CONTROL LINE SPEED - 2001/05
The SpRing flying season will be around the corner when
this issue goes out in the mail. Hopefully it’s been a good year
for all so far.
This column includes the second part of the engine work series:
break-in procedures for aluminum brass chrome (ABC) and
aluminum aluminum chrome (AAC) engines.
In the future I will cover reducing internal drag, balancing the
engine, port timing, adjusting fits, head design, and more. The series
will take more than a year to get out in print, and maybe even two
years. Be patient—we’ll get there.
CONTROL LINE SPEED - 2001/03
I’ll sTarT this column with a warning.
At the last meeting for my club, one flier
announced that he had become sensitized to
cyanoacrylate (CyA) glues and had
considerable pain, and the other warned about
the paints in use on our models.
Since this is the middle of the building
season for most in our hobby, the warning is
timely. As much fun as building is for most
of us, the chemicals and tools common to
our building methods subject us to some
noxious stuff.
We see a great deal of information on
propeller safety, but it’s important to be aware
of several other areas.
I’ve seen a number of people develop
dermatitis from CyA or super glues, and I
know several fliers who have developed it
from epoxy resins. These are particularly
painful types of dermatitis.
You should wear impervious gloves—
latex or polyvinyl chloride (PVC)—to protect
yourself from these chemicals.
The more you use these adhesives, the
more likely you are to become sensitized to
them. Your system can only tolerate so much
buildup of the chemicals, then it revolts—
much to your displeasure and discomfort.
Many modelers are using two-part epoxy
paints or two-part polyurethane paints, and
most of the two-part polyurethane paints use
cyanide as part of the catalyst.
Use care, adequate ventilation, and proper
respiratory protection when painting and
building your models.
CONTROL LINE SPEED - 2001/01
there hAs been a great deal of
discussion about bringing new fliers into the
fold. In this day and age of computers and
Ready-to-Fly (RTF) models, we have much
competition for drawing people into “easier”
activities.
Bringing the builder-of-the-model rule
back to Speed flying has been discussed. We
will be shooting ourselves in the foot if we
don’t make models easier to obtain, and
come up with kits that are easy to assemble
or RTF models.
I strongly urge all Speed fliers to pass
your old equipment on to modelers who
have an interest in Speed flying, and help
them learn to fly it.
I also urge you to build a trainer that
you can make available to interested fliers,
and show them that the pylon isn’t such a
terrible obstacle to flying.
At the end of the column, I have listed
a few Web sites for engines. When I was
compiling the information, I noticed that
the companies’ main business is car
engines. The availability of ready-to-run
cars and kits that are easy to assemble has
made them very attractive. I hope we can
learn to apply their examples to our
favorite hobby.
