RC Sport Flyer Oct 2012 (Vol 17-08)

NEW ALESSailplane pg 64 World’s Most In-Depth RC Aircraft Magazine

CALYPSO GLIDER

REPORT

SEE HOW TO HONE YOUR PILOTING SKILLS

GETS YOU UP & SOARING

HOT 26NEW PRODUCTS

HUGE ACO W

HAWKER SEA FURY

PHOTO SPREAD

ARF Warbird OCTOBER 2012

USA & CANADA $6.49

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THREE REASONS YOU’LL LOVE FLYING WITH AS3X The revolutionary AS3X™ (Artificial Stabilization - 3 aXis) System, developed exclusively by Horizon Hobby, is the best thing to happen for your ultra micro flying experience since Bind-N-Fly®. Why?

1.) More Opportunities to Fly When flying outdoors, the AS3X System gives any ultra micro a big-aircraft feel by smoothing out the effects of light wind and turbulence. No longer do you have to find a place to fly indoors if conditions are less than perfect. With the AS3X System, you’ll be able to fly outside more often and have more fun when you do.

2.) No Setup or Programming Required All tuning of the AS3X System software is done at the factory. Because the programming is essentially “built into” the aircraft, you can enjoy a wider range of ultra micro experiences with basic, full-range transmitters like the Spektrum DX4e or DX5e.

3.) A Better Flying Experience Right out of the Box The sense of control the AS3X System delivers right out of the box is so natural and precise you may feel you don’t have to make any adjustments at all. Your ultra micro will feel like it’s been expertly tuned, first flight and every flight.

UMX GEE BEE R2 (EFLU4580) This awe-inspiring UMX™ Gee Bee® R2 replica boasts remarkably smooth handling that simply wouldn’t be possible without the AS3X System.

Available in Bind-N-Fly

© 2012 Horizon Hobby, Inc. E-flite, Blade, AS3X, UMX, Hyper Taxi, Bind-N-Fly, and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. GEE BEE is a registered trademark of KW Intellectual Properties, Inc. and is used under license. US D578,146. US 7,898,130. PRC ZL 200720069025.2. Other Patents Pending.

35965.1

CONTROL THE AIR

UMX HYPER TAXI (EFLU4780) Besides outstanding agility, the AS3X System gives the amazing UMX Hyper Taxi™ the VTOL stability you need to blast off and touch-down vertically.

Available in Bind-N-Fly.

mCP X v2 (BLH3600, BLH3680) This amazing ultra micro helicopter can flip, funnel, loop and roll in spaces no larger than a living room thanks to the crisp, precise response AS3X technology delivers.

Available in Ready-To-Fly and Bind-N-Fly.

mQX (BLH7500, BLH7580) The nimble mQX is a pilot’s quadcopter that’s been engineered with the AS3X System to be remarkably responsive and fun to fly. Indoors or out, breezy conditions or calm, you’ll be able to fly the mQX with complete confidence just about anywhere, anytime.

Available in Ready-To-Fly and Bind-N-Fly.

horizonhobby.com

Every AS3X-equipped ultra micro is backed by the unbeatable service and technical support of Horizon Hobby. To see the entire selection and learn more about how the AS3X System works, visit horizonhobby.com or your favorite RC retailer.

VISIT

CLICK

CALL

Your Local Retailer

horizonhobby.com

1.800.338.4639

SERIOUS FUN.™

WORLD FAMOUS PATTERN SUPPLIER

CENTRAL HOBBIES

www.centralhobbies.com Information (406) 259-9004 Mon-Sat: 10-6 Closed Sunday Orders only 1-800-723-5937 Fax (406) 259-4744 Prices subject to change • Shipping additional

YS DZ175 Sport

YS FZ140 Sport

YS FZ115 Sport $397.35

$788.29

• Developed for serious aerobatics competition and just won the world championships.

• Crankcase supercharging system • Conventional fuel pump adjustment • High horsepower output with long sevice life Displacement 28.87cc Bore 34mm Stroke 31.8mm Weight 960g

$459.97

New regulator design for ease of operation.

Proven fuel injection system for a more consistent run.Ring sealed crankshaft to increase crankcase boost for more power.

Same mounting pattern as YS110FZ-S Displacement 18.73cc Bore 30.4mm Stroke 25.8mm Weight 730g

This engine is very easy to operate with smooth running characteristics and the ability to run well on fuel in a variety of nitro percentages. But we still recommend YS 20/20 fuel for best results. Fits the same area as the 1.20.

Check our website for details.

CARBON FIBER PUSHRODS 2 RODS & 4 ENDS

TETTRA “CRANK” TANKS

CHMROD24 CHMROD35 CHMROD36 CHMROD38

Clunk tanks designed to keep fuel flowing at every angle in flight.

CF CF CF CF

24” 35” 36” 38”

x x x x

5/32” 1/8” 3/16” 1/4”

(2) (2) (2) (2)

$6.95 $7.25 $8.97 $9.35

PUSHROD SETS

CARBON FIBER & TITANIUM TET4029 TET4030 TET4031 TET4032 TET4033 TET4034 TET4035 TET4043 TET4050 TET4055

CRANK TANK 230CC CRANK TANK 260CC CRANK TANK 300CC CRANK TANK 350CC CRANK TANK 400CC CRANK TANK 460CC CRANK TANK 580CC CRANK TANK 160CC CRANK TANK 500CC CRANK TANK 720CC

8OZ 9OZ 11OZ 12 OZ 14 OZ 16 OZ 20 OZ 5.5 OZ 17.5 OZ 25 OZ

TETTRA TET4311 MINI-COCK BALL VALVE 3/32” $12.49 TETTRA TET4307 For standard Fuel Tubing

3/32” FUEL T W/ FILTER $7.99

$12.99 $11.95 $13.99 $14.97 $16.68 $17.19 $18.76 $10.99 $17.95 $18.99

CHMPRS24M2 CHMPS24M25 CHMPRS24M3 CHMPRS24T2 CHMPRS24T4 CHMPRS35M2 CHMPS35M25 CHMPRS35T2 CHMPS36M25 CHMPRS36M3 CHMPRS36T4 CHMPRS36T6 CHMPRS36T8 CHMPRS38M3 CHMPRS38T4 CHMPRS38T6

P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R

SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET SET

CARB/TIT 24” 2MM CARB/TIT 24X2.5MM CARB/TIT 24” 3MM CARB/TIT 24” 2-56 CARB/TIT 24” 4-40 CARB/TIT 35” 2MM CARB/TIT 35 2.5MM CARB/TIT 35” 2-56 CARB/TIT 36X2.5MM CARB/TIT 36”X3MM CARB/TIT 36” 4-40 CARB/TIT 36” 6-32 CARB/TIT 36” 8-32 CARB TIT 38 X 3MM CARB/TIT 38” 4-40 CARB/TIT 38” 6-32

CHMPRE24M2 CHMPE24M25 CHMPRE24M3 CHMPRE24T2 CHMPRE24T4 CHMPRE35M2 CHMPE35M25 CHMPRE35T2 CHMPE36M25 CHMPRE36M3 CHMPRE36T4 CHMPRE36T6 CHMPRE36T8 CHMPRE38M3 CHMPRE38T4 CHMPRE38T6 CHMPRE48T4

P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R P/R

ENDS TIT 5/32 X 2MM ENDS TIT 5/32”X2.5MM ENDS TIT 5/32 X 3MM ENDS TIT 5/32 X 2-56 ENDS TIT 5/32 X 4-40 ENDS TIT 1/8” X 2MM ENDS TIT 1/8 X 2.5MM ENDS TIT 1/8 X 2-56 END TIT 3/16” X 2.5MM ENDS TIT 3/16” X 3MM ENDS TIT 3/16 X 4-40 ENDS TIT 3/16 X 6-32 ENDS TIT 3/16 X 8-32 ENDS TIT .210 X 3MM ENDS TIT .210 X 4-40 ENDS TIT .210 X 6-32 ENDS TIT DEPS 4-40

TITANIUM PUSHROD ENDS

$15.95 $15.95 $15.95 $15.95 $15.95 $14.95 $14.95 $14.95 $16.95 $16.95 $16.95 $16.95 $16.95 $16.95 $18.85 $18.85 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $8.97 $9.25 $9.25 $9.25 $4.87 October 2012

ALBATROS

ESPRIT l e d o m

www.ESPRITMODEL.com

(1) 321-729-4287

DEPARTMENTS

BUILD

EVENT

10

LEADING EDGE

36

28

14

HOT PRODUCTS

2012 CLOVER CREEK See how IMAC competition is earning pilots like Gernot Bruckmann huge paydays.

By Joe Cutright

90

ADVERTISER INDEX

88

USRA RACES Get an inside look at the high-powered action of these giant-scale racers.

By Staff

91

MYSTERY AIRPLANE

44

FUSELAGES PART I This month Jeff takes you inside his shop to show you how to build wood fuselages.

By Jeff Troy PAINT MARKINGS Learn how to paint insignias and markings on your models from one of the masters in scale.

By Rob Caso

REVIEWS

See why the FlyZone Calypso makes the perfect pick for all pilots as a limited run motor glider.

54

60

PG 80 Take control of the E-flite Hawker Sea Fury to see why this little warbird is made for fun Park flying.

64

72

80

PG 54 6

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

E-FLITE SEA FURY Take a look at this greatflying, gorgeous little warbird park flyer.

By Wil Byers MILLENNIUM MASTER Check out this sleek and stylish, low-wing sport plane—way fun!

By Dan Deckert ALBATROS LMR GLIDER Don’t miss this review if you have a love of soaring and gliders.

By Gene Cope REALFLIGHT 6.0 Install RealFlight 6.0 to get an edge on others and the competition.

By Daniel Holman CALYPSO Catch an inside look at LMR soaring with this fun-to-fly glider ARF.

By Devin Troy

OCTOBER 2012

PG 64 PHOTO

48

WACO UPF-7 Look at what a beautiful scale biplane Martin built over course of a 16-year period of time.

By Martin C Zeller

Discover why F5J LMR gliders are becoming the hottest soaring machines in the air!

A Fun-to-Fly Airplane

that Won’t Break the Bank

PG 60

RC-SF.COM

7

Editor in Chief:

Wil Byers

Assistant Editor:

Tara Swanson

wil@rc-sf.com assted@rc-sf.com

Bess Byers, Claire Schilperoort Don Porten

SUBSCRIBE @ RC-SF.COM FOR ONLY $24.95

Art Director:

Zhe Meng

Photography:

Wil Byers Bess Byers

Graphic Designers:

Zhe Meng Bess Byers Shi Yuang

graphics@rc-sf.com

Webmaster Contact:

Chang Liang

Office Manager/Circulation:

Staci Fogler

Office Assistant:

YinZi Cui

Circulation:

Mike Werner

Marketing:

Wil Byers, YinZi Cui wil@rc-sf.com ads@rc-sf.com

bookkeeper@kionapublishing.com

RC Sport Flyer (ISSN: 1941-3467) is published monthly for $24.95 per year by Kiona Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004. Periodicals postage paid at Richland, WA and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RC Sport Flyer, P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004.

Office: (509) 967-0831 Hours: M–Th 8-5, Closed Fri, Sat & Sun. Subscriptions: kionasubscribe.com Toll Free (Orders Only) (866) 967-0831 Editor/Ads/Design: (509) 967-0832 E-mail: subscriptions@kionapublishing.com Fax Number: (509) 967-2400 Ask for RC Sport Flyer at your local hobby shop!

Hobby Shop Orders (800) 558-1544 ext. 818 www.retailers.kalmbach.com

Hobby Shop distribution by: Kalmbach Publishing Co. (800) 558-1544 ext. 818 Subscriptions: USA and possessions and Canada: $24.95 per year, $54.95 overseas.

Washington residents add 8.3% sales tax. Single copies $6.49 plus $3.50 S&H U.S. All payments must be in U.S. funds. Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover accepted. Send to: RC Sport Flyer – Circulation, P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004.

Please allow eight weeks for change of address.

Contributions: Articles and photographs are welcome, but cannot be considered unless guaranteed exclusive. When requested we will endeavor to return all materials in good condition if accompanied by return postage. RC Sport Flyer assumes no responsibility for loss of or damage to editorial contributions received. Any material accepted is subject to possible revision at the discretion of the publisher. Publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of content. Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

RC Sport Flyer will retain author’s rights, title to and interest in the editorial contributions as described above in both print and electronic media unless prior arrangement has been made in writing. Payment for editorial materials will be made at our current rate. Submission of editorial material to RC Sport Flyer expresses a warranty by the author that such material is in no way an infringement upon the rights of others. The contents of this magazine may not be reprinted traditionally or electronically without permission of the publisher.

All rights reserved.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

web@kionapublishing.com

Contributing Editors: Don Bailey, Rob Caso, Gene Cope, Daniel Holman, Mike Hoffmeister, Marcus Hubbard, Richard Kuns, Bob McGowan, Joe Nave, Steve Rojecki, Gary Ritchie, Richard Tacklind, Jeff Troy, James VanWinkle

Copyright ©2011

8

graphics@rc-sf.com

Printed in the USA

PHOENIX ICE2 HV SERIES

Available in 40, 60, 80, 120 and 160 amp capacities.

Up to 12S max.

Great for extreme plane and heli performance.

WIL BYERS

B

ookish or Catalogish? As you can well imagine by reading the news about content being served up on mobile devices, tablets, websites, computers and even magazines, there are lots of changes happening in the publishing world. The changes are coming at us at an accelerating pace too. Not surprisingly, we’re dealing with the effects of this change at RC Sport Flyer magazine. Facing it and adapting to it is kind of like being a ravenous dog in a meat house. You end up asking yourself, what gigantic, delicious and sumptuous roast should I take a bite out of first? The more salient question is, will it taste as good as it looks at first glance?

In order to adapt to this change so that our readership benefits from it the most, I want to put a question to you, our readers. What do you want—a magazine that is more bookish or more catalogish? This is a huge question for all of us at Kiona Publishing, Inc. because we see some of the RC magazines going more and more towards being a catalogish venue for product promotion versus providing bookish content where modelers can learn how to build, fly and compete with their models.

Your opinions, wants and needs are especially important to us as we move towards launching our tablet editions— where we’ll have much more freedom to be creative for, and interactive with, you!

My desire as the Editor-in-Chief is to publish magazines that are more bookish than catalogish, but we’ll publish what you want and need as readers. So, help us reshape this magazine into what you want it to be by giving me some blunt, honest feedback. Tell me what you want in terms of web material, how you feel about tablets serving up your content, what your expectations are for social media and so on. Your feedback will help us give you the best possible magazines!

Why Pay a Dollar for just 4 Screws?

We have the hardware you need at a fraction of retail!

Order today at:

www.rtlfasteners.com or call 800-239-6010

708 Battlefield Blvd South #107 Chesapeake, VA 23322

APC Competition propellers for the intermediate and

advanced sport flyer as well as the competition community.

Over 400 pitch/diameters available ranging from slow-flyer electric to High performance Giant Scale Racers.

Visit the APC Prop Website for product selection and detailed information on product design and features.

LANDING PRODUCTS All propellers are in stock and overnight delivery is available.

Proudly made in the USA

10

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

1222 Harter Ave., Woodland, CA 95776 (530) 661-0399 est. 1989 by Mr. Fred Burgdorf

AR7200BX

Application: 250- to 800-size helis Channels: 7 Receivers: 1 with option to add remote Modulation: DSM2/DSMX Band: 2.4GHz Data Flight Log Compatible Dimensions: 1.42 x 1.10 x 0.51 in (36.0 x 28.0 x 13.0 mm) Weight: 0.66 oz (18.6 g) Input Voltage: 3.5–8.5V Resolution: 2048 Frame Rate: 11ms Antenna Lengths: 100mm/40mm Range: Full

Boom Box.

THE SPEKTRUM™ AR7200BX 7-CHANNEL FLYBARLESS CONTROL SYSTEM Add the explosive agility and laser precise response of BeastX™ flybarless technology to your 250- to 800-size heli, while saving space and flying weight at the same time, with the incredible Spektrum AR7200BX. This amazing little box combines a 7-channel DSMX® receiver with BeastX software and a 3-axis MEMS sensor into a single, compact unit weighing little more than half an ounce.

The AR7200BX is simple to set up too. No special software interface is required. All you need to fine tune your heli’s response is the AR7200BX and a DSM2™/DSMX® computer transmitter with heli programming.

This is the best thing to happen to your heli since the heading lock gyro. Get to spektrumrc.com right now for complete details on this revolutionary Spektrum breakthrough.

VISIT

Your Local Retailer

CLICK

horizonhobby.com

CALL

1.800.338.4639

SERIOUS FUN™.

©2012 Horizon Hobby, Inc. DSM2 and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. DSMX is a trademark of Horizon Hobby, Inc., registered in the U.S. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. BeastX is a trademark of Markus Schaack and is used with permission. The Spektrum AR7200BX employs technology exclusively licensed to Horizon Hobby, Inc. from freakware GmbH. US 7,391,320. Other Patents Pending. 35096.2

O.S. Quality & Power comes to Gasoline Engines GT Series The same craftsmanship and performance that O.S. glow engines are famous for can now be found in the gasoline-powered GT55 and GT33. They boast 10-15% more power than any other engines in their respective classes — and both engines come with the easy-starting Capacitive Discharge Ignition (CDI) system.

Getting more power for your plane is as easy as equipping it with a GT55 or GT33 gasoline engine — and the difference it makes can be dramatic.

GT33

Displacement: 2.013 cu in (32.98 cc) Bore: 1.417 in (35.99 mm) Stroke: 1.276 in (32.41 mm) Practical RPM range: 1,800-8,000 Includes: E-5030 muffler

GT55

Displacement: 3.35 cu in (54.93 cc) Bore: 1.618 in (41.2 mm) Stroke: 1.618 in (41.2 mm) Practical RPM range: 1,500-8,000

®

osengines.com/109j ©Hobbico®, Inc. 2011. All rights reserved. 3071373

Esprit Model DFS Habicht ARF

Esprit Model 1114 Lynbrook Street NW Palm Bay, FL 32907 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

T

he DFS Habicht (German for “Hawk”) was designed in 1936 by Hans Jacobs as an unlimited aerobatic sailplane. The Let Model’s scale version of this beautiful sailplane comes with the fiberglass fuselage and flawless finish in white or beige gel-coat. The windshield is removable, has a fiberglass frame and comes with a scale-like latch. The cockpit is completed with instrument dashboards and fiberglass seats, just like the actual plane. The wing and fuselage have pre-installed wiring harnesses that also include multi-pin connectors for fast, trouble-free setup at the field. The wing is beautifully

Esprit Model Albatros 2.4S/E ARF

Esprit Model 1114 Lynbrook Street NW Palm Bay, FL 32907 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

T

he Albatros 2.4S/E is one of the most beautiful combinations of classic design and modern technology. The nostalgic shape

finished in scale-like Solartex and ready for your aileron and spoiler servos. The foamcore, obecchi-sheeted, composite-reinforced wings are easily removed for transportation, yet are securely held in place with Let Model’s ingenious retention system. All these features give the Habicht performance characteristics similar to a full-scale airplane while still remaining very light and beautifully built. The synergy of low weight and strong structure is very unusual even in custom-production sailplanes and can only be achieved with careful attention to design and construction.

Specifications Wingspan

153.25 in. (3890 mm)

Wing area

1875 in.2 (120.8 dm2)

Wing loading

21–23.5 oz/ft2

Length

74 in. (1880 mm)

Weight

15.5 lb (7040 g)

Radio

6–7 channels

Servos

12 (required)

Price

$3490.00 • White or beige gel-coated, prepainted fiberglass fuselage • Releasable launch wheels and tow hook included • Solartex-covered wings with pre-installed servo wiring • Scale cockpit with canopy latch and dashboard • Decals applied, ready for final assembly • Control surfaces: ailerons, elevator, rudder and spoilers

is perfectly blended with modern building techniques to create an electric sailplane that performs as well as it looks. The white, gel-coated fiberglass fuselage and high-tech CF main spar/leading edge tube wing and carbon/balsa built-up tail parts come together to make the Albatros a strong and light model.

Do not be fooled by its retro looks; this model was designed and built to be a 21st-century favorite. With its flap-equipped, two-piece

wing and full flying elevator, the Albatros is one of the most impressive models that we have seen in quite some time.

• Available in four color schemes—white/red, white/blue, white/orange and white/purple • Control surfaces: ailerons, elevator, rudder and flaps • Can be set up as sailplane or E-sailplane; conversion parts included • Carbon fiber main spar for added wing strength • Transparent Ultracote®-covered wings and tail parts • Includes all necessary hardware • Suggested battery: EM2600 3S

Specifications

14

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

Wingspan

96 in. (2440 mm)

Wing area

846 in.2 (54.6 dm2)

Wing loading

9–10 oz/ft2

Length

54.5 in. (1385 mm)

Weight

25 oz (700 g)

Radio

4, 6 channels

Servos

6 (required)

Price

$100.00–$395.00

HOT PRODUCTS

Flyzone DHC-2 Beaver Select Scale Tx-R

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

E

xploring the great outdoors starts here!

The Flyzone Select Scale replica of the deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver will transform

any RC flyer into an adventurous bush pilot.

Equip it with the included floats for takeoffs and landings from a pond or small lake; conventional landing gear is also supplied.

