Sweepo
COUPE D' HIVER, a French word meaning "Winter Cup," is the name used to identify a small limited rubber powered endurance model. The rules are very simple: 1) Minimum fuselage cross section of 3.1 sq. in.; 2) Minimum weight of model 70 grams; 3) Maximum rubber motor weight of 10 grams; 4) Maximum of five flights, not exceeding 120 seconds each. With all these minimum rules what is not often mentioned is the maximum amount of fun that this event has in store for modelers. "Sweepo" is the fifth model of this type that I have built and enjoyed over a number of years. It did not "fly right off the board." In fact, it only flew after a new wing, fuselage and rudder, but is now ready, willing and able, placing well in most contests entered over a four-year period.
Mold it - the Easy Way
IN THIS AGE of shortages of natural gas, gasoline and, of course money, we modelers should look to some of the modern-day materials that seem to be almost endlessly developed. The supply of balsa may someday be exhausted-and its cost is, like coffee, sky high. Let us experiment now with new materials, for some day soon we may have to of necessity. Solarfilm, Mylar, fiberglass, polystyrene, along with a host of new materials, require a certain amount of expertise to work with. Styrofoam has been used by the RC brotherhood for some time now with excellent results. The rest of the modeling community should be able to do likewise. It is very easy to work with if we take the time to develop the technique of using this modern material.
Hiperbibe
MY FAVORITE airplanes seem to be homebuilts, or one-of-a-kind designs exhibiting strange shapes. When I first saw pictures of the "Sorrell Hiperbipe," a very unusual fuselage shape, two sets of wings (if one is good, two is better) I knew I had to build one. As usual, however, I am slow to get started and one of the members of our Club (The Cloudbuster M.A.C.) built an indoor Peanut version, which exhibited a very stable flight. Now I knew I had to build a model of this wild bird. (Editor: Since this was written Bob Underwood placed second in the RC World Championships with a Hiperbipe.) I purchased an issue of Sport Flying Magazine and learned that this particular plane was the seventh in a series of biplanes spanning ten years of development that the Sorrell family, father and three sons, of Olympia, Washington, had built. The SNS-7 stands for Sorrell-Negative-Stagger Seventh in their line of biplanes. The magazine contains many fine black-and-white and color photographs of the Hiperbipe demonstrating its acrobatic ability, and by the use of smoke, its very streamlined low turbulence fuselage configuration.
