Bigbangers for Bigbirds
SCRATCH the majority of Giant Scale models, and you'll uncover a Quadra under the cowl. While there are quite a few big bangers available now, the Quadra was the first to appear in any real quantity. Literally thousands are now in use. Most of the Giant Scale kits on the market were designed for the Quadra since it was about the only thing around when the kits were developed two or three years ago. This blocky looking Canadian chainsaw engine has had, and continues to have, a tremendous influence on the whole Giant Scale field.
Radio Control: Giant Scale
IMAA INTERNATIONAL FLY-IN. The International Miniature Aircraft Association's first annual International Fly-in has been set for September 25, 26, and 27. The site is the Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville, KY, which has fabulous facilities for RC flying. The Louisville RC Club will be handling organization and operation of the event with assistance from IMAA Headquarters. From the way the IMAA organization has progressed in the year or so it's been around, I predict that this annual fly-in will become the premier event in worldwide Giant Scale activities. Don't miss it! For more information write to: International Miniature Aircraft Association, Inc., 254 Washington St., Binghamton, NY 13901.
Radio Control: Giant Scale
ROPER ENGINES. One of the engines covered in our first engine report last month was the 3.7 cu. in. Roper. One of the most impressive things about this engine is its large displacement-to-physical-size ratio. The engine requires very little more space than a Quadra, yet it has almost twice the displacement! The Roper is made in the U.S.A., and its principal use is in a chainsaw sold by Sears. It has the typical chainsaw appearance and characteristics, including the shaft extension that comes out of what, to us, is the rear of the engine. This is actually the shaft which drives the chain in the usual application. These shaft extensions can be good news and bad news. They can complicate mounting, with one answer being to simply cut a hole in the firewall and let the shaft stick through.
Radio Control: Giant Scale
KIORITZ Engine. Elsewhere in this issue is the first part of the report on the engine testing which Kirby Crawford and I have done. One of the engines tested was the Kioritz, and you'll find detailed specs and performance data listed in the report. Right now I'd like to make some general comments about the engine. The Kioritz is one of the new breed of engines that really made an impression on Giant Scale in 1980. The engine comes from a portable industrial blower, rather than from a chain saw. This has several implications. For one thing, the engine was designed for long periods of high speed running, instead of short bursts, like a chain saw. Then, since the blower was meant to be backpacked while in operation, low vibration is essential.
Big Bangers for Bigbirds
GIANT SCALE, a fairly recent term, is used to describe RC aircraft larger than what has come to be considered the "usual" RC model. But big birds aren't really new. In the early days of RC, it took a good-sized plane to carry the radio gear needed, and even when our modern lightweight equipment came along, a few dedicated souls stayed with the large format. The problem, however, was finding adequate power. The Giant Scale movement, as we see it today, didn't really get started until gasoline engines of roughly 2 to 3 cu. in. displacement became readily available. For some time, people had been converting chain-saw and other "small" engines for driving propellers, but the real spark was when the Quadra, already converted, became available in quantity.
