88 MODEL AVIATION
IT’S TIME to make plans. The cover date of this issue indicates
that it is almost time to head to the flying field for some 2010
outdoor flying enjoyment. At least that is true for those of us who
live in colder climates, where that white stuff keeps falling out of
the sky during the winter months.
As I write this, I am watching snow falling outside and dreaming
of this year’s scheduled flying events. One that is high on my
priority list is the annual Small Model Airplane Lovers’ League
event. It is held in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area during the first
weekend of June each year. That translates to June 3-6 in 2010.
That’s right; there will be four days of activity.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the SMALL fly-in. To
help make this a special event, one of the original founders, Steve
Staples, will help organize and run the festivities.
The site where the SMALL event takes place is terrific. There is
ample room for FF, CL, and RC models of all varieties. The only
limitation is that power for aircraft cannot exceed the equivalent of a
.26 glow engine.
I hope to run into many of you at this excellent gathering. Please
see the source listing for Steve Staples’ contact information if you
want to learn more about the SMALL fly-in.
Sukhoi Biplane: What do you get when
you have a full-scale biplane pilot who
Paul Bradley | bradleyp@Small-Field Flying ix.netcom.com
Also included in this column:
• A Sukhoi bipe
• A Guillow’s conversion
• Floating Twin Star
• Model Aero Aqua Cat
• Pat Tritle Skunk Works
The SMALL fly-in is getting longer
Keith Sparks has a great modification kit for the Multiplex Twin Star that converts it into
a seaplane. The kit includes the hull, cowling, and wingtip floats.
John Pakiz takes a great approach to fabricating custom
lightweight wheels for small-field aircraft.
You would probably never know that John Kunte’s nice 52-inchwingspan
Aeronca Champ is based on Guillow’s plans. It uses a
Suppo B2208/17 brushless motor.
Karl Blanding converted his ParkZone Sukhoi to a biplane using a
second wing he made from typing paper. The GWS propeller
modification helps a great deal.
04sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 2/23/10 9:59 AM Page 88
Once the proper O-ring set has been secured, John cuts three
balsa disks. One serves as the center of the wheel, and its diameter is
the same as the inside diameter of the O-ring. The other two balsa
parts are cut to a diameter that is slightly larger than the center disk.
John makes the disks by turning them with his Dremel tool. The
balsa is fixed in a mandrel that he fabricated from a bicycle spoke.
(Dremel sells a mandrel that can be used for this.)
Once the three balsa disks are fabricated, John assembles the
wheel. The O-ring is placed on the center disk. Glue is unnecessary.
The two remaining disks are glued to the outside faces of the
center disk. The slightly larger diameter captures the O-ring and
owns a ParkZone Sukhoi? A biplane Sukhoi, of course. Well, at
least when the pilot is Karl Blanding of Fulton, Ohio.
When faced with limited choices for a small biplane that was
suitable for indoor venues, Karl was left scratching his head. This
thought process resulted in a project that I never would have
considered. The ParkZone Sukhoi reminded Karl of a modern-day
Pitts, so he completed the look by adding a wing.
What makes Karl’s effort especially noteworthy is the material
he used for the top wing: basic typing paper. Following is how he
described the process.
“The box became the fixture for locating the upper wing and
establishing the strut lengths. I traced the lower wing onto a piece of
typing paper and folded the paper over on top of the Sukhoi wing. I
made two copies and extended the wing tracings so they would
meet in the middle of the plane.
“I took a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper and rolled it around a
wooden pencil. So now I have a spar 11 inches long. I made a
second 11 inch spar using a quarter of a sheet for the leading edge
spar.
“The top wing leading edge curvature is about the same as the
lower wing. The mid span spar is approximately 20% thicker than the
lower wing maximum thickness.
“I made the struts of rolled paper (rolled around coat hanger
wire). The spars, struts, and ribs are taped with clear
packaging tape so they will not unroll. I taped the spars onto
the lower inside wing skin. I maintained the spar
separation distance with, you guessed it, rolled paper.
“Now the wing is folded over the spars and taped
at the trailing edge. The lower and upper wing skin
is sewn to the spars in four places using waxed
dental floss. This is similar to the way the full
scale biplane wings are sewn to the ribs.
“The dental floss is passed through the
middle of the struts by letting the needle and
thread fall through the center of the strut. Struts and dental floss are
fixed to the plane fuselage and lower wing with clear packaging tape.
