Allan Schanzle

FOR every RC plane that rings a cashier's bell, there must be 10 rubber-powered scale kits sold to kids, aged 5 to 95. Yet we seldom see these "kids" with their models, and maybe that's because the choice of the kit was beyond the individual's building skills, or was of such a design as to require considerable experience to trim for successful flight. Whatever the reason, we hope that by the time you finish reading this article, your chances of success with rubber powered scale kits will be significantly increased. Since we will talk only about kits, the majority of the information presented here is directed to the sport flier. The truly competitive-minded individual seldom builds from kits, but usually designs his own models, and is already familiar with many of the tricks of rubber power. Consequently, let's define a successful rubber-powered scale kit as one which can be expected to fly at least 30 seconds without the assistance of thermals or buoyant air.