RC Flying Today: Rib Stitching and Gluing
HOW OFTEN have you heard someone say, "This iron-on covering doesn't stick to ribs?" Then you take a look at the wing and, sure enough, the covering is stuck only to the leading and trailing edges. We can be reasonably certain that the covering did stick to the ribs when the plane was built, or the person wouldn't be complaining. So, the real question is, "Why (or how) did the covering get loose?" When an airplane flies, the air rushing over the upper surface sucks on the covering. Air pressure varies from greater than atmospheric at the leading edge, to less than atmospheric over the curved surface, and back to greater than atmospheric at the trailing edge.
RC Flying Today: Enter This Contest: When and where was the first model airplane contest?
HERE are the two contest questions: 1. When, where, and by whom was the first gasoline-engined 1/4-scale model airplane flown? 2. When, where, and by whom was the first organized model airplane contest held? In order that the winner may have the award for Christmas, the competition ends December 1, 1992. The decision of the judges is final, and you must answer both questions correctly to win. "Leonardo da Vinci" would not be a winning answer without some documentation, such as a Xerox copy of a page out of a book that supports your answer.
RC Flying Today: Wideband RC Systems
COMING SOON: I write this in April 1992 to remind you that it is now illegal to import or manufacture wideband RC transmitters. Report & Order FCC 91-103 mandates that wideband RC transmitters may be sold until 1 March 1993 and used until 1 March 1998. After those dates, sale and use, respectively, must end. If you are harboring any wideband equipment and have ideas about selling it, you should get it narrow-banded now. AMA got you 50 exclusive 72 MHz RC channels and has taught that you must "use them or lose them." Hanging onto "even channels only" to prolong the use of wideband equipment is one way to lose them.
RC Flying Today: A Smart Charger/Cycler
I purchased an SR Smart Charger/Cycler (SC/C) from SR Batteries (Bellport, NY 11713; tele: (516) 286-0079; Fax: (516) 286-0901; $299.95 list). Why should I want another charger/cycler? Well, the SC/C is the most sophisticated battery charger available to the hobby. Aimed at the Electric airplane market, the 12 VDC-powered SC/C is a CONSTANT CURRENT charger, delivering 0.1 to 5.0 amps (adjustable in 0.1-amp steps). It services the widest range of cell sizes and numbers. All functions are controlled by a user-programmed microcomputer.
Toledo 1992
IMPROVEMENT: The 38th Annual R/C Expo was held Friday April 3 through Sunday April 5, 1992 at the Seagate Center, 401 Jefferson Avenue, Toledo, Ohio. People staying in the Raddison Hotel could walk to the Expo without going outdoors. The interior arrangements were much better than the Sports Center used in previous years. You could walk down any aisle almost any time of day. A far cry from previous years when most aisles were almost impassable because of the crowds. Some 360 booths were available for exhibitors. There were plenty of nearby parking lots, which charged $2 to $3 per day.
