RC Flyer News Sept/Oct 2018 (Vol-23-02)

CIRRUS SR22T TESTED

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RED FLAG ‘18 28-PAGE REPORT

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TABLE OF CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS

10 LEADING EDGE 142 ADS INDEX 143 MYSTERY PLANE JASE DUSSIA’S HUGE P400 TURBINE-POWERED LEONARDO JET IS CAPTURED HERE TURNING IN A FREESTYLE PERFORMANCE AT FRANK TIANO’S RED FLAG EVENT IN LAKELAND, FLORIDA. THE P400 ENGINE DELIVERS 89 POUNDS OF THRUST!

EVENTS

12

FRANK TIANO’S RED FLAG DISCOVER HOW TURBINE-POWERED JETS ARE BEING USED IN COMPETITION. Wil Byers

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

40

PRINCETON, BC JET RALLY 2018 WE TAKE YOU OVER THE BORDER TO SEE JETS BEING FLOWN BY CANADIAN PILOTS. Wil Byers

60

BEIJING MODEL EXPOSITION ‘18 GET AN INSIDE LOOK AT AIRPLANES, RADIOS AND HARDWARE MADE IN CHINA. Wil Byers

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JAN/FEB 2018

BUILD

HOW TO

3-VIEW

PLAN

78

90

III 112 KRANICH GLIDER

SUPER 120 30% CHIPMUNK

VINTAGE RC COMPETITION JEFF INTRODUCES YOU TO AN EVENT FORMAT THAT IS GROWING BECAUSE IT’S OLD-TIME FUN. Jeff Troy

WALBRO CARB REBUILD LEARN HOW CLEANING A DIRTY CARBURETOR WILL GIVE YOUR ENGINE RELIABILITY. Wil Byers

EXAMINE THIS HISTORIC AND BEAUTIFUL GLIDER THAT WAS DESIGNED

BY SCHWEYER CO. Hans-Jürgen Fischer

PATTERNED AFTER ART SCHOLL’S SHOW AIRPLANE, THIS PLAN DETAILS HOW YOU CAN BUILD ONE. Wendel Hosteller

REVIEWS CIRRUS 128E-FLITE SR22T 1.5M SEE WHY WE RATE THIS BIND-N-FLY E-POWERED MODEL AS “PURE ELEGANCE” IN FLIGHT. Jeff Troy rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EDITOR IN CHIEF Wil Byers wil@rcflyernews.com ASSISTANT EDITORS James T Baker Doris Chen Asa Clinton Jenn Hart PRODUCTION Jonathan Balignassay jon@kionapublishing.com PHOTOGRAPHY Wil Byers GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Meng Zhe

Bess Byers

WEBMASTER Mohamed Badaway OFFICE MANAGER Jenn Hart support@kionapublishing.com OFFICE ASSISTANT Gong Zhu CIRCULATION Christian Wells MARKETING Wil Byers ads@rcflyernews.com

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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Christian Belleau, Rob Caso, Gene Cope, Richard Kuns, Steve Rojecki, Jeff Troy, James VanWinkle, Tom Wolfe RC Flyer News (ISSN: 1941-3467) is published bi-monthly for $19.95 a year ($2.19 ea digital) in the USA by Kiona Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1950, Moses Lake, WA 98837. Periodicals postage paid at Richland, WA and additional mailing offices.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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9

LEADING EDGE

WIL BYERS

H

ello. It has been seven months since the last issue of this now-digital rag was published. Much has happened in RC circles since our last issue. Additionally, the news has been filled with the changes in all the social media channels, which has over the previous few years had such an impact on Kiona Publishing, Inc. For me, it feels as if events in publishing are changing almost at light speed—some for the better and some for the worse.

Oddly, finishing this issue reminded me of when the magazine was just starting—way back in 1994. At its launch—then titled Scale, Slope & FAI—we had no advertisers! It was launched as a quarterly publication, which I funded—no bank loans or such. At that point in time, I was crazy mad for the hobby and didn’t have a clue as to what it costs to publish magazines. Unfortunately, as a result, 1,000 copies cost me $5,500 in printing alone. Don’t even say a word about getting estimates. I absolutely don’t want to relive it. I was merely following the lead of someone I thought knew the business. As you can well imagine, at the time that money would have bought me a beautiful model and RC gear. Let’s just say the first issue was a serious learning experience.

By the second issue, we were starting to understand the publishing business a bit more. Even so, we were burning thru cash because the printer was not well suited to producing magazines. Fortunately, however, Rick Stephens along with Eric Meyers of Horizon Hobby stepped in and bought a page of advertising. It was a massive vote of confidence for our title, which by then had changed its name to Sailplane Modeler. It is worth noting that neither Rick or Eric asked a word about how many copies of the magazine we were being produced and distributed. Rather, reflecting on it now, it seems that Horizon Hobby just wanted to help us promote our facet of the hobby, while at the same time developing their brand within the niche. How big was it? It was HUGE! Current Affairs Knowing where to start with respect to Kiona Publishing, Inc. and RC Flyer News at this juncture is like picking up lead bb shot ballast that’s dropped on the workshop floor. So much has happened in the last year or so that it is literally overwhelming—if not entirely taxing. So, I’ll pick up with the first bb in January 2018 and review to date.

There was a time once when our pages were filled with advertisers. As of January 2018 it is not the case anymore, as most in the RC industry have turned to online social media channels as their new-found, resplendent marketing tool.

As a result of the loss in ad revenue, RC Flyer News has had to scrutinize its future business model. There has been some serious number crunching going on, as well as soul searching for me. Understand that RC airplanes has been and remains my passion. I’ve pretty much dedicated my life to it since about 1980. This became especially true when

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

the company was a DBA in 1994 and incorporated in 1998.

It was a bit more challenging to maintain my passion when I was forced to buy out my partner in the year 2000, with the company’s debt approaching $300,000—that was a burden for a small publisher with only one title in its queue.

No matter, I was confident we could grow the company because we were leading in the area of quiet flight, had a pretty good website, and we had advertisers searching us out, rather than the other way around. Consequently, my passionate remained high pretty much thru the 2000s because hardcopy publishing was dominant and we’d paid down our debt.

Then on April 3, 2010, Apple introduced the muchtouted iPad. Apple promised publishers and readers they would love content and presentation delivered by a tablet.

They also pledged publishers their lives would be rosy and filled with profits. They said this at pretty much the same time they refused to share subscriber data with those publishers that adopted their digital distribution platform.

Recognize that subscriber data is extremely valuable to publishers because it can be used to offer “premiums” to the subscribers, which obviously helps the publishers’ bottom lines. Suffice it to say, publishers like Kiona—that spent significantly to create user-friendly iPad apps—pretty much took it in the shorts because all was not what it was promised.

Furthermore, during this metamorphosis, industry marketing managers the world over became convinced that hardcopy magazines had gone the way of the dinosaurs. So they pulled in their advertising dollars. They then opted to spend those dollars on social media channels they deemed revenue generators.

Over the last months I’ve found it oddly amusing—if not sadly so—to see Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Google admit that their advertisement statistics were manipulated by Internet bots. Sometimes they even just used estimations or guesses based on regional demographics to predict clicks and views. Note bots are applications designed to perform automated tasks, such as viewing a web page or online advertisement, or for that matter answering an online question. It is not, however, a human interaction. Think about that for a minute concerning losses to publishers of magazine advertisement purchases by marketers. It feels similar to fraud to me!

Regardless, the results of this paradigm shift in product marketing have been disastrous for those of us that were publishing hardcopy. The lack of ad revenue has even transitioned into our digital publications. The result is that many publishers have merely chosen to close the doors because they could not compete with the digital elephants on the block.

I’ve been contemplating the results of these changes as to how they have impacted RC media distribution and marketing. The 64-dollar question is if the changes in media consumption, distribution, and ad sales have contributed to the negative impacts of the RC industry. I’ve pondered, is this one of the contributing factors in the demise of companies like Great Planes/Hobbico, and to the other RC companies that have either downsized or opted to go out of business?

Maybe it is a generational change as I’ve heard over and twitter.com/rcflyernews

over “the millennials are just not into the RC aviation hobby anymore.” However, I really doubt it is the single reason.

In my opinion, the downsizing in the hobby is a direct result of how our hobby promotes itself. Consider that the Internet is a search-driven environment. That obviously means that one must have a want to search for a particle area of interest. The results of the search are driven by the search engines. These engines have two primary functions: crawling and building an index, and providing searchers with a ranked list of the websites the engine has determined are the most relevant. As you well know, Google’s search engine is dominant! Bing.com, duckduckgo.com, and others are finishing far behind. So if the information one is searching for has not been search engine optimized (SEO) for Google’s engines, or the information does not have the proper metadata associated with it, it will probably not rank well in the search results. The result is, otherwise meaningful information may never be found or seen—again, it must be SEO optimized to be found. Ultimately, if potential enthusiasts never see what fun RC offers versus one they do see, then just maybe they are lost to our ranks. What do you think?