“So, how does it fly? Take offs and landings look and feel like
flying a full scale biplane. And like a full scale biplane, you have to
fly it. The Sukhoi was already underpowered. The added wing made
it worse.
“I changed the propeller to the GWS 5043 from BSD Micro RC
that was written up in the November 2009 MA Micro Flying
column. That was a big improvement.”
Thanks, Karl, for sharing information about this interesting
project. See the source listing for BSD Micro RC’s contact
information.
A Guillow’s Conversion—Sort Of: John Kunte of Rome,
Pennsylvania, sent me several photos of his nice 14-ounce, 52-inchspan
Aeronca Champ. A model with those specifications sounds like
Pat Tritle’s handiwork.
As it turns out, John did not build his airplane from Pat’s great
Aeronca Champ kit. John scaled up the venerable Guillow’s
Aeronca Champ 85 plans to build his model.
John reported that he used a Suppo B2208/17 brushless motor
from RC Hot Deals to power the model. See the “Sources” listing
for contact information. The covering is Coverite Microlite film.
With all that wing area and light weight, John’s Champ is a great
small-field flyer.
The Ever-Elusive Light Wheel: How many times have you started
a project, only to discover that you couldn’t find a nice, light wheel
that was the correct size? I have had that issue, and so has John
Pakiz of Omaha, Nebraska. He sent me his solution to this vexing
problem.
John uses a simple method to manufacture custom wheels of
almost any diameter that are strong and, most important,
lightweight. The key to his technique is to use O-rings for the tires.
They come in so many diameters that you will probably find one
that will meet your needs.
April 2010 89
Pat Tritle’s latest effort is a 50-inch-span Piper Tri-Pacer. It uses
an E-flite Park 400 920 Kv brushless motor and a two-cell, 2500
mAh Li-Poly pack.
Pat Tritle’s converted BMJR Ranger 28—and a peek inside his
shop. The FF model is a reproduction of a Carl Goldberg design.
Model Aero’s Aqua Cat is a merger of the AeroCat
and Polaris model designs. It’s said to be smooth,
stable, and fast.
04sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 2/23/10 9:59 AM Page 89
keeps it from coming off of the wheel. A
suitable axle bearing is added and the wheel
is ready to paint.
Very slick, John. Now I can’t use the
excuse of not having a proper set of wheels
to delay starting a project.
Keith Sparks and the Multiplex Twin Star:
Keith Sparks is the guiding force behind the
plastic parts that are used in many of the kits
we small-field-fliers like to build. Most
notable of those are the kits that Pat Tritle
offers. In recent years, many of his beautiful
models have been featured in the modeling
press as construction articles.
Doing business as Park Flyer Plastics,
Keith sells many parts directly to the
aeromodeling public. His items include
lightweight pilot figures. He also does
occasional modification kits for a variety of
ARFs.
Keith recently developed a wonderful
modification kit for the Multiplex Twin Star.
The equipment converts the model to a nicelooking
seaplane. If you are interested in
acquiring one of Keith’s Twin Star
modification kits, or his other neat products,
his contact information is provided in the
source listing.
On the topic of floatplanes, I have news
about a recent release from the Model Aero
company. While I was at the JR Indoor
Electric Festival in November, I saw an eyecatching
model called the “Aqua Cat.” It had
a sheet-foam-based airframe with beautiful
graphics.
Sporting a wingspan of 36 inches and a
flying weight of 17 ounces, this model is
perfect for flying in small-field venues. If
you have access to a site with water, so much
the better.
Recommended power comes from a Spin
Max 2212-6 brushless motor, or equivalent,
driven by a three-cell, 1300-2200 mAh Li-
Poly battery pack. You can order an Aqua
Cat kit directly from Model Aero. Please see
the source listing for contact information.
A Look Inside the Pat Tritle Skunk Works:
Pat Tritle let me know that he has built a
BMJR Model Products Goldberg Ranger 28
reproduction kit. Since I had a hand in
developing the kit, he wanted me to know
that it converts nicely from its intended
rubber-powered FF configuration to electricpowered
small-field RC.
The photo Pat sent of the converted
Ranger 28 provided a nice peek inside his
workshop. After looking at the picture, I
began to imagine what a treat a visit to his
shop would be. Oh yeah, back to the Ranger.
Pat uses a Turnigy 1811 brushless motor
from Hobby King, powered by a two-cell,
350 mAh Li-Poly battery pack. Guidance
comes from a Spektrum AR6100 receiver.