Final assembly is quick and easy—no gluing.

The Beaver features plenty of surface detail complemented by working LED lights, a replica radial engine and more. And because it’s a Tx-R, you can pilot the DHC-2 Beaver using your favorite transmitter with AnyLink!

Please visit flyzoneplanes.com for more details.

• Floats for water takeoffs and landings are included as well as conventional landing gear • Water rudders on each float improve handling—and the tailwheel is steerable • Working navigation and landing lights add realism • Ailerons and flaps feature drop hinges and authentic corrugation • A hatch on the underside of the fuselage allows easy access to the battery compartment • Advanced AeroCell foam construction makes the DHC-2 Beaver crash tough and feather light • Requires AnyLink and compatible fivechannel transmitter, 1800-mAh 11.1-V LiPo battery, compatible charger

Specifications

O.S. G22 Gasoline Engine

T

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

he O.S. GT22 gas engine offers fast starts, more power and more flights from your fuel budget, and unlike most other gasoline engines, it’s beam-mounted for easy installation inside cowls that are engineered for two-stroke .60–.91 or four-stroke 1.20 glow engines.

The GT22’s rear-mounted Walbro carb is custom-designed for this engine. A choke rod guide has been integrated into the crankcase, minimizing set-up time and hassle. Redesigned for even easier starting, the included IG-02 electronic ignition system handles 4–6-cell NiCd/NiMH or 2-cell LiPo/LiFe batteries.

Best of all, with the GT22, there’s more muscle available than other comparably sized gas engines can deliver! Please visit osengines.com for more details.

• Produces nearly 10 percent more power than other similarly sized two-stroke gas engines • Electronic ignition system accepts NiCd, NiMH, LiPo or LiFe batteries • Uses the same beam mounting as most

•

• • •

Wingspan

59.5 in. (1510 mm)

Length

38.5 in. (980 mm)

Weight

3.0–3.25 lb (1360– 1470 g)

Price

$209.99 (FLZ4022)

glow engines, allowing the GT22 to go in many aircraft designed for 1.2-in.3 glow engines Included Pitts muffler is built to last, with reinforced mounting bolt holes and webbing at high-stress points Generous two-year warranty Suggested propellers: 16 x 8, 16 x 10, 17 x 6, 17 x 8 Includes Pitts-style muffler, electronic ignition module, CM-6 spark plug, muffler gasket, bolts

Specifications Displacement

1.35 in.3 (22 cc)

Bore

1.26 in. (32 mm)

Stroke

1.08 in. (27.5 mm)

RPM

1800–9000

Output

2.66 hp @ 9000 rpm

Weight

Engine: 761.6 g (26.86 oz) Muffler: 132.6 g (4.68 oz) Ignition Module: 105 g (3.7 oz)

Price

$409.99 (OSMG1522)

RC-SF.COM

15

Hitec Digital Rudder Servo HS-7956SHR

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine St Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

Y

our dream rudder servo has arrived! Our new digital HS-7956SHR steel gear, rudder servo is unlike anything you’ve seen on the market. Featuring an all-inclusive design with its own Secraft pull-pull system and wide mounting tabs measuring 1.73 x 1.54 in. (44 x 39 mm), this tremendous servo eliminates the need for a separate rudder servo top case.

The HS-7956SHR is equipped with a high performance coreless motor, ultra heavy-duty,

Gear Type

Bearing

Motor

Steel w/ MK First Gear

Dual Ball

Coreless

O.S. Brushless Motors Now in .05, .25 and .40 Sizes

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

F

rom foamies to aerobats to 50-size ARFs, O.S. has an electric motor that’s just right.

Designed to be the “gold standard” in electric power, these motors offer the same legendary quality and reliability that have made O.S. glow engines famous worldwide for 75 years.

Only O.S. brushless motors offer a ventilation system that increases efficiency and allows the motors to generate additional power. Key to

ball-bearing-supported metal arm and two adjustable ball link rods, making it a monster performer for your 30- to 80-cc giant scale aircraft.

The oversized ball bearings provide strength and stability to eliminate any rocking motion of the output arm. For your convenience, we also developed a rudder tray conversion kit. Let this outstanding rudder servo get you flying in the right direction!

Speed 0.15 @ 6.0 V

0.12 @ 7.4 V

Torque 333 oz-in. @ 6.0 V

this system is a unique centrifugal fan design.

The fan draws air through specially angled ventilation holes, across the windings and over the magnets for greatly improved cooling and unmatched performance.

Other performance features include: • • • •

A thick can design that resists distortion Three high-quality bearings Rigid and secure mounting design Shortened motor length for easy installation in short cowls • A stainless steel prop shaft • Supplied backplate, prop shaft and goldplated female plugs • Motors can now be mounted from either the rear or the front

.25 Brushless Motor 3820-960 (OSMG9526) • A performance boost for electric aerobats • Can be used with props up to 14 in.

• Price: $79.99

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

HS-7954SH/HS7955TH Rudder Tray Conversion Kit Part #: 58499 Price: $79.99

HS-7956SHR Digital Rudder Servo Part #: 37956

.05 Brushless Motor 3805-1200 (OSMG9505) • O.S.’s smallest motor yet— ideal for foamies • Mounts easily with the same bolt pattern as other motors • Front or rear mount options • Price: $59.99

16

Price: $159.99

403 oz-in @ 7.4 V

Size

Weight

1.57 x 0.79 x 1.50 in.

2.9 oz

.40 Brushless Motor 5010810 (OSMG9538) • Effortless power for 50size planes • Capable of 9600 rpm and 4 kg of thrust w/ APC 14x7E prop and 4C LiPo battery • Price: $104.99 Please visit osengines. com for more details.

HOT PRODUCTS

Esprit Model Albatros Classic Sport 3S/E ARF

T Esprit Model 1114 Lynbrook Street NW Palm Bay, FL 32907 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

he Albatros is one of the most beautiful combinations of classic design and modern technology. The nostalgic shape is perfectly blended with modern building techniques to create an electric sailplane that performs as well as it looks. The white, gel-coated fiberglass fuselage, combined with

Specifications Wingspan

116 in. (2960 mm)

Wing area

1055 in.2 (68 dm2)

Wing loading

10.5–11.5 oz/ft2

Length

54.5 in. (1385 mm)

Weight

53 oz (1500 g)

Radio

5–6 channels

Servos

6 (required): 4 HS-5085MG and 2 HS-5245MG

Price

$545.00

classic balsa/ply D-tube wing and carbon/ balsa built-up tail parts come together to make the Albatros a strong and light model.

With its flap-equipped, three-piece wing and full flying elevator, the Albatros is one of the most impressive models that we have seen in quite some time. Each part is carefully handcrafted with meticulous attention to every detail. As soon as you open the box, you will find the Top Model build quality that you have come to expect.

Jeti Mezon Brushless ESC Series

Esprit Model 1114 Lynbrook Street NW Palm Bay, FL 32907 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

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Jeti Mezon 95 Opto (JETIMEZ95o) $295.00 Jeti Mezon 115 Opto (JETIMEZ115o) $310.00 Jeti Mezon 135 Opto (JETIMEZ135o) $330.00 Jeti Mezon 165 Opto (JETIMEZ165o) $265.00

• Available in three color schemes—white/ red, white/blue and white/orange • Control surfaces: ailerons, elevator, rudder and flaps • Can be set up as sailplane or E-sailplane; conversion parts included • Rear carbon sub spar for added wing strength • Transparent Ultracote®-covered wings and tail parts • Includes all necessary hardware • Suggested battery: EM3300 3S

he advanced design and software of the new series of Jeti MEZON ESCs are capable of unmatched precision and efficient motor management. With DUPLEX integration, all data is measured in real time. Mezon ESCs were designed with a revolutionary BEC circuit capable of measuring the exact battery capacity used and let you set up a motor cut-off point based not only on cell voltage but also on overall battery pack capacity. This function, combined with Jeti DUPLEX system, offers you full telemetry capabilities with the possibility of saving your data for further analysis.

Jeti Mezon 90 (JETIMEZ90) $295.00 Jeti Mezon 120 (JETIMEZ120) $225.00 Jeti Mezon 130 (JETIMEZ130) $330.00 Jeti Mezon 160 (JETIMEZ160) $265.00 Jeti Mezon 75 Opto (JETIMEZ75o) $275.00 RC-SF.COM

17

Great Planes Avistar Elite .46 RTF

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

R

emember how a high-wing trainer helped you learn basic flight skills? The Great Planes Avistar™ Elite RTF gives you that same added confidence when moving up to aerobatics.

The Avistar™ Elite is the ideal “second” airplane that’s second to none when it comes to convenience, stability and aerobatic capabilities. Thanks to its factory-assembled, modular components, you can have a durable, classically styled airplane in less than an hour. And you won’t have to shop around for essential add-ons: the Avistar Elite RTF is all-in-the-box complete. Great Planes includes a Tactic™ TTX600 six-channel, 2.4-GHz radio system that features SLT™ technology and dual

Buy O.S. Brushless Motor for lots of Performance

rates. Also supplied is an O.S.® 46AX II engine with installed fuel tank and fuel lines.

Specifications Wingspan

62.5 in. (1590 mm)

• Durable, stable and maneuverable • Wing halves feature pre-hinged control surfaces and servo bays for aileron servos and optional flaps • O.S. 46AX II engine already installed on the IsoSmooth™ engine mount • The semi-symmetrical wing combines trainer-like stability with the ability to execute smooth rolls and sport aerobatics • The patented EasyAlign™ system guides tail

Length

55 in. (1395 mm)

Weight

6.5 lb (2950 g)

Price

$339.99 (GPMA1605)

sections into place automatically, with no tools required (U.S. Patents #6,938,856 and #6,986,695)

.10 Brushless Motor (OSMG9510) Price: $59.99 .15 Brushless Motor (OSMG9515) Price: $64.98 .25 Brushless Motor (OSMG9525) Price: $74.99 .30 Brushless Motor (OSMG9530) Price: $79.99 .40 Brushless Motor (OSMG9540) Price: $119.99 .50 Brushless Motor (OSMG9550) Price: $129.99

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

O

.S. Brushless Motors are the gold standard in power and performance—and pilots love showing their brand loyalty with these motors. Purchase any O.S. Brushless Motor and discover why these new motors are pushing performance beyond what you would expect

Hitec LiPo Battery Checker and Balancer

for any branded motor and speed controller combination..

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine St Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

Specifications

T

he Hitec LiPo Checker has arrived, and you are going to love it! With an easy-to-read LCD display and built-in safety features, the convenience and accuracy of this tool can’t be beat. The battery checking function precisely reviews the voltage of each cell of a lithium polymer pack while displaying the remaining total capacity. The balance operation equalizes the individual voltages of each cell until the difference between each reaches 0.01 volts

18

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

or less. Although most LiPo packs’ balancing ports will plug directly into the LiPo Checker, we also included an adapter for Thunder Power and Flight Power® style plugs. Please be certain to use lithium polymer battery packs up to six cells only.

Applicable battery pack

2–6S LiPo

Case size

70 x 38 x 11 mm

Weight

23 g

Voltage display tolerance

+1–1.5%

Voltage display resolution

O.O1v

Voltage display range

0–5 V

Balancing current

50 mAh

Price (#44173)

$19.99

HOT PRODUCTS

Heli-Max 1SQ SLT 2.4GHz Quadcopter RTF and Tx-R

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

W

hat makes the innovative 1SQ unlike any other quadcopter? For starters, its three-axis gyro system features exclusive HeliMax TAGS technology. The TAGS unit offers far easier control than any single-axis gyro can provide, stabilizing all three axes (yaw, roll and pitch) to prevent external forces from affecting performance. Combine that with the 1SQ’s four independently controlled rotor blades, and you have a machine so stable that even complete newcomers can fly it with confidence. Its tough, molded plastic and composite parts can stand up to hard knocks indoors or out.

Adding to the advantages for new pilots, the ready-to-fly 1SQ includes a 2.4-GHz radio that features selectable beginner and expert modes. You’ll be able to start flying the

E-Flite 2.9-m Mystique ARF

T

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 Horizonhobby.com

he E-flite® Mystique™ 2.9-m ARF aircraft is an electric sailplane inspired by F5J-class competition and similar Limited Motor Run events popular around the globe. Even if all you’re looking for is a glider to enjoy on a lazy afternoon, the Mystique sailplane delivers an outstanding RC soaring experience. Its impressive wing uses the versatile Selig SD3021 airfoil that’s proven its excellence by offering good low-speed characteristics, as well as the ability to move quickly from

model with the control sensitivity you’re most comfortable with.

Choose from Tx-R™ (Transmitter-Ready) and ready-to-fly versions. Both include a 1S 250-mAh LiPo flight battery, USBcompatible charger and extra blades. The Tx-R requires a six-channel heli radio with SLT, or AnyLink and a compatible six-channel heli radio. Please visit helimax-rc.com for more details.

thermal to thermal. The contour of the molded fiberglass fuselage is sleek yet provides ample room for its pushrods to run internally and still have room for a powerful LiPo motor battery.

• Options available for electric motor power or pure sailplane flight • Genuine Hangar 9® UltraCote® and Ultracote Lite film covering • All wood plug-in wings with fully hinged flaps and ailerons • Streamlined fiberglass fuselage with built-in vertical fin • Full-house sailplane control with adjustable wing camber • Large canopy provides easy access to equipment • Heavy-duty carbon fiber wing and stabilizer joiners • Two-piece full-flying stabilizer

Specifications Length

5.7 in. (145 mm)

Width

5.7 in. (145 mm)

Height

1.37 in. (35 mm)

Weight w/ battery

1.1 oz (31.2 g)

Blade length

2.16 in. (55 mm)

Price

$99.99 for RFT (HMXE0834) $79.99 for Tx-R (HMXE0835)

Specifications Wingspan

114 in. (2.9 m)

Wing area

1034 in.2 (66.7 dm2)

Wing loading

10.9 oz/ft.2

Length

58.5 in. (1.48 m)

Weight

4.2–4.6 lb (1.90–2.05 kg) unpowered; 4.85–5.00 lb (2.20– 2.25 kg) powered

Battery

6.6-V 2S 1100-mAh LiFe for pure sailplane; 11.1-V 3S 3200-mAh 30C LiPo for electric (required)

Radio

6 channels minimum (required)

Servos

2 mini, 4 thin wing (required)

ESC

60-amp brushless (required for electric)

Price

$369.99 (EFL4905)

RC-SF.COM

19

Top Flite Giant Scale FockeWulf Fw 190 Gas ARF

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

I

mpressive, IMAA-legal dimensions and superior scale details will make the Top Flite Focke-Wulf Fw 190 a hit at any flying field.

Assembly is straightforward, thanks to Gold Edition engineering. And this warbird’s flight characteristics are just as impressive as its looks. The Giant Scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190 is packed with realism—and it’s a great addition to your squadron! Please visit top-flite.com for more details.

• Easy-access fiberglass hatch removes for more than enough room to hold a retract filling valve and air tank, switches, charge jacks and a fuel dot • Painted fiberglass parts such as the cowl, exhaust ports and tailwheel cover capture

Thunder Tiger Raptor 50 Nitro Sport ARF Heli

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

Y

our first helicopter has to be special.

You want one that’s durable and easy to maintain, one that’ll get you to the flight line fast with everything you need for solid performance. And you want a heli that will grow with you so you can go from learning the basics to flying 3D—confident that your heli can do it all. The Thunder Tiger 50S gives you everything you need for transition plus factory assembly and testing.

The Raptor 50S heli requires a radio system with six channels and fuel. It comes with the following performance components already installed: • PRO .50 engine & high-volume muffler • TG7200 heading hold gyro • High-torque, metal-gear cyclic & throttle servos • DS0606n digital tail servo • Zero Alpha II governor

20

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

•

• •

• •

• • • •

• • • • • •

the Focke-Wulf’s lines while also reducing building time The control surfaces are historically accurate and prehinged for faster assembly Built-up and sheeted airframe components come finished in flat MonoKote® film Scale details include a machined aluminum two-blade spinner, cannons and antenna mounts Detailed cockpit features recessed gauges, a pilot’s seat and side panels Matte-finish decals let you customize the

Responsive 90-degree rotor head Reliable belt-driven tail rotor 600-mm (23.6-in.) wooden main blades Extra-long aluminum tail boom to accommodate optional 620-mm (24.4-in.) blades Lightweight tail boom support brackets Easy-to-install tail rod guides Reinforced support bracket Metal tail boom clamp Molded plastic frame for minimum maintenance and maximum durability Low-profile nylon landing gear with aluminum skids

Specifications Wingspan

85 in. (2160 mm)

Length

73 in. (1860 mm)

Weight

22–24 lb (9.98–10.88 kg)

Price

$749.99 (TOPA0706)

Focke-Wulf to your liking • Designed for Robart® retractable landing gear for the ultimate realism • Designed for 50- to 55-cc gasoline engines

Specifications Length

48 in. (1200 mm)

Width

5.50 in. (140 mm)

Height

15.75 in. (400 mm)

Main Rotor Diameter

53 in. (1345 mm)

Tail Rotor Diameter

9.3 in. (237 mm)

RTF Weight

6.9 lb (3.12 kg)

Price

$629.99 (TTRE0048)

HOT PRODUCTS

Buy a Thunder Tiger Boat for more fun than you have had!

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

Victoria Yacht Kit (TTRB1000) Price: $144.99 Voyager II 1-Meter Racing Yacht Kit (TTRB5552) Price: $199.99 Odyssey II Racing Yacht Kit (TTRB5553) Price: $114.99

B

uy a Thunder Tiger boat to start having more fun on the water than you thought possible! If you’ve always wanted to enjoy some fun on the water, now’s your chance get one of these great hulls and power systems that deliver real performance and excitement on any pond or lake. Please visit ttamerica.com for details.

Neptune SB-1 Submarine (TTRB5220) Price: $699.99 Outlaw Jr. Brushless RTR 2.4 GHz Yellow (TTRB5123) Price: $249.99 Outlaw Jr. Brushless RTR 2.4 GHz Green (TRB5124) Price: $249.99 Desperado Jr. Brushless RTR 2.4 GHz Green (TTRB5126) Price: $219.99 Desperado Jr. Brushless RTR 2.4 GHz Blue (TTRB5127) Price: $219.99 ETNZ 1-Meter Racing Yacht Kit (TTRB5555) Price: $299.99

Top Flite Mini Contender EP ARF

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

L

ike the original Contender (which debuted over 40 years ago), the Mini Contender boasts an ultra-thick airfoil, giving it an ultrawide flight envelope. The Mini Contender is just as adept at slow and steady flight as it is wild, full-throttle aerobatics. Conventional construction makes for easy assembly, and modelers won’t have to spend a lot to equip this model with compact electronics for performing thrilling maneuvers. Thousands of pilots honed their skills flying the original Contender. This smaller-sized version continues the Top Flite tradition. Please visit top-flite.com for more details.

MonoKote® film • Performs well using economical electronics • An easy-access, magnetically attached hatch simplifies battery pack swap-outs • ABS cowl adds signature Contender looks • Steerable nose gear provides superior ground handling • A one-piece wing reduces assembly time • Pre-hinged ailerons, each with its own servo, allow precise control during demanding aerobatics—as well as flaperon mixing

Specifications Wingspan

36 in. (915 mm)

Length

34.5 in. (875 mm)

Weight

27–30 oz (765–850 g)

Price

$99.99 (TOPA1025)

• All-wood construction, factory-covered in RC-SF.COM

21

Thunder Tiger Raptor E550S ARF Electric 3D Heli

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

T

Specifications Length

45.25 in. (1150 mm)

Width

5.50 in. (140 mm)

Height

15.35 in. (390 mm)

Motor

1150 kV brushless

Controller

80A brushless ESC

Main Rotor Diameter

49 in. (1245 mm)

Tail Rotor Diameter

9.3 in. (2376 mm)

RTF Weight

5.8 lb (2.65 kg)

Price

$649.99 (TTRE0030)

E-Flite UMX Sbach 342 3D BNF

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 Horizonhobby.com

T

he E-flite® UMX™ Sbach® 342 3D BNF Basic is a scale ultra micro RC airplane conveniently sized to fly at a park, large backyard or indoor space. Designed by world-class competition pilot and designer Mike McConville, it delivers incredible performance for precision aerobatics and extreme 3D. Thanks to its AS3X stabilization system, it performs like an expertly tuned

22

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

he Raptor E550S is already 95-percent assembled, requiring only a radio. It’s designed for top-notch 3D performance and amazing ease for the 3D pilot. It’s ease that goes beyond factory assembly to include factory-installation of advanced electronics and a brushless power system as well as testing and factory-adjustment. Get off to a fast start in 3D with the heli designed to deliver both—the Raptor E550S. • • • • •

TG7200 heading hold gyro High-torque, metal-gear cyclic servos DS0606n digital tail servo Precise, responsive 140° eCCPM rotor head Belt-driven tail rotor

giant-scale airplane. Whether you want to fly smooth scale maneuvers or wild 3D moves, AS3X technology gives you an amplified sense of authority and stability, even in moderately windy conditions.