How does all this claptrap relate to RC Flyer News?

Well, the cost of SEO, not to mention advertising on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and indeed Google is not cheap. Rather, as a friend who worked for Google for many years said, “Advertising on Google can be precarious for small companies! It costs much, and if not done right you’ll literally be wasting your money. Google ads are probably not the right marketing option for your company, Wil.” That said, how does a small company like Kiona Publishing, Inc. get the attention of potential readers such that we distribute enough copies to garner the attention of advertisers again.

That remains a good question for Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Jeff Bezos. It would be wonderful if all the RC industry insiders would promote the publications as they once did.

Unfortunately, they too are struggling with how to get the attention of buyers via those search engines that don’t give a tinkers damn about their products, but are only searching for the right metadata as a way to rank their products for the searchers. If this isn’t the damnedest Catch 22 you’ve ever seen for a wonderful hobby, I’ll put in with you!

Going Forward Our solution to remaining in business and viable for the foreseeable future is for the magazine’s production to be funded by me—the ads you see in this issue were complimentary for almost all the advertisers. They are the ones that made this magazine possible for so many years.

Yeah, I know we’re selling subscriptions too. That revenue stream, however, doesn’t even come close to covering the cost of producing magazines. Let me explain: Page Layout While we’ve gone digital, the pages still require design.

Ergo, a good graphic designer is required to create layouts that are eye-catching and fun to read. Because so many magazines have gone out of business, competent magazine designers have turned to other areas of design to make livings. Also, the designer Kiona employed for more than 12 years started a paper packaging business in Hangzhou,

China last year and subsequently left us.

Consequently, we’ve been searching for a page layout designer for a few months. We’re thankful to tell you that we’ve finally found what we believe will be the right fit for our magazine both creatively and very importantly financially. As you’ll see, the page designs the new guy, and I have created are a more digital-friendly read—or at least we think so. Please understand that your feedback will help us better understand what you want and need to enjoy reading our title, such that going forward we can make further changes to enhance the reading and browsing experience.

Digital Downloads While digital downloads don’t cost near as much as publishing and distributing hardcopy, it is not free. Nope!

We must rent server space, as well as pay for online hosting, applications, merchant fees, webmail, website uniform resource locators (URL), an online marketing host, our new flipbook solution, etc. It just is not free, which sucks, right. It would cool if free were actually FREE. Products While we want to live in a world of free and have beautiful RC airplanes autonomously land in our front yard waiting to be flown by us, it just isn’t reality. Instead, to stay current with the latest trends in both RC gear and aircraft costs much money, which we’re happy to spend as long as we can see modest returns on investment.

We will also visit factories when possible to detail how their products are made and their quality control—that is what we’ve done successfully in the past, and we’ll continue to do. Withal, we will continue to solicit product releases from companies all over the world, with the hope it will keep you informed. None of this is easy or cheap, but it is my passion, and I want it to benefit you as well.

Online Store As a way to further support the publishing company, we’ll continue to add select, high-quality products and books to our online store, rcsportflyer.com. These will include batteries, chargers, servos, a minimal number of aircraft, and our specialty aviation books, which will be available in hardcopy. You’ll also be able to buy the back issues of the magazine in digital form from the online store—hopefully the entire collection as we’re able to piece together the digital files from our archives.

We hope to offer some promotions as well. The promotions will provide you with discounts on our products and more. A promotion that I’m most anxious to try is to offer a free one-year magazine subscription for those readers that can get five friends to sign up and a free twoyear subscription to those that can get eight friends to sign up. It is just our way of giving back to those readers that are loyal to our title and online store.

Content While in the past we’ve paid for content, going forward that is just not going be possible, unless of course, we can get advertisers to repurchase page space. That said, we believe we can offer writers a venue for their content that will be unequaled in the industry, with appealing designs Continued on pg 111

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11

EVENT

RED FLAG JET COMPETITION

By Wil Byers

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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2018 WORLD-CLASS JET AEROBATICS AT PARADISE FIELD

F

rank Tiano’s Red Flag event was planned for the second year in a row to happen at Lakeland Linder Airfield during the dates of March 17 thru 20, 2018. I wanted to attend and cover the event because it was promoting a format that was new to the hobby! It was a chance to watch turbine-engine-powered RC airplanes

performing in a way that promised huge, impressive maneuvers being cut in the sky by high-powered jets. Then too, the competition pilots entered were some best in the world. Judges would rate their execution and award points as a way to rank them. It had me wanting to see what this event was all about: airplanes, radios, power,

and pilots.

I checked my luggage at the Delta Airlines counter in Seattle, carried on my camera gear, and then slept the duration of my red-eye flight to Orlando, Florida. Orlando is just 50 minutes northeast of Lakeland by car.

So, after grabbing a rental car, I was off.

Jase Dussia was piloting this huge four-meter wingspan Leonardo. Jase was flying the jet like it was on rails—smooth, graceful, precise manuevers.

The Leonardo is powered by a Jetcat P400 turbine. The P400 delivers 89 pounds of thrust at 98,000 rpm, which pushes the model quite nicely. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

All the linkages in jets of this size are strong stainless steel that mate to ball link ends. Plus they use double control horns on the control surface to avoid twisting of the horns.

This photo shows you how direct and positive the connections are between the servo’s arm and the control surface’s horns. No slop in these systems.

Arriving in Lakeland, I checked into an AirBnB.com accommodation. The shared home was quite beautiful, on a lake, and near the airfield, so I hurried out to the contest site. Upon arriving at the airfield and parking the car, none other than Frank Tiano greeted me!

The weather was looking a bit threatening. Accordingly, not much flying was happening. I took this break in the action to ask Frank about the event and the format. He explained, “Red Flag is a lot of things, but it is “Not” for the timid, it is not for the procrastinator, it is not for the average pilot, and is not for pilots that don’t have a competitive spirit.”

Further, he underscored that “Red Flag is a second-year jetpowered aircraft event that is hosted at Lakeland Florida’s Paradise Field.”

Paradise Field—on the south side of Lakeland Linder Airfield—was created

by Frank and others as an RC airfield for hosting significant events such as Top Gun, Red Flag, Florida Jets, and 12 O’ Clock High.

Red Flag is a scored event, meaning a competition, with the emphasis on aerobatic routines, with some attention given to aircraft craftsmanship and appearance thrown in. It is an invitational, but pilots who think they may be qualified can ask for a competition slot. Alternately, competitors may be recommended by others that believe the pilot has the skills and craftsmanship to be entered.

Also Frank told me, “There is a purse

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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Because the turbine produces as much as 89 pounds of thrust it needs lots of intake air. Here you see how the NASA scoops are integrated into the fuselage’s sides.

Up front you’re looking at the air trap center, fuel pump right, ECU left, PowerBox Royal to the rear, the PowerBox gyro sitting to the right of the PowerBox system.

offered, which is not enough to buy a new car, but enough to provide Bragging Rights to the winners. Red Flag provides nice awards too, for those that place in the winners’ circle.”

As I learned, “Red Flag has four classes, Scale Pro-Aerobatics, Sport Pro-Aerobatics, Individual Free-Style, and one for Team Demo Flying. The competition’s maneuvers come from a sequence list—some of them are mandatory, and some are by pilot choice. Aircraft takeoffs are not judged, but landing scores get awarded. The event only allows for a maximum of two airplanes in the air at a time. Further, this competition is a Saturday thru Tuesday event, with all awards given Tuesday night as part of the Red Flag award dinner.”

Ray Labonte was Co-Contest Director for Red Flag. His job was to help with logistics, scoring, and he sits on the event’s Board of Directors.

The Board makes initial decisions. He detailed for us exactly how Red Flag is organized. It was underscored to me that because this is a second-year event, the organizers are still working the bugs out of the overall format, but rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

The Leonardo is using MKS HBL599 servos and a Powerbox Royal power management system. It also has Powerbox gyro, and Electron retracts.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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Jase’s jet is nicely detailed as you can see by the photos. It is also personalized with his logo and bragging rights!

it has worked pretty well to date.

Overview 50 Pilots Invited The Aerobat Category is the foundation of the event, with a total of 50 pilots, which gets split into

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two groups. Pilots may choose to fly in either the Scale Jet or the SportJet Class. The organizer’s goal is to accommodate 25 pilots in either class. This class features competitive precision sequences similar to ole’ school pattern flying.

