Rudy Kling
NINETEEN HUNDRED and eighty-seven marked 50 years since Clayton Folkert's air racer design, SK-3, had its days of glory and its tragic finale as Rudy Kling's "Jupiter, Pride of Lemont." I'd like to share with you my memories of some of the people, places, and events of that era. I'll be as accurate as a mediocre memory permits. Lemont, IL is situated on one of the Des Plaines river flood plains, a hilly, southeastward-facing bank about 30 miles southwest of Chicago. The Albert Kling farm was a couple of miles from town on a gravel road. A few more turns down the road was the John Mather farm where I was born. Among my earliest memories is one of riding to town in the family Model T. On the way we passed the Kling farm, which was somewhat unusual in that the house was on one side of the road and the barn on the other. Often, one or more of the Kling boys-Tom, Rudy, and Fritz-would be on the property and wave as we passed.
Twiggy
TWIGGY IS AN ultra-simple stick-and-tissue model that flies well. It is designed for the modeler trying his first built-up construction and the experienced modeler wanting some sport flying fun with a minimum of construction time. It is ideally suited for all classes of beginning modelers. The article is mainly about a conventional tractor model but details of a canard version are also included. It is recommended that the tractor be built first. The canard is for someone wishing to do some experimenting. The propeller-nose bearing unit of rubber-powered models used to be a rather difficult construction task. Twiggy avoids the difficulty by utilizing the plastic unit from a #600 North Pacific Star Flyer. The canard version drawing shows how to build up a nose bearing if one prefers.
Variant
THE BOSTONIAN EVENT is great for fliers who like small sport models. They are easy to build, semiscale in appearance, capable of good flights, and can be flown in small gyms. The event specifications limit the wingspan to 16 inches, the chord to three, the fuselage length to 14, and the prop diameter to six. The primary fuselage structure must enclose a volume "box" 3 × 2 1/2 × 1 1/2 inches, minimum. There must be at least two wheels of 3/4 in. minimum diameter. The fuselage must have a front and two side windows of 1 in. sq. minimum area. Of course, the models are rubber powered.
Sweet P-30
A P-30 rubber-powered model can be an interesting change of pace. With their fairly small size and required plastic prop, they can be built quickly and inexpensively. The text provides some excellent information for those who have only modest experience. Flash. Sweet P-30 wins again at the 1984 U.S. FF Championships! The P-30 event continues to be among the most popular at Free Flight contests. The models are small, easily built, and offer very-satisfying performance. The 2-min. maximum flight limit for these models is good for a small-field event. Retrieval is less of a problem with these short flights, something that I like better as each year passes! P-30 is also an ideal event for a modeler's first Free Flight competition, because the required commercial plastic prop ensures good thrust. While sophisticated models such as Wakefields have their following, many modelers like a simple model at times. There is always the fun and challenge of trimming the model and picking "good air" for even the experienced flier.
Reno 1984 Nats: FF Indoor Duration
THE RENO CONVENTION CENTER has several rooms of large area, and we flew the Indoor events in one of them. There was not much drift, and the air temperature and humidity were comfortable. The room was adjacent to the Nats Headquarters activities, so it was convenient for other modelers and visitors to walk in and watch the flying. Many did, and most of them were observing Indoor flying for the first time. The floor area was about 150 × 200 ft., so there was plenty of room; the spectators did not disrupt the flying. All of that was the good news!