• AS3X® System for outstanding precision and 3D aerobatics • Spektrum™ six-channel AS3X receiver with BL ESC • Authentic paint scheme and tinted windshield • Two SFG Technology® side force generators enhance 3D performance

• Two-piece carbon-fiber airframe w/ generous battery compartment • High-performance 550-mm (21.65-in.) carbon-fiber main blades • Lightweight tail boom support bracket • Easy-to-install tail guides • Reinforced boom support brackets • Metal tail boom clamp • Nylon landing gear with low-profile aluminum skids • Requires: radio system with six channels & 6S, LiPo battery The Raptor E550S will be available early November. Please visit ttamerica.com for details.

• Four-channel control with steerable tail wheel • Smooth-molded construction with carbon fiber reinforcements

Specifications Wingspan

17.0 in. (432 mm)

Wing area

65 in.2 (4.2 dm2)

Wing loading

5.9 oz/ft.2

Length

16.6 in. (422 mm)

Weight

4.2–4.6 lb (1.90–2.05 kg) unpowered;

Engine

2500-Kv brushless outrunner

Battery

2S 7.4-V 180-mAh LiPo (required)

Radio

4+ channel DSM2 or DSMX transmitter (required)

Servos

4 (installed)

Price

$139.99 (EFLU4950)

HOT PRODUCTS

Buy a Flybarless Mini Titan E325V2 for 3D Action starting NOW!

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

T

he Thunder Tiger Mini Titan E325V2 has gone flybarless. Now you get a heli that delivers stunning performance, but at an affordable price too. You’ll need an ElectriFly 11.1-V 2200-mAh 30C LiPo battery and a few extras . Please visit ttamerica.com for details.

Blade Nano CP X RTF

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 Horizonhobby.com

Mini Titan E325V2 FBL Kit with CF Blades (TTRE0020) $279.99

• • • • •

AS3X flybarless system Symmetrical 85-mm main rotor blades Carbon fiber main shaft Sleek body with sharp Nano CP X graphics Includes Spektrum transmitter, two LiPo batteries and a DC charger • Includes two main blade sets; Fast Flight

F

lip, funnel or roll in any room of your house with the incredible Blade Nano CP X. It’s the lightest flybarless CP helicopter in its class. At the center of its amazing abilities is the proven AS3X flybarless systme that gives the Nano CP X its balance of agility and stability. It’s durable too, so you can fly aggressively without worrying about costly repairs.

Everything you need to get in the air is in the box, so just charge your batteries, and you’re ready to fly.

Carl Goldberg Super Chipmunk EP ARF

T

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

op-quality Carl Goldberg engineering has faithfully reproduced a sport-scale version of the Super Chipmunk long recognized as a 1970s airshow favorite! Delivering exciting aerobatic performance and sport-scale looks in a convenient park flyer size, the Super Chipmunk is exactly what the demanding modeler wants. When equipped with a 400size brushless motor, it delivers more than enough power to nail any maneuver pilots can dream up. With its low parts count and generous supply of hardware, modelers will be up in the air in no time!

Main Rotor Blades (installed) and Hiperformance Main Rotor Blades (in box)

• Built-up wood construction, covered in MonoKote® film • Molded, factory-painted cowl and wheel pants • Magnetic hatch for easy battery compartment access • An aileron servo in each wing half for maneuvering precision and mixing ability • Decal sheet with authentic sponsor logos (©2012 Pennzoil-Quaker State Company)

Mini Titan E325V2 FBL Kit with Motor/ESC/CF Blades (TTRE0021) $349.99 Mini Titan E325V2 FBL ARF with CF Blades (TTRE0023) $299.99 Mini Titan E325V2 FBL ARF with Motor/ESC/ CF Blades (TTRE0024) $359.99

Specifications Flight time

4–5 min

Scale

Ultra micro

Height

3.11 in (79 mm)

Length

7.5 in. (197 mm)

Weight

1.05 oz (29 g)

Main blade length

3.35 in. (85 mm)

Main rotor diameter

7.75 in. (197 mm)

Tail rotor diameter

1.57 in. (40 mm)

Battery

1S 3.7-V 150-mAh 25C LiPo (2)

Radio

5 channels minimum

Recommended environment

Indoor/Outdoor

Price

$189.99 (BLH3300)

Specifications Wingspan

38 in. (965 mm)

Length

28 in. (710 mm)

Weight

23–25 oz (650–710 g)

Price

$129.99 (GPMA1928)

RC-SF.COM

23

24

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

100cc Carbon Cub

sport Cub s2

168” Wingspan

NEW ARF

110” Wingspan 50cc gas

Cessna 195

35cc Extra 300 Wing Span: 78”

8 To 10 houRs AssEmblY TimE

Weight: 13-15 lbs Engine: 35cc-45cc Gas

Engine: 1.60-2.20 Glow

90” Wingspan 1.80 glow to 30cc gas

$499.95 PLUS S&H

50cc Pitts Python ARF

YAK 54 .90-1.20

P-51D mustang

70” Wingspan 1725 sq. in.

Wing aREa

72” Wingspan

$379.95

P-51b mustang Coming soon!

Edge 540 30cc, 50cc & 100cc 150cc Coming soon!

PLUS S&H

$729.95

50cc ,100cc, 150cc Extra 300

PLUS S&H

.46-.61 EDGE

$699.95 $1099.95 $1995.95

86” Wingspan 50cc gas

540T ARF

60” Wingspan

PLUS S&H

$189.95

Extra 260

PLUS S&H

50cc , 75cc, 100cc & 150cc 84” Wingspan $629.95

50cc Extra 300lP

PLUS S&H

$699.95

$949.95

PLUS S&H

PLUS S&H

122” Wingspan $1895.95

$1049.95 PLUS S&H

50cc 100cc 150cc 30cc Coming soon

PLUS S&H

104” Wingspan

$699.95

ultimate 20-300

Weight: 15.5 to 16.5 lbs Engine: 50cc Gas

$795.95

106” Wingspan

PLUS S&H

Wing Span: 86 inches.

Wing Area: 1350 sq. in.

96” Wingspan

88” Wingspan

68” Wingspan $699.95

YAK 54

50cc, 85cc, 100cc, 150cc

PLUS S&H

84” Wingspan

94” Wingspan

$1195.95 $2195.95 PLUS S&H

PLUS S&H

PLUS S&H

.46 & .61 Profile Extra 260 48” & 56” Wingspan

122” Wingspan $1995.95

NEW PRODUCTS! Bravata

110” Wingspan 30cc gas Float Ready!

PLUS S&H

Freestyle 260 52” Wingspan Electric

104” Wingspan

85” Wingspan

$1049.95 $895.95 $629.95 PLUS S&H PLUS S&H

100cc Yak 55m 108” Wingspan

VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE Be sure to visit our website for all your shopping needs.

www.aero-works.net

98” Wingspan

PLUS S&H

.60-.90 Extra 260, 300 & Yak 54 Glow or Electric Ready!

30cc Extra 300

30cc Edge 540

74” Wingspan 1.60-1.80 glow 30cc gas Electric

74” Wingspan 1.60-1.80 glow 30cc gas

303-371- 4222

Email: info@aero-works.net 4903 Nome Street • Denver, CO 80239

1815 South Research Loop Tucson, Arizona 85710 Phone: (520) 722-0607 E-mail: info@desertaircraft.com Web Site: desertaircraft.com

DA-200

Price $2795

Displacement: 12.20 cin (200 cc) Output: 19 hp Weight: 10.95 lb (4.95 kilos) Length: 9.625 in. (244 mm) Warranty: Two Years

DA-150

Price $1395

Displacement: 9.15 ci (150 cc) Output: 16.5 hp Weight: 7.96 lb (3.61 kilos) Length: 7.67 in. (195 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-100L

Price $999

Displacement: 6.10 ci (100 cc) Output: 9.8 hp Weight: 5.57 lb (2.53 kilos) Length: 6.5 in. (162.5 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-50-R

Price $595

Displacement: 3.05 ci (50 cc) Output: 5.0 hp Weight: 2.94 lb (1.33 kilos) Length: 6.7 (170 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-170

Price $1695

Displacement: 10.48 ci (171.8 cc) Output: 18 hp Weight: 8.05 lb (3.56 kilos) Length: 7.67 in. (195 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-120

Price $1199

Displacement: 7.4 ci (121 cc) Output: 11 hp Weight: 4.95 lb (2.25 kilos) Length: 6.25 in. (159 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-85

Price $795

Displacement: 5.24 ci (85.9 cc) Output: 8.5 hp Weight: 4.3 lb (1.95 kilos) Length: 5.9 in. (150 mm) Warranty: Three year

With Hitec’s advance telemetry system, your communication with your model is out of this world! Providing more telemetric capabilities than any other system, our HTS-SS Advance Sensor Station and suite of sensors delivers the most reliable and comprehensive information possible. Compatible with Hitec’s existing line of sensors, the HTS-ADVANCE also provides engine temperature via the HTS-ETEMP sensor, air speed via the HTS-AS sensor, sensitive rate-of-climb tracking via the HTS-VM sensor and servo performance via the HTS-SM sensor. Prepare to be a mind reader!

BY Joe Cutright

2012

CLOVER CREEK INVITATIONAL

A HEAD-TO-HEAD BATTLE FOR THE CCI TITLE

T Gernot Bruckman jumps to his feet as his name is called for the first place finish at the 2012 Clover Creek Invitational.

he 2012 Clover Creek Invitational (CCI) was held the weekend of August 30 through September 2, 2012. Pilots from around the world started to arrive in Toone, Tennessee about a week before the contest.

The weather could not have been better for an IMAC competition, with clear skies and light winds. It was no wonder that the pilots were excited about

competing for the first place prize of $20,000.

A problem, however, faced the pilots and the event. Hurricane Isaac was moving up the Gulf Coast and was predicted to head straight for Tennessee. It seemed that the 2012 Clover Creek Invitational would not take place over Labor Day weekend.

Gernot came well prepared for this event. He had put in countless hours of practicing, which finally paid off big with a check from John Schroder for $20K.

Tina and John Schroder (event sponsors) stand proud with Gernot. His hard work for the four days of competition earned him a big first place win.

28

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

2012 CLOVER CREEK INVITATIONAL Kelly Yeager, one of the girls from Higher Plane Productions, takes a moment to pose with the event sponsor and host, John Schroder. John put up the cash purse for the 2012 event.

With the weather forecast predicting a 40 percent chance of rain on Thursday and 70 percent chance on Friday and Saturday, the event directors were forced to make lastminute changes to the schedule. They decided to have the competitors fly as much of the competition as possible on Thursday.

On Thursday morning, the first day of the competition, the first

The contest received continued support from sources that had sponsored previous Invitational Championships, as well as from some new ones!

competitor was in the air by 7:00 a.m. A few times, the weather forced us to pause the competition to let some mild rain showers pass.

Nevertheless, the competitors still managed to log a total of 96 flights.

The day’s competition ended at 7:05

p.m. The flights flown included four single sequence Known “A” rounds, an Unknown “A” sequence and a Freestyle #1. The competition was hard fought, with the pilots pouring every ounce of energy they had into their flying—they were concerned this might be the only day they would compete!

Overcast skies greeted the Friday morning competitors. Even so, the contest started by 8:00 a.m per the schedule. Pilots were able to fly Unknown “B,” Known “B” single sequence, Freestyle #2 and another round of Known “B” single sequence.

Because of the teamwork of the officials and of the competitors, the event ran super smoothly. The result was that the pilots were able to complete all the tasks that were scheduled for both Friday and Saturday Saturday’s schedule mirrored that of Friday’s. The competitors flew Known Sequence “B” two times and then flew an Unknown “C” and Freestyle #3.

Saturday’s flying ended with a fantastic sunset. There was also time for everybody to take a dip in the saltwater swimming pool. Once everyone relaxed and socialized for a bit, they got ready for the 6:30 p.m. banquet. At the banquet we were treated to a 25-minute video done by a family friend of Nicolas Detry—a pilot from France. He had taken the video over the three days of the competition. It was really enjoyable to watch during dinner. At the banquet, the contest director, Joe Cutright, acknowledged the volunteers by giving them prizes that had been donated by event sponsors. The event staff and judges were thanked and then it was time to announce the ten finalists in the competition. They would compete Sunday.

All of the competitors were very accomplished. Only the top ten pilots, however, would advance to compete on Sunday. The top ten pilots to RC-SF.COM

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Aaron Garle from Australia competed with a borrowed airplane, courtesy of Joe Cutright. A 3.1 H9 Sukhoi, DA170 and RE3 tuned pipes proved up to the challenge.

advance to the finals were: Gernot Bruckmann, Jason Shulman, David Moser, Nicolas Pinzon, Kurt Koelling, Frank Noll Jr., Nicolas Detry, Gabriel Altuz Jr., Matthew Stringer and Will Berninger. Gernot Bruckmann had finished in first place after the first

After Friday’s flying, Matt Stringer and his father lengthened the headers for Matt’s aircraft’s DA-150 engine and added Greves Pipes, which resulted in an increase in performance of 250 rpm!

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

Nicolas Detry traveled from France to compete in the championship. He flew some beautiful routines with his new 41% Krill Models Extra 330sc.

three days of competition with a perfect overall score of 15,000 points—550 points in front of second place!

On Sunday the competition began with the finalists having their previous scores zeroed. It was a battle of the

best pilots going head to head in competition. The rules were that if there were a tie for first place on Sunday, Saturday’s final scores would determine the winner.

The tasks that were flown were two single sequence rounds of

2012 CLOVER CREEK INVITATIONAL

Nicolas Pinzon of Canada poses with his Carden 124-in.

PRO, which is powered by a DA-200. Nick’s piloting skills landed him a fourth place finish!

Known “C,” Unknown “D” and “E,” as well as two freestyle routines.

Each pilot kept his best score in each category to determine the winner.

Sunday’s competition flying was spectacular to say the least.

Unfortunately Nicolas Detry’s aircraft suffered structural damage during a flight, which prevented him from finishing the contest. David Moser was flying his backup

Gabriel Altuz from Puerto Rico took a moment to release some stress at the end of Saturday’s competition with some very aggressive freestyle flying.

Gernot and his father Gerhard are getting ready to start one of their sequences. When asked how much practice Gernot did, his father replied, “A lot!”

A few stray showers passed through, which covered Nick Pinzon’s aircraft with raindrops. You can see he gets support from Higher Plane Productions!

aircraft because his primary was lost on the first day of the competition.

That said, his backup aircraft also suffered structural damage on his last Known sequence early in the flight. No matter—he continued to fly his aircraft hard to the finish.

Kurt Koelling pushed the outside of the envelope too, crashing his freestyle airplane in the nearby bean field during his last flight of the day.

Fortunately his aircraft suffered only minor damage and will fly again. Gernot Bruckmann flew some very well choreographed freestyle routines previously, and was on mark Sunday too. Gabriel Altuz was the David Moser finished in second place. Gernot Bruckman took first, and Kurt Koelling finished third. All three pilots gave it their best over the four days of competition.

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Kelly Yeager and David Moser pose with David’s aircraft: a Hangar 9® 35%-scale Extra 300 for Freestyle and a Dalton 40% MEL Extra 300 for precision.

last pilot to fly Freestyle, and he put on a show that will always be remembered and won that round of Freestyle!

When all the scores were tallied, Gernot Bruckmann pulled off the win, finishing only 29 points in front of David Moser. Kurt Koelling took third, followed by Nicolas Kelly was an excellent assistant for Fred Midgett throughout the weekend. She took photos and videos on the flight line and worked the Higher Planes booth.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

A familiar scene at competitions is pilots gathering around the scoreboard. Our scorekeeper, Phyllis Youngblood, had scores tallied and posted in record-setting time throughout the event!

Pinzon, Jason Shulman, Gabriel Altuz, Matthew Stringer, Will Berninger, Nicolas Detry and Frank Noll.

The 2012 Clover Creek Invitational was a huge success.

Debuting in 2008, the Clover Creek Invitational is now known worldwide.

Judges and pilots have attended from as far away as The Netherlands,

Norway, Canada, France, Italy, Austria, Puerto Rico, Australia and of course the United States. The 2012 event was a wonderful experience for all.

We’re looking forward to the next Clover Creek Invitational.

2012 CLOVER CREEK INVITATIONAL

Nick Pinzon flew his 35%-scale Hangar 9 Extra 300 in the Freestyle portion of the Clover Creek event. Nick put together some well-choreographed routines.

Kurt Koelling and his caller, Lou Matustik, made a great team! Kurt flew very consistent routines throughout the 2012 event and was clearly on a mission!

Thanks to Our Sponsors:

Brian Sanik’s airplane comes in for a landing after an exciting Freestyle routine, which was topped off with a smoke system and canisters on the wing.

All pilots competing in this years Invitational flew exceptionally well and proved themselves worthy to be classified as Invitational Class Pilots. Job well done!

Event Staff John and Tina Schroder (event hosts), Joe Cutright (contest director), Wayne Matthews (chief judge), Phyllis Youngblood (score keeper), Kent Porter (MC and score keeper), Gil Major (event assistant)

Desert Aircraft, Dalton Aviation, Aircraft International, Budweiser, Monster Energy Drink, Aeroworks, Higher Plane Productions, Sew Busy Custom Embroidery, Classic Awards and Engraving, Horizon Hobby, PowerBox Systems, JTEC Radiowave, Smart Fly, Performance Aircraft Unlimited, Handibond USA Glue, Chilis Restaurant, Outback Restaurant, Tru-Turn Spinners, RC Sport Flyer magazine.

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BY Jeff Troy

FUSELAGES PART I THE GREAT PLANES® SUPER SPORTSTER 60

I

f you’ve been following my “Building Model Airplanes” series for RC Sport Flyer magazine, you’ve seen the empennage for five different airplanes hit my workbench. These tail sections were followed by three sets of wings, with two more wing sets to come. I had planned to continue the series with the wing panels for the 89-in. Dynaflite® Super Decathlon, but I felt that a break from ribs and spars might be a welcome relief for everyone. After all, if I was seeing double from gluing ribs for my own models, how must my readers feel when most of you were probably not building the same models that I was—and certainly not all five of them.

So, relief comes to you in the form of the first of five fuselages, and it’s the venerable Super Sportster 60 from Great Planes. I chose this fuselage because it is a relatively simple component to construct, but it still gives me plenty of opportunity to pass along suggestions for improving your personal bag of building tricks.

Those last two sets of wings are still on the burner, but the heat’s on low

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and they’ll just stew for a bit while I build the Sportster fuselage.

Designed by Don Anderson, the Great Planes Super Sportser 60 has a slab-sided fuselage. This means that the two fuselage sides are solid-sheet parts with no stringers or built-up sections. The formers use built-up

Plywood doublers are installed on the fuselage sides with BSI gap-filling CA. Be sure to make one right and one left side, not two rights or lefts.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

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construction and the rear deck is all stringers, but the sides and rear bottom are simple sheets of balsa.

The original design used 1/8-in. balsa doublers to strengthen the inside wall of each side sheet from the rear of the wing saddle to the front of the sheet where the firewall

Pin the sides together with the doublers face to face. Be particularly careful about lining up the sides at the fuselage’s nose and tail.

BUILDING MODEL AIRPLANES mounts. The balsa doublers have been replaced in current kits by a diecut, 1/8-in. plywood sheet for each doubler, complete with lightening

cutouts and a correct wing saddle shape that you can use as a guide to trim the machine-cut balsa sides.

I laminated the plywood doublers

onto the balsa sides with Bob Smith Industries (BSI) gap-filling cyanoacrylate (CA) glue, working quickly to apply the adhesive to the

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Sand the sides to be identical, working hard at keeping your bar sander at a perfect right angle to the sides. You don’t want any angle sanded in.

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Check the fit of the rear deck in the doubler notch. The notch will probably have to be slightly deepened to get the deck flush with the sides.

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K&S Engineering offers this bag of “Sizes & Shapes,” an assortment of metal tubing odds and ends in round, square and other configurations.

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Prepare the fuselage sides for the pushrod exits by using a #11 blade to cut a bevel on the inside edge of a length of 3/36-in. brass tubing.

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Mark the locations of the pushrod housing exits on the fuselage sides, then use a rotating motion of the tubing to cut a clean hole through each side.

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A 3/16-in. round file is handy for adjusting the angle of the hole.

The objective here is to put as little bend as possible in the plastic pushrod housing.

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One at a time, fit both sides over the sanded wing to check and adjust the mating of the wing saddle to the airfoil. Sand if necessary, being careful not to change the angle of the saddle or alter the incidence of the wing.

Install the #2 and #3 bulkheads to one side of the fuselage, then put that sub-assembly and the second fuselage side in the jig. Glue the bulkheads to the second side.

plywood part and press the parts together before the CA cured.

The top edges of the fuselage and doubler are straight lines that can be easily cut or sanded to adjust, so my priority when joining these two parts was aligning their lower edges and wing saddle areas.

When you join the doublers and sides—be sure to make mirror images, one right side and one left side, not two rights or two lefts— trim the wing saddle areas of the balsa sides to match those of the doublers. Place the sides next to each other, balsa to balsa, and pin them together with the saddles and bottom edges in perfect alignment.

Use coarse sandpaper on an EasyTouch bar sander to bring both sides to an identical shape, being especially 38

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

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Two cowl cheek sticks are in the kit and will be installed on the fuselage later on. For now, pin them down over the plans. They will serve as a jig to keep the fuselage sides straight while it’s being constructed.

Remove the fuselage from the jig. Lift the Great Planes Plan Protector from the plan and use a pencil to extend the lines of the rear bulkhead locations.

careful to maintain a 90-degree angle on the edges all around.

