Rodney Pharis

YOU THINK it's impossible to have your cake and eat it too? Don't you believe it! I recently decided to end my "retirement" and resume active control-line stunt and combat flying and try RC Pattern, so I started reading model airplane magazines and visiting hobby shops and local contests. I happily noted the new materials, engines, and accessories available today but was shocked to see ugly mufflers protruding from fuselages as if they were an afterthought, which is exactly what they are...an after-the-fact bandaid. Can you imagine a muffler sticking out on the front fender of you car? My first reaction to mufflers in general was negative, but after contemplating the subject I concluded that they are logical and inevitable. However, I refused to accept the unsightly appearance and aerodynamic drag of the current commercially available side-mounted mufflers used in otherwise fully-cowled installations. To be able to locate the muffler inside the fuselage and maintain a minimum-width fuselage cross section, the exhaust port must be located on the rear of the engine.