Safety Starter Cart
A flight box with retractable landing gear? Yes! The Safety Starter Cart provides a stable platform for a remote (behind-the-propeller) starter that can even be used on paved surfaces without guy wires or stakes. It is also a convenient, inexpensive-to-build, and easy-to-operate model aircraft transporter. Today's model engines make the ones I grew up with look like toys. They demand a new respect from those who operate them, especially in combination with glass-reinforced nylon propellers.
Computer-Generated Graphics
When it comes to putting the finishing touches on a model airplane, the average sport modeler has limited choices for lettering and trim patterns. Off-the-shelf lettering, trim sheets, and decals tend to be expensive and "artistically limiting." What's needed is a method for those of us with average talents and means to produce exciting, original color and trim schemes from common iron-on covering. I originally "thought up" this computer-assisted method while using a cheap MS-DOS drawing program to make patterns for custom cake decorations. I have used KeySoft's KeyDraw on the PC for this, although many drawing or CAD programs would work just as well. At that's needed is a line drawing of the desired artwork or lettering and the standard select, flip, rotate, scale, and fill routines of any decent object-oriented drawing package. The method should work with any of the popular iron-on coverings and could be adapted for other materials and airbrush friskets.
