Free Flight: Sport and Scale
Stop In The Name Of Reduced Drag! In the December San Diego Scale Staffel newsletter, Tom Arnold wrote of his shock in learning that Red Boyles' Tony, which won many mass-launch events (including one at the FAC Nationals), had a non-freewheeling propeller! Tom quoted Red as saying, "Freewheelers never seemed to help. This stays up just as long with a stopped prop. so why bother?" What to make of this world-shaking statement? Whenever the prop stops on my Rubber model, the relative wind wants to spin the aircraft on its longitudinal axis, inducing a dropped right-hand wingtip with the subsequent loss of lift and a spiral down to earth!
Free Flight: Sport and Scale
It has been 20 years since I took up this column from my good friend Von Rottensox (Ralph Kuenz). Not only does time fly when one is having fun, but one tends to forget, in the never-ending search for new things to write, that many newcomers to Free Flight (FF) Scale were not reading what we wrote 10 or 15 years ago; a few useful hints might need to be repeated. After a good deal of thought about what I would like to know if I was starting this fascinating hobby again, I came up with these: 1) Get your hands on the Cottage Wings resource guide, which lists almost everything you'll need to get into modeling! (See below.) Get a beginner's book from one of the sources listed; the Bill McCombs and Don Ross books are "must haves."
Free Flight: Sport and Scale
ADVICE FOR NEWCOMERS: Follow Aristotle's advice. Okay, you've decided to build a Free Flight (FF) Scale model, but you can't decide what size is best to start with, or how heavy to make it. Follow Aristotle's advice and seek The Golden Mean. A model of about 36 inches is ideal for FF Scale. It's a nice compromise between huge crowd-drawing models, such as Don Munn's giant rubber-powered racers (which require special logistics to build, transport, and store), and the wee eight-inch-span Pistachios, which tax building fingers and sometimes get sat upon. The best advice for someone starting out in FF Scale is to blow up that Peanut plan or reduce that Jumbo plan to the magic 36-inch span (give or take a few inches). If you can build it to weigh less than four ounces (rubber-powered) or 16 ounces (gas or electric), you are almost guaranteed success in the air!
Where Schoolwork is Fun
Among the many wondrous summertime courses offered by the California Museum of Science and Industry at Los Angeles, the `Aeroplanes and Flying Machines' class has for many years provided enthusiastic kids with priceless knowledge-while they have a whale of a good time.
Free Flight: Scale-Sport
HI GANG! How come you're reading this here column when you could be in building? So, you just got home, found that the latest Playboy and Model Aviation had arrived, and after a quick peek at the Playmate of the Month, turned immediately to M.A., anticipating Ralph Kuenz's highly-esteemed column. Surprise! Ralph has surrendered to his 100-hr a week job with Ma Bell and the desire to have the time to again build one of his spectacular models! Ralph will be a hard act to follow, and I'm relying on all of you who have great things to share to send 'em in! The penalty for non-contribution will be putting up with my personal views and antiquated hints and tips!
