take a look at the photo Bob provided of
his converted FF Thistle. You can barely see
the converter; it is the speck that appears
between the receiver and the speed control.
Nice work, Bob. His contact information
follows this column.
Again, we are at the end. I enjoy hearing
from readers. My contact information is in the
sources listing. MA
Sources:
Steelhead Products
(707) 832-2137
www.steelheadproducts.com
Mountain Models
(719) 630-3186
www.mountainmodels.com
Pat’s Custom Models
(505) 296-4511
www.patscustom-models.com
Aero Craft Ltd.
(631) 369-9319
www.aerocraftrc.com
KIEF
(703) 273-0607
www.cloud9rc.com/kief
Bob Selman Designs
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
Paul Bradley
10201 Scarlet Oak Dr.
Independence KY 41051