The model is covered with Japanese tissue
and clear dope, and its total flying weight is
7.4 ounces.
On the subject of Pat’s digs, he has
recently released a really fantastic rendition
of the Piper Tri-Pacer. The model has a 50-
inch wingspan and a flying weight of 25
ounces.
The wing halves plug into the fuselage,
making the model easier to transport.
Controls include throttle, ailerons, rudder,
steerable nose wheel, elevator, and flaps. The
recommended power setup is an E-flite Park
400 920 Kv brushless motor and a two-cell,
2500 mAh Li-Poly battery pack.
Pat is selling kits directly, so check the
source listing for his contact information.
This brings me to the close of this column.
As always, let me know what you are up to
so I can share your work with the rest of the
small-field-flying community. MA
Sources:
Steve Staples
[email protected]
BSD Micro RC
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
RC Hot Deals
(302) 250-4611
(503) 708-2214
www.rchotdeals.com
Park Flyer Plastics
(817) 233-1215
www.parkflyerplastics.com
Model Aero
(419) 966-2230
www.modelaero.com
Pat’s Custom Models
(505) 296-4511
www.patscustom-models.com
BMJR Model Products
(321) 537-1159
www.bmjrmodels.com
Hobby King
(800) 607-5803
www.hobbyking.com
Paul Bradley
www.parmodels.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/04
Page Numbers: 88,89,91
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/04
Page Numbers: 88,89,91
88 MODEL AVIATION
IT’S TIME to make plans. The cover date of this issue indicates
that it is almost time to head to the flying field for some 2010
outdoor flying enjoyment. At least that is true for those of us who
live in colder climates, where that white stuff keeps falling out of
the sky during the winter months.
As I write this, I am watching snow falling outside and dreaming
of this year’s scheduled flying events. One that is high on my
priority list is the annual Small Model Airplane Lovers’ League
event. It is held in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area during the first
weekend of June each year. That translates to June 3-6 in 2010.
That’s right; there will be four days of activity.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the SMALL fly-in. To
help make this a special event, one of the original founders, Steve
Staples, will help organize and run the festivities.
The site where the SMALL event takes place is terrific. There is
ample room for FF, CL, and RC models of all varieties. The only
limitation is that power for aircraft cannot exceed the equivalent of a
.26 glow engine.
I hope to run into many of you at this excellent gathering. Please
see the source listing for Steve Staples’ contact information if you
want to learn more about the SMALL fly-in.
Sukhoi Biplane: What do you get when
you have a full-scale biplane pilot who
Paul Bradley | bradleyp@Small-Field Flying ix.netcom.com
Also included in this column:
• A Sukhoi bipe
• A Guillow’s conversion
• Floating Twin Star
• Model Aero Aqua Cat
• Pat Tritle Skunk Works
The SMALL fly-in is getting longer
Keith Sparks has a great modification kit for the Multiplex Twin Star that converts it into
a seaplane. The kit includes the hull, cowling, and wingtip floats.
John Pakiz takes a great approach to fabricating custom
lightweight wheels for small-field aircraft.
You would probably never know that John Kunte’s nice 52-inchwingspan
Aeronca Champ is based on Guillow’s plans. It uses a
Suppo B2208/17 brushless motor.
Karl Blanding converted his ParkZone Sukhoi to a biplane using a
second wing he made from typing paper. The GWS propeller
modification helps a great deal.
04sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 2/23/10 9:59 AM Page 88
Once the proper O-ring set has been secured, John cuts three
balsa disks. One serves as the center of the wheel, and its diameter is
the same as the inside diameter of the O-ring. The other two balsa
parts are cut to a diameter that is slightly larger than the center disk.
John makes the disks by turning them with his Dremel tool. The
balsa is fixed in a mandrel that he fabricated from a bicycle spoke.
(Dremel sells a mandrel that can be used for this.)
Once the three balsa disks are fabricated, John assembles the
wheel. The O-ring is placed on the center disk. Glue is unnecessary.
The two remaining disks are glued to the outside faces of the
center disk. The slightly larger diameter captures the O-ring and
owns a ParkZone Sukhoi? A biplane Sukhoi, of course. Well, at
least when the pilot is Karl Blanding of Fulton, Ohio.
