Radio Control: Old Timers
THE Streamlined Cyclone was designed and developed by Bob Jeffery, of Findlay, OH and was published in three-view in the 1938 Zaic Yearbook. Powered with a Baby Cyclone, swinging a hand-made walnut prop of Jeffery's design, the model weighed only three pounds for a wing loading of .6 lbs. per sq. ft. Between 1935 and 1939, Bob Jeffery supported himself and his hobby by producing over 15,000 hand carved props (sold for 25¢ each at the Toledo Hobby Supply). Encouraged by the prop sales, Bob opened his own Hobby Shop in Findlay and, in 1937, moved it to Cleveland where he operated it until 1943.
Radio Control: Old Timers
IN the very early days of engine-powered free flight, such pioneers as Frank Ehling, Maxwell Bassett, and Joe Koval actually entered and competed in rubber endurance events with gas-engine-powered models. The rules were, of course, quickly changed to place those Brown and Loutrel- (later became GHQ) powered models in their own special category. The earliest rules involved little more than an unlimited motor run and flights timed until the model was out of sight (OOS). Ehling reported a flight last sighted by a Douglas mail plane over Lake Erie 4 hours and 35 minutes after it was launched. The inevitable lost model problem quickly led those pioneers to recognize a need for some limitation on engine runs. The earliest limited-run rules used a fuel allotment based on model weight.
Radio Control: Old Timers
HAMMER'S Flamingo. We had intended to use the "Flamingo" as our model of the month, completing the three-view one day before learning that R/C Model Builder had used it in the March '80 issue. Rather than use precious space for the drawing, we have elected to present the material and add a second design in three-view as a bonus. The pictured model was built by Dr. Dan Schneider of Philadelphia, PA. Building from a Schmidt semi-kit, Dan has covered his model in white MonoKote with custom-mixed Perfect urethane "Flamingo Pink" trim. Power is currently a Super Cyclone set up by Mark Fechner, and an Anderson Spitfire .65 will be installed this winter.
Super Brigadier
THIS is a modernized Berkeley Brigadier, featuring a simplified, stronger structure, modified aerodynamics and for three channels rather than the original rudder-only. This development of the pioneering design requires a 3.0 to 4.0 cc power plant with a throttling device. Prospective builders are strongly discouraged from any attempt at flying the model as a rudder-only craft (the design's original form), as numerous aerodynamic modifications have been made to increase the model's airworthiness; elevator and throttle are absolutely essential for safe flight. First advertised in August, 1949, the Super Brigadier was the first American kit of a powered radio control model. The Super Brigadier predates deBolt's Live Wire and Guillow's Trixter Beam by nearly three years, as they both were introduced in the spring of 1952. The plans for the Super Brigadier illustrate the escapement placed at the rear of the fuselage, with the elastics being wound through the cabin. Also shown on the original kit plans is a PAA-load dummy. The radio equipment illustrated was the Aerotrol, also produced by Bill Effinger's Brooklyn firm.
Radio Control: Old Timers
ELBERT "Joe" Weathers holds an enviable position in the annals of model aviation. His name is associated with some of the most esthetically appealing model designs to grace the pages of the modeling press. His designing talents are evidenced on such all-time classics as Westerner, Mystery Man, Winged Victory, Miss San Diego, Spook, and the postwar Pacific Coaster. All of these designs are characterized by sleek lines, graceful proportions, flowing contours, and extraordinary beauty. This month's feature model, the Tubby, is seemingly out of keeping, totally, with Joe Weathers' normal design philosophy. One can hardly describe it as pretty, or graceful and sleek. Rather, it resembles a stylized Aeronca C-3 Collegiate, giving it a semi-scale appearance with a certain feeling of "cuteness."
