Sam Champs
A SAM CHAMPS is so much more than just a national contest for models of the pre-WW II era that it boggles the mind. To report on only the flying portion of the "LaJunta experience" would be to leave the more important and lasting aspects unchronicled. Competition may well be the lifeblood of the SAM movement, but its heart and soul are its people. As the 1983 SAM champs unfolded, we were struck repeatedly by the extraordinary interplay between and among the participants: wives help-
Radio Control: Old-Timer
HISTORY. This month's column will be the final chapter in our brief overview of RC development. A question: has a bipe ever won an Outdoor Nats event, other than Scale? We ask, since our model of the month may well have come as close as any bipe to accomplishing that feat. Hal deBolt and his Live Wire Custom Bipe finished second to Bob Dunham's Smog Hog by 1/2 point! Hal deBolt's Bipe: Anyone who ever built a Live Wire (and many of us did) will quickly recognize the deBolt touch on our model of the month. The tried and true engineering Hal developed on the Live Wire Trainer was carried into all the subsequent designs and kits, and, for that matter, is still evident in his contemporary work.
Radio Control: Old-Timer
RESURGENCE. One of the more satisfying aspects of my activities as the RC Old-Timers Contributing Editor has been to see many long-forgotten model designs reappear in the hands of O-T enthusiasts and prove themselves to be superior fliers. Many of these planes have a great deal of elegance-especially when they're in flight. Once someone rediscovers one of these ancient goodies, builds it, and flies it in a few SAM contests (and, especially if they win with it!), we see more and more of them appear at the flying fields. I can only hope that my efforts in this direction have enabled others to find greater enjoyment in this fine hobby.
This and That
IT HAS OFTEN BEEN said: "Airplanes with two wings are twice the fun." This model certainly supports that concept. The genealogy of this bipe has been the source of much amusement for me. Invariably the kibitzers take a look at her and become embroiled in a comedy routine we laughingly refer to as the "whatzit." Her empennage is Smith Miniplane, her fuselage shows a touch of Balsa U.S.A. Pantheon, her cowl appears Waco-like, the wings could be from a Stearman, etc. Truly, she shows a little of this and a little of that. That's where the name comes from. My design approach was to combine simple yet sturdy structures into a 40-sized bipe that would be easy to fly. Relatively simple to build, exceptionally stable due to
Radio Control: Old-Timer
THREE facts have been running around in my head lately: 1) The West Coast SAM Champs will award all low-wing planes a 50% increase in flight times, up to the limit for a max; 2) Bill Winter beat Doc to the punch in featuring Sadler's low-wing Pacemaker design; 3) A thermal has no idea where a model's wing is located. What does all this lead to? This month's Old-Timer was published in the March 1938 issue of Flying Aces. Although the construction article is credited to Charles Williams, a piercing look at this model makes me suspect that the genius of Ben Shereshaw lurks in the background, as the model's construction methods and its dynamics are very reminiscent of other Shereshaw designs.