Some trimming of the top edge of the plywood doublers will have been done, and this will affect the notches in the doublers that support the 1/8-in. balsa upper fuselage crutch.

Trying hard not to cut through the balsa sides, use your hobby knife and a fresh #11 blade to trim the notches so the crutch can be seated flush with the upper sides of the fuselage.

Use the plans to locate the pushrod tube exits for the rudder and elevator rods. Then cut 3/16in. holes at those locations. I have a couple of bags of “Sizes & Shapes” from K&S Engineering. These bags are filled with miscellaneous collections of odds-and-ends such as rods, round tubes and square tubes in brass,

aluminum and copper. The assortment isn’t expensive and all the ends are neatly cut, so it’s likely that you will find an endless variety of uses for these metal bits whenever you build a model airplane.

I picked out a 3/16-in. brass tube about three inches long, beveled one inside edge of the tube with a #11 blade and used the tube as a hole saw to cut the exit holes in the fuselage sides at the correct angle for the guide tubes. After cutting the holes, I fine-tuned their angles with a 3/16-in. round file.

Before the sides are used to construct the fuselage, the saddles should be checked for their fit over the wing. Mine were just fine and required no adjusting. The plywood doublers seem to have done well

BUILDING MODEL AIRPLANES

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Pin down the wood for the rear deck and then use the extended lines on the plans to position the rear bulkheads of the fuselage. You’ll want to use CA glue for this part of the build because it will “kick” quickly.

You’ll want to clamp the fuselage sides together at the fuselage’s tail. Clamps like mine are available at Home Depot or any similar hardware store.

You don’t want any uneven lines in the fuselage sides, so hold them tight against the bulkheads with a wide, flat “whatever” from your workshop. A length of 2x4 or anything similar is good. I used the flat side of a bar sander.

in their function as “saddle sitters.”

The Sportster’s built-up rear formers couldn’t be any easier to assemble.

Just build them up over the drawings

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Put the fuselage back into the jig, butting bulkhead #3 against the forward edge of the rear deck. Apply a few drops of thin CA to the deck/bulkhead #3 joint only. Be stingy here, and don’t let the adhesive creep toward the sides.

Starting with the center bulkhead of the tail section, squeeze the sides together and apply thin CA along the sides of the bulkhead. My favorite is BSI thin CA.

Installing the pushrod housings is next. Be sure to rough them up with coarse sandpaper in the gluing areas, followed by a wipedown with alcohol to remove any sanding dust and debris. This will guarantee a good bond between wood and plastic.

on the plan and set them aside while you prepare for the steps prior to their installation.

Two pieces of 1/2-in. balsa are

included in the kit. These are the upper cowl cheeks, but they are not installed until much later in the fuselage’s assembly. I found another RC-SF.COM

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Insert the housings and slide the metal pushrods inside them to keep the housings relatively straight while you apply CA to the exits in the sides and bulkhead #3.

Slow- (30-minute) or medium-set (12-minute) epoxy is an excellent adhesive for important structural parts. Use clamps to hold the plywood wing-attach plates tightly against the #2 and #3 bulkheads while the epoxy cures.

way to use them before then, and that is to create a makeshift jig for the forward fuselage. Pin the two parts down over the plans, aligning their edges with the outside edges of the balsa fuselage sides.

Insert the plywood F2 and balsa F3 bulkheads between the fuselage sides, then fit the sides between the pinned-down cheek parts to ensure a dead-straight line of the fuselage sides in the wing saddle area. Use a straightedge and a pencil or marking pen to extend the rear former locations on the plans. This will ensure that you are able to position the formers correctly when the rear ends of the sides are drawn together against the upper crutch.

Pin down the upper crutch, pushing it tightly against bulkhead 40

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

20

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Instead of cutting and fitting single-piece supports, use a few strips of scrap balsa to trap the housings at the bulkhead stations.

This will eliminate any flex in the housings.

The firewall is another part that is best glued in with epoxy.

There will be plenty of surrounding pieces to trap the firewall in position, so I used BSI 5-minute epoxy and held the sides tightly against the firewall until the adhesive cured.

#3 and being absolutely certain that it is centered over the top view of the plans and not pulled to the right or left. Now gently pull the fuselage sides together at the rear and check their fit against the pinned-down balsa crutch. When all is in order, apply gap-filling CA at the tail joint and hold the tail ends of the sides together with rubber-tipped clamps.

If your clamps are not tipped with rubber, you can prevent denting the sides by placing thin pieces of scrap plywood between the clamp jaws and the soft balsa sides.

One at a time, install the rear formers over the crutch and between the sides. I used BSI thin CA for this step, applying it near the tops of the formers and letting it dribble down the former sides and into the joints.

It’s important that the sides are tight against the crutch and formers when applying the adhesive, but you don’t want the sides to buckle from the uneven pressure of holding them tight with your fingers. My solution is to use a flat piece of plywood or a bar sander on each side of the fuselage to press the sides together while the CA cures.

Cut the pushrod tubes slightly oversize, then rough up their ends with a Perma-Grit® sander or coarse sandpaper on the Easy-Touch® sander. Wipe the ends down with alcohol to remove any sanding residue, mold-release agents or skin oils. Insert the tubes through the holes in bulkhead #3, letting their tail ends exit from the holes you cut in the fuselage side pieces. Allow the

BUILDING MODEL AIRPLANES

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The bottom sheeting should be glued together and then sanded on your workbench to make certain that the sheets are smooth and flat. Then you’ll install it on the model.

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Trim the edges of the bottom sheeting with a razor knife, and then use the bar sander to sand the sheeting flush with the balsa of the fuselage’s sides.

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Rough-cut the pushrod housing exits with a #11 blade, then use coarse sandpaper on the bar sander to flush the exits with the fuselage sides.

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I use simple tricks like butting parts to be installed against my bar sander to line them up before applying any adhesive. Worked fine here for positioning the Super Sportster’s balsa chin block.

tubes to extend for at least 1/8-in. ahead of #3, and be sure that enough tube is left to extend fully from the exit holes at the rear.

The instructions call for a balsa one-piece pushrod support at each former location, but instead of going through all the cutting and fitting required to make each support from a single piece of balsa, I cut several lengths of 1/16-in. balsa scrap to make my supports. Here’s how.

Insert the music wire pushrods into the tubes to help prevent the tubes from sagging, then cut a length of scrap balsa to fit between the sides and under the tubes at each former station. The tubes are considerably larger than the pushrods, so you can use the scraps to prop the tubes and eliminate any sag that might still be

present. Now add similar scrap pieces above the tubes, followed by smaller scraps on both sides of each tube.

When you’re satisfied, apply a little gap-filling CA around each support and remove the music-wire pushrods.

Quarter-inch plywood plates are installed at the rear of bulkhead #2 and the front of #3. I used BSI 30-minute epoxy here, but 12-minute would also do the job. Clamp the parts until the epoxy is thoroughly cured.

The 1/4-in. plywood firewall should also be installed with epoxy.

This can be done with slow-setting epoxy and wood clamps or tape to hold the sides tightly against the firewall, or you can do as I did and use 12-minute epoxy and simply hold the sides against the firewall

with your fingers until it cures. You shouldn’t have to worry much about wavering sides here; the doublers do a good job of maintaining straight-line integrity.

Construct the bottom sheeting in the same manner that I’ve asked you to prepare wing sheeting, by doing it over the plans and not on the fuselage (or wing). Sand the bottom sheeting before installing it to prevent any high or low spots in your work—and don’t forget to install the balsa triangle strips in the stabilizer saddle before installing the bottom sheeting. I missed that one, and I promise you that going back was a less-than-pleasant experience.

Use the Easy-Touch to trim the balsa bottom sheeting flush with the fuselage sides and to trim the upper RC-SF.COM

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BUILDING MODEL AIRPLANES

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The manual shows you how to fit the upright formers at the rear of the fuselage. Follow a similar procedure when gluing each of the stringers. One at a time, align each stringer against a straightedge while you apply a drop or two of thin CA glue at each contact point. This area will be covered with MonoKote film, so you’ll want the stringers to run straight.

sides flush with the balsa crutch. The Easy-Touch also comes in handy for locating the tail end of the fuselage chin block when gluing it to the fuselage sides. Just hold the sander against the back of bulkhead #2 and extending beyond the sides, then push the chin block up against the sander. Its rear edge will be perfectly seated.

The plans and manual are spot-on in their method of installing the top stringer and two side stringers before installing the rear upright formers.

This method lets you position the uprights perfectly so that no sagging or bulging of the stringers can occur to mar the finished appearance of your model.

The side cheek parts are added now, but they need to be wetted and bent slightly to conform to the angles of the forward fuselage uprights. I did as the plans suggested by clamping one end of the cheek part in a vice (with a piece of scrap wood on each side to prevent vice-jaw dents), but instead of holding the opposite end till the ammonia solution dried, I clamped the end between two EasyTouch sanders, then ran a long stick through one of the handles, propping it on my workshop floor to set the cheek part at the correct angle until it was dry.

Still remaining for my Sportster fuselage are the forward fuselage top block, the two small tail blocks that straddle the stabilizer and sandwich 42

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

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The manual offers an ideal way to put a bend in the 3/8-in. side cheek strips. I did as suggested by clamping one end into a vice, but instead of holding the opposite side at an angle, I trapped the end of the strip between two bar sanders, then passed a long spruce stick through the sander handle, taping the end of the stick to the floor to set the correct bend angle.

the vertical fin, and the forward blocks that make up the cowl. Good tips for cutting and fitting each of these blocks will come in my next installment, so please try to be here with me.

If you’ve missed any of the articles in my “Building Model Airplanes” series for RC Sport Flyer magazine, back issues are available by contacting the publisher. You should also know that RC-SF subscriptions are available for just $24.95 for 12

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issues, and there’s a lot more than just me in each of them. You’ll love the magazine.

Building model airplanes is fun and rewarding, and there’s no feeling more rewarding than stepping back from an ongoing project, looking at what you’ve accomplished and mulling over the “you” that’s become a built-in part of the model. This is art, my friends, and your skills are surely developing.

The cowl cheek strip was glued onto the forward end of the fuselage, and the opposite side followed as soon as its bend was set. The next installment will show you how the fuselage gets finished, with particular emphasis on cutting, fitting and shaping the tail blocks, cowl blocks and forward fuselage deck. It is a lot of fun to do, so keep reading my columns to learn how I build my models.

start your adventure here

Explo Explore pl re the h grea g great at outd outdoors outdoors. o outdoor out tdoors. oors It’s a replica eplica of the e extra ex extraordinary raordina dinary b bush ush sh plan plane, ane, right rig t at home flying over woods and nd water. wa . F Flyzon Flyzone’s one’ss S Selec Select ect Scale model of the deHav deHavilland villand nd DHC-2 DH HC-2 Beaver Beav ver comes comes with both floats and fixed landing ng gea gear. ear. Th There e are lots off realistic details, including working workin ng navigation navig n gation and landing g lights, a replica radial engine an nd m more. and And the ailerons and flaps feature drop hinges an nd and authentic corrugation. n. Fly the Beaver Tx-R with your transmitter and Tactic AnyLink.

Link. It’s also available in a Ready-To-Fly version.

Wingspan: 59.5 in (1510 mm)

™

© 2012 Hobbico®, Inc. All rights reserved. 3074572

flyzoneplanes.com/11 flyzoneplanes.com/114z 14z

BY Rob Caso

PAINTING MARKINGS

Follow a sequence when applying painted markings—here the mask is applied, but the general areas are masked by taping to the mask, not the model.

Y

ears ago, I started painting all the insignia and markings on my scale models. There are a number of reasons why I developed this skill: first, nothing looks like paint—like paint! Second, commercial decals aren’t always available in the scale you need (or perhaps at all).

Also, the decals you can get are oftentimes incorrect in many ways, such as color, proportion, saturation and sheen. Third, it is difficult to get even high-quality decals to settle down over surface irregularities, especially on a fabric-covered model.

And, fourth, decals are often too bright, and they inevitably have some thickness, both of which conspire to make them look like—decals.

Few models that are flown on the contest circuits feature anything but painted markings, and while painting is certainly an exercise in modeling, it gets easier the more you do it, and the results are worth the effort. I can now paint markings faster than I can apply waterslide decals. Still, how serious you are about the model will determine whether this is a skill you want to develop and apply.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

Start with the light colors first. The white outline of the marking is applied to the model’s surface. Here I’m using regular masking tape, not the blue painter’s tape.

MASKS AND MASKING

Making masks and applying them correctly are the difficult parts of the process. Masking to protect the rest of the model is time consuming, but spraying is really the easy part and goes quickly once the masks have been applied. While I cut my masks from a CAD (.dxf) file that feeds my laser cutter, vinyl sign printing/cutting companies can also cut your masks— assuming you have already laid them out in a compatible computer file. A quick search on the Internet revealed a number of people who can supply ready-to-use masks, so doing them by hand is almost a thing of the past.

If you buy them instead of making your own, it is nevertheless important to check the proportions of any purchased mask to see that they line up against authoritative scale documentation. Another consideration is the material to be used for the “close in” masks for the markings. Generally, an adhesivebacked mask will be used, so these should be tested on the model to make sure they will not pull off the existing finish when they are

removed. It’s a good idea to let the base coat on a model dry for a week or two before stressing it with a mask. I use both clear, low tack shelf paper and friskets of various tacks.

An epoxy or solvent-based finish over a glassed surface is probably the most durable, while covered, open framework surfaces tend to be more finicky. Foam models present a whole list of potential problems since foam by its nature is unstable and does not hold paint well. In the latter two cases, my removable shelf paper masks seem to yield the best results.

Note further that generally one mask will be required for each color, and don’t ever assume that a set of masks can be reused—it’s just too hit or miss.

Another tip is not to leave masks on the model any longer than you have to. Don’t, for example, spray all the markings and go to bed! The mask will, over time, bond with the base coat and could, if left on the model too long, either pull off the existing finish or leave an adhesive residue when being removed—both of which are maddening problems to

PAINTING MARKINGS

A mask covering the white outline is applied before spraying the black. One mask for each color is needed.

The lozenge pattern on my CL.II was masked prior to its application to avoid having to apply markings over a multicolored background.

This is the finished marking. Note that straight black should never be used—lighten it up with a few drops of white.

on the model than is absolutely necessary. Tape general masks to those used for the “close in” masks already applied. And never apply regular masking tape directly to a surface—if you must do so, use the green autobody tape. It’s expensive, but for good reason. It works.

If you are spraying properly— more on this later—you will not need to mask off that much of the model. I am not sure I have to say this, but never use newspaper for general masking, as paint will go through it and it will dirty up the model. I use aluminum foil for general masks—it won’t let paint through, and it forms around all kinds of protrusions. Plus, you can roll its free

fix. I’ve been there. The other, more subtle issue is that leaving the mask on too long will affect the quality of the job. When a mask is properly removed (while the painted area is still wet), the edge of the newly painted area will roll down to the base finish, eliminating a hard or raised edge. While certain paints will cure at different rates, leaving masks on the model will almost certainly guarantee an edge that must be sanded out.

Insofar as general masking is concerned, as much as possible avoid putting more adhesive-backed masks The cross on the wing of the CL.II had to be carefully positioned to account for the wing sweep.

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A poster board mask was used to paint Japanese tissue, which was sliced for rib taping. Here, a little underspray would not matter.

Five such masks had to be made—one for each of the lozenge colors.

Masking materials consist of clear shelf paper, green autobody tape, fine line tape and plastic model tape. My single action Badger that I use exclusively for markings is also shown.

The black outline of the yellow “2” on my Alfa Models FockeWulf airplane was particularly challenging to paint. Just go step by step and you can do these too.

Tape was used for the D-Day stripes on my Mosquito. The various insignias were applied first and then masked to avoid spraying over multiple colors. White was used as a primer for the yellow outline.

edges up to direct overspray away from the model.

To apply masks for markings, have the three views at hand and position the masks by using reference points on the model, such as panel lines, antennas or other distinguishing features. Sometimes it is necessary to make small pencil marks that are later erased or obliterated by spraying.

SPRAYING TECHNIQUE

Most of my scale markings are sprayed with a single action airbrush connected to an air supply fed by a regulated and filtered compressor that has a reservoir tank. The markings should be shot at low 46

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

pressure—probably at about 5–10 psi—and the paint should be mixed properly so that it atomizes in a light mist and does not get the model too wet. Practice first on a piece of white poster board—shoot with a 0.5-in. or so wide spray pattern about six inches from the surface. Observe how the paint lies—smoothly or with splatters and drips—and adjust the mix, pressure and airbrush nozzle accordingly. After a minute, check the painted surface and see if it is wet. It should be almost dry. Use the poster board for test spraying after clearing a clog with lacquer thinner and a small brush. Never go back to the model without test spraying first.

Also, the masks have to be securely

sealed to the surface at their edges, so check this just before letting go with the airbrush.

Paint consistency is all practice, complicated further by the fact that different colors, even those from the same manufacturer, have varying consistencies. Using only the reducer specified, mix paint with a wooden coffee stirrer, using always the same size stirrer. Stir it until it is completely mixed, and never shake the container, which induces air bubbles. Transfer some paint to the airbrush bottle, reduce it and observe how the drips fall off the stick— quickly or slowly. Then hold the stick against the inside of the jar while watching the color run down the side

PAINTING MARKINGS The small aircraft numbers were also airbrushed, but at very low pressure to avoid bleed through.

problems can be resolved and the process will pick up speed quickly.

The general rule, however, is not to try to fix something by either putting on more paint or tampering with a wet surface. So let it dry, come back the next day and have at it. Keep in mind that if enamel has been sprayed over an epoxy base coat, the enamel can be removed with paint thinner without harm to the base coat.

That’s about it for this month.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at rcaso916@aol.com.

Checkerboards can be challenging, especially over compound curves as on this P-47. The beginning and ending checks were plotted and then tape was used to connect the dots.

to see how opaque the color looks.

This is all practice, with the goal being to get the paint to go through the airbrush without clogging, but having the paint still cover.

Interestingly, I have found that white generally covers pretty well, even over dark surfaces, with yellow being the absolute worst. If yellow is to be sprayed, a white primer must be used as a base coat. Clean the model with a paint preparation solvent and use a tack rag to remove any dust. Then apply your masks and shoot in extremely thin coats.

I also use a heat gun—on the cold setting—to slightly dry the markings in between coats, which keeps things moving and helps avoid runs and bleeding under the masks. If thin coats are sprayed each time, the next mask and color may be applied within minutes without problem.

FIXING PROBLEMS

With practice, there will be few or no problems once these techniques have been mastered. Most issues arise from using paint that is too thick or thin, spraying at too high of a pressure or using masks that won’t stay put. With some mileage, these

It got a lot easier on the flat tailplane, but the serial numbers added complexity—and interest—to the finished model.

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BY Martin C. Zeller

A QUARTER-SCALE PATTERN PERFORMANCE AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE! The classic lines of the WACO are sometimes mistaken for those of the Stearman, but there are distinct differences between this airplane and the Stearman. I incorporated them into my WACO.

I

have always liked the WACO UPF7. It is a truly classic biplane. The airplane was made at a time when wood, rags and wire construction were still used, and expert craftsmen were plentiful. The quality craftsmanship is evident in the design of the beautiful, tapered elliptical wing tips and generous lower wing root fillets. My model aviation scale interests gravitate to World War I

and Golden Age aircraft that exhibit this type of construction.

The Weaver Aircraft Company was founded in 1919. Located in Troy, Ohio, it manufactured several types of civilian aircraft. In 1928 Weaver changed its name to WACO Aircraft Company. The WACO Company was noted for their beautiful cabin models. The WACO publication, The Famous “F” Series, says that in 1936

The cockpit interior shows the structure and PowerBox location under the pilot’s feet. The 24-oz. main fuel tank is under the vacuum-formed front seat, and a smaller header tank is just aft of the firewall.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

they marketed the “F” series of open cockpit biplanes as the most beautiful sport and luxury biplanes in the United States. I have to agree—they are gorgeous.

During World War II, over 600 UPF-7’s were produced to support the Civilian Pilot Training Program.

This market was also shared by the well-known Stearman. Many onlookers mistakenly think that my model is a Stearman until they begin to see the subtle differences and graceful lines.

My project started when I got a set of 1/4-scale fuselage drawings from John Eney. He is a life member of the National Waco Club and is currently restoring a full-size UPF7. Other references for my model project were 1/10-scale drawings

by Nicholas Karstens, numerous photographs and Waco publications.

This photo shows the aluminum longeron structure, with typical wood former and scale stringer arrangement of the fuselage. There is some fiberglass in the forward part of the fuselage.

A QUARTER-SCALE WACO UPF-7

WACO UPF-7

In the air the model handles very well.

The model’s climb-out is realistic with thrust coming from the scale 24x8-in. propeller married to the Robart radial engine. Cruise is comfortable and realistic at around 30% power.

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This illustrates the wing alignment process where incidence is established and structural components are sized. Later in the process, wood and/or metal is added to the struts to give them a scale airfoil shape.

All of the components are laid out in preparation for painting. The fabric is sealed with red oxide Poly-Brush dope. The red color makes it easy to see that you have covered all of the areas with dope.

The UPF-7 was originally equipped with a 220 hp Continental W-670 engine. The scale model became practical when Robart Manufacturing produced their R780 model engine.