Objective • To create an event that presents a challenge for participants by judging precision and flow, all while emphasizing spectator appeal.

• Use of a predetermined list of maneuvers with various levels of

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17

EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

Havocs were quite popular at Red Flag. They have a 110-in. wingspan, are 134 in. long, and weigh about 50 pounds ready to fly.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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Havocs are typically powered by a 200 – 300 Nweton turbines and have a 6.5 liter fuel tank. The kit price is $7995, so you can see competitors have an serious investment.

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

Kal Reifsnyder was putting his Leonardo through its paces. As you can see here his model flies on knife-edge extremely well.

difficulty and reward helps encourage individuality by participants.

• Maneuver selection that allows for a variety of aircraft get used, which does not favor any particular type of airplane—combined length and the wingspan greater than 120 inches.

• Graduated levels of difficulty to allow pilots to fly within their pilot

Kal is setting up for a landing in this photo as he deploys the flaps and readies to lower the landing gear.

comfort level while rewarding those pilots that select a more difficult sequence of maneuvers.

• An airshow presentation to minimize dead-time yet proves challenging and rewarding for participants while enhancing spectator appeal.

These jets are very aerodynamica once the gear is sucked up and they configuration, so manuevers are imp

Freestyle Category 10 – 15 Pilots Invited The Individual Freestyle Category allows for pilots to “strut their stuff” as part of a highly competitive class of jet flying. The objective is to promote choreography and individuality, with showmanship and entertainment being paramount. This class may get

The Flightwerkz Leonardo’s custom paint scheme looked fantastic both on the ground and in the air. It was definitely distinctive!

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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ally clean y’re in flight pressive.

Kal and his father are a team as you can see here, with his father as his caller. Kal made the flight patterns look easy—well, like he had much practice anyway!

This is Andrew Jesky’s Leonardo making an approach for landing. Notice that the retractable gear features brakes to control landing roll outs. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

viewed as the “best of the best” pilots attending Red Flag.

Team Demo 4 – 8 Teams Invited The Team Demo category provides for a competitive class of Team jet flying, using a minimum of two, maximum of six pilots flying a choreographed routine for the objective of entertaining the

spectators. The goal is to get the crowd involved by using them as the judging panel that will ultimately select the winning team.

Perspective For this non-jet pilot looking in from the outside, Red Flag was an impressive, big-sky event. Whereas, sequences flown for International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAC)

airplane contests are, in my opinion, typically flown much more close in, except for maybe their freestyle routines. Not a Red Flag!

The jets flown by pilots such as Andrew Jesky, Jason Shulman, Mike McConville, Darin Pierce, Arch Stafford, Kal Reifsnyder, Spencer Nordquist, Jase Dussia, etc. were flying big open patterns that often consumed huge spaces of the airfield.

Darin Pierce was also flying a Havoc. He finished in fourth place with 2809.25 points out of a possible of 3,000.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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Their jets uplines were straight and true and high, while the downlines were impressive. It also seems to this outsider that power management was a significant part of flying their patterns cleanly because the jets are aerodynamically clean. Maybe it was that gyros were allowed in this competition format, but I was impressed by the clean lines flown, especially the point maneuvers, which

seemed performed with crisp stops on points.

As a spectator, I was impressed by the airplanes, hardware, radios, and pilots. Red Flag is the kind of event where one can learn much about how turbine-powered aircraft are built, configured with hardware and power, as well as how their radios are programmed. It was most interesting to look inside the fuselages to learn

how the best pilots in the world build their models to guarantee fault-free flights.

Even though these airplanes are incredibly high quality and professionally built, Red Flag was not without incident as we witnessed.

Most in RC competition circles know Andrew Jesky. They also know he is a world-class pilot and an excellent builder. Plus, Andrew has won many

Andrew Jesky was also flying Darin’s jet in the later stages of the contest because of problems with his aircraft that took it out of the competition.

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

This is how Darin set up his Havoc.

Notice how clean the installations are in these jets. These are serious machines built by serious pilots. As you can see it too has an air trap, PowerBox power management system and PowerBox gyro.

It is impressive how slow these jets will go once the flaps are lowered and the power is pulled back, especially considering their ready-to-fly weight.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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From another angle you can see that the model is fitted with two receivers and a pneumatic system for the retracts. The ECU unit is sitting just to the right of the air trap. Also, the model uses to LiPo battery packs running into the PowerBox Mercury.

The fuel tank is placed just ahead of the turbine. Notice that the turbines have a screen over their intake to keep debris from getting into the engine and damaging the blades and other parts. The pnuematic tanks are to the sides.

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

national and international contests.

His skills make my thumbs green with envy.

Unfortunately, in this hobby, we have incidents no matter the pilot. At Red Flag, Andrew’s KingTech turbine in his Havoc jet performed as designed.

That, however, was also its undoing.

As it was explained to me by Frank,

in turbine-powered jets there is an air trap placed between the fuel tank and the engine. The primary reason for an air trap in a turbine engine’s fuel system is to remove air that can occur in the fuel lines because fuel tank clunks are not perfect. It seems that no matter how well the clunk system is set up, it will always

suck a minuscule amount of air. This problem is especially true near the end of a flight when the tank is getting close to empty and as the airplane transitions thru aerobatic maneuvers, which they do at Red Flag. Therefore, the air trap tank is used to remove air bubbles that can get into the fuel line.

The KingTech turbine’s electronic

Jason Shulman was flying a Composite ARF Mephisto, as was the entire CARF-Models team. The model is purpose built for jet pilots and aerobatics.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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control unit (ECU) does what its name implies; it monitor’s engine rpm, fuel flow, exhaust gas temperature, throttle position, etc. Their ECU also has “the ability to provide in-flight automatic restarting, which makes it the most advanced of its type currently available.” That means it must provide fuel to the turbine by way of the fuel

pump too. Additionally, the ECU will shut the turbine down if it detects air bubbles in the fuel line as a way to protect the engine—a small amount of oil gets added to the fuel for lubrication!

What happened to Andrew’s Havoc was a combination of the ECU doing its job and doing its

job. Consequently, near the end of Andrew’s flight, the Havoc’s tank was getting close to empty. The ECU detected an air bubble large enough that it shut the turbine down. Andrew immediately set the airplane up for a short final, emergency landing, which he “greased” onto the runway.

Unfortunately, the aircraft touched

Markus Rummer was also flying a Mephisto. The model has a 106-in. wingspan and is 123 in. long, with a dry weight of 39 pounds. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

The Mephisto is designed for 200- to 300 Newton-size turbine engines. The 300 Newton turbine will make about 67 pounds of thrust.

Markus Rummer is turning his jet onto the runway for take off. Check out aerodynamically clean design lines of this jet!

Thomas Singer is another member of the CARF-Models. As you can see the Mephisto comes in many different colors, so you can pick your preference.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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This photo provides you with a couple of different angles of the Mephisto airplane.

They’re definitely clean and designed for jet aerobatics.

CARF-Models Ltd. owner/CEO, Andreas Gietz, is shown here with his Mephisto jets.

Their models are made in Thailand as a way to provide high quality at affordable prices.

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

The Havoc airplanes were very competitive. And, as you can see by the scores, they placed well in the standings.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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The turbine-powered airplanes simply cut huge holes in the sky, which made for impressive patterns and routines.

down near the end of the runway; and, it did so with quite a bit of kinetic energy remaining in the airplane. That resulted in the airplane taxing briskly off the end of the runway and into the dry grass for about 100 yards. The ECU didn’t know the Havoc had run off the runway and into the grass; and, it didn’t much care. What it did

know is that it wanted to try to restart the turbine to save the model from an otherwise crash if the airplane had still been in flight. That meant it was pumping fuel into the turbine, which was then running into the HOT exhaust pipe.

Sadly, even though Andrew and company were running their butts

off to get to the model as quickly as possible, they did not reach it before the fuel started to burn! The result was, we all watched as lots of dollars in airplane and hardware went up in smoke— black, sinister smoke.

As you can see from the photos in this article, the airplane was a total loss because there was pretty much

Here Andrew has just realized that his model’s turbine engine had flamed out, so he is making a very short final approach.

Sadly, Andrew’s Leonardo caught fire after landing, which resulted in the complete loss of his aircraft! rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

Marc Petrak was flying this beautiful Pilatus PC-21 patterned after the Patrouille Suisse’s turboprop powered airplane.

