Push-Pull
A DIRECT DESCENDANT of my original Scale Dornier-335 design, this sport twin engine model is much simpler to build than its predecessor. The 1962 rendition, scaled from factory drawings and photos received directly from Dornier, was powered with twin K&B .45 engines. A later version (photo in Model Aviation, October 1986) utilized two K&B .40s. As a "full-house" model, the Dornier is quite complex. In contrast, the Push-Pull 240 goes together easily and was designed with basic construction methods in mind.
Airmaster
If you've ever considered building a tail-first design, then had second thoughts because canards just look too oddball, here's one that could change your mind. Using a retractable trigear for extra eye appeal, this potent RC canard-wing model flies like a champ on either twin .40 engines or a single .60. Back in the 1960s when I was flying my Lake LA-4, a full-scale pusher amphibian, it wasn't uncommon for a control tower operator to ask, "What kind of airplane is that?" As a canard design, the Airmaster prompts the same sort of curiosity, even from fellow modelers. Canards are generally regarded as "weird Willys." To improve the appearance of this one, I used a retractable trigear. I also designed the model to go from twin .40 engines to a single- .60 installation.
NBP-60
NBP-60 is offered as a challenge to modelers who desire to enter Electric flying at a level that offers results comparable to the "wet" (fuel-powered) models to which they are accustomed. For the purposes of this article, high performance does not mean flitting around the patch at lightning speed for two or three minutes, and then having to go out on the landing strip (or in the weeds) to retrieve the model. Rather, it seems much more rewarding to take off from a rough grass strip, retract the gear, fly with a reasonable range of speed and acrobatics for five to eight minutes, drop the gear, land, and taxi back to the pit area without fear of the usual taxi noseover.
