Cardinal Stunt '89
IN the history of the Stunt event, only four ships have been awarded 20 appearance points, rendering them perfect airplanes in the judges' eyes. The first 20-pointer was Gene Martines's awesome Mariner. That was followed six years later, in 1986, by "Ski" Dombrovski's Lacemaker. Then in 1988 came Jim Casale's Columbia and my own Cardinal. I'm honored to be part of such a small group of artists. For the Cardinal, I wanted the classic lines of a 1960s Stunter, the proven aerodynamics of a Greenaway-designed Patternmaster, the built-up construction of an all-wood airframe, bulletproof controls for all-weather flying, and the dead-reliable engine characteristics of a "Big Jim" SuperTigre .60 Hemi.
Dust Removal System
Balsa dust is one of the worst problems for modelers. In my 42 years of sanding, I'd hate to think how much dust has gone into my lungs. Wearing a mask wasn't a cure-all in my case, and sanding outdoors wasn't always comfortable or practical. Over the years I've experimented with several ideas to remove sanding dust. A shop-vac with the hose held between my knees was better than nothing, but the noise eventually led me to abandon that approach.
Build an Inexpensive Workbench
As it turned out, the project cost far less than I originally estimated. Its total cost was less than $15-I had money left over to take my wife out for pizza! Every modeler will love the bench, and every wife will love the pizza. I started by "recycling" an old dresser to use as the bench's base. It has great drawer storage for glue, knives, magazines, plans; it's very practical. Drawer separators can be made from 1/4-inch balsa scraps glued in place. I labeled each drawer with my Brother P-Touch
Tsunami
DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS I have developed a passion for Reno air racers. I accumulated so many photos and videos of Reno air racers that I decided I'd someday want several adorning my shop. In 1993 I researched John Sandberg's hand-built Tsunami, and found the history of the airplane to be filled with great triumphs and bitter disappointments-something to which I truly could relate. Tsunami was a very special aircraft. With its fuselage bottom-mounted air scoop, straight-tapered wing, Merlin engine, and Mustang spinner, it could be mistaken by the casual observer to be a modified P-51. Not so! Tsunami was an original design-the first custom-built unlimited racer since WWII. It used only seven production parts from other aircraft, and these were a varied lot: wheels and brakes from a Learjet; prop blades from a Rockwell T-28; main gear from a Piper Aerostar; tail gear from a Mustang; and tail wheel from a Grumman S-2. Tsunami's wingspan and length were both a modest 27 feet.
Molding Canopies
FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS or so, most of the models I've designed and built have had a "scalelike" theme, with the canopy and detailed cockpit being a prominent focal point. The exact size and shape canopies I've required have seldom (actually, never) been available commercially, so I've had to make my own. What follows is a summary of my experience making canopies, using several different methods and the final "leading edge" way that has evolved. The late Harold Price showed me his method of making a male canopy "plug" from plaster. The canopy of his superb Defiant was made this way, and while plaster is still a suitable material, it poses some tough problems with water content of the plaster and the heat usually used in the forming process.