The model is using a King Tech turboprop engine and accessories. In the air it looked and sounded fantastic.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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The PC-21 is made by Tomahawk Aviation. It sports a 106-in. wingspan and is 130 in. long. The ready-to-fly weight is approximately 52 pounds.

Marc is controlling his model with Spektrum DX18 transmitter, with a PowerBox system for onboard. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

This BAE Hawk Mk.66 is a full composite glass/carbonfiber kit that comes from Tomahawk Models. It is 1/3.5 scale, with a 106-in. wingspan.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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The BAE Hawk requires a 35-pound-thrust turbine minimum. It weighs in at about 42 pounds ready to fly. It was amazing in the air—truly scale-like performance.

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

The Viper team was flying jets designed after High Performance Aircraft Training’s jets. Their flight routines were performed in close formation.

no putting the fire out rapidly, even though it got contained to a small area at the airfield’s apron. Plus, when you throw in the composites materials of the jet, it made for an ugly burn.

This incident reinforced in my mind that, as with all facets for RC, no matter how good the gear there are still incidents. They’re merely part of the hobby. Moreover, no matter

how good the pilot, the hardware, and software can introduce a weak link—in this case the ECU. Actually, I was quite impressed with the level of professionalism that was displayed by the ground crew, judges, and pilots.

They got this situation under control in about two, long, sad, expensive minutes.

What further impressed me—by

It was truly impressive how close the p throuhout the complete routines—great

his level of sportsmanship—was Andrew’s fellow competitor, Darin Pierce. Darin let Andrew fly his Havoc for the duration of the contest. Guys, these are not inexpensive machines!

Paramours and wives cost less…. As you can see by the results, Andrew finished the competition in first place.

Darin finished in fourth, not far behind Andrew. It was Red Flag camaraderie!

Matt Balazs was flying a Tomahawk Aviation Futura 2.5. The model features a 98.5-in. wingspan and weighs approximately 44 pounds ready to fly.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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pilots kept their jets to each other t piloting!

Summary While I’m not a turbine-powered jet owner and don’t plan to be any time soon, I am impressed by the fact that Red Flag provides a competition format for them.

It is a format that pits the best pilots and jets against one another. It reminded me of Formula One racing.

After all, how many of us on this

Here Team Viper makes a pass over the crowd with smoke and lights on. Their routines put them in first place for Team.

planet drive F1 cars? Very few! Even so, watching a Formula One race will get most peoples heart rate up more than a few beats.

Such is the case when you watch Jase Dussia fly a freestyle routine with his four-meter wingspan Leonardo powered by a Jetcat P400. His jet is just impressive and to watch! He would fly it on knife edge down the

length of the runway, literally inches from the pavement and straight as an arrow. That is a turn-on any way you look at it.

It was the same with Kal Reifsnyder and Spencer Nordquist. They were flying their machines to impress both the judges and the crowd. It certainly had me wanting to be 40 years younger I can tell you!

Mike McConville finished in third place in the aerobatics competition. Again, he was flying one of the many Havoc jets entered. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

RED FLAG 2018

Here is another shot of the Team Viper putting on a show for the crowd. This type of flying must take hours and hours of practice to perfect and to look for the judges.

Matt Balazs big Futura is captured making a final approach to landing—full flaps, gear down and the model slows well for landing.

Team Viper were flying the Skymaster Vip Jet ARF MK2. It has a 102-in. wingspan, is 95 inches long, and is powered by a 37-pound-thrust turbine engine.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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That is how Red Flag shines. It is about bringing airplanes, pilots, and spectators together to enjoy the high-energy, high-performance, and high flying in a format that is new and exciting.

I’ll say that my flag is waving high for this new format and I hope other pilots will have a want to join in the competitions. Hopefully, there will be other Red Flag type events organized across the USA, with the annual final hosted at Paradise Field.

Information For those that want to know about the Red Flag, you can get more details at mainehobbies.com/html/red_flag. html or franktiano.com.

If you’re interested in participating in the 2019 event, I suggest you contact Ray Labonte as soon as possible. His contact information is on their website. Also, Frank can provide you with additional information.

PowerBox Core’s display provides and easy and intuitive interface that you can configure to your piloting and airplane preferences.

SPORT JET

FREESTYLE

PLACE

PILOT

TOTAL

PLACE

PILOT

TOTAL

1

Andrew Jesky

3000.00

1

Jase Dussia

1992.62

2

Jason Shulman

2967.67

2

Pablo Fernandez

1959.68

3

Mike McConnville

2881.07

3

Kal Reifsnyder

1934.62

4

Darin Peirce

2809.25

5

Arch Stafford

2778.63

PLACE

PILOT

TOTAL

6

Kal Reifsnyder

2771.42 1

Team Vip

2976.63

2

Team Nobody

2922.89

3

Team Elite Aerosport

2743.31

The new PowerBox Core transmitter has a very ergonomic feel in your hands. The receivers are compact but engineered well too.

TEAM

FREESTYLE 3D PLACE

PILOT

TOTAL

1

Spencer Nordquist

3000.00

2

Franco DiMauro

2903.60

3

Markus Rummer

2762.20

Contact Frank Tiano Enterprises 3607 Ventura Drive E Lakeland, FL 33811 franktiano.com Paradise Airfield Lakeland Linder Airfield Lakeland, Florida

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EVENT

PRINCETON, BC SPRINGTIME JET RALLY 2018

By Wil Byers

This Composite ARF Tutor is patterned after the Canadian Snowbirds flight team. The model is owned by Sal Schenato of Coquitlam, B.C., Canada.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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THIS GAGGLE BURNS JP4 & TURNS UP TURBINE POWER ON JETS, JETS, JETS....

C

ombine high-energy, highperformance RC turbinepowered aircraft with one of the most beautiful locations in British Columbia, Canada, and you have the setting of a weekend filled with fun flights and sights. Such was the case at the Princeton Jet Rally during the weekend of June 1 – 3, 2018!

Jet pilots from all over British Columbia, as well as Washington

State, make their way to this event each year. They do so with good reason because the site is unlike any you’ll find on the northwest jet event circuit. First, just traveling to Princeton, B.C. provides participants with stunning scenery and vista points the likes of which you just don’t see every day unless of course, you live in this part of B.C. If you are traveling from the Seattle or

Vancouver area, you’ll take highway one east to Hope. Then you’ll follow highway three to Princeton. It’ll likely take you a couple of hours to make the trip from Vancouver but the scenery is spectacular, with gorgeous mountains, waterfalls, streams and even area wildlife such as deer, elk, eagles, osprey, and just maybe a bear crossing the road. Coming from eastern Washington thru the

The Canadair CT-114 Tutor sports a 2.6-meter (102-in.) wingspan. Ready to fly this model will weight about 16 kg (36 pounds). rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

The recommended power for the Tutor is a JetCat P-140-RXi, which produces about 32 pounds of thrust at 125,000 rpm.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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CARf-models.com provides a painted and almost-ready-to-fly model of this Tutor, plus they offer a complete accessories package

gorgeous lake-side city of Osoyoos, B.C., you’ll again follow highway three traveling west. It is an excellent drive over a couple of passes and thru beautiful meadow valleys. I recommend you stop for breakfast, lunch or a fun dinner at one of the family-run cafes in the quintessential B.C. town of Keremeos—it is flat out fun and tasty too. Note there is also an outstanding golf course on the east side of Princeton, so you may want to throw in your clubs and make your event trip and extended stay. You’ll be glad you did!

Furthermore, the Tulameen River meets the Similkameen River on the east end of Princeton. Both look to be good fishing, so I’m thinking of bringing my fishing pole in 2019. You’ll find there is plenty of

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accommodations in Princeton, from low budget to pampered stay, so you’ll have a comfortable, close-in room as well. For more information on the what, where, when, and how much of Princeton, check out their website address at princeton.ca.

The Princeton Regional Airport (CYDC) is located on a long, level hilltop—elevation 2,298 ft (700 m)—just to the north of Princeton about a half mile as the crow flies.

It is just a two-minute drive from the downtown area. The airfield consists of a smooth, paved 3,932by 75-foot (1,199 × 23 m) runway, with an apron on the west end.

CYDC provides aviation gasoline as well as Jet A fuel, so you can arrive in your full-scale turboprop-power airplane if you wish—tie-downs and

courtesy car is available. Fortunately for the RC jet guys, it is a small, inland regional airport with very little, if any full-scale traffic. Even so, the organizers must monitor the airport’s frequency for traffic. The GPS coordinates are Latitude: 49°28’05”N, (49.468056) longitude: 120°30’41”W (-120.511388).

CYDC turns out to be an ideal setting for a jet event because of the 3,932 feet of smooth pavement.

