Stearman Salute on Veterans Day
Curtis Wolfe ([email protected]), from Spring, Texas, submitted this photo of his Maxford USA 50-inch Stearman PT-17, taken at the Houston Sport Flyers (Shiveley Field). Curtis wrote:
"It was a perfect day for flying this past Veterans Day. It was a weekday and I happened to be off work. When I arrived at the field, I found I had the place to myself. I had taken a few warbirds out and had a small U.S. flag in the car. I decided to put the flag in the ground by our runway in honor of our vets.
"Before I left, I took a few shots including this one of my Maxford Stearman PT-17. I'm flying it with a DX7S and AR6210 receiver, EMAX BL2820/07 motor and 12 x 8 Pro Zinger prop, Sky Power 45-amp ESC, and EMAX ES08MA servos on three cells. It's a bit overpowered for this slow flyer, but flies very scale-like at about half throttle. If I were to build it again I would use a lesser motor. It has custom graphics done by Callie Graphics."
Curtis started flying in August of 2011, shortly after his second daughter was born on August 3. "You'll notice the number on the side of the Stearman is 83," he said. "Building planes with my older daughter immediately brought back memories of sitting beside my father when he built Free Flight kits back in the '70s.
"In the 2½ years since, I've been totally hooked. I have acquired a hangar full of planes, all electric, from 30-inch wingspans to 70 inches. The Stearman PT-17 has always been one of my favorite planes, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.
"I joined the AMA in August of 2012 and joined a local club, the Houston Sport Flyers, the same month. I've been flying there since."
Radio, motor, and electronics
- Transmitter/receiver: Spektrum DX7S with AR6210 receiver
- Motor: EMAX BL2820/07
- Propeller: 12 x 8 Pro Zinger
- ESC: Sky Power 45-amp
- Servos: EMAX ES08MA (on three cells)
- Graphics: Callie Graphics
Curtis shot this photo with a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V HD 16.2-megapixel camera on landscape settings.
Email your high-resolution "Viewfinder" photo and a short note telling the airplane or helicopter story to [email protected], or visit www.ModelAviation.com/viewfinder.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