This engine is a replica of a Jacobs engine, and the scale was perfect for my model. Although the “Shaky Jake” Jacobs engine wasn’t used in the UPF7, the appearance is similar to the Continental.

When the UPF-7 was used in the civilian pilot training program, the cowl was removed for ease of maintenance, and that is still the case today with many of the UPF-7 restorations. I elected to take advantage of the “sans cowl” configuration to highlight the magnificent Robart radial engine.

During the planning stage, I bought The Robart R780 7-cylinder radial engine is truly a work of machine beauty. It produces 10 hp when turning the 24x8-in. propeller.

This $4000 engine makes the model stand out on the taxiway.

The empennage has wire bracing, plastic fairings and covers. The horizontal stabilizer incidence is ground adjustable with a ball driver inserted through a hole in the lower fuselage tailwheel cover. The covers and fairings are fabricated from ABS plastic.

The weave is filled with PolySpray aluminum pigment and talc to provide an opaque primer and sanding coat for uniform color application over both solid and fabric-covered areas.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

A QUARTER-SCALE WACO UPF-7 You gotta like the exhaust ring, the overhead rocker covers on the valves, the seven cylinder heads and the big wooden propeller that pulls my WACO UPF-7 through the air. I had a ton of fun building this model, as well as flying it.

a stand-off-scale UPF-7 from Byron Originals. The nose and landing gear parts provided a good starting point.

The all-fiberglass fuselage and molded foam surfaces were not true scale, and I could not use them. I modified the nose, landing gear and the top of the all-fiberglass fuselage, which included both cockpits. The rest of the model was made from scratch.

Talk about a major kit bash!

The UPF-7 had a welded tube fuselage structure with most of the external shape created with wood formers and stringers like we use in the structure of rubber-bandpowered models. The wings were mostly wooden structure as well. It was a fabric-covered airplane with a few aluminum panels around the nose section and fillets.

The model is built around a fuselage longeron structure of epoxy-bonded, 1/4-in.-diameter, 6061 aluminum tubes. The formers are plywood and the stringers are 1/8-in. by 1/4-in. spruce. The wing spars are spruce with end grain balsa shear

The completed model highlights are detailed including center wing section dummy fuel lines and float gauges.

The flying wires are replicated and are functional.

The lower surface of both wings sport scale inspection covers. There is even an access hatch on the fuselage side behind the pilot.

webs. The ribs are capped balsa. The wing tips and horizontal/vertical stabilizers are laminated balsa and plywood formed around half-inchthick plywood forms. Hard points are within the structure to support the flying wires. The flying wires are made from DuBro turnbuckles, 4-40

The cockpit details include full instrument panels. The instruments are from Hobby Lobby and are for 1930 vintage aircraft. The control switches for the radio and glow driver are located in the aft cockpit along with the glow driver status display. The status lights of the PowerBox system can be monitored beneath the pilot’s feet.

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A QUARTER-SCALE WACO UPF-7 Living the dream—there is nothing like the maiden flight of your latest creation. All the design details, weight and balance, radio and engine setup are all confirmed at the moment of truth of the first flight. Fun!

steel rod ends and straps. The flat wires are from Proctor. The aluminum panels around the nose section are fiberglass or ABS plastic. Vacuumformed parts include the headrest, vertical fin fairings, tailwheel area cover and pilot seats.

The model features a Ram company navigation light system and rotating beacons. It is also equipped with Electrodynamics high intensity strobe lights in the wing tips. The electronics include a Duralite® PowerBox® servo power distribution system with redundant 2600-mAh LiPo batteries. The Robart engine glow plugs are driven by a 3000mAh NiCad battery controlled by a McDaniel glow driver. The model also includes an aerotow cable release, hidden behind the upper wing center handhold. It works out to be the optimum place to tow with a biplane. The horizontal stabilizer is ground adjustable with a ball driver inserted through the lower tailwheel cover. The shock-absorbing steerable tailwheel is driven by a separate servo, slaved to the rudder servo. The aircraft is covered with Stits® Lite, painted in Diana Cream and trimmed with Elsinore Brown.

The first flight is shown in this series of photographs. The classic

lines show through in the 3/4 rear shot highlighting the lower wing root fillet and wing tips. The first flight was without major problems. It required a bit more down thrust in the engine mount and a little more positive incidence in the horizontal stabilizer.

The model’s climb-out is realistic with thrust coming from the scale 24x8-in. propeller married to the Robart radial engine. Cruise is comfortable and realistic at around 30% power. Our first attempt at an aerotow indicated a need for a flatter propeller pitch to provide more power for climb and a lower cruise speed. The flight was uneventful and ended with a great sigh of relief knowing that all the planning paid

off. As of this writing, the model has logged five sorties. If you want to know more, please contact me at: mczeller@verizon.net.

Specifications Type

1/4-scale WACO UPF-7

Wingspan

90 in.

Chord

14.5 in.

Airfoil

Clark Y

Length

69 in.

Weight

41 lb

Wing Area

16 ft2

Wing Loading

41 oz/ft2

Engine

Robart R780 (7.8 ci, 128 cc)

Prop

24x8 (5900 RPM)

Transmitter

Futaba 14MZ, 2.4 GHz

Receiver

Futaba R6014HS

Servos

Futaba S3302 on rudder, tailwheel and elevator, S3010 on each aileron and S5010 on throttle.

Pilot

Premier Pilots

References Robart 7 Cylinder Radial Engine R780 Glow Version robart.com/products/7-cylinder-radial-enginer780-glow-version Stits Lite stits.com

This photo captures me as the proud builder relaxing beside my new superb model. While it took me about 16 years to get this model completed, it was well worth the time it took at the workbench.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

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www.maxxprod.com RC-SF.COM

53

BY Wil Byers

Hawker Sea Fury 400 ARF A WARBIRD PARK FLYER YOU CAN FLY ALMOST ANYWHERE

T

he Hawker Sea Fury was the British Fleet Air Arm’s last design that sported a pistonpowered engine. It was developed during WWII, but it never saw service until after the war. The airplane was developed out of the Hawker Tempest, which was a variant of the Hawker Typhoon. The designer behind the Hawker Fury was Sidney Camm in 1942. It was purposely designed to be a lightweight replacement for the Tempest II. Interestingly, the Hawker Fury was the result of a pilot’s mistake.

On June 23, 1942, Luftwaffe pilot Oberleutnant Amim Faber erroneously landed his Focke-Wulf Fs 190A-3 fighter at the RAF’s Pembrey airfield. He apparently mistook it for a Luftwaffe coastal airfield. The British could not have been more surprised and pleased with the results because

Depending on the motor used to power the Fury, the mount must be cut to size. The mount is marked and was cut with a razor saw.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

Doing low strafing passes, the Sea Fury looks great in the air. The retractable landing gear adds to the fun of flying it too.

This model is actually quite easy to fly, although you must be at least an intermediate pilot because is pretty maneuverable.

A screw holds the motor unit on the motor mount.

The Park 480 provides plenty of power for any fight maneuver you’ll want to fly.

E-FLITEŽ HAWKER SEA FURY 400 ARF The wing is shown here with servos and retract gear units installed. The servo extensions run in the wing’s molded-in channels.

This shows you how the servo leads run in the wing. There is a cover that will hide all the wires and add detail to the bottom of the wing.

it gave them a working example of the airplane that had been challenging their aircraft in the skies.

The first Sea Fury flew on February 21, 1945. It was powered by a Centaurus XII engine that turned a huge, four-blade propeller.

It was subsequently navalized with a set of folding wings and then tested for aircraft carrier duty. The test continued until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, which left the aircraft without a wartime purpose. Hawker Sea Fury airplanes did, however, see action in the Korean War. It was used by many countries, including the USA.

MODEL SEA FURY

Your Hawker Sea Fury 400 ARF is going to come as an EPS injectionmolded, lightweight, durable and easyto-assemble model. Our review kit arrived in perfect condition. It comes double-boxed to protect it against

My Sea Fury is on you in a heartbeat, ready to shoot you out of the air. This is very much a fun airplane to pilot.

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any damage that might occur during shipping. There is also an inner foam packaging that keeps everything nice and neat and orderly in the box, so parts don’t rub or bang against one another. It is all very well thought out.

When you open the box you are going to be delighted by what you see inside. What distinguishes your Hawker Sea Fury from all the others is that it is copied from Peter “Hoagy” Carmichael’s Sea Fury of the Royal Navy. Hoagy made history shooting down a MiG-15 jet-powered fighter in combat on August 9, 1952.

What is cool and fun is that your model comes out of the box painted in the exact color scheme as Hoagy’s.

So you will be ready to shoot down a MiG-15 too.

KIT INCLUDES

Airframe Wing Empennage Cowling Spinner Retract Set Fixed Landing Gear Decals Wheels

NEEDED TO COMPLETE

Motor Park 480 brushless outrunner, 1020 Kv Speed Controller 40-amp Lite Pro SB brushless ESC Battery 2200-mAh 3S 11.1-V 30C LiPo Propeller 1080EP

Radio Spektrum DX8 2.4-GHz Receiver Spektrum AR6115 2.4-GHz DSMX Servos (6) E-fite DS76 Digital Sub-Micro Glue Foam Safe

IN FLIGHT

Prior to this review, I had flown E-flite’s previous version of the Sea Fury, but it was without the retract system that is now offered for the model. That airplane was lots of fun to fly. So, I was interested to see if I could feel the difference between the two airplanes.

The day we went out to fly the airplane, it was pretty overcast, with small patches of sunshine showing

Gear down and locked, I turned my Sea Fury onto final approach, pulling the throttle back and letting the model settle into a good glide.

This strafing run gives you an excellent look at the bottom side of the airplane, which sports wing-mounted rockets.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

E-flite was thinking about what a warbird pilot would want in a model, so they added the pilot, panel lines and a scale color scheme.

E-FLITE® HAWKER SEA FURY 400 ARF

This shows you how the wheels look when they are retracted into the wing. It is a clean installation that is pretty easy to do.

The aileron linkages are adjustable at the clevis. They provide solid linkage between the control horn and the servo arm.

The fuselage provides lots and lots of room for the servos and receiver. You can’t see it, but the battery fits in a channel that is molded in.

Your model will come painted in the exact scheme used on Peter Carmichael’s famous Sea Fury warbird.

through. The wind had picked up to between eight and ten miles per hour and was a bit crosswind. So, after range-checking the radio system and testing the motor, I was ready to push the throttle stick forward.

I was a bit surprised when the model started to turn to the right, but then I remember that the crosswind was pretty steady. I let off the right rudder I had added in and then let the model accelerate for about 20 feet. That was it and the Sea Fury wanted to start flying.

With the throttle pushed forward and the elevator stick pulled back a bit the airplane climbed to altitude rapidly.

At altitude, I checked the control trims. With the control throw set per my preference, the model was at dead nuts trim. I did not even add one click of up elevator.

Hey, I’m no pattern pilot but I know a fun-to-fly airplane when I fly one, and the Hawker Sea Fury is just that. I had a good time doing victory rolls and flying it semi-knifeedge for the camera guy. Pushing it through some loops. Doing strafing runs—I shot the cameraman a couple

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E-FLITE® HAWKER SEA FURY 400 ARF

ASSEMBLY You’re going to discover that your Hawker Sea Fury kit is quite easy to assemble.

I started with the retractable landing gear. You’ll need to bend the landing gear struts for the retracts to get the wheels to fit properly in their wheel wells when the gear is retracted. The retracts are driven by a wing-mounted servo. It gets fastened to the wing with double-backed tape. The install is pretty easy. Just be sure to follow the step-by-step directions in the manual.

Aileron servos are taped with double-sided tape into the wing pockets as well.

The servo leads for the ailerons and retracts run in gutters in the wings. Once they’re done, you’ll install the wing cover with more double-sided tape. Then you’ll need to connect the linkages, but that only takes a few minutes.

The Park 480 motor propeller adaptor requires the 4-mm collet adaptor. Be sure you buy this part because it is essential for the motor setup. The motor install then is as simple as attaching the motor mount to the back of the motor, installing the mounting stick and fastening the motor to it.

I opted to control my model with my JR11X system. With this radio installation using the AR6115 receiver, the right aileron is connected to the AIL port and

the left aileron lead connects to AUX 1. I set the radio up to be configured for flaperons.

You‘ll discover that the speed controller fits inside the cowl above the motor.

Also, the LiPo battery will slide into the front of the fuselage in a molded slot.

It is held in position by an additional foam block, which is kept in place during flight by the canopy’s cockpit foam. It is very ingenious how it all fits together and works.

If I need to tell you how to install the rudder and elevator servo, you need to get the wife involved—it is that straightforward. Again, the manual takes you step by step through the install. The tail wheel, control rod, elevator and alignment are all explained in detail.

The center of gravity position is marked on the wing, so be sure to use it.

You must balance the model inverted. The manual recommends you use your fingertips or a commercial balance stand—I recommend the latter for getting it set right.

I’ll add that the airframe is easy to assemble and the parts fit perfectly.

Control Throws High Rate (Up/Down) Low Rate (Up/Down) Aileron

1/2in. / 3/8 in.

5/16 in. / 3/16 in.

Elevator

7/16 in. / 5/16 in.

5/16 in. / 3/16 in.

Rudder high rate

13/16 in.

1/2 in.

You will be pleased by how much power your Hawker Sea Fury has, which gives it excellent climb performance and makes it pretty fast.

Specifications

of times with the wing-mounted rockets. It was also a kick just to watch the landing gear run up and down.

I will tell you that my photo op landing was nothing to write home about because I pulled the throttle back just a little too early.

Nevertheless, the model landed without incident, ready for another day of sorties when the LiPo pack is

recharged.

Here is what you really need to know. This airplane is a keeper for me. Although just an inexpensive park flyer, it is a whole bunch of fun to fly.

Heck, I can throw it in the back of my Corolla and shoot out the airfield any day. And, when the day is done it goes back in the back seat, without fuss or muss. That is cool!

Modeled after Peter “Hoagy” Carmichael’s Sea Fury of the Royal Navy, which shot down a MiG-15, the Sea Fury has great design lines.

Wingspan

36.8 in. (935mm)

Overall Length

33.3 in. (845mm)

Wing Area

268 in.2 (17.4 dm2)

Flying Weight

29.1–31.0 oz (825–880g)

Motor

Park 480 Brushless Outrunner, 1020 KV

Speed Controller

40-amp Lite Pro SB Brushless ESC

Battery

2200-mAh 3S 11.1-V 30C LiPo

Propeller

1080EP

Radio

Spektrum DX8 2.4-GHz

Receiver

Spektrum AR6115 2.4-GHz DSMX

Servos

(6) E-fite DS76 Digital SubMicro

Price

$109.99

Distributor Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 Horizonhobby.com

58

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

Get Ready to Rip! The NEW Ultra Micro Series Pole Cat BNF

Modeled after Cassutt Formula 1 air racers that compete in the world famous Reno Air Races, the new Ultra Micro Series Pole Cat combines slippery aerodynamics with a potent 8.5mm coreless motor to create an exciting new category of Bind-N-Fly® aircraft—the ultra micro pylon racer. Fly it at full throttle against fellow Pole Cat pilots or simply unwind with spirited sport aerobatics. Even touch and goes are a good time thanks to its generous wing area and smooth control response.

Get to ParkZone.com for details on this thrilling Ultra Micro Series addition.

Wingspan: Length: Flying Weight: Motor: Battery: Receiver:

16.0 in (406 mm) 15.4 in (391 mm) 1.25 oz (35.3 g) 8.5mm brushed (installed) 1S 3.7V 150mAh Li-Po (included) Spektrum™ AR6400 DSM2™ Receiver/ESC unit (installed) Charger: 1S 3.7V DC Li-Po (included) Transmitter: 4+ Channel DSM2/DSMX® required (sold separately)

BNF (PKZU1480) Includes Race Number Decals

Simulated Wheel Pants on Removable Landing Gear

VISIT

CLICK

CALL

Your Local Retailer

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1.800.338.4639

SERIOUS FUN.™

©2011 Horizon Hobby, Inc. ParkZone, Bind-N-Fly, just fly., DSM2, DSMX and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. US Patent D578,146. PRC patent number ZL 200720069025.2. US 7,898,130. Other Patents Pending. 29102.1

BY Dan Deckert

MILLENNIUM MASTER

A FUN-TO-FLY AIRPLANE THAT WON’T BREAK THE BANK This is one fantastic looking airplane no matter what angle you are looking at it from—on the ground or in the air.

mounted) • Propeller with adaptor and spinner • Fixed landing gear w/wheels (premounted) • Elevator control horn (one each) • Velcro®

A

fter seeing the new Flyzone® Millennium Master RX-R airplane, my first question was, what is it, aside from quite sexy looking? It turns out the kit is modeled after a full-scale, civilianbuilt aircraft that was designed in Italy. Leave it up to the Italians to design such a gorgeous-looking airplane, and kudos to Flyzone for releasing this beauty to the masses.

As a lover of civilian aircraft, I knew this was going to be fun to build and fly.

60

INCLUDED IN THE KIT • • • • • • •

• Radio transmitter (four-channel minimum) • Compatible receiver • LiPo charger

Fuselage Wing with wing bolt Servos (pre-mounted) Vertical stabilizer Horizontal stabilizer Motor (pre-mounted) Speed controller (pre-

The kit parts include the empennage, wheels, propeller, spinner, screws and tape.

WHAT YOU GET

You get a complete airframe that is receiver ready. Most everything is pre-installed, so the builder can have his model up and flying in as little time as possible. The builder is left with only a few basic steps. The manual is straightforward, illustrated and easy to follow. About the only thing you will need to do is attach one control horn on the elevator.

NEEDED TO COMPLETE

The servos and landing gear pockets are installed at the factory and reduce the completion time.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

The aileron servo wires are pre-installed for you, which saves you lots of building time.

FLYZONE® MILLENNIUM MASTER

I had a ton of fun flying this airplane pass after pass for my cameraman. It just handles superbly.

• 3S 11.1-V 1800-mAh 20C LiPo battery (Flyzone HCAA6430) • Foam safe CA glue • Common hobby tools (Small flat blade, Phillips screwdriver, hobby knife, small crescent wrench) • Two each T-pins or equivalent • Ruler

IN THE AIR

Using low rates, I eased into the power, and the airplane practically lifted off on its own in under thirty feet. Its takeoff was straight and true. After a couple of passes up and down the runway, I added a few clicks of up elevator trim to my transmitter. Nothing else was needed for straight and level flight while using only half power.

The nose gear is factory installed. Again, you don’t have to do anything except program the transmitter.

There’s plenty of room inside the fuselage to install the receiver and the LiPo battery pack.

The pushrods for the tail come pre-installed and the tail is formed to receive the stabilizers, so alignment is easy.

The canopy that the distributor sells is extremely clear and very well done. Mine fit perfectly.

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In this photo you can see that the wing has a bit of dihedral built into it, which makes it a little bit more stable than if not.

After flying it high enough to get some safety elevation, I flew through some basic moves that one might do in a full-scale airplane. For example, full-power axial rolls were smooth and big loops were easy on the eyes.

With the transmitter’s high-rate controls switched on, you gain a small but noticeable increase in the model’s roll rate. Inside loops on low rate are tight with no snapping out of the loop. When you switch to high rates and pull hard on the elevator control the airplane will snap out, so be a little careful.

The Millennium Master has plenty of power to go vertical. Low-speed stalls for my model dropped out to the right, with the airplane dropping rapidly. I would not try stalling the model at less than thirty feet above the ground because it will need a bit of airspace to recover from a stall.

My first landings were bouncers.

I found I needed to carry some airspeed on landing and then flare the

You’ll have a lot of fun putting this model through its paces. It has plenty of power for doing some aerobatics too.

Looking at the underside of the airplane you see it has good landing gear and an air exit hole for good motor cooling.

My model assembled very easily. You’ll need only a few tools and a bit of CA glue to get it ready to fly.

model just above the runway, letting the airplane settle in while reducing power. Successive landings proved to be smoother after some practice time on the control sticks. What I recommend is that you touch the model down on its mains and then let the nose settle in for some very scale landings. Because this airplane is fast, it may seem overly responsive to some, if the pilot is using full power.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

The 3S 1800-mAh battery pack delivers at least seven-minute flights, but with throttle management you’ll get more.

IN CONCLUSION

Flyzone has done a very impressive job with this kit. Every aspect from the minimal parts count to the fit of the components is excellent. Even if you have never built an airplane, the manufacturer’s well-written instructions will walk a novice through to completion. An experienced builder can have this airplane ready to go in as little as thirty minutes.

FLYZONE® MILLENNIUM MASTER

THE BUILD There’s not a lot to say here, as Flyzone had the foresight to produce a kit that’s very easy on the buyer/builder. The Flyzone manual recommends using medium cyanoacrylate glue (GPMR6007), Hobbico CA applicator tips (HCAR3780) and some Great Planes Threadlocker (GPMR6060). I strongly recommend you use these products since they are tested and proven. Using applicator tips will provide better control while applying the CA, and you’ll have a much cleaner-looking aircraft when it is done and ready to fly. Do not use tape on any painted surfaces, as it will remove the paint!