Also, the local club has the grass that adjoins the airport mowed, which makes for excellent pit areas, parking spaces, and campsites. You just about couldn’t ask for a better place to fly jets, when you combine location, location, location. Throw in the deep blue sky, magnificent stars at night, and a genuinely welcoming

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

Jack Prices Skymaster A-10 Warthog is powered by two Jet Central Cheetah turbine engines, so there is plenty of power for this close support aircraft.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

The A-10 weighs in at 72 pounds, with like a trainer. The flight envelope on this a

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a full tank of fuel. Even so, Jack says, “It flies airplane is truly remarkable.”

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Jack’s A-10 airplane was being flown by Mike Allman. Mike was getting the feel of the airplane for an upcoming airshow.

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

The A-10 was fitted with all the ordinance you’d see on the full-scale aircraft, which gave it amazing realism in flight. The sound of the aircraft was amazing too.

In this in-air shot you’d have difficulty tell it from the fullscale aircraft. It was amazing how well this 72-lb airplane flew and even landed.

Check out the elevator deflection in conjunction with the flaps and the spoilerons, as the model makes a landing approach. It was impressive!

Jack and Mike were practicing their flight routine, which is patterned after that of US Air Force A-10 flight demo. It was to be flown atVictoria’s Largest Little Air Show in August.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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Jon builds turbines are built from core components and it uses Xicoy electronic control unit.

Jon Dahlgren told us that he has a passion for machine tools and flying RC, so he made this turbine in his workshop. It was from a plan, but Jon’s workmanship is amazing.

Jon Dahlgren hails from North Delta, B.C., Canada. The model he fitted with his homemade turbine is called the Hotspot. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

The Boomerang is Elan powered by a JetCat P120 engine. It was built and flonw by Roman Breuer of New Westminster, B.C.

crowd and you have the faultless venue.

The Boomerang Sprint makes a landing approach. It is fitted with a JetsMunt VT80 turbine. The model was built and flown by Len Steg of Kelowna, B.C.

Gaggle One the things that genuinely impressed me was the camaraderie among the Model Aeronautics Association of Canada (MAAC) pilots and their exceptionally welcoming attitude. I was impressed!

Understand, I’d never met most of the pilots, yet they were happy to let me look inside their models, take photos, and generally get inside their “space.” Not one complained or were

Rob Dover of Kamloops, B.C., Canada was flying this attractive Boomerang Sprint, which is powered by PST600R turbine.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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This Reaction 54 is considered a trainer jet. It was built and flown Alan Robertson of Beaumont, A.B., Canada.

put off by my want to learn more about the aircraft that were being flown and shown at Princeton. It was this way with all the entrants as best I could tell. Further, many pilots were accompanied by their wives, and in one case a pilot was there with his live bird Peregrine falcon, which he was happy to show and detail. It honestly does not suffice to say this gaggle of RC jet pilots was beyond receptive to the uninitiated, such as myself.

Entrants trekked to Princeton from as far away as Edmonton and

Calgary, Alberta; Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna, as well as Vancouver, Richmond, and even Victoria on Vancouver Island. We traveled from the Tri-Cities and Moses Lake, WA. I’ll underscore that Princeton is not in your backyard, but it is well worth the trip to participate in this annual event, which happens each spring and again in the fall, with the upcoming fun fly event happening over the weekend of September 19 – 23, 2018. For more information on their events point your browser at the MAAC site.

Rob Dover’s Boomerant Sprint is making a take off at full Mattis et odio eget, rutrum viverra tortor.

Sed semper power. model would make an excellent vehiculaThe velit nec semper.

Curabitur magna all mi,around sempertrainer et and sport model for anyone wanting to get into jets. semper nec. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

Jets Most jet enthusiasts think of events such as Florida Jets, Kentucky Jets, and Best in the West is where you’ll see eye-popping jets. That is absolutely true. These events also get large crowds because of their proximity to large population centers and their ongoing event histories.

Notwithstanding, the Princeton R/C Jet Fliers club’s Princeton Jet Rally attracts participants from all over British Columbia and Washington State. I don’t know whether it is that the pilots’

Another takeoff is done by Alan Robertson with his Reaction 54. This type of model makes it affordable to get into the RC jet hobby and progress to bigger machines later.

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

Roman Bruer’s Elan is shown here on landing approach. The runway at Princeton is excellent for jet powered airplanes because is SMOOTH asphalt.

enthusiasm for RC is high, or it is the fact that there are some long winters in B.C., but the models shown and flown at the Princeton event were good—damn right! The piloting was good too, which had me impressed as they flew mission after mission along the north hill, doing impressive full-power climbs to the east, and smooth, precise turns onto final

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

approach to the airfield. Additionally, the sound of these jets against the quiet of the Princeton area raised the hair on the back of your neck.

The standout aircraft of the event were many…. Certainly, Jack Price’s F104 was among those that captured the attention of the pilots as well as his huge, twin-turbinepowered A-10 Warhog. For me, so

too was big Canadair CT-114 Tutor, which was patterned after the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Snowbirds show team Snowbirds. The Tutor was used as the RCAF’s jet trainer from the early 1960s until 2000. It is red, white and blue color scheme offers a presence in the air that is eye-catching. The homebuilt turbine engine was a head turner too.

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The CAI Raptor, with “old school” air start AMT Pegasus turbine power was built and flown by Jeremy Ferguson of Abbotsford, B.C., Canada.

Adding smoke makes for great presentation both in the air and on the runway as you can see by Roman’s smoke system in his Boomerang.

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

This gorgeous Composite ARF Tutor is powered by Jetcat SPT5 turboprop engine. The model was built and flown by Alan Blore of Calgary, A.B., Canada.

The turbopro turns a Biela 24 x 12 three-blade propeller. The model’s fuel tank carries about 3.8 liters of Jet A fuel, which provides about 10 minutes of flight.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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Alan’s model sports a 110-in. wingspan and has an 89-in. long fuselage. It tips the scales at 40 pounds.

The electronic control unit (ESC) gets power from 4500-mAh 7.4-volt LiIon pack, with another 3000-mAh battery for the lighting system. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

Paul Dries of Coquitlam, B.C. was flying this Composite ARF T-27 Tucano. It is powered

by Kingtech K60TP turbine.

Wil’s Picks Alan Blore’s Tucano Alan Blore is from Calgary, Alberta Canada. He has been flying RC aircraft for 38 plus years and turbinepowered jets for about 13 years. He tells me that his lovely wife Jean is very supportive of his hobby, such that he now is the Chairperson of MAAC Jet Committee.

As Alan explained, I saw the full-scale Tucano perform at the Abbotsford, B.C. air show a few decades ago. The Brazilian Formation Smoke Squadron flew it. Their performance reminded me so much of our Canadian Snowbirds in its smoothness of flight that as far as I was concerned the Tucano was the Tutor aircraft only with propellers. Ever since that show, it has been my favorite.

His beautiful Tucano is turboprop-powered. It captured my attention from the moment I saw it coming out of Alan’s trailer until it was in the air and carving holes in the sky.

Alan’s Tucano was assembled

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

from Composite ARF almostready-to-fly kit. It is a quarter-scale version of the Tucano. It had a paint scheme that was representative of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Anniversary.

The model sports a 110-in. wingspan and has an 89-in. long fuselage. It tips the scales at 40 pounds. Alan powers his airplane with Jetcat SPT5 turboprop system that turns a Biela 24 x 12 three-blade propeller. The model’s fuel tank carries about 3.8 liters of Jet A fuel, which provides about 10 minutes of flying time. The model is also fitted with a Sullivan smoke system, with a 1.4-liter tank. Power management is by a PowerBox system married to two Duralite 3000-mAh 7.4-volt Magnum batteries. The electronic control unit (ESC) gets power from 4500-mAh 7.4-volt LiIon pack, with another 3000-mAh battery for the lighting system. There is a 7.4volt 1800-mAh LiPo that powers the retractable gear and brakes.

A small air tank and valve provide pneumatics for the gear doors. The

Tucano’s uses the Unilight lighting system too. So it has lights and flashing strobes in the wing tips and rudder. Plus there are mid-wing landing lights and one on the nose wheel.

The aircraft has typical flight control surfaces, plus flaps, retractable landing gear, and brakes.

Alan told me, the model is beautiful to fly and that it goes exactly where the pilot flies it. It has no bad flight characteristics, which makes it very fun to fly. Further, the takeoffs are very predictable, with it performing just like any propeller driven aircraft—just little right rudder and a bit of elevator tweak at the rotation, the aircraft does the rest. He says it even makes the pilot look reasonably well qualified, which is undoubtedly him being humble. I can assure the turboprop-powered Tucano presents exceptionally well in the air.

