Control Line: Navy Carrier
I'M BACK at the typewriter again after a short break for the Nats coverage which Frank Kelly handled for me this year. (Thanks, Frank.) I'm getting settled into a new job and hope to be back at the Nats again next year. I'll be flying out of North Carolina for the next few years and hope to take in a few East Coast contests that I haven't attended yet. This month I am continuing the discussion on engine speed control with systems that use the exhaust slide which I covered in my last column. Since writing the last column, I've talked to Kris Jones (6125 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, CA 91606) and seen some of the exhaust slides he has installed. If you want a slide but don't want to do the work yourself, contact Kris for prices.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
ONE advantage of life in the Air Force is that one gets to do a lot of traveling. This spring, I was able to spend two very enjoyable weekends visiting and flying Carrier in Albuquerque with Roger Edwards, chairman of the AMA's Navy Carrier Advisory Committee, and in Los Angeles with Ron Duly, editor of the Hi-Low-Landing Carrier newsletter. Control Line activity is strong in Albuquerque with attendance at Sunday flying sessions better than I have seen at some contests. The very presence of the Thunderbirds at their flying field each Sunday is an invitation to people to stop and find out what's happening. By being visible, they are inviting others with CL interests to make themselves known and join in the fun. Activity breeds interest and more activity. We could do well to follow the Thunderbirds' example. Carrier has a lot of spectator interest because of our throttles and our landings and because most of our models are models of real aircraft. Don't hide your event, share it. Be visible (practice never hurts, anyway); be helpful and interested when people ask questions; and Carrier, being the great event that it is, can't help but grow.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
THE SUBJECT for the next few months is engine speed control for the scale Carrier classes. I have talked about many different speed control systems in the past, from conventional suction systems with RC carburetors to pen-bladder pressure systems with large-bore modified carbs and idle mixture control. Suction systems offer competitive performance with the least amount of difficulty, but for many the few extra m.p.h. available with a pressurized fuel system are worth the extra effort involved. In the past, I have not described a fuel system unless I have used it myself, at least on the test stand. I am making an exception in the next few columns. I will discuss two pressure systems: (1) on-off pressure and (2) fuel meter. Although I have not used a fuel meter in Carrier, I am going to describe it since it is a very popular system used by many top-notch competitors.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
THE Navy Carrier rules allow a bonus of five points for each engine over one used to power the model. One of the earlier attempts to take advantage of this bonus was a Grumman F7F Tigercat flown by Ray Randall. Ray was quite successful with this model, winning the 1960 Nats. Ray used two Johnson 35s with the outboard engine running on a one-ounce tank so that it would stop after the high-speed run. The rules have since changed to limit engine displacement and to require all engines to operate through the low-speed portion of the flight to receive full low-speed points. The recent introduction by K&B, Supertigre, OS, and others of Schnuerle engines in smaller sizes provides very good performance potential for multi-engine Carrier flying.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
THE first annual Pearl Harbor Day Meet, run by Frank Kelly, was held on December 2 at Van Nuys, California. The contest resulted in two new records: Junior Class II and Open Profile. Bill Malo, who holds the Junior Class I and Profile records as well, set the Class II record at 313. Bill's Top Flite P-51D Mustang was powered by an OS60 FGR Blackhead RC engine running on suction with a Rev-Up 10-8W prop. The Profile Carrier record was set at 264 by a G-S Bearcat modified with 13% chord plain flaps. The engine was a 36 plain-bearing conversion of an OS 40 FSR, driving a carbon fiber 9-61/2 prop. Speeds were 93.7 mph high and 15.8 mph low.