The first thing to do is to unpack everything and check for missing or broken parts. Then open the packages and install the supplied Velcro in the fuselage and onto the battery. Next, snap the landing gear into the wing. Although the gear covers face the ends of the wing, there is a left and right side. Next, mount the wing to the fuselage and insert the battery into the fuselage. At this point, you can dry fit the horizontal and vertical stabilizer. Note that there is a top and bottom side of the horizontal stabilizer. Do not apply any glue. Measure the alignment to be certain the horizontal stabilizer is square. After you have the alignment set, dry fit the vertical stabilizer. Measure everything so the parts are square and aligned per the manual. Now apply some drops of glue to hold the pieces in place. Install the supplied control horn on the other elevator half.

Remove the battery and the wing to prevent damage, and apply glue to the tail pieces you just installed. Go slow here to be sure the glue sets before you start rolling the aircraft around. After the glue is set, connect the pushrods to the tail sections. Now reinstall the wing, add the receiver, insert the LiPo pack and put the canopy on. Do not power on the motor or the receiver at this point.

Install the propeller, with the included spinner, finger tight only. Per the manual, measure two inches back from the leading edge of the wing and insert the T-pins through the wing. With everything installed, you are then ready to balance the airplane. Follow the instructions in the manual. Do not bypass this step! After you’ve balanced your airplane, you can hook up all the servos if you haven’t done so already. Before you apply power, loosen each connector on the servos and remove the propeller. Set your transmitter to zero settings prior to binding.

After binding the transmitter to the receiver, I recommend you use thread locker to secure the quick connect’s Phillips screws on the pushrods. You can then re- tighten the connectors with the control surfaces and servos in the neutral positions. Check all control throws for their proper directions. Remove the power and re-install the propeller and spinner. The only thing left to fly your model is to set the high/low rates on your transmitter. Then go fly.

Specifications

Control Throws Low Rate (in.)

High Rate (in.)

Elevator

5/16 in.

7/16 in.

Rudder

5/8 in.

1 in.

Aileron

1/4 in.

3/8 in.

Note: Instructions provide control throws in degrees and millimeters.

A turn onto final approach shows you that this airplane has a very low profile, which cuts drag and lets the model fly on less power.

You’ll want to pull the power off to about 10% and then fly the model into ground effect, letting it glide in for a nice, smooth landing.

Notice the tips on the propeller, which are designed to cut noise and tip drag, which again saves on motor power and current.

Type

Scale

Pilot skill

Intermediate to advanced

Wingspan

41 in.

Length

38.5 in.

Wing Area

268 in.2

Airfoils

Semi-symmetrical

Weight

26.8–28.8 oz

Wing Loading

14.4–15.5 oz/ft²

Controls

Aileron, elevator, rudder and throttle

Construction

Aerocell Foam (EPO)

Radio Channels

4 required

Motor

37-mm, 1000-Kv Outrunner

ESC

30A ESC

Propeller

9x4.5 Slow-Flyer

Flight times

+/- 7 minutes

Transmitter

Futaba 7C 2.4 GHz

Receiver

Futaba FASST R617FS

Batteries

3S 11.1-volt 1800-mAh 20C LiPo (Flyzone HCAA6430)

Servos

Park Flyer sized

Instruction Manual

Photo illustrated instructions and text

Price

$169.98 (Rx-R)

Distributor Flyzone Great Planes 2904 Research Road Champaign, IL 61820 www.flyzoneplanes.com RC-SF.COM

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BY Gene Cope

ALBATROS CLASSIC SPORT 3S/E ARF GET ON TOP OF THE COMPETITION WITH THIS SAILPLANE

These are the airframe components, which I found to be exceptionally well made and of goodquality wood.

A

ltitude Limited Electric Soaring (ALES) has hit the sky in a big way the last couple of years. It is a competition format geared to leveling the playing field for pilots by limiting the model’s climb to altitude during its motor run time. ALES soaring has become such a popular competition that an online league has been created for it.

It is called simply the ALES League: ales-league.org. Pilots from around the world can learn about the rules, get a

I bought these components from Esprit Model. They are the perfect match to give the Albatros the climb performance you’ll want.

While it looks like an inrunner, the MVVS 4.6/840 motor is actually an outrunner with a case—plenty of power for the Albatros.

The Jeti Advance 70 Pro electronic speed controller is a great mate for the MVVS motor, and it is easy to program too.

I mark all the servos, center their control arms and position the arms appropriate to the control prior to installing them in the airframe.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

ALBATROS CLASSIC SPORT 3S/E ARF countdown file, see some multimedia clips and enter competition scores to be ranked in the league standings. It looks to be a lot of fun for everyone.

ESPRIT MODEL ALBATROS

Until recently, most ALES gliders were the model builder’s compilation of glider, servos, receiver, motor, speed controller, propeller and battery pack. That is now changing, and changing fast. Esprit Model has many very good gliders and sailplanes

that are perfectly suited to ALES competition or fun flying, and that are available with a complete Esprit hardware package. One of their best ALES offerings is the Albatros Classic Sport 3S/E ARF. The Albatros 3S comes packaged exceedingly well to prevent shipping damage. Mine arrived in perfect condition—not a dent or ding anywhere.

When I unpacked my Albatros I was impressed by its nostalgic looks, which reminded me of the

classic Bird of Time glider that I flew many years ago. However, this glider is modernized for today’s pilot, hardware and competition. It uses the latest manufacturing methods like a fiberglass fuselage reinforced with carbon fiber, carbon fiber wing spars and fiberglass wing rods, which

Just after launch I applied power to my Albatros, and up it went in a rapid fashion!

You’ll trim the servo bay covers 1/8 in. inside the wood’s edge. Then you’ll seal the covering around the edges.

The wing servos are held in place with Rohacell® foam blocks that key the servos into position and alignment.

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The manual is pictorial only, without written instructions.

Nevertheless, it provides all the information you’ll need.

make for an extremely strong airframe. Additionally, the manufacturing quality of the airframe is superb, as is the film covering material and finish.

(4) Hitec HS-85MG Micro, (2) Hitec HS-425 BB Battery Thunder Power ProPower 30C 3S 3300-mAh LiPo Hinge Tape Esprit Model Clear 34x36-in.

NEED TO COMPLETE

Motor MVVS 40 4.6/840 Brushless MVVS2049 ESC Jeti Advanced 70 Pro Brushless JETIADV-70 Propeller Aeronat CAM Fold 15 x 8 AER7234/71 Spinner BB Folding Aluminum 40/ 5 / 8mm BBMDK40503

IN FLIGHT

The planform of the Albatros is very reminiscent of the classic Bird of Time glider that I flew many years ago as a pure glider.

I set the center of gravity (CG) position at 2.9 inches back from the leading edge, which required 1.5 ounces of weight in the nose—I positioned

Servos

The servo covers prevent objects from hitting the servo’s control arm, which could then result in stripped gears.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

The ailerons’ and flaps’ servo extensions mate at a Multiplex-type plug at the root section of the wing, with the male connectors going into the receiver.

it above the motor. I spent about 30 minutes programming my JR DX8 transmitter for the recommended control throws.

Then I gave my buddy Wil a call to set up a time to fly this new machine. Wil and I opted to fly it from the top of Eagle Butte because we needed good photos to support this article. And,

ALBATROS CLASSIC SPORT 3S/E ARF since the wind was not blowing, it would give us a chance to really test this new ALES machine from multiple perspectives—talk about fun!

After double-checking the control throws for proper travels—up is up and down is down—I test-ran the motor. All was good, so an easy toss from the hillside had the model gliding effortlessly away from me.

I had applied about 25% throttle power, which gave the model a climb angle of about 30 degrees. Once the model was out and away from the hill, I applied full throttle, and the climb instantly transitioned to a 70-degree angle. The combination of MVVS 40 4.6/840 motor and Thunder Power ProPower 30C pack is well suited to this glider. You won’t do much better

than Esprit’s pick for power.

When the Albatros was about 400 feet above the hill’s height I cut the power. The glider almost instantly transitioned to gliding flight. Control response was excellent, especially elevator control, which you’ll want to maintain for minimum sink and a fixed angle of attack. Remember, you must maintain the glider’s minimum

I used conventional servo connectors at the intersection of the wingtip and the center section of the wing.

The jig that Top Model provides with the Albatros 3.0 is an excellent aid in cutting off the nose of the fuselage to ready it for the motor install.

I used a razor saw to cut the nose off the fuselage cleanly. It made short work of getting the fuselage ready for the motor install.

You are going to love how this model circles in thermal lift. The control responses are very well balanced.

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For the first launch I used about 25% throttle and an easy, straightforward throw, which had it up and flying.

sinking speed when it is in a thermal if you want the model to climb at its optimum rate. Roll control is superb too.

I found that you can keep the glider circling well with only elevator control; however, you’ll want to maintain the glider’s bank angle with ailerons. Rudder control is very good too. Wil This is how clean the cut is on the fuselage when Here you see just how you’ll want to install the likes to fly with an you use the jig. I was really pleased with how well motor’s mount. The center hole in the mount was uncoupled rudder, so this worked. opened to accept the motor hub.

I gave the transmitter to him for a few minutes to see what he found. What he told me is that the model delivers exceptional coordination when the rudder leads the ailerons. Also, Wil really liked the model’s minimum sinking speed.

Landings are very easy to make because the Albatros incorporates flaps on its wing. When you drop the flaps the model slows quite well while providing excellent roll control with the ailerons. You’ll definitely want to keep the glider flying straight I installed my model’s 3300-mAh Thunder Power pack with rudder control because the pretty much on top of the Jeti speed controller. flaps add drag to the glider’s airframe.

With the flaps down, you are going to like how easily this glider lands.

The Jeti ESC is neatly positioned aft of the motor and on You will not be breaking the glider the bottom of the fuselage where it can stay cool. because it lands too “hot.”

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

ALBATROS CLASSIC SPORT 3S/E ARF

It doesn’t get any better than this! Your Albatros will be a serious competitor in ALES if you want it to be.

Esprit Model provides this nifty propeller strap you’ll want to use when you are carrying your model.

Center of Gravity You must install the clevis collars on the servo arms before the servos are installed in the model.

Control Throws

I removed a bit of material on the slot in the vertical fin for the front elevator rod as a way to get a friction-free fit.

Ailerons

3/4 in. up

1/4 in. down

Elevator

1/4 in. up

1/4 in. down

Rudder

1-1/2 in.

-1/2 in.

Flaps

45 degrees 90 degrees

2.80–2.95 in. back of leading edge of wing at root

Distributor Esprit Model 1240 Clearmont St NE Palm Bay, FL 32905 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

A Z-bend is what the Albatros uses for the connection between the rudder’s and elevator’s control horns and pushrod.

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ALBATROS CLASSIC SPORT 3S/E ARF

DEBRIEF

After flying this model multiple times now, I can tell you that it is an exceptionally fine-flying airplane.

I think its assembly was quite straightforward too. The setup was easy. It balanced without needing too much extra weight in the nose.

Moreover, I think it is value priced.

Importantly for me, the one-

stop shopping at the Esprit Model’s website was a quick and easy way to get a complete ALES glider package. I didn’t need to figure out what motor, controller, battery pack and so on I would need to get a contest-winning glider. So, all in all, this is a superb glider that I’m 100-percent confident you will enjoy flying.

THE BUILD The manual is in pictorial form only. However, by following the step-by-step drawings you’ll have this model ready to fly in no time …

I started the assembly of my Albatros with the wings. They come covered in film—well done too. The wing servos’ mount locations required removing the covering from those areas. I cut the covering approximately 1/8 in. inside each opening. Slits were then made around the opening’s circumference so the covering could be ironed down to the edges of the opening.

Next I hinged the flaps and ailerons with clear Mylar hinge tape, which you’ll want to buy from Esprit Model. Their clear tape is good quality for this application, and it does not distract from the beautiful color scheme of the model as some tapes do.

The manual recommends using a five-channel receiver that interfaces with six servos. Due to the flap servo configuration, using the five-channel receiver would require a servo reverser to have the flaps operate in unison. Therefore, I opted for an eight-channel receiver, which let me use individual ports for both the ailerons and the flaps. Note that I centered and set them per their individual functions before they were installed in the model. Remember, once a servo is glued into the wing, it is not possible to change the control arm without removing it.

For installing the wing servos I made a slight change from that outlined in the instructions. They reference Multiplex six-pin connectors and sockets for the wings. For example, for the wings’ tip ribs there would be a connector for the inner panel of the wing and one for the outer panel. They would mate with each other. This installation method requires cutting the servo lead and soldering a servo wire between the servo and connector. Alternately, I used a 12-in. servo extension for the outboard wing panels. I carefully removed the male connector so as not to damage the plastic locking tabs on the connector. Then that end was routed through the servo wires’ tube in the wing to the tip rib, where the connector was then reattached to the servo lead and its connector. The center sections of the wings required two 24-in. and two 36-in. extensions. This install also required the male ends to be removed and the leads routed to the center bottom of the wing. There the connectors were reattached. Also, to make removal of the wing easy, an eight-pin Multiplex connector was soldered to the servo leads approximately three inches from the bottom wing’s root surface.

Mounting the wing servos was very easy. The manufacturer supplies hard Rohacell® foam mount blocks, which have a small notch cut in them to fit tightly to the servo. The height of these blocks required sanding so that they would fit under the lower wing skin. Before gluing in the servo blocks into the wing with the servo, these servos were checked for fit and alignment relative to the control surfaces’ hinge lines. Only one servo at a time was installed because I used 5-minute epoxy, and I was double-checking the alignment relative to the control surface as the epoxy cured.

I encountered a slight problem when installing the fiberglass wing rod in the right center section jointer tube. A restriction was encountered at the second 70

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

Specifications Type

3-meter ALES

Wingspan

116 in.

Length

54.5 in.

Weight

80 oz

Motor

MVVS 40 4.6/840 Brushless MVVS2049

ESC

Jeti Advanced 70 Pro Brushless JETIADV-70

Propeller

Aeronat CAM Fold 15x8 AER7234/71

Spinner

BB Folding Aluminum 40/ 5 / 8mm BBMDK40503

Transmitter

Spektrum DX8

rib location. Using Receiver AR8000 sandpaper bonded to a Servos (4) Hitec HS-85MG Micro, (2) rod, I sanded the area to Hitec HS-425 BB remove the restriction.

Battery Thunder Power ProPower Then the rod fit properly.

30C 3S 3300-mAh LiPo The wing mates to the fuselage with a dowel at its leading edge that fits a hold-down hole in the fuselage. Two screws at the trailing edge mate to a plywood wing mount plate in the fuselage. It is bonded a little forward of the opening in the fuselage. While test-fitting the wing to the fuselage, I marked the mount hole locations on the fuselage. The marks were not right, so the blind nuts cut through the fiberglass at the forward edge.

Please see the photos to better understand.

The fuselage’s hardware install is straightforward until you must cut the nose off the fuselage for the power installation. Glider pilots need not cut off the nose!

One of the great features of this kit is that they provide a jig to hold the fuselage in precisely the proper position for cutting the nose off easily and properly. All you will need is a razor saw. You will cut the nose of the fuselage by holding the saw flat against the jig’s front surface. The jig will then provide the proper down and offset for the motor’s thrust.

After fitting the motor mount to the motor you will temporally secure it to the mount. The mount is then held in place with the spinner collet while the epoxy cures. This insures that the motor fits the fuselage at the proper angles. Once the epoxy was completely cured, I reinstalled the motor and speed controll using three-millimeter cap screws, with blue thread lock compound on the thread to ensure they would not come loose. The collet spinner was then attached to the motor shaft, with its 15x8-in. propeller blades.

The Jeti electronic speed controller must be programmed for brake and battery type. The controller’s instructions will explain in detail how you will program the ESC by using the throttle’s control stick on the transmitter. It’s easy!

After the servo tray in my model was bonded to the fuselage, a fillet of epoxy and flocked cotton fiber was applied to the fiberglass/plywood joint with the rounded tip of a Popsicle stick. It adds a little reinforcement to the tray.

You’ll want to assemble the elevator and rudder servos’ control arms with the control rods’ clevises attached to the arms prior to mounting the servos in the fuselage. Also, I found that the forward fuselage slot on the elevator’s drive in the vertical fin required a small amount of trimming to provide smooth, friction-free operation of the elevator throughout its travel from plus to minus.

The finishing touch to my model was the application of the Albatros vinyl graphics to the left wing. They are included in the kit. You’ll find that they can be applied to the model quite easily.

To the Horizon . . . and Beyond!

Of course, complete 3D freedom is just part of the story. Phoenix V4.0 also gives you: » Over 175 Accurately Modeled Aircraft » Free Aircraft and Flying Site Updates » Gorgeous Photo-Panoramic Flying Sites » Internet/LAN Multiplayer with Voice Chat » Realistic Engine Sounds » Support for TrackIR™ and NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ software

NEW Phoenix V4.0 RC Professional Flight Simulation with

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The Phoenix RC flight simulation has always had stunning visuals and some of the most accurate physics available in any desktop simulator. With version 4.0, it takes virtual RC flight to new heights with the InfinityScape 3D terrain generator.

No longer are you confined to the limits of a map. InfinityScape lets you fly beyond the horizon over beautiful, ever-changing 3D terrain that you create and control.

And you can take it all in from thrilling in-cockpit or chase camera views. Even if you stick with the default view on the flying field, you’ll have a blast changing InfinityScape settings to see what kind of exciting environments it creates around you. No two are ever alike and you can save your favorites.

The Only RC Flight Sim Available with a Functional Spektrum™ DSMX® DX5e Transmitter

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SERIOUS FUN.™ RC-SF.COM

71

©2012 Horizon Hobby, Inc. The Horizon Hobby logo is a trademark of Horizon Hobby, Inc. DSMX is a trademark of Horizon Hobby, Inc., registered in the U.S. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. PhoenixRC and the PhoenixRC logo are registered trademarks of Runtime Games Ltd. Exclusively distributed by Horizon Hobby, Inc. NVIDIA® and 3D Vision™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation. TrackIR™ is a trademark of NaturalPoint, Inc. 36370.1

BY Daniel Holman

1

1 I’m flying the beautiful 35-percent scale model of Jim Bourke’s Sbach 342 Thunderbolt in the Soccer Field HD flying site.

O

f all the innovations and gadgets that have been invented to assist pilots in honing their skills to fly remotecontrolled model airplanes, none has been as powerful as the flight simulator. Knife Edge Software® has been at the forefront of simulator development for years, starting with the original RealFlight. They’ve made significant enhancements with each new version. RealFlight 6 is their latest version, and I was quite excited to give it a try.

WHAT’S NEW

3

72

2

The first version of RealFlight I used was their G-2 software about nine years ago. I then got G-3, which included the PhotoField graphics. The flight physics in that version were better, and it included more aircraft simulations. I was happy with that version. Of course I’ve upgraded from time to time, flying RealFlight 5 until RealFlight 6 arrived. Here I am years later with the newest version of RealFlight, which incorporates some amazing new features and many more airplane simulations.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

REALFLIGHT 6® 2 Look at the amazing 3D graphics that RealFlight 6 offers! The leaves rustle when you turn up the wind speed.

4

Airplanes • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

3

This is preparing to fly the elegant Seawind at Alpine Lake. Float flying in RealFlight 6 and the reflections at the 3D flying sites are incredible!

4 This train is being rapidly de-commissioned as I strafe it with the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper.

One of the most significant enhancements to RealFlight 6 is its new helicopter physics engine.

Previous versions provided good helicopter simulations, but Knife Edge worked with top helicopter pilots to fine-tune the helicopter simulations and create an even more realistic RC flight experience.

Some minor changes were made to the airplane simulations, but I couldn’t feel much of a difference.

However, aero-towing has been introduced into RealFlight 6, which is very enjoyable to fly and which I found quite realistic.

The InterLink® USB interface is very similar to the one from G5 but has the new Rewind feature. This allows you to back up your flight 5

Sitting on the grass after an exhilarating flight, the beautiful model of Jim Bourke’s Russian Thunder Yak-54 looks great— amazing cockpit detail.

to any point and re-fly the aircraft from that point. While learning new maneuvers this can be really helpful because you don’t have to reset and reposition the aircraft after a mistake.

The graphics quality in RealFlight 6 has been improved yet again. It is now really quite stunning, even in the 3D fields. Such advancements as real rendering and depth-of-field view add realism to the simulations.

For those of you who want RealFlight to be more of a video game, you’re in for a treat. Knife Edge has added paintball, rocket and streamer wars. Now you can take your “bad day” out on some fellow gamers. It is lots of fun.

There are also numerous other advancements such as a removable 5

6 RealFlight 6 is an excellent simulator for beginners. Here you can see the NextStar trainer coming in for a successful landing.

