Worth a Closer Look - 2003/07

14 MODEL AVIATION
Luscombe Silvaire
Are you looking for
something a bit more
“substantial” that flies
with the GWS motor
system? JMD Models
might have what
you’re looking for. The
company’s new
Luscombe Silvaire
park-flyer kit is unique
in that it is not molded
from Styrofoam; rather, it
features a fiberglass fuselage
and balsa built-up flying
surfaces. The Luscombe also
features a two-piece, plug-in
wing and a removable firewall
for complete access to the
radio, motor, and batteries.
This build-it-yourself kit
comes with CAD-designed
laser-cut wood parts, a vacuum-formed cowl, aluminum landing
gear, Du-Bro hardware, and a GWS motor system. The Luscombe
has a wingspan of 36 inches and sells for $124.95.
JMD Models: 10249 Randwick Dr., Temple City CA 91780;
Web site: www.jmdmodels.com
Model-Scan SL72A
Now that flying season is in full
swing, this item could be one of the
most important electronic gizmos
you own. The Model-Scan SL72A
is a handheld frequency
scanner which scans the 72
MHz frequency band
(72.010 up to 72.990 MHz
by a step of 20 kHz) and
can give you accurate
feedback if there’s any
interference in your
area.
The scanner
simultaneously detects
all of the emissions
within three-quarters
of a mile, depending
on the power of the
transmitters and the
local conditions. It
accurately displays
the frequency or frequencies
being used and their
corresponding levels.
You turn on the power with
the small toggle switch on the
top. As you can see in the closeups
at the right, there are two
scanning groups; a push button
on top of the unit will allow you
to select one or the other.
Once powered up, or when
you switch the groups being
scanned, the LCD (Liquid
Crystal Display) shows the
number of the group (“scanning
group 1” or “scanning group 2”). After a few seconds the screen
will change to a display with a series of short bars. Each bar
represents a frequency. If a frequency is being used (72.210 in this
case), the display will grow up
to seven bars in length to
indicate the approximate power
and/or distance of the detected
signal.
In the lower close-up you
can see that the bar has changed
from solid to hollow; this is the
strongest indication of
interference.
The device automatically
and continuously monitors all
frequencies of the selected
group, with every signal
detected in a few seconds. The
Model-Scan measures 51⁄2
inches high with the antenna removed and weighs a touch more
than 7 ounces, making it easy to take to the field.
The Model-Scan is powered by a 9-volt battery and has a
suggested retail price of $325 Canadian ($190-$200 US,
depending on the current currency exchange).
Aerografixs; 168 Heritage Pl., Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, K6J
5V6; Tel.: (613) 933-7296; E-mail: [email protected];
AERO Files Modeler’s Reference
Madison Components, Inc. has introduced a new series
of CD-ROMs that will be of interest to
Scale modelers. Each AERO
Files volume targets a
specific model; the Boeing F-
15 Eagle edition is shown.
Other volumes cover the A-
10, the F-16, the B-25, the P-
47, the B-17, the XB-70, the
SR-71, the FA-18, the PT-17,
the MiG-17, and the
Apache/Cobra helicopters.
When you view the
contents of the CD-ROM, you’ll see a
collection of high-resolution images
(more than 60 on the F-15 CD) and
several contact sheets which can be
used as an index of the images.
The photos on the CDs are of
areas on the aircraft that are not
usually evident in the photographs
seen in books. The high
resolution allows the
modeler to zoom in and
print out an area of interest
while maintaining the
clarity needed to show
detail.
The CD-ROMs are
created for use on Macintosh and Windows
platforms, and each volume retails for $19.95.
Madison Components, Inc., 1059 Valley Crest
Dr., Birmingham AL 35226; Tel.: (800) 811-9135; Fax: (205) 985-
9466; Web site: www.qualityrcproducts.com
Worth a Closer Look
July 2003 15
Beaver for the tiny receiver, speed
control, and servos. All components
are held in with double-stick tape.
Now install the control horns and
pushrods. The instructions do not give
an idea of recommended servo throws.
