Radio Control Giants
ALTHOUGH LEONARDO da Vinci is credited with inventing parachutes, he never tested them; the same can probably be said for most Giant Scale modelers. Parachutes weren't used as lifesaving devices until German fighter pilots began wearing them in the waning days of World War I. The British dismissed the use of parachutes, feeling that their pilots would bail out from flyable aircraft. It's a pity, because British lives were lost that might have been preserved if parachutes had been available. However, during WW I, balloon observers on both sides had escape parachutes attached to the sides of their baskets, and they were used on numerous occasions. Between WW I and WW II, airmail pilots and others strapped parachutes to their posteriors and used them in dire straits, thereby joining the elite Caterpillar Club.
Radio Control: Giants
WE'RE GOING TO play catch-up this month, for some of the items we wrote about this year. A couple of items that may be of interest: You'll probably remember Jerry Smartt, the Giant Scale builder from Warsaw MO. He's the fellow who's building the 1/2-scale Sopwith. We published the photo of him standing inside the framed-up fuselage of his monster biplane. Jerry's other claim to fame is his use of multiple RC receivers to cut down on long cable runs. The latest word is that Jerry has decided that he'll use four RC receivers in his biplane. There'll be one in each wing, one to control the tail surfaces, and the fourth to control his electronic throttle. He's talking four sets of batteries and the attendant charging receptacles and switches. It's mind-boggling!
Radio Control: Giants
BEN OSTLIND of San Rafael, California has this "thing" about the Martin B-26. It's only reasonable, since he flew Marauders in combat during World War II. The B-26 was quite an airplane. It had two R-2800s to pull it through the air at a rapid rate. After a particularly difficult gestation period and a host of modifications, the Martin bomber scored the lowest loss rate of any US airplane in the European theater. Some authors have averred that the B-26's fuselage was modeled after a .50-caliber bullet-it was one smooth, streamlined shape from nose to tail. A bit more wing area and a slight change in the wing's angle of incidence, and the "heretofore Widow Maker" became a relatively reasonable airplane to fly.
Radio Control: Giants
IT ISN'T news to a Scale model builder that you have to have documentation for your model-preferably before you begin construction. Collecting documentation amounts to a research project that often continues even after the model is completed and flying. Most of the data collected isn't required, but it often fills notebook after notebook. To my great surprise, I was called upon to provide documentation for a builder who was working on a 1:1 scale aircraft: John Meyer telephoned from Seattle, and his project is the complete rehabilitation of a North American AT-6 Texan.
Radio Control: Giants
IT'S HERE and a beautiful bit of British ironmongery (aluminum-mongery?) it is! The RCV 120 engine showed up in its specially fitted foam carton, wrapped in clear plastic. RCV stands for Rotating Cylinder Valve, and is the name of the company that manufactures the engine. The photos and drawings of the engine don't prepare you for the real item. The glow plug is on the bottom front of the engine. The instructions strongly advise against trying to start the engine at the propeller. Strange for an essentially European engine, the recommended fuel should contain 5-to 10% nitro. Most European fuels omit nitro as an element of their mixture.
