RC Flying Today: Preflight Evaluation of a Fascinating New Toy
I went to the KRC Electric Fun Fly, near Quakertown, PA, back on September 15-16 of '90. It was an exceptionally pleasant affair, as usual. While there I saw Dave Hyatt demonstrate the Kalt Baron Whisper, a new addition to the respected Baron Helicopter series, which ranges from the Baron 28 through the Baron 60. Two days later, Dick DeFrancis of Action Hobbies, Selden, NY, sent a Whisper kit to the meeting of the SEFLI (Silent Electric Flyers of Long Island). The idea was to make the kit available for inspection. I inspected it and bought it. Three days later, Whisper was ready for flight. Whisper is powered by a Mabuchi RX540VS motor and a Sanyo eight-cell, 1,100-mAh Ni-Cd pack (8N-1100CR). One thousand of these machines were sold in the first six months that they were available. It seems to be finding acceptance as a "beginner's Helicopter," due to its small size, light weight and relatively low price.
RC Flying Today
WHAT IS MOM? MOM (Master Onboard Multi-mix) is a device intended to be placed between a receiver and an array of servos. Its function is to mix control signals. MOM permits you to define servo travel end-points (span), neutral position, travel direction (reversing), and linearity (from linear to exponential, over a range of curvatures) independently from the transmitter. It also permits you to mix signals. Each mixture can be defined in terms of master/slave, direction, and degree (i.e., the percentage of the mixed signal that shows up in the slave channel).
RC Flying Today
THE AMA has urged you to write to your senators and congressmen in opposition to FCC PR 92-235, which will destroy RC as we know it, beginning in 1998. The reason for contacting your representatives is simple: They control the lifeblood of the bureaucracy-which is money. Every so often, you get a chance to elect someone to office. When you vote, you tell that candidate, "Take my money, and do what you think is right with it."
'93 WRAM Show
WHAT'S NEW? The WRAM show was held this year on February 27-28 at the Westchester County Center, in White Plains, New York. When writing a show report, I try to find a significant trend or theme to talk about. This year, the obvious candidate is the FCC's omnibus docket 92-235, which seeks to put 400 channels in the 72-73 MHz band (plus additional channels elsewhere). I found three manufacturers/vendors offering RC systems that have the potential to meet or exceed the FCC's proposed new specifications. The key words are "phase-locked loop" (PLL). When PLL generators are used in the transmitter and receiver, 2.5 kHz bandwidth is possible.
RC Flying Today: Sailplaners Unite
NEWS FLASH-December 1992: The National Soaring Society (NSS) has offered to represent all sailplane fliers. Through communications with Robert Massmann, president of the NSS, I've learned that the plan is to create an AMA SIG (Special Interest Group) for Self-Launched Sailplanes (SLS), under the guidance of the NSS SIG. In support of this, my friend and fellow SEFLIer, Steve Anthony, has been invited to contribute a bimonthly electri-flier column to the NSS Newsletter, Sailplane. There are several motivations for this change: 1) 35% of the NSS membership are already electri-fliers. 2) Sailplane contestants (long the largest group in any AMA Nats) are dwindling in number. 3) Electri-flying shows the most growth in model aviation. 4) Most electri-fliers already fly sailplanes in addition to their other models.
