Square 1
IF YOU WOULD LIKE a model that is simple to build, call this plane Square One-with emphasis on Square. If you'd like a model that can show you the basics of high-performance Power models, call it starting with Square One. Gas-powered (that is, glow plug or diesel-powered) Free Flight models can be a real handful for a modeler who is just starting out. These days there doesn't seem to be any obvious transitional step of a powered sport model that one can try before moving into a full-bore Power model. Square One can fill that need because it looks and acts a lot like a glow-powered model, but it does its stuff at a quieter and much more relaxed pace. There's no need for an engine timer because the CO-2 motor's tank provides a limited volume of the propellant gas to be carried. Square One does have a fairly light wing loading which produces a good glide, though, so it should have a dethermalizer to help keep it close by.
Keith-Rider R2 Bumblebee
THE NATIONAL and regional air races so popular in the Thirties had a festive, carnival atmosphere. Airplanes like the R2 Bumblebee streaking the skies with color as they whizzed around the pylons kept the crowds happy, while the pilots liked competing for the lucrative cash prizes. With its upgraded Menasco C-4S engine, the R2 typifies the style of racer of that period. And the airplane was one of the stars: Between 1931 and 1934 the R2 placed in the money quite often in the National races. The Bumblebee was built in 1931, but is shown here as it was painted for the 1933 and 1934 National Air Races. The R2 wingspan was 17 ft., and its C-45 engine was reworked to provide almost 200 hp.
CO-2 Replica: deBolt's 1946 Airfoiler
IF YOU'VE been following the CO2 replicas I've done for Model Aviation in the past, then you know we've taken a look at some really interesting models, both from the Old Timer and later Nostalgia periods. My selection this time falls just at the start of the Nostalgia period, as it was originally kitted in 1946. In the back of my mind I remembered the Airfoiler from magazine ads of the mid-1940s, and I was fortunate to locate an original set of plans. With its airfoiled body, high pylon, four fins, and slight dihedral in the stab. the Airfoiler won't get mistaken for any modern model, nor is it likely to be confused with other older models. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well it can fly as a CO2 replica.
Civy Boy 74
WHAT WONDERFUL memories the Civy Boy FF models bring back. Our subject which is done in miniature, the Civy Boy 74, was published as a construction article in the October 1949 Model Airplane News. At that time, I was about 13. I can recall flying with a Baby Spitfire in Free Flight and arguing with a Merlin Super `B' ignition engine in a Control Line trainer. Every month or so, a model magazine would come out with a FF construction article or contest report about the California modelers. Of such things, dreams are made, and this kid wore out a lot of magazines through constant rereading the "how-tos" and the "who's whos" of modeling.
Cruiser
FOR THOSE who are looking for a good flying, simple sport model, yet one with some contest potential, Cruiser might be the answer. It is designed to qualify for the Embryo Endurance event (rules shown at the end of this article), and it's my second-generation model of this class. The first-generation model was the Embry-OK, which appeared in the May 1982 Flying Models. That model was an excellent flier-very stable, very consistent, very good at taking off from a card table, etc. It's only failing was the lack of a long enough motor run to really rack up lengthy flight times.
