Beginner's Guide to Control Line 2014/05
The Control Line modeling community has seen an influx of young and novice pilots come into the hobby, plus older novice adults have either returned to the circles from RC or jumped into the fray from their newly found interest in the event.
Brodak Fly-In-2013/02
Sixteen years of flying in circles
Impala Banshee
The Classic craze has invaded control line Stunt for the past five or so years, and one model that sticks in my mind is the Impala, by Eddie Elasick Jr. It was published at about the time I was beginning to pick and purchase model magazines. Discussions with Bill Calkins concerning his desire for a legal model for the annual Sig-sponsored contest in Iowa got the grey matter working again. Bill and I conceived a design that used the majority of the parts in a Sig Banshee kit, but we were searching for a somewhat different look.
An "Evolutionary" Control Line Stunter: Savoy
The Savoy has been an avant-garde/renaissance project for me. The lineage of the Savoy began with the Envoy I and Envoy III series. Both of these Stunters used Ted Fancher wing aerodynamics. The Envoy I (as published in the June 1986 Model Aviation) was a wonderful success in its short but trophy-laden career. The Envoy III began its service with the Lake Charles Nationals and placed 21st in Expert; this was my first Nationals, and I was pleased with the results. The Savoy followed the Envoy V and some changes have been made due to my further experience in Stunt and the gathering of knowledge (both written and verbal) from my friends on the contest trail. The renaissance of the Savoy is highlighted in the use of Excitation aerodynamics, as published in the December 1981 Model Aviation. The bubble canopy is reminiscent of countless I-beamers of the 1960s. The wingtips are taken from Lew McFarland's Shark 45, and the rudder is a close-copy of the Stuntwagon. To my relief, this combination project did not become Edsel II!
Scepter
The Scepter was derived from Bob Hunt's Genesis 46 Mark III and the Eagle/Matrix versions of Lou Dudka and Glen Meador. Nose-to-tail-moment ratio was chosen as 1:1.65 (10 inches from the leading edge of the wing to the back of the prop, and 16.5 inches from the flap hingeline to the elevator hingeline). Total wing area is approximately 675 square inches, including flap surface area. The stab and elevator is 23.5% of the total wing/flap area (160 square inches). The original Scepter came off the building board at 57 ounces and was trimmed to fly at 59.5 ounces. The first flights began in June 1995 and progressed very well until my first practice flight at the Pasco, Washington AMA Nats, when an up line broke on the handle during the third corner of the reverse wingover. Ever-tightening outside loops culminated in a rather soft inverted crash in six-inch-high grass.