Jack Price Jack’s Skymaster A-10 is 1/6.25-scale, with a 109.6-in. (2552 mm) wingspan. The model is 101.3twitter.com/rcflyernews

The Tucano is 1/4 scale and has 110-in. wingspan and is 89-in. long. It weighs about the same as Alan’s at 40 pounds.

Roman Breuer assists Bob White from Calgary, A.B. to taxi his Jet Legend T45 Goshawk out to the flightline. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

Jack Price was also campaigning his stunning Skymaster CF-104 Starfighter. Here you see its airbrakes being deployed during a landing approach.

Check out the detailing on Jack’s F-104. The model was certainly a standout among the models we’ve seen over the years.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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in. (2552 mm) from tip to tail. They also recommend power from two 17- or 25-lb thrust turbines (8 – 12 kg). Two Jet Central Cheetah turbines power Jack’s model.

According to the manufacturer’s specification, they deliver 36 pounds of thrust at 130,000 rpm, and they have an rpm range from 34,000 to

130,000. They weigh 2.86 pounds (1.3 kg), with their fuel consumption specified at 21.82 oz/min (0.62 l/ min) at full throttle. Jack told me his beautifully detailed model weighs in at 72 lb wet. He says, “it flys like a trainer. The flight envelope on this airplane is remarkable.” It was being flown at Princeton by Mike Allman.

Jack and Mike were practicing the flight routine used by the U.S. Air Force A-10 flight demonstration team, which they would fly with Jack’s A-10 in Victoria’s Largest Little Air Show. Note that this model requires 13 to 15 high-quality servos for its control surfaces, so budget for the hardware too.

Jack did a masterful job of detailing the model. He told us, “It is painstakingly covered in flight metal aluminum to simulate the look of the full-scale F-104.. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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EVENT

PRINCETON JET RALLY

The Starfighter museum in Winnipeg, Canada assisted Jack with the correct placement of all the markings and the aircraft’s nomenclature.

Jack’s F-104 is one of a kind and strikingly beautiful. He told us that he is selling the model to make room for future projects. If you’re interested contact RCFN’s editor.

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

Sponsor It must be noted that the Princeton Airport is registered as a MAAC club. However, the airport has limitations on use by the general RC community. The club hosts only two events there each year—one in May as a “Spring Warm Up” and one in September as the “Gerard McHale Memorial Rally,” which is slated for September 20 – 23 this year.

Paul Dries told me they do fly there for fun from time to time, but their use of the airfield is subject to approval by the town of Princeton because they own/operate the airport. The club is primarily turbine jet oriented, so only allow other models if they’re part of a pilots turbine fleet. It makes sense in that if every model type was allowed to fly there the airfield would most likely be lost to all types of RC flying.

Summary Attending the Princeton Jet event was worth the trip from eastern Washington up through the Sun Lakes area, the Okanogan Valley, the wonderful lake-side town of Osoyoos, B.C., then on to Princeton.

Just the scenery and the majesty of the Washinton/British Columbia Cascade Mountains made the trip worthwhile.

What was the icing on this jet cake was: 1.) the people we met along the way; 2.) the welcoming pilots at the event; 3.) the jets that were shown and flown; 4.) and what I learned about building and flying jets by way of the pilots that invited me into their circle of friends. For my money, that is what any and all RC events should be about. They should be like the great bunch of Canadian pilots who find fun not only in building and piloting their jets but in sharing the knowledge they have acquired along the way….

I gotta by saying, they certainly did not make their event feel elitist— not in the least! Instead, they left me with the feeling that jet-powered aircraft could be a part of the hobby that many could enjoy as much as they do.

Jet power is pretty darn invigorating, if not captivating, at Princeton Jets!

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Wai Ming of Vancouver, B.C. was flying this McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, which uses only one turbine engine but two exhaust ports.

Contact Princeton R/C Jet Fliers Paul Dries Coquitlam, British Columbia Canda maac.ca/en/clubs Princeton Airfield 153 Airport Rd Princeton, BC

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BEIJING MODEL EXPOSITION

By Wil Byers

FMS’s new EPO Fox glider sports a wings of 2.320 meter (91.4 in.), is 1.290 meters (50.8 in.) long, has a brushless 4018-Kv, 40-amp ESC, uses 6-channel control, and turns a 12 x 6 propeller. Power comes from an 11.1-volt 1300-mAh 35C LiPo battery.

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BUYERS SEE LESS IN ‘18, WITH DRONE NUMBERS CRASHING!

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taxi ride from the Beijing International Airport (PEK) in April 2018 was a strikingly stark contrast from the one I experienced in 2001 when I attended my first Beijing Model Exposition.

In 2001 there was but one rather medium-size, Mao-era airport and terminal. Clearing customs was only

somewhat intimidating. Taxis, on the other hand, were plentiful and easy to hail.

Alternately, PEK is now huge, with three terminals, having been enlarged for the 2008 Olympic Games. Clearing customs can be nightmarish, that is if one is arriving on a jumbo jet with lots of

passengers. Then too, arrivals are guaranteed to see corporate jets parked on the ramp—belonging to the likes of Alibaba, Amazon, Cosco, Google, Home Depot, Walmart, etc., or just the mega-rich vacationing in “socialist” China. One must also be prepared to wait for both your luggage to hit the turnstiles and for

A-10 “Hog” has E-retracts that are CNC machined. The power system utilized is their new twin 70-mm 12-blade EDF V2, which is turned by 1850-Kv inner-running motor system that provides power and airspeed when couple to a 6S LiPo battery.

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The A-10 will turn heads when it flies by on its 59.1-in. wingspan. The model is 53.9 in. long and weighs about 9 pounds ready to fly, with a 6S 5000-mAh 45C pack.

long taxi queues.

Further, what was once a short 15-minute ride to the hotel in the Chaoyang district can now be sluggardly; and, one that is terrifying if you get an aggressive taxi driver.

The trip can also be an education

in that China has “arrived” as the world’s second-largest economy— some would argue the largest if you consider domestic consumption.

China’s economic emergence always gets underscored during my taxi rides from the airport by

the number of automobiles now filling the highway; as well as by the conspicuous display of “newlygotten” wealth as drivers inch along in 25-mph, mind-boggling traffic in their Bentley, Ferrari, Land Rovers, Lamborghini, Mercedes-

Check out this F-16! It has a 32-in. wingspan and is powered by a 2860-Kv motor with 70-amp ESC. The EDF is a 12-blade type. It uses a 6S 3300-mAh 35C LiPo.

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Their Super Hornet F-18F is powered by a 70-mm EDF. It sports a 34.5-in. wingspan.

The motor is 2860-Kv in-runner. The model requires a 6S 3300-mAh LiPo battery.

Benz, Porsche, Rolls Royce, etc. automobiles. I’m confident these luxury cars’ speedometers rarely see much more than 40 miles per hour.

Even so, these gorgeous machines provide much-needed status for their occupants, which Chinese consider

all too important in modern day China, with its now-soaring skylines, high-speed trains, massive factories, and multistory, mega shopping centers. Glitz is everywhere and monumental—almost obnoxiously so! Further, that 15-minute airport

taxi ride is no more. It can now easily be an hour or more trip when traffic is heavy; and the traffic usually is more than a bit heavy (read this as you can’t imagine it), unless your flight arrives in the in the very early morning hours.

FMS’s Boeing T-45 Goshawk is powered by a 70-mm, 12-blade EDF married to a 1850Kv motor. Power comes from a 6S LiPo. The model has a 37.8-in. wingspan too. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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FMS was showing their Super Scorpion, which uses a 90-mm, 12-blade EDF that is driven by 3546-Kv motor. The model features CNC-machined retracts and flies on a 45.2-in. wingspan. The model uses a 6S 5000-mAh LiPo battery.

Venue While China has had enormous change since my first visit, the venue for the trade show has remained the same. It is still held at the Maoera Beijing Exhibition Centre near the zoo and just west of the 2nd Ring Road. Traveling from the Chaoyang district to the venue is another opportunity to marvel at the mammoth traffic, plus the luxury cars

that clog the streets of Beijing and fill the air with pollution.

Arriving at the venue in the morning is an awaking too. What was once mostly a buyers show for hobby merchandiser—with the buyers searching for products to import into the USA and Europe—is now mostly full-throttle for Chinese consumers. Consequently, the ticket line is long, with people patiently

The FMS F3A Olympus has 55.1-in. wingspan and is 61 in. long. It weighs about 5.3 lb with 4258-Kv brushless motor and 70-amp SBEC. Battery power is by 6S 3300-mAh LiPo.

