Radio Control: Scale
ALTERNATE CUTTER: A letter from Clyde Deatherage tells us of his method of making the cutting blade for the fly-cutter tool we described in our July 1988 column. The cutting blade can be made from a discarded or broken high-speed drill bit. Any size of about #44 diameter (.086 in.) or larger can be used. Clyde worked with a #30 (.128 in.) drill. He suggests forming a cutting point with a blade shape by grinding both sides of the drill to achieve a blade thickness of about 1/32. The grinding should be done on the end of the drill that was fluted, because some drills may have a soft shank which won't stand up well for cutting operations. The grinding must be done very slowly, as a small drill will overheat almost immediately if held against an abrasive wheel for more than a few seconds. Once the drill turns blue, it's too late! The temper is gone.
Radio Control: Scale
CORRUGATIONS: The Boeing biplanes of the 1928-32 era, along with numerous other aircraft, are attractive model subjects. Many a modeler has rejected these graceful and jaunty aircraft as Scale projects because of their corrugated metal ailerons and tail surfaces. The rounded corrugations, spaced on 2 1/2-in. centers, were too difficult to reproduce in large quantities. Adding to the dilemma, the corrugations began and ended in flat material, not extending to the control surface edges. Omission of the corrugations resulted in a model that had a serious loss of character.
Radio Control: Scale
CHICAGO EXPO: New items for RC Scale were not plentiful at the October Chicago trade show. Ace RC is promising several new items for the near future that will find their way into our models. Nilite III is an on-board glow plug lighter. A switch is mounted in the fuselage, in a position to be actuated by the throttle servo or by a separate servo. The switch bracket also serves as a mount for the actuating rod and an adjustable cam to close the circuit at the exact point in servo travel to ignite the plug when the throttle approaches the idle position. Another new item from Ace is their Nilite II, a pocket-size metered glow ignitor that monitors the glow plug condition.
Reno 1984 Nats: RC Scale
THIS PORTION of the Reno Nats was characterized by high-quality airplanes, generally above-average piloting, and obscene weather. An off-shore hurricane in the Pacific pumped in strong crosswinds, complete with blowing dust, sand, and errant tumbleweed that plagued attempts at scalelike flight for most of each day. Two hours of relative calm on Sunday morning permitted a few flights under reasonable conditions. A contestant's T-shirt, labeled "Dust Bowl Nats," told the story. Entries were reduced, as compared with the 1983 total, with 58 in all classes. Of these, only 43 made flights. FAI Scale, with only two flights for its four entrants, hardly qualified as a contest. Other divisions were Giant, 18; Sport Scale Expert, 14; and Sport Scale Sportsman, 22.
Radio Control: Scale
FRANCE AND ENGLAND. Our trip to the Paris Scale World Championships included many experiences. Scale models seen, and modelers met. Our report of the meet couldn't possibly have touched on all of these events and airplanes, particularly the follow-up, which included crossing the Channel for a visit to a Scale contest at Abingdon, England. At the LeBourget World Meet, Peter McDermott's Sopwith Snipe had the second highest static score, and for good reason. A two-year project, the 7F.1 Snipe is an exquisitely detailed, 1/5-scale reproduction of the WW I figther in the Canadian National Aeronautical Collection at Ottawa. The model's 1 1/2-lb., dummy Bentley rotary engine is mounted on a large ball bearing race, with cylinders turned from aluminum. It is actually rotated by the exhaust stream from the Magnum .91 four-stroke engine that it hides from view!
