BCM: The Aftermuffler
IF YOU'D LIKE something a little different in an add-on muffler, consider making one from a beer or soda can. Sure, a beer can hanging off the side of your model lacks a certain aesthetic appeal, at least for some. Others find that the unsurpassed effectiveness of a Beer Can Muffler (BCM) makes up for its clumsy appearance. No aftermuffler does a better job of blunting the sound that gets past your stock muffler. The BCM is effective at a distance, too.
Jumpin' GEO
Above: Using geodesics for lightness coupled with torsional strength, Jumpin' Geo puts a whole new perspective on competition fun-flying, makes it a challenge again. As fliers learn to use the performance capabilities of this design and its siblings, they will open a new chapter in the sport of RC Aerobatics. Below: A K&B .45 engine spinning a Rev-Up 11 × 4 prop produces over three pounds of static thrust, giving the Geo full vertical capability. Maneuvers are incredibly close-in and tight.
Akro Bat Jr.
DESIGNED to take advantage of the newest and best in 1/2A engines, this Control Line Sport Stunter flies as well as its good looks suggest. For less than maximal but still adequate performance, the Akro Bat Jr. can also be flown with the Kustom Kraftsmanship Cox engine. Bill Winter and I have updated two of Bill's classic RC designs during the past few years. The RC Special was published in Model Aviation for March and April 1990, and the Cloud Niner (a revision of the Krackerjac) will appear in RC Modeler. For the Cloud Niner we extended the flight envelope on the low velocity end by using flaperons and split flaps. We decided to carry the idea further for our next project by stretching the performance envelope on the high-velocity end while keeping the low-end gains. In other words, the new model should have exceptionally wide performance capability.
The Fabulous X-Wind
AERIAL ODDITY? Unusual? Creative? Freaky? Regressive? Progressive? This quirky-looking model is all that and more. And if it didn't work out quite as we'd planned, X-Wind is still a lot of fun to fly. Wherever I take X-Wind, people ask questions. They want to know how the design originated and why it was built. The X-Wind is the most recent in a series of experiments in simplifying Radio Control flight. Theoretically, direct side force generated from vertical lifting surfaces allows an aircraft to be turned without banking. If the wings of an airplane remained level at all times during flight and side force were available, the craft should be as steerable as a car on the road. Turns should be flat, not banked.
Shuriken Streak
THE COX TEE DEE engines, with their steel pistons which are perfectly suited for operation in the moderate rpm ranges, have rightfully been the standard of the 1/2A class for many years. But two newly available .049 engines-the Chinese CS and the BV Shuriken (named after the star-shaped weapon that the Ninja use)-offer the 1/2A flier magnificent alternatives. These sophisticated engines utilize the modern ABC (aluminum piston and chrome-plated brass sleeve) technology which allows them to be operated at a much higher rpm range and develop considerably more power. The Shuriken is designed to turn 30,000 rpm for sport flying and up to 40,000 rpm for limited operation in Speed.
