Worth a Closer Look - 2003/05

DA-50-R Engine
For years Desert
Aircraft’s engines have been
designed for 35% and larger
models. Now the company
has a new engine that should
prove quite popular with
pilots of smaller models.
The DA-50-R was
shown for the first time at
AMA Convention 2003
in Pasadena,
California. This
engine weighs a mere 3
pounds and develops upward of five horsepower.
The DA-50-R has been designed
using some of the latest tools and
techniques, including 3D CAD and
Stereo Lithography. The result is an
engine that swings a 22 x 10, 23 x 10,
or 24 x 8 propeller and is a perfect
power plant for 14- to 18-pound
models.
The DA-50-R will retail for $549.
Available separately is a muffler ($69),
a tuned canister muffler ($149), and a muffled tuned pipe ($195).
Desert Aircraft: 140 South Camino Seco Suite #418, Tucson
AZ 85710-4487; Tel.: (520) 772-0607; Web site:
www.desertaircraft.com
Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
In each installment of “Worth a Closer Look” we do our best
to bring you new and exciting products from our industry. These
write-ups are not press releases, but are actually minireviews
written by the Model Aviation staff. In each instance the product
or service is actually built, tested, flown, used, etc. to give you a
firsthand account of how it performs.
We have found some of these items on our own, but many
have been brought to our attention from outside sources. If you
have a product or service that you feel might be “worth a closer
look,” contact Model Aviation Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt at
(610) 614-1747, or send an E-mail to
[email protected].
Model Aircraft Monthly
If you’re an active
Scale modeler, a Scale
wanna-be, or a fullscale-
aircraft
enthusiast, there is a
new monthly magazine
you might want to get
your hands on. Model
Aircraft Monthly is
dedicated to providing
those hard-to-find
details of full-scale
aircraft.
Each edition is
packed with coverage.
Volume 1, Issue 11
(November 2002),
covers the Albatros
C.III; the Grumman F-
4F; the Bugatti Type
100; the Australian
F/A-18 Hornets; the de
Havilland D.H.9,
D.H.9A, and
Hornet; the Fairey
Gannet AEW.3;
and the Focke-
Wulf Fw 190.
There is also a
center pull-out
section which
provides threeviews,
profiles, and
cross-sections of
the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver.
Everything you’ll need to accurately reproduce these models is
shown in vivid color. The F-4F coverage alone comprised more
than 20 full-color photos showing cockpit, fuselage, engine,
landing gear, and folding wing details.
Each issue also covers the latest aviation-book releases and has
an Internet guide to the latest aviation and modeling sites.
Model Aircraft Monthly is published by Sam Publications in
the United Kingdom and is available by subscription from its Web
site or from Barnes & Noble booksellers (www.bn.com).
Sam Publications: Media House, 21 Kingsway, Bedford, UK,
MK42 9BJ; Tel.: +44 (0)8707 333 373; Fax: +44 (0)8707 333
744; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site:
www.sampublications.com
Transmitter Tray
Another new item at the AMA
Convention was from RC Trayman
USA. The Transmitter Tray is
rugged, well built, and CNC
(Computer Numeric Control)-
machined from aluminum. It comes
90% assembled out of the box and
requires just a few minutes of assembly
and adjustment. Weighing 11⁄4 pounds,
the tray is quite light but incredibly
strong.
Almost every facet of the tray is
adjustable, from the angle of the shoulder
brackets, to the width of the tray, to the
height of the tray. When
you’re finished flying,
remove your
transmitter, loosen
one screw, and the
tray folds flat for
easy storage.
Each tray is anodized
in a rich red color,
which not only makes
it look great, but protects
the finish from oxidation.
The Transmitter Tray sells for $110. Also available are several
accessories: extensions, mounting kits, and hardware kits.
RC Trayman USA: 7021 Mary Ellen Ave., North Hollywood
CA 91605; Tel.: (818) 982-5518; Web site:
www.rctraymanusa.com