1911 Voisin Hydroplane
BETWEEN 1910 and 1912 Gabriel Voisin of France built and flew a number of canard pusher biplanes, all of which were inspired by the Santos DuMont 14-bis of 1906. The various configurations included landplanes, amphibians, and several hydroplanes. The particular hydroplane presented here in Peanut Scale model form flew in 1911 and was powered by a seven-cylinder Gnome rotary engine. The model is not meant for flying from water, but if you have the nerve and a good place to try rise-off-water flights, it would be fun to try. The model is fairly simple and straightforward in construction. Lightweight 1/20 sq. balsa is used for most of the structure, which should be kept as light as possible. The forward canard surfaces are fairly vulnerable, especially during early test flights, so after attaching them to the hard 1/16 balsa mount, this entire structure is tackglued to the fuselage nose. In a hard landing, the canard surfaces usually pop off with little damage, and they can be reglued easily.
Mini-electrics
OVER THE PAST several years, a new type of power source for small models has quietly emerged. While not yet especially well-known, the mini-electric motor promises to become a very popular resource for Free Flight Scale and sport fliers. The diminutive electric, motors, geared down and powered by tiny rechargeable nickelcadmium (Ni-Cd) cells, are quiet, clean, very easy to use-and powerful. These little guys put out enough power (about 003 shaft horsepower!) to fly models having two to three ounces of total weight and 75- to 100-sq.-in. wing areas; and yet the whole power package, including motor, prop, batteries, switch, etc. weighs only about an ounce. With a 30- to 60-sec. charge the power will sustain flights of longer than one minute.
Schoolyard Scale Cessna C-37
Small Scale models have a way of tugging at the heart strings like no other type. Maybe they take us back to our younger days when we built smaller models, or maybe it's just that they can sit around our workshops completely assembled-always ready to be admired. Whatever the reason, this model embodies all those qualities, and it is also a great flier. For a small two-channel radio system and an .049 engine.
Lippisch P-13
ONE OF THE ATTRACTIONS of the Flying Aces Club (FAC) Rubber Scale rules is that any legitimate, full-size aircraft design can be used, even if the design was not built and successfully flown. Many more interesting and unusual subjects are therefore, eligible for FAC competition. The P-13 is a good example of the interesting possibilities. The P-13 project was one of many flying wing designs created by Dr. Alexander Lippisch's design team while at the Messerschmitt Company from 1939 to 1943. The most well-known and successful aircraft resulting from Lippisch's work at Messer-
The Waco
I'LL never forget that huge, shiny red and silver biplane sitting on the runway. As the cabin door swung open, the 9-year-old kid had to be boosted up onto the lower left wing and into the spacious cabin. Impressions of my first airplane ride at Detroit City Airport that day linger still-the roomy plush interior, the funny-shaped rear window, and the roaring surge of power accelerating us to an exciting takeoff over the Michigan landscape. I learned later that the airplane was a 1936 model Waco custom cabin. I finally got around to building a model of this Waco classic several years ago. It started out as a compulsion to build the huge 50-inch span rubber-powered model from the old Megow plans. Although I love free-flight scale as much as RC scale, I couldn't resist the thought of a lightweight radio version of that chubby beauty which could perform low fly-bys, touch-and-goes, and maybe bring back a little of the excitement of that first airplane ride.