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waiting for 30 minutes or more to enter. The vendors’ parking area is again representative of the factory owners’ conspicuous consumption of luxury vehicles.

Attendees While the show is still a way for the factories to display their goods to the foreign buyers, it has evolved such that factories and vendors now

FMS’s 55-in. wingspan Kingfisher is 36-in. long and has a highquality Predator 40-amp ESC connected to 3536-Kv motor.

Recommended power is a 3S 2200-mAh 35C LiPo. twitter.com/rcflyernews

FMS new Civil Air Patrol Cub has yet to be released but promises to be a fun airplane to fly off either grass or pavement. Notice the shock-absorbing landing gear and the vortec generators on the wing. It should go up like a homesick angel.

prominently display their products to domestic consumers. Many of the domestic consumers have much to spend and some free time to enjoy a hobby. (I find it thought-provoking how global economics transforms the USA and European currencies into Renminbi, with few non-Chinese giving it a second thought.)

In the past, most of the vendors were there to display

their products to the international buyers. They would often welcome them into their booths to explain why their products were better than others. Those buyers would be seen throughout the show.

Not surprisingly, the factory representatives solely focused on taking orders—sometimes orders that would consume a year’s ongoing production.

This Vortec 322 is PNP model. It has a 55.1-in. wingspan and is 58.7-in. long. Power comes from a 4258-Kv motor that turns a 15 x 7-in. propller, and a 6S 3300-mAh 35C LiPo battery. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

Alternately, while this year the factory representatives were still somewhat focused on the global buyers, it was also evident that domestic consumption has become important! As such, the booths prominently displayed their products, with plenty of factory representatives there to answer questions for the Chinese consumers. As far as I could tell, those consumers were showing

FMS’s Mattis 66.9-in. et odio wingspan eget, rutrum Tiger Cat viverra is distributed tortor. Sed bysemper HorizonHobby.com. vehicula velit necItsemper. uses two Curabitur 4250-Kvmagna motors mi,that semper turn et 3-blade semper propellers. nec.

Power is by 6S 5000-mAh LiPo battery.

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DTS was showing their new 200-size helicopter, which comes ready to fly less battery pack. It has a 435-mm rotor and is powered by 3900-Kv motor. The model is fitted with 3.5-gram micro servos and has a carbon fiber frame.

enthusiasm for aircraft, boats, cars, drones, and radio system, plus the accessories to support their hobby—even fantastic RC tanks.

I found it astonishing at how few international buyers were present.

Honestly, it no longer had the feel of a manufacturers trade show. It felt much like the typical consumer show one would attend in the USA or Europe, only bigger. It is quite a change!

It was evident consumers interest

areas are changed. While in the past few years—actually since about 2010—drones were all the rage, it didn’t seem to be the case in 2018.

What caught my attention was the number of drone makers who have dropped out. In fact, overall the show was a bit smaller. That said, the number of drone manufacturers attending was down significantly— underscored by the open space on the trade show floor. Then too DJI has become so dominant that many

This the DTS F450 BH scale flybarless Black Hawk RC helicopter in Coast Guard colors. It uses a 5000-Kv motor and takes 2S 400-mAh LiPo battery for power.

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manufacturers cannot compete in their technology space.

Alternately, while the number of manufacturers displaying moldedfoam airplanes was about the same as last year, I was impressed by the new offerings and their quality. I’d expect we’ll see new high-quality, top-performing foam airplanes introduced near the holiday season or shortly thereafter. They’re indeed becoming a significant part of the hobby.

The number of helicopter vendors was down as well. What I did not see was many scale helicopter offerings for buyers. The manufacturers seem stuck in the 3D rut, which probably ignores many would-be pilots. I’m surprised the factories have not “amped-up” their scale offerings.

I’d underscore this by adding that KingTech was showing some finely engineered G series turboprop systems that had me salivating like Pavlov’s dog! As you must know, these engines make turbinepowered, scale helicopters and airplanes turn heads and ears at any RC airfield. So, I gotta wonder who twitter.com/rcflyernews

This DTS F450 BH scale flybarless Black Hawk RC helicopter comes with a 5000-Kv motor installed and uses a 2S 400-mAh LiPo battery for power.

The Align TREX 700X is a flybarless helicopter that is powered by a 850MX motor. It is fitted with Align’s new DS820M high-voltage servos, with CNC machined cases.

This little K100 flybarless helicopter has a 245-mm main rotor and gets power from a 8520 coreless motor. The battery required is a 1S 250-mAh LiPo. rcflyernews.tumblr.com

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This photo shows you the assortment of propellers that are being offered for the drone enthusiasts—from little to huge!

JCZK was showing their latest scale helicopter, which is patterned after a Schweizer 300. The main rotor is 360 mm and the tail rotor is 69 mm. The model uses a brushless motor and LiPo battery for power. It comes in an aluminum case.

is missing the market—if there were more, the economy of scale would lower prices for the consumers too, which then increases sales….

Other areas of the hobby were about the same as usual. The servo makers where there, as were the battery manufactures and the battery charger makers. Falcon propellers and a couple of others that make helicopter and drone blades were present. Hitec RCD had a nice booth

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as did Futaba® and FrSky. What was missing from this show, and has been for years, was those factories that make high-quality composite gliders and sailplanes.

Sadly, most of the factories in China want to make 500 to 10,000 of everything. They aren’t motivated to build limited product runs of high-quality, high-performance airplanes, helicopters or gliders. If there are such factories, they are

not participating in the Beijing Expo, which is rather sad in that there are certainly consumers who will pay well for such models.

Summary Analyzing this show concerning years past, it is apparent there is a change happening within the hobby, significant change! While it indeed appears American and USA consumers’ appetites for RC aircraft twitter.com/rcflyernews

FrSKY-RC.com was showing their new X10S, which provides 16-channel control and has 16 MB of flash memory. It also has wireless trainer.

FrSKY’s compact Traranis X-lite is much more powerful that its outward appearance, with four switches, and two sliders. Definitely check it out.

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KingTech’s G series are turbines that will start and run on diesel, kerosene and Jet A fuel. They deliver about 22 lb of thrust at 142,000 rpm.

The King Tech 310 turbine is designed to produce 68 lb of thrust at 103,000 rpm. They weigh only 5.7 pounds and come with fuel pump and ECU.

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JCZK 380A helicopter has main rotor that is 360 mm and the tail rotor is 69 mm. The model uses a brushless motor and LiPo battery for power. Besides being super cute JCZK delivers it in an aluminum case.

and hardware has waned somewhat.

Alternately, the number of Chinese RC enthusiasts is growing!

With this in mind, I’m 1000% sure we’ll see more models patterned after those from The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and the Russian Air Force. Some of those models were starting to appear at Beijing. Then too, with rcflyernews.tumblr.com

the significant restrictions put on drones and autonomous aircraft by the People’s Republic of China, I’m again confident that the number of drone manufacturers will continue to decline. In fact, from what I saw shown and flown at the show, drones will become a niche part of the hobby, just like all other facets of it have now become. Yeah, you can

argue that first-person view (FPV) and such is popular, but honestly, the manufacturers are waning, which says to me the number of units sold is down, consequently so too is the number of flyers. Plus, DJI is absolutely dominating in the high-end market—“DJI was valued at about $8 billion in 2015 when it raised $75 million from Silicon Valley Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com

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Taft Hobby was showing their nicely done Dimonia motor glider and a great looking Viper Jet, both offer super performance.

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A Fly Baby done in foam promises to deliver quick and easy flying. Taft’s Yak-11 would definitely be something different at the airfield.

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Sonic Modell’s Skyhunter has a 35.5-in. wingspan plus a camera in the nose. It is designed for FPV flying. The model comes with a 200 milliwatt video transmitter and 720 p HD camera built in. You can be up and flying in no time.

venture capital firm Accel Partners.

Its valuation increased to $10 billion last year.” I don’t know of any other hobby merchandisers, distributors, or manufacturers who have “pockets” that deep.

In my opinion, it is time for the

RC community to embrace some real change. I mean, it is time to stand back and look at the RC landscape. Evaluate where there is still enormous opportunity for fun. There are many. Again, I can pontificate. I believe there can be

This wing is pretty stealthy looking! We liked that is was a pusher with a folding propeller and that it was using a 3S LiPo battery pack to deliver 6 to 8 minute flights. It did not include camera in the nose however.