When faced with limited choices for a small biplane that was
suitable for indoor venues, Karl was left scratching his head. This
thought process resulted in a project that I never would have
considered. The ParkZone Sukhoi reminded Karl of a modern-day
Pitts, so he completed the look by adding a wing.
What makes Karl’s effort especially noteworthy is the material
he used for the top wing: basic typing paper. Following is how he
described the process.
“The box became the fixture for locating the upper wing and
establishing the strut lengths. I traced the lower wing onto a piece of
typing paper and folded the paper over on top of the Sukhoi wing. I
made two copies and extended the wing tracings so they would
meet in the middle of the plane.
“I took a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper and rolled it around a
wooden pencil. So now I have a spar 11 inches long. I made a
second 11 inch spar using a quarter of a sheet for the leading edge
spar.
“The top wing leading edge curvature is about the same as the
lower wing. The mid span spar is approximately 20% thicker than the
lower wing maximum thickness.
“I made the struts of rolled paper (rolled around coat hanger
wire). The spars, struts, and ribs are taped with clear
packaging tape so they will not unroll. I taped the spars onto
the lower inside wing skin. I maintained the spar
separation distance with, you guessed it, rolled paper.
“Now the wing is folded over the spars and taped
at the trailing edge. The lower and upper wing skin
is sewn to the spars in four places using waxed
dental floss. This is similar to the way the full
scale biplane wings are sewn to the ribs.
“The dental floss is passed through the
middle of the struts by letting the needle and
thread fall through the center of the strut. Struts and dental floss are
fixed to the plane fuselage and lower wing with clear packaging tape.
“So, how does it fly? Take offs and landings look and feel like
flying a full scale biplane. And like a full scale biplane, you have to
fly it. The Sukhoi was already underpowered. The added wing made
it worse.
“I changed the propeller to the GWS 5043 from BSD Micro RC
that was written up in the November 2009 MA Micro Flying
column. That was a big improvement.”
Thanks, Karl, for sharing information about this interesting
project. See the source listing for BSD Micro RC’s contact
information.
A Guillow’s Conversion—Sort Of: John Kunte of Rome,
Pennsylvania, sent me several photos of his nice 14-ounce, 52-inchspan
Aeronca Champ. A model with those specifications sounds like
Pat Tritle’s handiwork.
As it turns out, John did not build his airplane from Pat’s great
Aeronca Champ kit. John scaled up the venerable Guillow’s
Aeronca Champ 85 plans to build his model.
John reported that he used a Suppo B2208/17 brushless motor
from RC Hot Deals to power the model. See the “Sources” listing
for contact information. The covering is Coverite Microlite film.
With all that wing area and light weight, John’s Champ is a great
small-field flyer.
The Ever-Elusive Light Wheel: How many times have you started
a project, only to discover that you couldn’t find a nice, light wheel
that was the correct size? I have had that issue, and so has John
Pakiz of Omaha, Nebraska. He sent me his solution to this vexing
problem.
John uses a simple method to manufacture custom wheels of
almost any diameter that are strong and, most important,
lightweight. The key to his technique is to use O-rings for the tires.
They come in so many diameters that you will probably find one
that will meet your needs.
April 2010 89
Pat Tritle’s latest effort is a 50-inch-span Piper Tri-Pacer. It uses
an E-flite Park 400 920 Kv brushless motor and a two-cell, 2500
mAh Li-Poly pack.
Pat Tritle’s converted BMJR Ranger 28—and a peek inside his
shop. The FF model is a reproduction of a Carl Goldberg design.
Model Aero’s Aqua Cat is a merger of the AeroCat
and Polaris model designs. It’s said to be smooth,
stable, and fast.
04sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 2/23/10 9:59 AM Page 89
keeps it from coming off of the wheel. A
suitable axle bearing is added and the wheel
is ready to paint.
Very slick, John. Now I can’t use the
excuse of not having a proper set of wheels
to delay starting a project.
Keith Sparks and the Multiplex Twin Star:
Keith Sparks is the guiding force behind the
plastic parts that are used in many of the kits
we small-field-fliers like to build. Most
notable of those are the kits that Pat Tritle
offers. In recent years, many of his beautiful
models have been featured in the modeling
press as construction articles.
Doing business as Park Flyer Plastics,
Keith sells many parts directly to the
aeromodeling public. His items include
lightweight pilot figures. He also does
occasional modification kits for a variety of
ARFs.
Keith recently developed a wonderful
modification kit for the Multiplex Twin Star.
