Radio Control: Scale
MANEUVERABILITY. We have been asked whether our semi-aerobatic Scale models will do a Lomcevak, and the answer is "No," of course. In order to do these and other violent maneuvers, a model requires an excess amount of control surface travel. There isn't any question that the model's controls could be set up for extreme aerobatics, but this would inevitably result in a super-sensitive airplane in which tiny movements of the transmitter controls would alter the flight path visibly. Scale flight illusion would be destroyed, even under the guidance of an expert pilot.
Radio Control: Scale
ON-BOARD IGNITION. A high percentage of Scale models need weight, added in the nose, to counterbalance a tail-heavy condition. Don't feel bad about having to add nose weight-it's needed on some full-size aircraft, too. The DC-4 had about three-quarters of a ton of ballast in its nose. Nevertheless, adding weight to an already-burdened Scale model always seems like a gross waste. A convenient (and useful) five-oz. nose weight is a 4 amp Ni-Cd D-cell that can be used for on-board glow ignition. Reliable engine idling and positive throttle response under all conditions are benefits of using the cell. All D-cells are not alike. The common, inexpensive variety found in electronic retail stores is much lighter, is rated at 1 1/4 amps, and is really a C-cell in a D case. Most glow plugs will draw three amps, which results in a very short useful life between charges if the 1 1/4-amp D or C cell is used in place of the four-amp cell. We use the GE 1.25V, 4 Ah, model HD 1000.
AMA Nats 1983: RC Scale
THIS WAS a recovery year for RC Scale at the Chicopee Nats. After the disappointment of only 32 entries in 1982, it was encouraging to find an overwhelming total of 91 aircraft in all classes at Westover Air Force Base. Giant Scale had the greatest increase with 35 entrants. Precision (FAI) Scale, which had fallen to great depths in 1982 with only two planes flying, rebounded to a respectable total of nine participants actually making flights. Some expected FAI modelers didn't appear because of the team-selection event that was to follow two weeks later. Most notable was the pronounced upgrading of quality, both in the models and in their flight. Accidents seem to be inevitable in Scale flying, but their numbers are diminishing. Onlookers who came to be entertained by a succession of crashes, common in the past, had long waits between accidents, and the high-quality action in the sky kept them satisfied.
Radio Control: Scale
FOAM-CUTTER CONTROL. Our June 1983 column contained a photo showing a control box for hot-wire foam cutting. Letters were received inquiring about the contents of the box, and whether it was a purchased item or homemade. The control was asembled here in our workshop, using standard components purchased from local suppliers. The aluminum enclosure is a standard electrical components box 4 in. × 5 in. × 6 in. from a radio parts supply store. Inside are two transformers. The first is a Powerstat variable autotransformer which is the product of Superior Electric Co. of Bristol, CT. It is a type 10B with a 120-volt input and a variable 0-to-120-volt output. It isn't safe to use its output directly on the hot wire because of the shock hazard. (Its output is not isolated from the house power lines.) Touching any metal parts of the foam cutter could be hazardous when standing on a concrete floor or touching a grounded object. Any current flow of 5 mA or greater, through the human body, contracts muscles, and the person is unable to release his grip. This may be lethal, if the heart is affected.
Radio Control: Scale
STATIC JUDGING METHOD. A letter from David Andersen advocates an accelerated procedure for static judging. Read on: "This note is to tell you about a static judging procedure that we have found to be faster and fairer than the static circle method. It is completely within the AMA rules. "During the Twin City Radio Controllers' annual Scale contest, we tried a slightly different method of static judging. We call it `simultaneous static judging.' The contestants are asked to place their airplanes, with documentation and score forms, upon a designated line. We use a taxiway for this, but any line would do.
