Radio Control: Giants
LAST MONTH I spent most of my type space discussing the detailing of Giant Scale models. Exterior and interior detailing must have some basis in fact, which comes from collected documentation. Drawings and photographs are the primary documentation sources, as are specialty books. There are books about almost any prototype you can imagine, and a good source of such volumes is Specialty Press (11481 Kost Dam Rd., North Branch MN 55056). Its 24-hour order line is (800) 895-4585.
Radio Control: Giants
MANY, MANY YEARS AGO this month I got stuck on model airplanes. My interest was generated by a 25¢ WACO Cabin biplane, and the kit that was put out by the Scientific Model Co. was typical for the era. Made with balsa sticks and Japanese tissue, the model's fuselage was red with a black stripe, and the wings and tail feathers were yellow. The model had been assembled using Du Pont Duco glue. The paper covering was tightened when I blew through a water siphon. The propeller had been sanded down from a rough balsa form. The wheels were also balsa, held in place on the wire axle with a drop of cement at its end.
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.
Radio Control Giants
I RECEIVED an interesting letter from Fred Beeson, a retired US Air Force maintenance crew chief and flight engineer. He flew in most of the full-scale aircraft, and has a host of stories to tell, including a fascinating incident in a Mitchell B-25. Fred was cruising along in the Mitchell, when a hot rod pulled up on his wing in a Douglas B-26. The B-26 pilot dropped gear and flaps, and feathered one engine. He gave the remaining R-2800 engine a bit of a push, and pulled away from the B-25 with little difficulty.
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.