The equipment converts the model to a nicelooking
seaplane. If you are interested in
acquiring one of Keith’s Twin Star
modification kits, or his other neat products,
his contact information is provided in the
source listing.
On the topic of floatplanes, I have news
about a recent release from the Model Aero
company. While I was at the JR Indoor
Electric Festival in November, I saw an eyecatching
model called the “Aqua Cat.” It had
a sheet-foam-based airframe with beautiful
graphics.
Sporting a wingspan of 36 inches and a
flying weight of 17 ounces, this model is
perfect for flying in small-field venues. If
you have access to a site with water, so much
the better.
Recommended power comes from a Spin
Max 2212-6 brushless motor, or equivalent,
driven by a three-cell, 1300-2200 mAh Li-
Poly battery pack. You can order an Aqua
Cat kit directly from Model Aero. Please see
the source listing for contact information.
A Look Inside the Pat Tritle Skunk Works:
Pat Tritle let me know that he has built a
BMJR Model Products Goldberg Ranger 28
reproduction kit. Since I had a hand in
developing the kit, he wanted me to know
that it converts nicely from its intended
rubber-powered FF configuration to electricpowered
small-field RC.
The photo Pat sent of the converted
Ranger 28 provided a nice peek inside his
workshop. After looking at the picture, I
began to imagine what a treat a visit to his
shop would be. Oh yeah, back to the Ranger.
Pat uses a Turnigy 1811 brushless motor
from Hobby King, powered by a two-cell,
350 mAh Li-Poly battery pack. Guidance
comes from a Spektrum AR6100 receiver.
The model is covered with Japanese tissue
and clear dope, and its total flying weight is
7.4 ounces.
On the subject of Pat’s digs, he has
recently released a really fantastic rendition
of the Piper Tri-Pacer. The model has a 50-
inch wingspan and a flying weight of 25
ounces.
The wing halves plug into the fuselage,
making the model easier to transport.
Controls include throttle, ailerons, rudder,
steerable nose wheel, elevator, and flaps. The
recommended power setup is an E-flite Park
400 920 Kv brushless motor and a two-cell,
2500 mAh Li-Poly battery pack.
Pat is selling kits directly, so check the
source listing for his contact information.
This brings me to the close of this column.
As always, let me know what you are up to
so I can share your work with the rest of the
small-field-flying community. MA
Sources:
Steve Staples
[email protected]
BSD Micro RC
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
RC Hot Deals
(302) 250-4611
(503) 708-2214
www.rchotdeals.com
Park Flyer Plastics
(817) 233-1215
www.parkflyerplastics.com
Model Aero
(419) 966-2230
www.modelaero.com
Pat’s Custom Models
(505) 296-4511
www.patscustom-models.com
BMJR Model Products
(321) 537-1159
www.bmjrmodels.com
Hobby King
(800) 607-5803
www.hobbyking.com
Paul Bradley
www.parmodels.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/04
Page Numbers: 88,89,91
88 MODEL AVIATION
IT’S TIME to make plans. The cover date of this issue indicates
that it is almost time to head to the flying field for some 2010
outdoor flying enjoyment. At least that is true for those of us who
live in colder climates, where that white stuff keeps falling out of
the sky during the winter months.
As I write this, I am watching snow falling outside and dreaming
of this year’s scheduled flying events. One that is high on my
priority list is the annual Small Model Airplane Lovers’ League
event. It is held in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area during the first
weekend of June each year. That translates to June 3-6 in 2010.
That’s right; there will be four days of activity.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the SMALL fly-in. To
help make this a special event, one of the original founders, Steve
Staples, will help organize and run the festivities.
The site where the SMALL event takes place is terrific. There is
ample room for FF, CL, and RC models of all varieties. The only
limitation is that power for aircraft cannot exceed the equivalent of a
.26 glow engine.
I hope to run into many of you at this excellent gathering. Please
see the source listing for Steve Staples’ contact information if you
want to learn more about the SMALL fly-in.
Sukhoi Biplane: What do you get when
you have a full-scale biplane pilot who
Paul Bradley | bradleyp@Small-Field Flying ix.netcom.com
Also included in this column:
• A Sukhoi bipe
• A Guillow’s conversion
• Floating Twin Star
• Model Aero Aqua Cat
• Pat Tritle Skunk Works
The SMALL fly-in is getting longer
Keith Sparks has a great modification kit for the Multiplex Twin Star that converts it into
a seaplane. The kit includes the hull, cowling, and wingtip floats.