6

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Albatros D.Va AR-6 Endeavor Cessna® 182 Skylane® Dynaflite™ Super Decathlon ElectriFly™ BLT™ Park Flyer ElectriFly Cirrus® SR-22 Turbo ElectriFly Edge 540 ElectriFly Edge 540T EP 3D XLC™ ElectriFly ElectroStreak™ ElectriFly FlatOuts™ Extra 300S ElectriFly Fundango™ ElectriFly PBY Catalina ElectriFly Slinger™ ElectriFly Yak-54 3D Extra 300L Flyzone™ Beechcraft Staggerwing Flyzone Diablo™ Flyzone SkyFly™ 2 Flyzone Switch™ Sport Gary Wright Model Products E3D Gee Bee R-2 General Atomics MQ-9 “Reaper” Great Planes Big Stik™ Great Planes Big Stik w/Floats Great Planes CAP 232 Great Planes PT-40™ Great Planes SpaceWalker Great Planes Super Sportster™ Great Planes Super Sportster w/ Floats Great Planes Ultra Sport™ Hall Bulldog Harrier Hobbico® ElectriStar™ Hobbico NexSTAR™ Hobbico NexSTAR EP Hobbico Twinstar™ L-39 Albatross Multiplex® Easy Star Multiplex ParkMaster 3D North American AT-6 Texan P-51D Mustang Piper J-3 Cub Piper J-3 Cub w/Floats Russian Thunder™ Yak-54 Ryan STA Schneider Cup Racer Seawind® Sbach Thunderbolt 35% Sig Seniorita Simple Flyer SkyShip Sopwith Pup

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7

8

9 7 If you’re into jets and speed, you will be pleased with RealFlight 6. This L-39 Albatross flies quite realistically and is a challenge to land perfectly.

8 Flying the Russian Thunder Yak-54 from the cockpit gives you a whole new view and appreciation for the wild maneuvers that we see happen from the ground!

9 Here’s another view of the gorgeous Seawind at Lake Douglass. The lines of this airplane are sweet and very close to scale.

10 The Schneider Cup Racer is a beautiful classic that is very fun to fly. The attention to detail on this particular model is excellent!

11 Flying the V-22 Osprey is quite a challenge. The large (scale-size) rotors mandate a vertical takeoff and landing.

sky grid. It will aid you in perfecting the geometry of maneuvers. The excellent virtual flight instructor provides you with instruction from a top pilot to guide you through the process of learning maneuvers, with verbal instruction as well as stick movements.

With each new version of RealFlight the list of RC airfields and aircraft gets longer. RealFlight 6 has a number of new airfields, including High Definition (HD) 3D sites. These airfields are beautifully simulated to capture their real-life feel. They let you move your position in the simulation from a fixed view, cockpit view, chase view and more.

Many new aircraft have been added to the RealFlight 6’s simulations. They include Jim Bourke’s 35-percent scale version of a beautiful Sbach 342 Thunderbolt, the RF-97 sailplane for aero-towing and the Synergy 3D helicopter. You can buy their mega packs for RealFlight 6 too. They will give you many more airplanes to fly. There is one available for airplanes and one for helicopters.

I went with the airplane mega pack since I’m a fixed-wing kind of guy. The 74

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

airplane pack includes many of the aircraft that you would have received in the early add-ons as well as some new ones.

USING REALFLIGHT 6

I installed RealFlight 6 without difficulty. It is easy if you follow the program’s install wizard step by step. You must have your computer connected to the Internet to register the software before using it. After the installation completed, I got right down to the fun part of using RealFlight 6.

Picking the 35-percent scale Sback 342 and one of the new PhotoFields, I began to tear up the skies in the comfort of the living room. I spent quite a bit of time testing the flight physics, and here’s what I found. The helicopters feel great and fly more realistically than on any other simulator I’ve tried.

The sailplane physics are good and feel quite realistic. The trainers feel realistic as well, with the exception of being slightly on the easy side to fly as compared with real-life flight.

Warbirds, although beautiful and fun to fly, are not nearly as difficult to

control as in real life and are very hard to stall. Being able to harrier around the airfield is not possible with a scale P-51 Mustang model.

I am quite happy with the realism of the jets’ flight performance, although it was a touch on the easy side of real as well.

Regarding the 3D aircraft that are simulated, they all fly well, but unfortunately too well. RealFlight 6 is a great tool to learn the basics of 3D aerobatics, but once the airplanes reach the point of stall the realism lags. At that point, the control surfaces are overly powerful and the airplanes tend to hover by themselves. Some of this can be edited out, but I am still not completely satisfied with this aspect of the flight physics.

Dynamic Soaring (DS) is a lot of fun, and although I’ve never tried it in real life, it feels quite realistic in RealFlight 6. I had a great time getting the glider’s speed up to the point where you can hardly track the sailplane because it is moving so fast.

I am quite impressed with the ground handling and how the aircraft can bump along the terrain quite

REALFLIGHT 6® realistically. With flexible landing gear, hard landings will show and are quite fun to watch.

If you are into float flying, you will really enjoy the multiple 3D flying sites with beautiful “wet” runways.

Touching down on the water is a challenge just as in real life, so making a perfect landing is rewarding.

There is also a PhotoField of a lake, which can be used to fly some of the simulated model from, although there is no reflection due to the fact that the lake simulation is a photo.

MULTIPLAYER

With the exception of a jar of cookies, just about everything is more fun when you have someone to share it with. Getting together with flying buddies at the airfield might not happen as often as you like, but joining up on multiplayer is a blast.

Now, in RealFlight 6, you can talk to each other through a microphone

while flying. Whether you’re challenging each other in a hot game of combat, formation flying or just flying around together, multiplayer is a great way to enjoy socializing and flying at the same time.

Airplanes (continued) • • • • • •

ACCUMODEL AIRCRAFT EDITOR

One of my personal favorites of the new RealFlight 6 is the powerful aircraft editing software. This feature lets you edit every part of the model except its visual appearance. It is quite rewarding to spend a little time editing a model to make it fly like your real RC airplane. By changing airfoils, power plants, center of gravity (CG), control throws and more, you can closely recreate the flight performance of the real thing.

This makes practicing with RealFlight 6 that much more beneficial. I would strongly encourage you to check out Knife Edge Software’s swap pages too.

Top Flite® Cessna® 182 Skylane® Tower Hobbies® Extra Special Ultimate Biplane Wild RC Mini IFO Wright Flyer (1903) Yak-54 Sailplanes

• • • • • • •

DynaFlite™ Bird of Time™ Great Planes Fling™ 2-Meter Great Planes Spirit™ 100 Hawk Mistral 3M RF-97 Shuriken 60-in. Sloper Helicopters

10

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bell® 222® Bell® Jetranger™ Dominion 400 Dominion 450 Dominion 3D 90 Ecureuil Heli-Max™ Axe™ 400 3D Heli-Max Axe CP Heli-Max Axe EZ Huey® Mako F3C Miniature Aircraft® X-Cell® Furion™ 450 Schweizer Thunder Tiger Innovator Expert Tutor 600 Tutor 600 Trainer Westland Lynx PhotoField Sites

11

• • • • • • • •

Alpine Meadow Carl Henson Field Evergreen Airport Gold Country Aeromodeler Park Grass Flatlands Grass Flatlands (Night) Lake Douglas Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Skypark • Sod Farm • Waco Field 3D Sites • Air Race Stadium • Alpine Lake • Apocalypse

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There you will find airplane setups posted by other RealFlight users.

You can download them for free.

You will find everything from entire aircraft files, which have been made by talented CAD artists, to color

12

12 Slope soaring is relaxing and enjoyable in RealFlight 6. Here I am flying the Minstral 3M at the observatory.

13 New to RealFlight 6, dynamic soaring will satisfy even the most speed-hungry flyer! The wind direction arrows are optional and can be removed easily.

BEGINNER’S IMPRESSION OF REALFLIGHT

A

s a recently employed graphic designer at Kiona Publishing, one of my earliest assignments was, surprisingly, to review RealFlight G5.5. To be honest, at the time I didn’t feel that I was qualified to be a candidate for a simulator program as technical as this. The most experience I’d ever had with any airplanes was the few times I’d been on them for a family vacation. However, Mr. Byers assured me that he was looking for a perspective exactly like mine.

This review was to be based on what a complete newcomer to the hobby would think. “Well, they don’t come any greener than I am,” I thought, and so I readily agreed, although I had no real idea what was in store for me.

Installation was pretty easy; all I had to do was insert the disc into the drive and follow the popup window instructions from there. The minimum system requirements for RealFlight include: Windows 7 to Windows XP, 512 MB of RAM and an Intel Pentium 1.0 GHz or its equivalent. My PC runs on Windows 7 and has 4 GB of RAM, an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU at 3.00 GHz and an NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX graphics card, so it was definitely up to the task of running the program. The simulator came with everything I needed to start. This included the software contained on a single DVD and a very cool looking InterLink Elite Controller to use as an interface. The simulator installed with no trouble, and within 10 minutes I was ready to begin my electronic “first flight.”

Time for Takeoff Feeling a little impatient (after all, I am an experienced “gamer”), I decided to throw caution to the wind and dive in right away without any further preparation. The menu offered takeoff and landing tutorials, which is where I decided

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I would cut my teeth. I started (and spent most of my time) on the game’s default aircraft, the N310MF NexSTAR, which I assumed was a basic model that many hobbyists used to begin their training. I admit I half expected it to run like any other video flying game that I had played in the past; however, RealFlight is called an R/C flight simulator for a reason. The first difference was that my point of view was in a fixed position on the ground. It was not directly behind the plane, nor in the cockpit, as I had become accustomed to in my previous video gaming experiences. I soon realized that the purpose of RealFlight was, in fact, to simulate as closely as possible the experience of controlling and flying a real R/C plane. Imagine that!

The trainer dialogue box prompted me to set a couple of switches on my controller to their beginning positions, and after that I was off. Or, at least I tried to take off. My first attempt at takeoff landed my plane in the windsock. My next eight attempts fared little better. The controls were sensitive; gunning the throttle sent my plane in a loop-de-loop that smashed it into the ground, and slamming the aileron control stick sent the plane into a death spiral. Hmm. RealFlight was designed to require much greater understanding from its would-be users to control the plane and successfully launch.

Somewhat sheepishly, I decided that just perhaps I should go back through the installation guide to review the diagram of the controller for a better understanding of the controls. The instructions for the controller were short and to the point, giving me the lowdown on the throttle/ rudder left control stick and the elevator/aileron right control stick and their functions. There were also three other switches and a knob that

performed various other functions, depending on the model of the plane, but for the purposes of the takeoff and landing trainers, managing the sticks was the bulk of what I needed to know.

Having now armed myself with this new knowledge, I more confidently returned to the takeoff trainer, and within half an hour I was ascending fairly regularly without too much trouble. The simulator provided me with guiding arrows to help me keep on track, as well as lit boundaries for me to stay inside of. At this point, I began to feel pretty good about myself and decided to take the next step—try my hand at landing. Emphasis on try, and try and try again.

As with takeoff, my perspective was from a fixed point on the ground. The controls required precision, not kneejerk reactions, and this time the plane was starting in the air, not on the ground! Landing turned out to be even more difficult than taking off, and my new-found self confidence came crashing down as surely as my plane. I crashed the plane many times, once on my in-game truck and trailer, which I half expected to erupt in flames. I believe it was somewhere shortly after my eightieth attempt that I finally managed to land the plane in one piece, but sadly, not on the runway; still, I was elated!

Simulator Fun After I felt reasonably certain that I understood the basics of takeoff and landing, I moved on to the simulator section where I chose to stay with the default model, a P-51 Mustang. Along the way, I discovered that some of those former “idle” switches had new uses, but only after I comically raised the landing gear while the plane was still sitting on the runway! Still, the simulator experience was very enjoyable. At this point, I

REALFLIGHT 6® 13

3D Sites (continued)

BY Lindsey Douglas

started experimenting with some of the other settings in this game, such as increased difficulty, wind, sun position and even the color and texture of the plane itself. At one point I’d adjusted the environmental settings to reflect a variable 30+ mph wind, something I’m sure not even an expert, in his right mind, would have braved had this been a real R/C plane. I also learned that I could, in fact, change the point of view so that I could put myself in the cockpit, behind the plane, on the wing or even in front if I so chose.

Eventually I found my way again to the training section where I sifted through the virtual flight instructor section. I decided to try my hand on a tutorial called “The Wall” under Frank Noll’s section. I was treated to a short blurb on a few of Mr. Noll’s previous awards, as well as a short rundown of the maneuver itself. Once I started, the game switched over to a recorded flight, accompanied by a voice recording of Mr. Noll taking me though the steps to do the maneuver. What I found particularly helpful was the display of the InterLink Elite Controller on the top left hand side of the screen that followed the recording of the exact positions my virtual instructor used to perform his trick. It wasn’t long afterwards that I was able to perform a much less graceful version of “The Wall” on my own, using the P-51.

At the time of this review, there were several features of which I was only able to get the barest glimpses. For example, there were several airports from which to choose, though I believe my personal favorite was Alpine Lake. There was even a section that would allow me to completely make up my own geographic area from scratch so that I could have a place completely unique in which to romp around. There was also a menu

that would allow me to swap out parts of my planes to customize more than just the paint job. In addition, there was an entire section for helicopters that I have, as of yet, been unable explore, as I chose to focus on the airplane portion of this simulator. However, I think it is a section that would be well worth looking into, and I’m certain many helicopter enthusiasts would agree. There was an online multiplayer section that the “gamer” in me wanted to try.

Aerial combat was fun, but it certainly made me appreciate the time and effort my “foes” had put into their crafts, as I was little more than a greasy smear on their collective windshields.

Overview In a few short days of casual play, I managed to carve my little niche in the virtual sky, thanks to RealFlight G5.5. I can’t remember the exact number of times I crashed unceremoniously, but the really cool part about RealFlight is that my little plane could always miraculously bounce back. For the price of the simulator, a beginner can basically get an unlimited number of re-dos. The game’s graphics are wonderfully realistic, and the planes are all sleek and nearly as individual as their real life counterparts. The customization options will give the owner hours of endless variations to test and practice his skills.

It is true that the game does seem to assume a small degree of hobby flying knowledge from its newest users, but the necessary information is not hard to find and relatively easy to understand.

Also, as I said before, there are no negative consequences for learning. One can take all the time one wants and crash any number of planes.

This beginner has high praise for this industry standard product. Wheels up!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Boneyard Buena Vista Carnival Castle Construction Site DS Ridgeline Flight School Flight School (Night) Joe’s Garage Marooned Observatory Obstacle Course Obstacle Course (Night) Palace RealFlight Ranch Sandy Point Shipwreck Sierra Nevada Cliff Soccer Field Thermal Park Minimum Recommended System

Some graphical features may be disabled. Aerodynamic calculations will remain high quality.

• Windows® XP, Windows Vista™ or • Windows 7 • Intel® Pentium® 1.0GHz or equivalent • 512 MB RAM • 5 GB hard drive space • DVD drive • 3D accelerated video with: 32 MB dedicated video memory Full DirectX® 9 compliance (Shader model 2.0 or better)

Optimal System For best graphical performance: • Dual Core 2.4GHz CPU • 2 GB RAM • 3D accelerated video with 512 MB of Dedicated Video Memory • Multiplayer Requirements: Broadband Internet connection Computer microphone for voice chat

Distributor Great Planes P.O. Box 9078 Champaign, IL Phone: 800-637-6050 towerhobbies.com

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REALFLIGHT 6® schemes, aircraft variants and even custom RC airfields.

14

FLEXFIELD® SCENERY EDITOR

Much like the AccuModel aircraft editor, the FlexField® scenery editor allows you to edit the airfields and make new ones. For example, if you have a real-life obstacle at your airfield, why not add it into your flight simulator’s airfield so that avoiding it becomes habitual? It’s quite easy to do and could eliminate future crashes.

OVERVIEW

All in all, Knife Edge Software has done an excellent job with RealFlight 6. I would, however, like to see more post-stall physics, which would make it feel a bit more real. It is, however, a superb learning tool for beginners all the way to advanced pilots, as well as for hardcore gamers. For those of you who decide to purchase RealFlight 6, be sure to check out the expansion packs, which will give you more aircraft as well as many more flying sites! At only $29.95 each, the expansion packs are a great value.

One of the best parts about RealFlight 6 is that it allows you to get lots of stick time, even when the weather is bad. Get RealFlight 6 to help you refine your piloting skills.

The best part is that you can get it for only $199.98 at towerhobbies.com, and the shipping is free.

And, keep your browser pointed at Tower Hobbies because the new Real Flight 6.5 is on its way to you soon.

16

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15

14 The helicopter physics are excellent in RealFlight 6. Although I am not a worldclass 3D helicopter pilot, I appreciate this portion of the simulator.

16 Park flying at its best! Flying the ElectriFly Cirrus® SR-22 Turbo in the soccer field makes you feel like you’re enjoying a relaxing lunch break at the local field.

15 Variable Pitch Propellers (VPP) add a whole new dimension to flying and are a real challenge to master.

17 Although not new to version 6 of RealFlight, flying with streamers gives a great visual for aerobatic maneuvers. Can you guess what the airplane did last?

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

fly with modern flair

Stunning looks.

And performance to match.

With its subtle curves and unique profile, you’d never guess that this plane is scaled after a homebuilt kit — but it is. The full-size Millennium Master is an innovative Italian design that looks like no other civilian aircraft, and you’ll stand out from all of the Cubs and military trainers when you show up at the field with this beauty. Everyone will admire the model’s flowing lines and oversized canopy...and you’re sure to impress when you take it up and show off its exceptional cruising speeds and sport aerobatic capabilities.

Bold. Contemporary. Progressive. These words describe the Millennium Master EP...as well as the pilot who flies one.

Wingspan: 41 in (1040 mm) ™

™

© 2012 Hobbico®, Inc. All rights reserved. 3074563

flyzoneplanes.com/112x

BY Devin Troy

CALYPSO AN EXCELLENT COMBINATION OF FUN, QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE

T

he new Calypso from Flyzone® is an excellent motorglider, full of options that will keep a pilot interested. To start, the kit comes four different ways: ARF, Rx-R, Tx-R and RTF. There is also an optional flap kit. The most basic version is the almost-ready-to-fly one, which provides only the airplane.

This means you get the fuselage, canopy, wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, Y-connector for the ailerons, wing tube and tail screw, but no electrics. You must provide the radio gear, motor, ESC and battery.

WHAT YOU GET

The Calypso’s airframe components are made of durable AeroCell foam, a Great Planes® exclusive, resulting in a lightweight model that’s great for soaring without being flimsy.

The wingspan is 73 in. with 526 in.2 of wing area, making the model substantial without being too large to transport or build easily in a workshop with limited space. It is an inch shy of four feet long, and it weighs approximately 30 oz, depending how you set it up. The overall effect is an airplane that is impressive physically, but still manageable for pilots with limited RC flying experience.

The version I’m reviewing is the Rx-R, or receiver-ready. You need to provide the receiver and an appropriate transmitter of fouror-more channels, but you get the complete ARF kit with four factoryinstalled servos, a 28x30 1300-Kv brushless outrunner motor and 18-amp electronic speed controller (ESC). You’ll still need the optional This is what you’ll get when you buy a Calypso. It includes everything but the transmitter and charger.

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Onyx 235 AC/DC balancing charger and Flyzone 3S 1300-mAh LiPo battery, but everything else is in the box.

The Tx-R, or transmitter-ready, kit comes with everything needed except the transmitter. However, Tactic® provides an amazing solution to this problem with the company’s Tactic AnyLink® SLT 2.4GHz Radio Adapter.

This great tool allows you to use your favorite transmitter

from a large range of options, enabling it to communicate with the included Tactic SLT receiver rather than you having to provide a receiver of your own. The AnyLink module is easy to install and lets your transmitter broadcast a 2.4-GHz signal to the receiver, regardless of the band of your transmitter.

The most complete version of the Calypso EP, the ready-to-fly, comes with everything you need, including a four-channel Tactic transmitter with AA batteries. However, it is important to note that you need at least five channels to support the optional flap kit. If you are thinking of adding flaps now or later, the Rx-R or Tx-R versions are your best choices.

In my opinion, the fuselage of the Calypso has the look of a full-scale glider. I like the clean design lines that give it a classy look.

FLYZONE® CALYPSO

ASSEMBLY

Assembly for the Rx-R kit is basic.

Beginners will do best with a little bit of guidance, but the instructions are clear enough for most anyone to complete the model on their own. The first step to tackle is installing the receiver, in my case This was my gear for the Calypso: an Onyx charger, the Tactic SLT receiver.

Flyzone 3S 1300-mAh LiPo batteries and (optional) Hobbico® Power Supply.

Whenever I’m installing a receiver, I use alcohol to wipe down the fuselage bay and the I recommend you wipe the receiver case and foam of the airplane receiver where the hook-and-loop with alcohol to get a good bond material must adhere. This removes between the hook-n-loop material, the case and the foam. skin oils and other contaminants from the surfaces, ensuring a secure hold. The same holds true for the

battery installation, and while you’re preparing the battery, it is important to always adhere the hook-and-loop material to the back side of the battery. If the front of the battery is covered, the charging information won’t be visible, and being able to identify the cell count and capacity of the battery is mandatory for safe and proper charging.

Once the receiver is installed and the servo leads are connected to the proper channels, the tail assembly comes next, and it is completed in three quick steps You’ll attach the hook-n-loop material to the outlined in the manual. receiver’s plastic case after you’ve cleaned the case with alcohol.

The tail surfaces have

You may want to go with a package that includes the Tactic TX600 transmitter and SLT receiver for controlling your model.

Next you will press the receiver, with its hook-n-loop material, against the foam of the fuselage to get it fastened tightly to the glider.

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“living” hinges, in that the control surfaces are molded into the flying surfaces with just a thin line of material hinging them together. The manual suggests flexing the elevator up and down and the rudder back and forth several times before installation to break them in. A hassle-saving feature of the tail section is that the horizontal stabilizer and vertical fin are held onto the tail end of the fuselage with only one screw.

