F 15 Gulf War Fighter

HERE'S A QUICK-START Catapult Glider that climbs so high and so fast, you'll think you're flying in that mother of all air battles over Baghdad. Although it's semiscale, this six-inch model of the F-15 Gulf War fighter has the sort of aerodynamics that make for awesome performance. High-speed Catapult Gliders require careful rigging. (Championship Indoor Gliders have 0-0 decalage for similar reasons.) Likewise, one needs to use micrometer adjustments when trimming; a bit too much rudder trim and you'll be snap-rolling all the way up-and all the way down.

PGM Trainer

AS ANY parent of a high school student knows, there's no sense trying to keep up with teenage slang. No sooner do you get the latest buzzwords straight than they've moved on to something new. Modelspeak, while just as esoteric to those outside the hobby, is a lot less fickle. Take ROG, for example. Teens who build models today are probably as familiar with the term as were young modelers in the 1930s. And despite some serious competition from Nintendo and Ninja Turtles, rise-off-ground takeoffs are as much fun as they ever were.

Fokker E-II

SIMPLICITY and low cost: These are the purposes of this model. The Fokker E-II is a simple, low-cost, good-flying Outdoor stick model that looks much like a WW I pursuit ship. It flies low and slow with a faint aroma of that fictional WW I ace from Boonetown, Iowa-the famous (and infamous) Phineas Pinkham, practicing jokester of the 9th Pursuit Squadron. This airplane has many amenities that separate it from discount-store sheet-balsa ROG fliers: pilot, machine guns, aircraft engine, motor-roar device (patent applied for). Yes, it does take a liberal application of imagination. But kids have plenty of that waiting to be challenged.

Catapult Canard CC-1

WANT to have some high-flying fun? And scare the puddin' out of those strong-arm hand launch experts? This little catapult canard will outclimb and outfly anything this side of the Heaviside Layer. So you'd better have eyes like an eagle and legs like 1936 Olympic track star Jesse Owens. Easily built in an evening at a cost of about a quarter, this mighty midget will amaze your friends and delight the kids. I can still remember my surprise when the first one I built flew off the drawing board. That was back in high school. Many years later, I decided to try it out on a group of eight- to 14-year-olds at summer classes sponsored by the Silverthorne Recreation Department. The kids loved 'em-they'd built 'em, and they flew like a Star Wars fighter. This training model is now step two in our PGM (Project Grandpa: Mentor) educational program. It is not just another little throw-glider for kids.