John Pakiz takes a great approach to fabricating custom
lightweight wheels for small-field aircraft.
You would probably never know that John Kunte’s nice 52-inchwingspan
Aeronca Champ is based on Guillow’s plans. It uses a
Suppo B2208/17 brushless motor.
Karl Blanding converted his ParkZone Sukhoi to a biplane using a
second wing he made from typing paper. The GWS propeller
modification helps a great deal.
04sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 2/23/10 9:59 AM Page 88
Once the proper O-ring set has been secured, John cuts three
balsa disks. One serves as the center of the wheel, and its diameter is
the same as the inside diameter of the O-ring. The other two balsa
parts are cut to a diameter that is slightly larger than the center disk.
John makes the disks by turning them with his Dremel tool. The
balsa is fixed in a mandrel that he fabricated from a bicycle spoke.
(Dremel sells a mandrel that can be used for this.)
Once the three balsa disks are fabricated, John assembles the
wheel. The O-ring is placed on the center disk. Glue is unnecessary.
The two remaining disks are glued to the outside faces of the
center disk. The slightly larger diameter captures the O-ring and
owns a ParkZone Sukhoi? A biplane Sukhoi, of course. Well, at
least when the pilot is Karl Blanding of Fulton, Ohio.
When faced with limited choices for a small biplane that was
suitable for indoor venues, Karl was left scratching his head. This
thought process resulted in a project that I never would have
considered. The ParkZone Sukhoi reminded Karl of a modern-day
Pitts, so he completed the look by adding a wing.
What makes Karl’s effort especially noteworthy is the material
he used for the top wing: basic typing paper. Following is how he
described the process.
“The box became the fixture for locating the upper wing and
establishing the strut lengths. I traced the lower wing onto a piece of
typing paper and folded the paper over on top of the Sukhoi wing. I
made two copies and extended the wing tracings so they would
meet in the middle of the plane.
“I took a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper and rolled it around a
wooden pencil. So now I have a spar 11 inches long. I made a
second 11 inch spar using a quarter of a sheet for the leading edge
spar.
“The top wing leading edge curvature is about the same as the
lower wing. The mid span spar is approximately 20% thicker than the
lower wing maximum thickness.
“I made the struts of rolled paper (rolled around coat hanger
wire). The spars, struts, and ribs are taped with clear
packaging tape so they will not unroll. I taped the spars onto
the lower inside wing skin. I maintained the spar
separation distance with, you guessed it, rolled paper.
“Now the wing is folded over the spars and taped
at the trailing edge. The lower and upper wing skin
is sewn to the spars in four places using waxed
dental floss. This is similar to the way the full
scale biplane wings are sewn to the ribs.
“The dental floss is passed through the
middle of the struts by letting the needle and
thread fall through the center of the strut. Struts and dental floss are
fixed to the plane fuselage and lower wing with clear packaging tape.
“So, how does it fly? Take offs and landings look and feel like
flying a full scale biplane. And like a full scale biplane, you have to
fly it. The Sukhoi was already underpowered. The added wing made
it worse.
“I changed the propeller to the GWS 5043 from BSD Micro RC
that was written up in the November 2009 MA Micro Flying
column. That was a big improvement.”
Thanks, Karl, for sharing information about this interesting
project. See the source listing for BSD Micro RC’s contact
information.
A Guillow’s Conversion—Sort Of: John Kunte of Rome,
Pennsylvania, sent me several photos of his nice 14-ounce, 52-inchspan
Aeronca Champ. A model with those specifications sounds like
Pat Tritle’s handiwork.
As it turns out, John did not build his airplane from Pat’s great
Aeronca Champ kit. John scaled up the venerable Guillow’s
Aeronca Champ 85 plans to build his model.
John reported that he used a Suppo B2208/17 brushless motor
from RC Hot Deals to power the model. See the “Sources” listing
for contact information. The covering is Coverite Microlite film.
With all that wing area and light weight, John’s Champ is a great
small-field flyer.
The Ever-Elusive Light Wheel: How many times have you started
a project, only to discover that you couldn’t find a nice, light wheel
that was the correct size? I have had that issue, and so has John
Pakiz of Omaha, Nebraska. He sent me his solution to this vexing
problem.
