Where Less is More!
Todd Long of Todd’s Models (Snoqualmie, Washington) puts his original Tee Bee design through its paces.
16 M ODEL AVIATION
n Larry Marshall
Don Srull’s 30-inch-span Handley Page was an FF construction article in the September 1988 MA. Don currently flies it with two
HiLine MINI-6 motors, five-inch props, a Castle Creations Pixie-Lite ESC, and five 350 mAh cells. Control is by a GWS receiver and
two WES-Technik S2 servos. Srull photo.
WheTher YoU’re flying aerobatics,
a heavy-metal warbird, or just boring
holes in the sky with your Stinger, “bigger
flies better” is undeniably true; large
models track better in a wind and fly more
realistically than smaller models.
However, with bigger models comes
the need for travel to distant flying fields
and considerable time spent packing
airplanes and paraphernalia in the ultimate
big-model tool: the minivan.
At the field, significant time is spent
assembling and disassembling the model,
and building these large models requires
large shops and power tools.
What many modelers have come to
understand is that although bigger may
fly better, “small flies more often”—
mostly because small, light models can
be flown pretty much anywhere there’s
an open area.
Small models can also be built,
transported, and stored more easily than
their larger brethren, and these are big
advantages to the growing number of
people living in condos and apartments.
This has prompted, almost literally, an
explosion of activity with smaller,
simpler models.
The really neat thing is that this
small-model activity is happening in
addition to, rather than instead of, largemodel
activity. When it’s possible to get
MaxFax newsletter editor Stew Myers built this nice 24-inch-span, 168-gram Nieuport
from Guillow’s plans. It’s controlled with an Alpex receiver and Hitec HS-50 servos.
Power is a Puma 05 motor. T. Schmitt photo.
May 2001 17
Photos provided by the author Graphic design by Carla Kunz
18 M ODEL AVIATION
Don Srull’s Skyrocket is a great example of how amenable multiengine models can be done in small sizes with electric motors. This
13.5-ounce model spans 38 inches and is powered by two VL-D motors. It uses a Pixie-Lite ESC and eight 500 mAh NiMH cells. It flies
for eight to 10 minutes!
Above: The Hobby Lobby Blériot was the first of what has
become a large number of ARF Radio Control slow flyer models.
Left: Todd Long’s Tiny brought the idea of Stunt competition
models into front yards. Imagine doing loops above the sidewalk!
20 M ODEL AVIATION
Pat Tritle likes to design models around S280 and S400 motors. His Sopwith Triplane is a reliable and slow flier.
to a formal flying field to fly the big
stuff, modelers are doing just that and
they’re flying big and small models
during those sessions.
However, when modelers come home
after work, they enjoy a few flights down
the street, flying from a vacant field,
parking lot, or school soccer field.
As a bonus, small-field flying is
putting model aviation under the noses of
prospective modelers and, to some extent,
this movement is solving the visibility
problem we’ve had because of our
isolated flying fields.
Why all the interest now?
Many modelers are building small
models because they have less time and
space for modeling, but there are other
important reasons for current interest, and
most are related to the availability of firstclass,
inexpensive products that make
small models practical.
Smaller, cheaper radio gear is at our
fingertips. Submicro servos, such as
Hitec’s HS-50s, make very small models
possible at a very low cost.
Hitec’s Focus III three-channel radio
system allows small models to be flown
with a $100 radio system, and now we’re
seeing the release of complete
radio/motor/model packages in this price
range, such as the Firebird from Horizon
Hobby.
Although more expensive, the market
abounds with truly tiny servos and
receivers. WES-Technik’s S2 servos
weigh 2.4 grams and are the definition of
“small” when it comes to servos.
Sky Hooks and Riggings, Pico, GWS,
Hitec, and others have short-range twochannel
receivers that are being used to
benefit to control very small and/or very
light models that are flown indoors and
outdoors.
Better Power Systems: Those who like
the sound and tradition of glow power are
happy as can be with the host of easystarting,
reliable small engines.
Norvel broke this area wide open with
its import of first-class throttled .049 and
.061 engines. Its line has expanded to
larger sizes, and all sport effective
mufflers and throttles.
Other companies, notably Thunder
Tiger and Global Model Products, have
provided really nice .07-size engines.
Small PAW diesels are also part of the
available power arsenal, and they have the
advantage that a fuel bottle and rag
provides complete ground support.
CO2 has its aficionados—especially
within the Free Flight (FF) community.
The micro-Radio Control (RC) group has
also begun to embrace these motors;
they are light and they turn a relatively
large propeller. Gasparin has even
released throttled CO2 motors to serve
the RCers’ needs.
However, it’s electric power systems
by far that are allowing small RC models
onto soccer fields and into parks, and are
powering them over indoor basketball
courts across the country.
Golf domes that dot the snowbelt of
North America are becoming hot spots of
indoor flying activity; operators are
finding model fliers to be great customers
during the summer lull, when their
primary customers—the golfers—are
doing their swinging outdoors.
