Free Flight: Sport and Scale
Thanks to: thank Bill Warner for letting me share this column; we'll alternate its authorship. For the most part my column will be "how to," sharing Scale modeling methods and techniques with my fellow modelers - so let's get started! It has been about 20 years since I introduced the Floquil method for finishing Rubber and Power Scale Free Flight models. I want to share another finishing approach that you might find quite useful. Because it has been several years since a column has been written about this method, it might be a good idea to quickly review it. Floquil is a high-quality paint developed for use on model railroad structures and rolling stock, and the paints are named accordingly. I know it's kind of difficult to get use to the notion that you have just painted your latest endeavor Reefer Gray or Boxcar Red, but don't fret - it works! It covers in one coat without hiding any detail - it makes an ideal paint for our flying models. Used directly out of the bottle it works well for painting landing gear and wing struts, etc. One coat is all you need - especially if the balsa has been treated with a sanding sealer. If not, all you have to do is sand the first coat, apply a second coat, and you're finished.
Free Flight: Sport and Scale
I am going to expound on the virtues of diesel engines for model airplanes. I am a real fanatic about diesel engines. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 of them in all sizes, ranging from the smallest, of .008 cubic inch (cu. in.), to a .60 size that I use for Radio Control (RC), which I fly occasionally. The range of diesel engines available, particularly for Free Flight (FF), is extensive. A slew of them are in the .035- to .09-cu. in. range, and can be purchased easily. This assortment is ideal for FF Scale, or for sport models.
Free Flight: Sport and Scale
AT LAST YEAR'S FAC (Flying Aces Club) Nats, I made an observation while watching many beautifully crafted Scale models fly overhead: Although almost every rubber-powered model was flying as if it was on rails, many were flying much faster than they should have been. Was this attributable to too much power, or to the prop pulling the model through the sky? Most FACers build on the light side, rather than too heavy, so it couldn't be that these models were overpowered. Most of the models I saw flying too fast were propelled by plastic props.
Free Flight: Sport and Scale
PENDULUM CONTROL for Free Flight (FF) Scale Models: There are a couple of reasons why you don't see Scale models equipped with pendulums for stability in flight. For one, many modelers don't know what a pendulum is or does in a model airplane. And those who do know aren't willing to put in the time it takes to install a pendulum. It isn't that much of a hassle, but any additional work is too much for some! I want my Scale models to have the best opportunity for successful flight without the dreaded spiral doing them in. I hope many of you give it a try, and find out how gratifying it is to see a Scale model under the control of a pendulum.
Free Flight: Sport and Scale
Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. It is hard to believe that 1999 is here, and 2000 is just around the corner! This is my first column since Bill Warner's retirement, and I had promised a follow-up to the pendulum. However, because of time constraints and the holidays, I was unable to get the work done that I needed to in order to make the construction of the pendulum a much-easier task. I am building a Sopwith Camel. The fuselage is framed, and it will have a pendulum. As I assemble different parts to the system, I plan to photograph them so you can see how the pendulum is made and installed. I will definitely have this done for the next column.