John uses a simple method to manufacture custom wheels of
almost any diameter that are strong and, most important,
lightweight. The key to his technique is to use O-rings for the tires.
They come in so many diameters that you will probably find one
that will meet your needs.
April 2010 89
Pat Tritle’s latest effort is a 50-inch-span Piper Tri-Pacer. It uses
an E-flite Park 400 920 Kv brushless motor and a two-cell, 2500
mAh Li-Poly pack.
Pat Tritle’s converted BMJR Ranger 28—and a peek inside his
shop. The FF model is a reproduction of a Carl Goldberg design.
Model Aero’s Aqua Cat is a merger of the AeroCat
and Polaris model designs. It’s said to be smooth,
stable, and fast.
04sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 2/23/10 9:59 AM Page 89
keeps it from coming off of the wheel. A
suitable axle bearing is added and the wheel
is ready to paint.
Very slick, John. Now I can’t use the
excuse of not having a proper set of wheels
to delay starting a project.
Keith Sparks and the Multiplex Twin Star:
Keith Sparks is the guiding force behind the
plastic parts that are used in many of the kits
we small-field-fliers like to build. Most
notable of those are the kits that Pat Tritle
offers. In recent years, many of his beautiful
models have been featured in the modeling
press as construction articles.
Doing business as Park Flyer Plastics,
Keith sells many parts directly to the
aeromodeling public. His items include
lightweight pilot figures. He also does
occasional modification kits for a variety of
ARFs.
Keith recently developed a wonderful
modification kit for the Multiplex Twin Star.
The equipment converts the model to a nicelooking
seaplane. If you are interested in
acquiring one of Keith’s Twin Star
modification kits, or his other neat products,
his contact information is provided in the
source listing.
On the topic of floatplanes, I have news
about a recent release from the Model Aero
company. While I was at the JR Indoor
Electric Festival in November, I saw an eyecatching
model called the “Aqua Cat.” It had
a sheet-foam-based airframe with beautiful
graphics.
Sporting a wingspan of 36 inches and a
flying weight of 17 ounces, this model is
perfect for flying in small-field venues. If
you have access to a site with water, so much
the better.
Recommended power comes from a Spin
Max 2212-6 brushless motor, or equivalent,
driven by a three-cell, 1300-2200 mAh Li-
Poly battery pack. You can order an Aqua
Cat kit directly from Model Aero. Please see
the source listing for contact information.
A Look Inside the Pat Tritle Skunk Works:
Pat Tritle let me know that he has built a
BMJR Model Products Goldberg Ranger 28
reproduction kit. Since I had a hand in
developing the kit, he wanted me to know
that it converts nicely from its intended
rubber-powered FF configuration to electricpowered
small-field RC.
The photo Pat sent of the converted
Ranger 28 provided a nice peek inside his
workshop. After looking at the picture, I
began to imagine what a treat a visit to his
shop would be. Oh yeah, back to the Ranger.
Pat uses a Turnigy 1811 brushless motor
from Hobby King, powered by a two-cell,
350 mAh Li-Poly battery pack. Guidance
comes from a Spektrum AR6100 receiver.
The model is covered with Japanese tissue
and clear dope, and its total flying weight is
7.4 ounces.
On the subject of Pat’s digs, he has
recently released a really fantastic rendition
of the Piper Tri-Pacer. The model has a 50-
inch wingspan and a flying weight of 25
ounces.
The wing halves plug into the fuselage,
making the model easier to transport.
Controls include throttle, ailerons, rudder,
steerable nose wheel, elevator, and flaps. The
recommended power setup is an E-flite Park
400 920 Kv brushless motor and a two-cell,
2500 mAh Li-Poly battery pack.
Pat is selling kits directly, so check the
source listing for his contact information.
This brings me to the close of this column.
As always, let me know what you are up to
so I can share your work with the rest of the
small-field-flying community. MA
Sources:
Steve Staples
[email protected]
BSD Micro RC
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
RC Hot Deals
(302) 250-4611
(503) 708-2214
www.rchotdeals.com
Park Flyer Plastics
(817) 233-1215
www.parkflyerplastics.com
Model Aero
(419) 966-2230
www.modelaero.com
Pat’s Custom Models
(505) 296-4511
www.patscustom-models.com
BMJR Model Products
(321) 537-1159
www.bmjrmodels.com
Hobby King
(800) 607-5803
www.hobbyking.com
Paul Bradley
www.parmodels.com