For the elevator, the pushrod was
attached to the outer hole on the servo
arm and the outer hole on the control
horn. The same was done with the
rudder, but, as you’ll read in a bit, it
was way too sensitive. You’ll only
need approximately a half inch of total
travel on the rudder (one-quarter inch
on each side).
Mount the motor, and attach the cowling to the fuselage
using four screws. Attach the landing gear, battery door, and
strut connectors.
Two struts are made
by taping precut dowels
to foam strips. The tape
used is from the decal
sheet and will eventually
peel off. We ended up
wrapping the ends of
these decals with clear
tape to keep everything
in place.
The Beaver has a wingspan of 39.75 inches and a wing
area of 262.00 square inches. It weighs 12.35 ounces ready to
fly, giving a wing loading of 5.60 ounces/square foot.
Once everything was together and the battery was charged,
it was off to the local park for the first flights. After a quick
radio check, the throttle was advanced to full and the Beaver
was tossed into the air.
The Beaver climbs with authority and has more than
enough power to quickly gain altitude. Our model needed just
a slight amount of left rudder trim to fly straight, but the
rudder was way too sensitive for comfortable flying.
After a quick adjustment to the rudder throw, the second
flight was much more enjoyable. The Beaver is quite fun to
fly, but it is not aerobatic. Watching the wings flutter during
some shallow dives, we were glad that the wing braces were
there. Without them, the wing would probably snap like a
twig!
ROG (rise-off-ground)
takeoffs were predictable and
easy. Since there was a bit of
snow on the ground, we even
brought along a pair of Du-
Bro’s new park-flyer skis
and tried them with our
Beaver. There were no
surprises there either.
With the exception of the
glue, the Beaver is a fun little design that will fly 10- to 12-
minute flights on a charge.
Horizon has posted a PDF file to address the wing flutter; it
can be seen at http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/shared/
techinfo/gws1030-manual-advisory.pdf.
The GWS DHC-2 Beaver Park Flyer has a street price of
$44.99, and the GWS Micro Flight Pack sells for $79.99.
Horizon Hobby Distributors: 4105 Fieldstone Rd.,
Champaign IL 61822; Tel.: (800) 338-4639; Web site:
www.horizonhobby.com MA
DHC-2 Beaver Park Flyer ARF
Probably no company is more well known for the
advancement of park flyers than GWS. Its series of molded-foam
models can be seen in almost any RC magazine.
Not being one to rest, GWS has come up with a new model:
the Beaver. It is loosely modeled after the full-scale de Havilland
Beaver. At first glance it might not appear all that different from
GWS’s previous Piper Cub design, but this kit is bigger—not
only in size, but it uses a more powerful power plant, larger
servos, and a bigger
battery pack.
When you open the
box you’ll see the
typical parts in a GWS
kit: foam fuselage
halves, foam wing
halves, foam tail
surfaces, a vacuumformed
cowl, and a
variety of hardware
including an ICS-100
motor and gear-drive
system. As always, GWS has a well-illustrated instruction
manual, decal sheet, and the infamous GWS glue.
Before starting construction, there is one thing you should be
aware of that is probably mentioned in every review of every
GWS kit. The glue that is included is not very good. It will work
given enough time, but it takes a long time to dry. Also, its
holding power isn’t that great. Although we used the glue in this
review, I strongly suggest substituting it with a good, foam-safe
adhesive.
Construction of the Beaver is basically the same as for
previous GWS kits. Glue in the motor mount and tail-wheel wire,
then glue the fuselage halves together. Once the glue has cured,
attach the vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer.
The wing halves are held together using a preformed, plastic
center wing crutch. This
piece needs to be
trimmed, and all three
pieces are held together
with double-stick tape.
Radio installation is
next. We used a new
GWS flight pack which
has larger “Mini-
Standard” servos and a
7.2-volt, 600 mAh power
pack made from six AA
Ni-Cd batteries. The receiver and speed control are the same as
those in the smaller GWS flight pack.
As you can see, there is more than enough room inside the