AMA Nats: RC Scale
TURN-IN TIME for the 75+ RC and CL Scale models is 8:00 a.m. on Friday-where everything in the Scale Nats begins. We arrive at the gymnasium static-judging site, half a mile from the Nats headquarters and flying area, to find the gym jammed with early arrivals-and more coming in every minute. What a sight! A large hall almost completely filled with gorgeous Scale models of every description. After quickly depositing my Aeronca and Douglas and filling out the necessary entry forms for hardworking Anne Underwood, I set to work on bended knee gathering information on each RC model-or so I think. Later, on the flight line, it is discovered that one of the winners is a blank space in my notebook. Horrors!
Radio Control: Scale
OSHKOSH, AGAIN: The EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) convention and fly-in was, again, an overwhelming success. After the first day, the Oshkosh airport was completely covered with aircraft-and only show planes were welcome there. All others were diverted to satellite fields nearby at Fond du Lac or Appleton. By noon of the second day, Fond du Lac airport was also saturated and could hold no more, bringing the total number of aircraft at the fly-in to 15,000 or 17,000. We commute daily between our home and Wittman Field and never cease to be smitten by the sight as we drive off the highway ramp toward a sea of glistening aluminum.
Radio Control: Scale
K-W RALLY: On the weekend following Labor Day, the Kitchener-Waterloo Scale Rally was the gathering place for Scale modelers from the eastern parts of Canada and the U.S. The usual quantity of 155 Scale models appeared, in spite of expected rainy weather. Flights were held up for about two hours on Saturday afternoon, but resumed immediately after showers ceased. The Flying Dutchmen Club again used their system for avoiding radio interference: Six steel posts are driven into the ground, each with a list of frequencies attached and a detachable colored triangle at the top. When a modeler is ready to fly, he parks his airplane at the post bearing his frequency and then trades the triangle for his transmitter at the impound. The system works 100%, as there were no problems even though all six lines were in operation. Club-member monitors make certain that there is good separation between transmitters at the flight line. Also, 3IM and adjacent-channel interferences were nonexistent.
Radio Control: Scale
SCALELIKE MODELS: Whenever we see top-quality Scale models on display, comments are heard to the effect that such an airplane is meant to be seen and not to be flown. This implies that the time, effort, and money involved is too great to risk flight. The builder is asked repeatedly whether the model is really going to be flown, preferably in the presence of the questioner who is unwilling to believe it is about to happen and that it isn't the first flight. This is a partial explanation of the reason for the scarcity of well-finished and detailed Scale models. Most modelers are satisfied with a scale-like model that has a realistic appearance in the air, even though it fares poorly on close scrutiny. Details and a fine finish don't show up in flight, and there is satisfaction enough in an easy approach to realism.
Radio Control: Scale
NEW GLUES: A note from Bud Wolfe (Scottsdale, AZ) informs us that a suitable substitute for Wilhold R/C-56 is Elmer's All-Purpose Tacky Glue, a product of Borden, which is sold in local drugstores (such as Walgreen's) and craft shops. Bud reports that it seems to have the same properties as R/C-56. It dries clear but remains flexible, unlike other ordinary white glues. We have also found several other products with similar properties. Penn International Chemicals, makers of PIC products sold in many hobby shops, advertises PIC Flex White glue, which is intended for adhering canopies and sheet-plastic windshields. It is thick, tacky, will bond porous and nonpourous material, dries clear, and remains flexible.