Electric motors are quiet and absolutely
reliable. These two virtues make the
motors ideal for flying in small spaces.
The wide range of motors, propellers,
and gearboxes on the market makes it
easy to find an appropriate power system
for any model. Small Ni-Cds (nickelcadmium)
and the higher-density nickelmetal
hydride and lithium-metal cells are
providing light “fuel tanks” for these
small motors.
Join the Fun: When Hobby Lobby
owner Jim Martin imported the original
Blériot (a lightweight Almost Ready to
Fly [ARF], complete with motor), I
don’t think he knew what it would
become.
Blériots have spread across the
continent, and are very popular in the
evenings at the end of other model events.
I’ve even had the opportunity to fly one of
these airplanes in the dark, with it sporting
22 M ODEL AVIATION
Small flyers don’t get any easier than this. The Horizon Hobby
Firebird comes complete with radio and power system. With a street
price of roughly $100, you take it out of the box, charge, and fly!
Examples of the many small electric power systems available (LR):
WES-Technik’s 5-2.4, WES-Technik’s 1717, Titanic Airlines’
250, Graupner S280, Graupner S400, Astro 010 brushless, and
Astro 020 brushless.
Herr Engineering and Dumas Aircraft produce laser-cut kits
that can easily be converted to RC operation. Many FF plans
can also be converted.
Norvel opened the door to smaller glow models with a quality
line of throttleable engines. Shown is the .074—a fine addition to
its popular .049 and .061.
small LEDs (light-emitting diodes) as
running lights.
Jim’s importation of the Wingo
furthered the small-airplane movement,
since it was a more robust park flyer, and
it’s still being sold in large numbers.
From these early steps into the world of
slow/park flyers, Hobby Lobby and many
other companies provide the modeler with
a wide array of ARF models, most of
which weigh only a few ounces.
These ARFs are clearly the quickest way
into the world of small-field flying. Hobby
Lobby, Northeast Sailplane Products,
Todd’s Models, Sky Hooks and Riggings,
and others will be more than happy to
provide you with everything you need and
have you flying in no time.
There are many kits available as
well—most notably Pat Tritle’s designs.
They are distributed by Dare Design &
Engineering Inc., and they provide
guaranteed building and flying fun using
a simple, inexpensive Graupner S280
motor.
Herr Engineering, Clancy Aviation,
and others also provide inexpensive,
good-flying kit products in this
expanding area. Todd Long’s fun-fly
airplanes even bring extreme aerobatics
into our small flying areas.
Conversion of FF kits and building from
FF plans have become popular ways to
produce small RC models. Dumas and Herr
laser-cut kits provide great conversion
opportunities that build quickly.
There are virtually thousands of FF
plans available for very little money and
these, possibly enlarged somewhat,
provide an opportunity to build
something that will be a one-of-a-kind at
the flying field.
Slow Flyers vs. Park Flyers: It’s said that
there are fleas on fleas on fleas. And so it
goes with sizes of models.
Unhappy with the coarse distinction
of small vs. large, modelers have
generated names to distinguish subtypes
of small models. Much of this
nomenclature is still developing, so time
will tell where it will lead.
However, those terms most often
used are “slow flyer” and “park flyer,”
but there are really no hard-and-fast
rules about what separates the slow flyer
from the park flyer.
It might not surprise you to learn that
slow flyers fly slowly. These models
typically weigh less than five ounces and
have very low wing loadings. Most
require wind-free conditions and/or are
flown indoors.
Park flyers generally weigh less than
May 2001 25
20 ounces, and most weigh less than a
pound. Although they may fly faster than
slow flyers, they still fly relatively slow
and are quite at home over soccer fields,
baseball diamonds, and parking lots.
The concept of, and preference for,
small models is not new, and the Small
Model Airplane Lover’s League
(SMALL) has been promoting the
flying of small models for a long time.
SMALL’s definition of a “small
model” is simply that it is powered by
a .25-size engine or less. Many of these
airplanes would qualify as slow flyers
or park flyers, but the upper end of the
SMALL scale requires formal flying
fields.
Small-model Issue: The Model Aviation
editorial staff has put together this issue
in support of those who enjoy small
airplanes.
Clark Salisbury shares his
SkyCrawler design and Don Ross
provides a blueprint for how to obtain
and retain an indoor flying site—a
problem facing modelers who want to
fly the very light stuff.
(Editor’s note: Alex [“Sandy”]
Morton offers a piece entitled “Don’t
Quit the Greatest Sport on Earth!” It is
aimed at those who are getting a bit
older and find their skills for flying the
larger, faster, heavier models waning.
They can still enjoy this sport safely for
many years to come, by shifting their
emphasis to the smaller, lighter, and
slower models.)
You’ll also find the first “Small-Field
Flying” column, written by me.
It’s hoped that this special issue will
show you some of the possibilities and
stimulate you to try a small model if you
haven’t already. MA
Larry Marshall
51 Blvd. Des Allies
Quebec QC G1L 1Y3, Canada
[email protected]
