Control Line: Speed
HEMPEL AND UPTON, who are they? Besides being the new authors of this column we are two fathers (Gene Hempel, Tom Upton) and two sons (Patrick Hempel age 16, and Ashley Upton age 6) who enjoy control-line speed competition. Gene and Tom do some of the building, most of the engine work, and very little flying. Patrick does the majority of the building, all the painting, and pulls double duty flying his Senior and our Open class airplanes. Ashley is the valuable team helper who acts as a go-for at the end of each flight, but all you 1/2 A nuts beware, for he will be joining your ranks shortly. If you have any comments, questions, or valuable photos ($5 if it gets published) we can be reached at the address at the end of this column.
Control Line: Speed
Introduction. FAI Speed is an event with a history of rational rules having enough leeway to challenge those fliers with a bent towards experimentation. The reward of FAI flying is the travel to foreign lands for truly international competition. A history of FAI speed attainment over the past several years is shown in one of the illustrations. I have noted some of the advances in the state of the art that were used to achieve these speeds. The best American times are also noted, indicating the clear superiority of the Europeans during this period. The increases in speed are due to small changes giving cleaner airplanes, reliable and repeatable operation and, of course, more horsepower.
Control Line: Speed
Horsepower. I have received several letters from modelers wanting to know if the model engines of today really develop the actual horsepower claimed by various manufacturers. How are these horsepower figures derived? Are there any commercially available testing devices for measuring horsepower? Horsepower is a function of torque times the rpm of the engine. If you could hold the crankshaft of your model engine while it was running and apply a load, the engine itself would try to rotate in the opposite direction. This is called torque. By measuring this torque at various rpm, a horsepower curve can be calculated and plotted for a particular engine.
Control Line: Speed
THE MONTHS OF October and November have produced a record number of cards and letters. I have never received this many at one time. I love it! It is very refreshing to hear from modelers in the U.S. and from across the big ponds. I may be a little slow in replying to your letters, so please be patient. One letter I received was from Lester Deily of Douglaston, L.I., NY. He says: "The photo of my 1/2A sidewinder is my newest of a design I used all the way back in 1959. My latest uses aluminum wing panels (14-in. span, mahogany and plywood body, cherrywood stab with a clear resin finish). The 1/2A engine has the chrome shaft setup. Also enclosed is a picture of one of my new Jet models, a modified Thomas Ironsides.
Control Line: Speed
WITH THE CONTEST SEASON almost finished, I finally have some time to gather all my notes together and write this month's column. The first noteworthy piece of information is about the excellent newsletter, Flying Lines, written by Mike Hazel and John Thompson. These guys are doing a beautiful job of editing the newsletter. It covers a broad spectrum of Control Line, with much good info on Racing. Send $10.00 for a year's subscription to: Flying Lines, 1411 Bryant Ave., Cottage Grove, OR 97424. They need your support to make this newsletter a success.