The next step is to link/bind the receiver to your transmitter, and the process is simple.

The transmitter gets turned on, the battery gets plugged into the lead from the ESC and then you press and hold the receiver’s bind button down until a light in the receiver glows solid red. Once the bind is complete, check the control directions because reversing may be needed.

With the transmitter and receiver on to ensure that the trims are centered, the rudder and elevator clevises must be connected and adjusted, and it’s worth mentioning that the clevises on this model are very high quality. They have flat gripping areas so that no special tool is needed to rotate them on the threaded pushrods, and

Here I’m going to insert the hinge that is in the fuselage into the rudder’s leading edge. The rudder is attached to the empennage at this point.

One screw holds the horizontal stabilizer and vertical fin to the fuselage. This step will take less than five minutes to do.

Next you’ll want to connect the clevises to their respective control horns. It is a great system that uses screws to hold everything in place.

You must add a little nose weight to the glider to get it to balance at the proper center of gravity. I used a Great Planes C.G. Machine for this step.

I adjusted the control surfaces’ throws with a Great Planes AccuThrow Surface Deflection Meter to get it set properly.

When you apply the power to the Calypso it will climb aggessively, getting it to soaring altitude in a hurry!

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instead of the usual rubber tubing for a keeper, these clevises are secured by a Phillips-head screw that passes through the control horn and doubles as the clevis pin. These clevises are strong and secure.

ANYLINK

The initial setup that I performed was with my Tactic TX600 transmitter, but without installing the

FLYZONE® CALYPSO I launched my Calypso with the throttle at about 75%. You’ll discover that it will pretty much fly right out of your hand, but still I recommend you give it a good throw.

optional flap kit. It was otherwise complete at this point, save for balancing the model and measuring the control surface throws. However, I really wanted to use that optional flap kit, and to do so, I decided to switch over from my Tactic TX600 radio to my Futaba 7C, a computer radio on 2.4 GHz. My tactic is an excellent basic system, but the Futaba 7C’s computer provides electronic features—flaperon, flap-elevator mixing, exponential and more—that give me greater versatility.

Before I switched out the receiver, I decided to give the AnyLink adapter a shot with the Tactic SLT receiver that I had already installed and linked to my Tactic transmitter. AnyLink is supposed to work with almost any brand of radio on any band, so I tried it out with my four-channel Futaba Skysport transmitter on 72 MHz. The AnyLink discreetly mounts on the upper back of whatever transmitter you use, so it’s right there at work for you but out of the way. The instruction manual is super clear about setup, and I can happily say that the system worked perfectly. In less than five minutes, my 72-MHz Skysport was talking to my Calypso EP on 2.4 GHz. How cool is that?

A major point to remember though is that you need to take the crystal or module out of whatever host transmitter you use.

SETUP

Fully satisfied with the AnyLink performance, I switched out the SLT receiver for my own Futaba 617FS receiver. The setup was pretty much identical, except this Futaba receiver has antennas that needed to be taped as close to 90 degrees apart as possible. The Calypso RC Bay is huge, and I was able to do a pretty good job with the antennas. Once everything was installed and bound, I The Calypso has a belly wheel that will let you land it on asphalt, but in this case I just flew mine in on the grass runway.

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These are the optional items you’ll want to buy if you decide to put flaps in your Calypso. I think it is well worth the couple of extra dollars to add them.

I used a number 11 Exacto blade to cut the flaps from ailerons. The lines are molded into the foam so you will know to cut.

The design lines of the Calypso are quite striking, especially when it is coming in for a landing.

ventured on to the flap kit. The first and aileron setup, I followed the thing to do is use a razor to cut the instructions as written and cut flaps from the ailerons and then trim them free. Installing the flap servos away the foam skin to open the servo was next. A small, factory-marked bays. rectangle needs to be cut out of the I have to note here that my Futaba bottom side of each wing panel with 7C has a flaperon feature, but you a razor. The cuts don’t need to be don’t need the flap kit to use it. The deep, only around 1/8 in. because the right aileron gets plugged into the foam skin that covers the servo bays aileron channel and the left aileron is just that thin. After the flap horns gets plugged into the flap channel are glued to the flaps, the servo (CH-6). You have to activate the wires need to go through the wing, flaperon feature in the programming, and the instructions lay out a simple and then adjust the flap trim. When string-and-washer method to make it’s all set up correctly, the aileron executing this step easy. I made it stick works the ailerons, and the even easier by pushing the string and flap dial proportionally lowers both washer through the wing slot with a ailerons while still allowing them thin wooden dowel. to work like ailerons.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think all this through before installing the flap kit, so I had to hook the flaps up the same way with my Futaba 7C setup and my Tactic TX600 setup.

If you intend to use a flaperon feature, you won’t need the flap kit, and the flaps will not need to be separated from the You will cut the servo bay for the flaps’ servo using a ailerons. However, for number 11 blade too. The outlines for where to cut are molded into the foam. my independent flap 84

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

When the flap servo wires are through the wing halves, connect the servo extension wires so the servo wires can reach the receiver.

I used 3/8-in.-diameter heat-shrink tubing to secure the servo wires to the extensions, a simple solution that I will never stop loving. This is where the servos get glued into their bays in the wing panels. When these steps are completed, you finish by connecting the flap servos to the receiver with the Y-harness that comes with the flap kit. Choose the channel controlled by the switch or dial on your transmitter that you want to control the flaps. In my case, this was channel six.

I glued all the control horns into the control surfaces using Bob Smith Industries Gold gap filling cyanoacrylate glue.

FLYZONE® CALYPSO

This shows how the flap’s control horn will glue to the flap. Notice how the clevis and control rod run to the servo bay in the wing.

I used a wooden dowel to push the servo lead through the wing to the flap servo bay.

To make connection easy after transporting the Calypso, I used a zip-tie to secure the Y-harness for the ailerons in a bundle with the other servo wires.

This means that the Y-harness for the flap servos would be the only loose leads. Now I know where to connect the flaps and ailerons without having to actually mark anything.

Oh, and don’t forget to connect the flap

pushrods to the servo arms and the control horns. With the rods installed and the clevises adjusted, the flap kit is successfully installed and the Calypso EP has another item on its list of hot features.

With the model fully assembled and the electronics all installed, it is time for the final touches— balancing and adjusting the control

You must pull the servo lead through the tube in the foam wing to get it to the root of the wing. Here you still see it tied to a string.

throws. I used the Great Planes C.G. Machine™ to balance my Calypso, and it turned out that my model needed 1.25 oz of lead in its nose.

The proper surface throws are all listed in the manual, and I used the Great Planes Accu-Throw™ Surface Deflection Meter to measure them. My Tactic has dual rates, but they are fixed at 100% full and 60% low. Instead, I used my Futaba 7C transmitter because it enables me to set rate percentages and add exponential. Additionally, I can use the endpoint feature to set up the high-rate surface deflections. I did that, then I added 30% exponential all around and fine-tuned the dual rates.

With all these features, I was able to gain as much electronic control of the Calypso as I wanted.

You’ll want to install the flap servo with its arm at about a 45-degree angle towards the flaps. That way you will get the most flap travel.

The AnyLink system will make your RC experience that much better in that you can use any transmitter in your inventory to fly the Calypso.

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FLYZONE® CALYPSO

IN THE AIR

With everything ready to go, I took the Calypso out to the airfield. I find hand launching exciting, and I was happy with how the model took off out of my hand. I gave it full power and it powered off into the sky, easily climbing straight and sure. A common worry The AnyLink system will fasten to the back of your I opted to fly my Calypso with my Futaba F617FS with gliders is that they transmitter as I’ve shown here. It is simple and easy to receiver. Again, it was attached to the fuselage with set up, even for the beginner. hook-n-loop material. will “sag” on launch, maybe dip or tip, but the Calypso showed no such tendencies.

As I turn the model onto final The 1300-Kv outrunner brushless approach I deploy the flaps to slow the model, yet let me drop the motor is a great fit for the Calypso. nose, but without gaining airspeed.

It has loads of power in the air, but it never felt overpowered or beyond my ability to control it. As much as I enjoy the drive of the motor on climb, the Calypso doesn’t need it for cruising and thermal hunting.

Once it had some altitude, I was really excited to try out the flaps, so I lowered them some and pulled back the power. When the flaps are lowered, it is a common thing to apply down elevator to prevent the nose from coming up and the glider porpoising. The Futaba 7C has a flap-elevator mix that lets result in a low-altitude stall with no building experiences. If you like a you electronically add a percentage chance to recover. great combination of fun, quality and of down-elevator when the flaps The Calypso EP is the third performance, then the Calypso is a are lowered, but I hadn’t set that motorglider I’ve owned, and I didn’t must. up yet. Keeping that in mind, I gave encounter a single problem during a little down elevator, and to my the entire day of test flying, and enjoyment, the Calypso leveled out bringing the Calypso in for that first Specifications but continued to climb. I had hooked touchdown went just as smoothly as Wingspan 73 in. (1855 mm) a thermal on my very first flight with the setup, test flight and everything the model. else. After making several low-power, Wing area 526 in.² (33.9 dm²) Riding the lift, the Calypso rose low-altitude passes over the runway, Length 47 in. (1195 mm) beautifully and required little to I cut back power completely, and the Weight 29 oz RTF (820 g) no power most of the time. I’m so motorglider landed with ease and Motor Brushless outrunner happy I installed the flap kit. It gives made a super smooth rollout. The a whole new twist to the Calypso smooth rollout is because the model ESC 18 amp that I would have missed if I hadn’t has a cool belly wheel that protects Battery 11.1-volt 1300-mAh 15C chosen to take advantage of it. There the fuselage during landings, especially LiPo is, however, one important warning if you land on paved surfaces.

Transmitter Tactic™ 2.4-GHz about flap usage that I make sure The Calypso impressed me Price $249.99 (#FLZA3000) to keep in mind. Although the flaps in many ways, from its numerous enable the model to stay airborne purchase options to its standard or Distributor at a low speed, you must always add electronic setup and high-mark flight power or lower the model’s nose performance. As a relative newcomer Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 before returning the flaps to their upto soaring with motorgliders, I Champaign, IL 61821 position. If you raise the flaps without found the Calypso perfectly stable, Phone: 800-637-7660 first doing this, your model may still gentle and predictable—and an greatplanes.com be below stall speed, which could excellent addition to my flying and 86

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

THE PERFORMANCE YOU WANT, AT A PRICE YOU WON’T BELIEVE.

When you consider all of the functions that the 8J offers, along with its price point, you’ll realize that this is the radio you’ve been waiting for.

Simply put, there’s not enough room here to list all of the features that the 8J offers. Some of the more popular ones include frequency-hopping security, the ability to transfer model data wirelessly between 8J transmitters, 6 programmable mixes (2 with curves), 5 heli flight conditions, 3-axis gyro support, 5-point pitch/throttle curves and a full-range, internal antenna that can handle any application you can think of. It also has a backlit LCD screen with on-screen terms spelled out. And everything is easily accessed and programmed with a jog dial and three buttons.

Precision. Programming ease. Versatility. It’s all here with the 8J, and at a price that makes it one of the most incredible values in radio control.

The included R2008SB 2.4GHz S-FHSS receiver is S.Bus-compatible and features Dual Antenna Diversity. It also comes equipped to handle high voltage applications.

TM TM

®

©2012 Hobbico®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3137312

futaba-rc.com/110y

BY RC-SF Staff

Mike Tallman flies his gorgeous white-and-red F1GT racer. He finished third in the overall championship for the year.

Two Formula 1 GT racers round a pylon and speed up as they head for the straightaway.

USRA Race of

CHAMPIONS III THE EXCITING WORLD OF GIANT-SCALE AIR RACING

I

f the idea of huge, high-powered, gorgeous model airplanes roaring around a racecourse excites you, then giant-scale racing may just be for you. Be prepared, though, because it can be expensive and time consuming, just like the full-scale racers at Reno.

Chris Justus is captured in this photo piloting his unlimited racer just moments before its takeoff.

Giant-scale model airplane air racing was started twenty years ago

by Tom Easterday and Cliff Adams. A couple of years later the Unlimited Scale Racing Association (USRA) was formed. The USRA is an AMA special interest group dedicated to

promoting the air race format.

In a nutshell, the goal of giantscale air racing is to recreate the excitement of the full-scale Reno air races, but with large-scale, highpowered models. The classes mimic those of the full-size racers, with names such as Formula One and Unlimited, as do the airframes that, in some cases, look much like those of the Reno racers.

RACE OF CHAMPIONS

We attended the premier USRA event of the year, dubbed the Race of Champions. This year’s event was held at the Rabbit Dry Lake Bed in southern California. This is an excellent location for an event of this type because it is a huge open area, with a dry lakebed for the models 88

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

USRA RACE OF CHAMPIONS III teams of three. The spotter tells the pilot when to turn the airplane, as well as where to fly it so he can avoid mid-air collisions. The spotter’s job is extremely important and makes a significant difference in the outcome of a race. The third team member is the engine mechanic. Racing is all about performance, and only an engine running at peak efficiency will result in winning races. During my weekend at the races, I saw a malfunctioning engine completely rebuilt in a matter of minutes.

This is a testament to the skill and dedication of the mechanics.

UNLIMITED CLASS

Logan Shaw flies his unlimited racer low and fast right in front of the pilot’s area. Ear protection is a must!

Unlimited racer Logan Shaw is moments before takeoff.

Even at idle, the pull from the engines is substantial.

Tom Keating, designer of the Stiletto, gets ready to race his unlimited airplane.

He finished in second place at the Race of Champions III.

to take off and land on. The weather could not have been better either.

A total of 33 pilots attended the 2012 races, which offered racers five different classes.

The competitors traveled to California from a number of states to compete.

Even though each airplane is allowed only one pilot, it is best to think of the competitors as

The USRA Unlimited class is the most popular, as well as the most eye-popping for the spectators.

These monstrous airplanes weigh 25 pounds, have wingspans of eight feet (2.5 meters) and zip around the pylons at speeds approaching 250 mph (400 kph). It is very difficult finding words to describe what it is like to hear and watch these powerful machines in action.

Although many different airplane designs can be

Look at the engine detail of Peter Goldsmith’s unlimited racer. Instead of using a carburator, these engines use mechanical fuel injection.

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The outstanding Miss Ashley model was piloted

by Dave Smith for Team Extra—easily the fastest airplane at the meet.

Craig Grunkemeyer is shown with his unlimited racer during a takeoff. Pilots fight a massive P-factor (rolling moment) right after takeoff.

Richard Verano won the Formula 1 Pro season championship easily, flying his GR-7 airplane.

David Lloyd poses with his Seagull Models Nemesis, currently the best airframe to start with in air racing.

90

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

flown in this class, two dominate.

One is the Stiletto, which was designed by Tom Keating. In fact, Tom was the second place finisher in the 2012 Unlimited race. The other airframe is called Miss Ashley, which was flown by the fantastic Team Extra. They flew it to a first place finish. Both designs are scale models of the North American P-51D Mustang.

If you have a want to get involved in Unlimited Class racing you must know that these airframes cost about $2500. The airplanes are composite kits. Also, you’ll need to outfit the airplane with digital, high-torque servos, such as the Futaba S9157 and JR DS8711, which cost about $140 each.

The engine of choice for the unlimited airplanes is the Desert Aircraft DA-170. This is an eight-pound (3.5kg) powerhouse that sells for $1700. Be prepared, however, to spend another $700 to get it race ready— clearanced, heads

ported and glow plugs installed. After it is ready to race the engine will turn a 21x27 custom propeller at 10,000 rpm. The DA-170 two-stroke engine normally runs a gasoline and oil mixture for fuel. However, for the power needed for unlimited racing, the fuel is a mixture of alcohol (10%), nitromethane (30%) and oil (6–8%). Think of it as turbocharged glow fuel.

And, at their high-power levels, these engines burn 20 gallons of fuel an hour.

This is comparable with the fuel-burn rate of a fullscale Piper Cherokee Six, but that is a 3400-pound airplane! Because of the race modifications, the engines idle at over 5000 rpm. Consequently, you could never slow down the airplane for landing with the engine revving that much. Therefore, every landing of an unlimited racer must be made dead stick.

These exotic race airplanes typically need at least four control channels just for power.

One channel is obviously used to control the throttle. Another is used for the mixture —it is programmatically slaved to the throttle channel in the transmitter. Another channel is for fuel shut-off, critical for the dead stick landings.

USRA RACE OF CHAMPIONS III Sundowner class airplanes prepare for takeoff. The model numbered 44DD in the foreground is a Seagull Models Nemesis.

Austin Shaw flew his beautifully detailed Pole Cat racer in the Formula 1 Pro class.

Mark Zeal’s GR-7 is captured doing a dead-stick landing after it completed a heat in the Formula 1 GT class.

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August “Auggie” Haupt finished third in the 2012 California race with his GR-7 in the F1GT class.

Randy Ritch’s airplane is shown speeding past when it takes off in the Formula 1 Pro class.

The fourth channel is used to dump excess crankcase pressure.

This air pressure is used to pressurize the fuel tank.

SUNDOWNER CLASS

It would be foolish to get started in giant-scale air racing by jumping feet first into the unlimited class.

A far better starting point is the Sundowner class. In order to compete in this class the Sundowner must be flown stock, with a stock engine such as a Moki 2.10.

The Sundowner airframe is no longer being produced, so you’d likely need to find one on eBay or such… However, an increasingly popular replacement is the Seagull Models Nemesis. The kit goes for about $400. The Moki is about $250. So, you can have a race-ready airplane for about $1000, including the remote control system.

The airspeeds of Sundowner class airplanes are in the neighborhood of 100 mph (160 kph). This is more moderate than the unlimited racers, and it provides the pilot time to react as the airplane zips around the pylons. Even at the 100-mph rates, 92

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2012

Team Extra poses with their fantastic airplane. (L-R) Tom Easterday, Don Nash, Terry Raymond and pilot Dave Smith.

the Sundowner class still makes for exciting racing.

SAFETY

You might be wondering just how safe the format and airplanes are as they streak around the racecourse. The answer is, they are surprisingly safe. The USRA is justifiably very proud of their safety record. For example, we were not allowed near the flightline until we had reviewed their safety procedures. Also,

(L-R) Dennis Fuchs, race starter, and Tony Husak, contest director. Tony has been an AMA CD for 20 years. These guys did a fantastic job.

USRA RACE OF CHAMPIONS III Chuck “Chuckenator” Hebestreit has a hard landing after an F1Pro race. He is a member of the large Wreckless racing team.

Vendors Unlimited Scale Racing Association usrainfo.org Giant Scale Air Racing Primer teamerica.org/GSR/indexGSR.html Reno Air Racing Association airrace.org Desert Aircraft desertaircraft.com Seagull Models Nemesis seagullmodels.com/ProductDetail.asp?id=94 Onboard Video from an F1GT USRA Racer youtu.be/JatlSaB35gQ USRA Race October 2010 Winslow youtu.be/JatlSaB35gQ

we were required to wear a safety helmet, and have a spotter. Frankly, we were thankful that they took my safety so seriously. In the more than 250 race flights we witnessed over the weekend, not once did we see a situation that even remotely put a person in harm’s way—impressive!

We were an eyewitness to a couple of spectacular crashes. In one, an airplane literally exploded as it was flying around the course. The consensus was that an engine failure caused a violent vibration that literally shook the airframe apart.

In the other, an airplane’s propeller tore through the wingtip of another as they rounded the pylon. The pilot of the first airplane subsequently lost control, and his airplane then suffered a high-speed impact with the ground.

FINAL THOUGHTS

To host an Unlimited class race, the site must be large enough to provide an area for the pylons to be 2000 feet (600 meters) apart.

Marty Treat, Formula 1 GT World Champion for 2012.

Many model airplane sites are simply too small to safely accommodate a racecourse of this size. In fact, the official USRA rules recommend taking over a full-scale airport to hold a giant-scale event race. This is obviously a challenging option for most clubs.

Just like the full-scale Reno air races, the roar of the engines is a large part of the excitement of the racing experience. We found their throaty, deep rumble intoxicating. In this day and age of widespread noise restrictions at RC airfields, these “screamers” would undoubtedly make it difficult to sell a club on hosting an event, and certainly selling it to surrounding communities.

Putting mufflers on unlimited racers would result in a very different experience, if not performance level.

Cost must be considered too.

If you add up what you’ll spend to get an unlimited racer ready it will likely set you back about $5000. So, you might want to consider buying a

Richard Verano, Formula 1 Pro World Champion for 2012.

USRA Race of Champions II youtu.be/phN9J6pA6YY Giant Scale R/C Air Racing: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly! youtu.be/Pnu8wzi6YfA

used airplane. Alternately, an entrylevel Sundowner class is definitely affordable. We’d add that the cost of giant-scale air racing compares favorably with the cost of competitive aerobatic International Miniature Aircraft Club airplanes, if not less.

No matter the cost or time you’ll need to dedicate to it, Unlimited class air racing is intoxicating.

Several pilots told me that this is their favorite type of flying. The camaraderie and sportsmanship demonstrated by all the participants at the 2012 USRA races set a high standard for other RC competitions.

If you are looking for a new challenge, and to become a much better pilot in the full sense of the word, giant-scale air racing is hard to beat.

Dave Smith, Unlimited World Champion for the 2012 races.

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