SAM Old-Timer Championships
IT HAD BEEN a good day for Sal Taibi and Don Bekins. A steak dinner, the company of old friends, trophies on the table in front of them, and the contest manager had just named them Sweepstakes winners in Free Flight and Radio Control, respectively. It had been a long time from Monday evening's bean feed to Thursday night's awards banquet. Sal had told me, a few hours before, how Tuesday and Wednesday had been full of little problems and frustrations. Thursday morning, finally, his first flight in Gas Scale (a Corbin) had performed beautifully and had set the tone for the day.
Free Flight: Old-Timers
COLORED SILKSPAN: From the very beginning, Free Flighters have recognized the value of lightweight finishes. The nature of Free Flight also dictates visible finishes to assist in keeping the model in sight, during long chases, and locating it among concealing brush and tall weeds. Colored dope, being both costly and heavy, led the way to colored paper finished with clear dope. I don't personally date back to the bamboo paper/banana oil covering methods, but I do recall abundant supplies of colored silkspan stored in rolls on hobby shop shelves. Bright sun shining through colored silkspan finished with clear dope is forever etched on my earliest recollection of my ventures into gas model flight. Today, colored silkspan is not readily available, and Japanese tissue, a viable alternative when double-covered, is getting scarce in some colors.
Free Flight: Old-Timers
DECISIONS, decisions: Whenever a new model approaches the covering stage, I have to agonize over the choice of covering. I do tend to lean toward the fabrics because of their strength and normally longer life expectancy. I recently received the following comparison study of typical covering materials from long time friend and Old-Timer competitor, Bob Schafer, 5540 Broadview N.E., Tacoma, WA 98422. He writes: "I thought, for many years, that lightweight silk was the ideal model covering material, especially in view of its light weight and strength. I also felt that it was lighter than most other materials commonly used, and I always wanted to prove my theories.
The Derringer
IN THE EARLY years of aviation, many flights were terminated due to engine failure. Pioneers were quick to realize the safety factor of multiple engines. Weight, maneuverability, and costs were limiting factors, however. Single-engine aircraft continued to dominate private and small business aviation until the advent of the so-called "light twins" introduced in the 1950s. Since that time, there have been a multitude of small twin-engine aircraft offered, at least one with a push-pull engine arrangement, and even a four-engine version by Cessna. Most were designed to carry a minimum of five people upwards to a dozen.
Free Flight: Old-Timers
SPARKY: One must be careful when assigning the word "classic," particularly when the subject is vintage models and classic models are the norm rather than the exception. But, at the risk of incurring the wrath of "gas" modelers, I feel comfortable in designating Sparky as a classic! Sparky is the brainchild of Ed Lidgard, who designed it while serving in the U.S. Army back in 1939. I understand it first appeared as a kit advertisement in Model Airplane News sometime in 1940, but my magazine collection is too sparse to verify this. Sparky is currently available as a Comet Kit featuring a nice, clearly-illustrated plan, printwood parts, sawn stripwood, and a 91/2-in. plastic propeller. The plane does show an optional folding wood prop, but no blank layout or carving instructions, just the folding mechanism.
