Modular Silencer
THE MODERN four-cycle model aircraft engine has been heralded as the salvation of our sport, and rightly so. These engines produce a soft whirring sound, not the banshee scream of the typical two-cycle engine. This is the objectionable sound which is causing problems with flying field neighbors across the country. While it goes against the grain for a modeler to do what is required to silence the two-cycle engine to an appropriate level for the environment of the flying area, it can be done. Surprisingly, the result of careful silencing can be a power unit that still is much more powerful per unit weight than an equivalent four-cycle engine. The power per unit weight ratio is still the bottom line in aircraft engine design.
CG for Canards
LUTHER HUX has designed a remarkable series of model aircraft, ranging from the Snapshot series to parafoils, space-planes, and now the Voyager. Designing a successful flying model of the Voyager was a very challenging endeavor. That Mr. Hux employed, in developing the Voyager, what in my opinion is one of the higher forms of design development-the "cut-and-try" model aviation method-is also to his credit. The truly amazing thing, though, is that Luther's design was accomplished first in a radio-controlled model, and then in a CL version.
Eaglet Bipe
THERE IS A MYSTIQUE about biplanes that no one can deny, and if you happen to have a Carl Goldberg Eaglet or the Screamin' Eaglet modification (Model Aviation, August 1984) the simple add-on wings presented here can give your model a new dimension. The biplane Eaglet will take off quicker, climb at a steeper angle, turn quicker, loop tighter, and stall and land slower than the original monoplane. All these benefits-and the price is only a few mph less in top speed than the monoplane version can manage. The add-on wings require little or no change in trim and no added ballast. Just screw them on and fly. The layout of this design, the stagger (overlap of top wing to bottom wing), the gap between the wings, and chord and span of the new lower wings were not proportioned from any aerodynamic rationale. They were just scaled to be reminiscent of the classic cabin biplanes. The designers of the 1930s originals must have known something, for this modification flew right off the board.
Tsunami
BY THE TIME you read this article, perhaps Tsunami will have taken to the air on the first leg of a journey that will likely end in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. This remarkable racing aircraft has been designed for John Sandburg of Minneapolis, MN by Bruce Boland. Tsunami was conceived to be capable of doing many things better than any other aircraft has done before: 1) To be superior in the Unlimited class of closed-course racing. Expectations are that it will compete at Reno. 2) To better the land speed record for reciprocating-engine-powered aircraft. The record is currently held by the Red Baron, another project having the participation of Bruce Boland.
Haboob
WHEN THE NORMALLY oppressive, bright, glaring sun becomes fuzzy in Saharan Africa-and the wind begins to pick up speed-people begin running around gathering children and possessions and seeking cover. One word is on everyone's lips: haboob, the terrifying African storm. This model, the Haboob, is not terrifying. However, if such a wind comes up and other modelers stop flying, then you can bring out this wind-powered model and really have fun. With a strong wind, you can perform almost any maneuver in the AMA Precision Aerobatics routine. Even with a light breeze, you can fly for as long as you wish, do many maneuvers, and finish flying with an airplane just as clean as when you began. There is no engine to start, no fuel to buy, and no oil to clean off. Altogether, it's pure fun.
