Radio Control: Scale
OSHKOSH, AGAIN: The EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) convention and fly-in was, again, an overwhelming success. After the first day, the Oshkosh airport was completely covered with aircraft-and only show planes were welcome there. All others were diverted to satellite fields nearby at Fond du Lac or Appleton. By noon of the second day, Fond du Lac airport was also saturated and could hold no more, bringing the total number of aircraft at the fly-in to 15,000 or 17,000. We commute daily between our home and Wittman Field and never cease to be smitten by the sight as we drive off the highway ramp toward a sea of glistening aluminum.
AMA Nats: RC Scale
TURN-IN TIME for the 75+ RC and CL Scale models is 8:00 a.m. on Friday-where everything in the Scale Nats begins. We arrive at the gymnasium static-judging site, half a mile from the Nats headquarters and flying area, to find the gym jammed with early arrivals-and more coming in every minute. What a sight! A large hall almost completely filled with gorgeous Scale models of every description. After quickly depositing my Aeronca and Douglas and filling out the necessary entry forms for hardworking Anne Underwood, I set to work on bended knee gathering information on each RC model-or so I think. Later, on the flight line, it is discovered that one of the winners is a blank space in my notebook. Horrors!
Radio Control: Scale
K-W RALLY: On the weekend following Labor Day, the Kitchener-Waterloo Scale Rally was the gathering place for Scale modelers from the eastern parts of Canada and the U.S. The usual quantity of 155 Scale models appeared, in spite of expected rainy weather. Flights were held up for about two hours on Saturday afternoon, but resumed immediately after showers ceased. The Flying Dutchmen Club again used their system for avoiding radio interference: Six steel posts are driven into the ground, each with a list of frequencies attached and a detachable colored triangle at the top. When a modeler is ready to fly, he parks his airplane at the post bearing his frequency and then trades the triangle for his transmitter at the impound. The system works 100%, as there were no problems even though all six lines were in operation. Club-member monitors make certain that there is good separation between transmitters at the flight line. Also, 3IM and adjacent-channel interferences were nonexistent.
Radio Control: Scale
PIANO HINGE: The ubiquitous piano hinge is used on many aircraft for cowl and hatch hinge joints. It is used for good reason, as it affords a very secure hinge arrangement with light weight and adaptability. Its only real drawback is its inability to follow a curved line. If we see a piano hinge, be assured that there are no compound curves in the cowl! Description of a piano hinge: It is the continuation of interleaving hinge points with a long wire passing through all segments. It can be of any length. We have seen models with operational piano hinges, and some of these were quite well-made, considering the fact that the modeler had produced them by handwork. With small models, however, the problem is that Scale appearance is lost due to difficulty in obtaining true dimensions in diameter-and especially in the spacing between hinge segments. Our own best efforts have been in the direction of a reasonable simulation. We are always flattered when someone asks their source on the assumption that they are a commercial item for purchase.
Radio Control: Scale
PARIS FAI MEETING: The annual trek to Paris for rules and technical specifications is finished, and we brought back some rather astonishing results. For many years we have heard the lament from U.S. competitors that FAI model specifications were too restrictive, particularly on engine displacements. It was generally agreed that the day of a single .60 two-stroke engine in a Scale model was long since a thing of the past, and yet the FAI rule book persisted in this upper limit. The restraining limit was imposed originally because of the suspected unreliability of earlier radio equipment and because of a general regard for safety in the days when models could be lethal missiles in the hands of novice pilots. Actually, some of these conditions may continue to exist, but it has become increasingly apparent that the old restrictions were somewhat antiquated and were stifling competition.