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a resurgence in wooden airplanes that are high quality and good size, in combination with some great foam models that shift the paradigm away from more of the same over and over. Also, I think modelers would embrace turboprop-powered airplanes (maybe some smaller turboprop engines are needed), as well they would like gorgeous, scale helicopters both big and small. A return of modern, high-performance pattern airplanes would be fun to see sowing figures in the sky, which would also broaden the horizon.

Plus, there is a need (skeptics go away) for more simple, easy-to-fly gliders that are both motorless and motor powered—they provide hours of fun but without maxing out the credit cards.

To sum it up, the manufacturers and merchandisers cannot keep offering the same ole’ things by way of this annual trade show and expect the consumers to keep buying. It seems what is needed is real, honest innovation! Innovation that gives twitter.com/rcflyernews

XK was showing their little 31-in. wingspan, 4-channel control RC glider, which comes with a Futaba compatible transmitter. It is powered by a N60 brushed motor that is powered by a 2S 300-mAh LiPo battery.

Vic Sol Model Aircraft Company is one of the last makers of large-scale wooden airplanes in China. They’re making for a few U.S. companies, and as you can see the model shown here is a 40-percent scale Edge 540.

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BEIJING EXPOSITION

There were not many jet manufacturers showing at Beijing this year.

Here are just a few examples of what was offered.

This copy of a Swiss F-5 fighter jet was quite nicely done. It was all composite, however, we were not able to learn the required turbine.

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We want to share this tank model, even though it doesn’t fly. The level of detail in this huge model was absolutely amazing.

RC buyers the want to fill their workshops with aircraft that provides them joy at the airfield. How hard is that people? Not! So if you are a manufacture or buyer, please consider some alternatives to the fat-free lattes you’ve been offering the last few years. It is time for some caffeinefilled offerings in your catalog—Er, I mean website.

These are just a couple of the other vendors that were showing at Beijing, as well as servo and miscellaneous hardware companies.

Contact Hobby Expo China Beijing, China hobbyexpochina.com

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Vintage Radio Control Society.

B U I L D I N G FO R V I N TA G E COMPETITION LONG-FORGOTTEN KITS FLY

BY JEFF TROY

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The VRCS is a special interest group (SIG) of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), and its purpose is to acknowledge the pioneer days of radio control airplanes. My first real exposure to the group came at the Weak Signals RC Expo in Ohio, more casually known as the “Toledo Show.”

I’ve attended this event annually in various roles since the early 1980s, first as an spectator and entrant in the static display competition, later as an exhibitor performing covering demonstrations while working as the product development guy for Coverite, and finally as a representative of the hobby industry while editor-in-chief of the international trade publication, Hobby Merchandiser, and the AMA’s thennew magazine, Park Pilot.

These days, I write articles for a few RC magazines instead of editing them, but I still attend the Toledo Show each year, and perform opendoor covering seminars on Friday and Saturday, assisted by my longtime friend Tom Kozel.

I

f you’ve been reading my articles, it’s likely that you’re a model builder—or at least would like to become one. Building RC airplanes runs the gamut from basic trainers to highly detailed scale models, as well as everything in between. In light of our common interest in bench time, I have something different for you this column. Instead of the usual building tips, I’d like to give you a bit of insight regarding the Vintage Radio Control Society (VRCS), and tell you why you’ll enjoy getting involved.

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In 2013, Tom and I were asked if we would serve as static judges for the Vintage category at the Toledo Show.

Tom and I are both AMA Contest Directors with plenty of history under our feet: Tom as a former flight judge for the annual Top Gun Invitational scale contest, and flightline director for several major sailplane contests (including the 1985 and ’86 AMA Nats), and me as CD for the Valley Forge Sailplane Championships and two years as the Soaring Events Director at the AMA Nats.

Tom and I didn’t know much about the VRCS at the time, although we certainly appreciated the fine models that sat on the display tables, so we looked forward to reviewing them more closely. We studied the judging guide, carefully applying the rules to the models in the category, and ultimately came up with first-, second-, and third-place winners.

Judging these models was fun and rewarding, but even more than that, it was inspiring.

Like you readers, we’re builders, and fewer things can ignite a builder’s

fires like old-school modeling. First there are the airplanes: a Kaos, Kwik-Fli III, and Taurus from Top Flite, a Sterling Mambo and Mighty Mambo, Goldberg Sr. Falcon, and examples from Berkeley Models, Keil-Kraft, and Proctor Enterprises— even an original “rubber ducky” from Lanier R/C, the company that pioneered the ARF. Complementing the airplanes are the engines. The plans used for building the models must be submitted to the judges, and maximum points can be awarded for using the same engine shown on the plans. Although a few models had been modified for electric or four-stroke power, we were wowed by the old two-strokes from Fox, K&B, O.S., Enya, and others, with even a diesel and couple of ignition engines thrown into the mix.

Points are also awarded for original finishing materials and methods, and what could bring back more memories than silk or silkspan and dope, polyester dressmaker fabric, early Coverite and “Super” MonoKote?

Judging these models was an inspiring experience that fed into all of our memory buttons. Almost suddenly, we were back in the mid 20th Century—and then the light bulb came on. Hey! We have a lot of these old kits in our stashes back home. Why not get a couple of these classics off of our shelves, get some rewarding bench time, and show up at one of the nearby VRCS sanctioned events?

So we did. The first meet we attended was in 2014 near Binghamton, New York, at the “Spirit of Selinsgrove Reunion.” I took along an original Proctor Antic Bipe I had built in 1978. This model is finished in fabric and dope, flies with an original Kraft radio, and was refitted for the event with a Webra Blackhead engine, like the one shown on the Proctor plans. I also brought a 1973 Royal Products Bleriot that I had modified slightly for functional wing warping. I had done this one for electric power, but it still qualified for the Scale event—and the R.A.M. Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com

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Pictured here with a collection of operational vintage aircraft are some of the pilots who attended the 2017 Vintage RC Society “Spirit of Selinsgrove” event near Binghamton, New York.

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Jeff’s 2014 vintage airplanes included his Antic Bipe, an original Jensen Das Ugly Stik with wheel brakes, and a 1973 Royal Products Bleriot XI. The Bleriot was modified with functional wing warping and brushless electric powered.

Jeff’s Contender is powered by a vintage O.S. .60 Black Head with a period-correct Kavan strap-on muffler and a Tru-Turn aluminum spinner. Jeff made every effort to complete this model closely to the original Dave Platt design.

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Jeff’s most recent vintage project is a Dave Platt Contender, just as it was kitted by Top Flite in the late 1960s. Laser-cut short kits are available from Eddie Taylor at Lazer Works (actionhobbieswftx@ yahoo.com). The stickies and canopy are by special order.

An ideal combination of simplicity, form, and function, the Contender even makes Jeff look competent on the sticks—and that’s a challenge for almost any RC airplane!

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Berkeley’s Custom Privateer kit box from the late 1950s was barely three-feet long, but it carried all the parts needed to build Don McGovern’s 114-inch “N.A.C.A. Long-Planing Hull” design. This newer kit has an ABS cowl, although the original cowls were spun aluminum and shared by Berkeley’s AT-6 Texan kit.

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An assembled Custom Privateer commands the major portion of an average-size workshop. Here, Jeff is completing the radio and engine installations before painting the 114-inch behemoth with Brodak dope. Covering is Brodak polyester fabric.

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The finished Privateer made its debut at Selinsgrove in September, but the balky, 70-year-old Fox .59 glow engine prevented the airplane from finishing the required, 2-minute-minimum qualifying flight. The airplane’s maiden flight was finally completed in mid November.

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The Custom Privateer is an amphibian, and the plans show its RC gear tucked inside a water-resistant box in the forward fuselage. All this—including the pushrods and hardware—is duplicated in Jeff’s model, and you have to have a chuckle at the dummy, stand-up receiver antenna that mimics the presence of an antique tube radio system from days long gone.

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Here are some of the models that Jeff and Tom Kozel took to the 2017 Selinsgrove meet. The Ugly Stik and Bleriot have flown in many VRCS events, and here are complemented by a plans-and-box-top-perfect Goldberg Eaglet 50, Tom’s “Red & White,” and his Joe Bridi-designed RCM Trainer 60.

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Here’s the Privateer, tail-up on the takeoff roll for its first successful flight at the Lancaster County RC Club field. This Pennsylvania club will host a two-day VRCS event in August of this year, and you’re invited to join the celebration.

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This Kwik-Fli III will be the subject of Jeff’s next build project, where many old-school building and finishing materials and techniques will be demonstrated. The Kwik-Fli III is a 1960s national– and world-champion design by Phil Kraft, and this is one of the original Top Flite kits—a gift to Jeff more than 20 years ago from former Top Flite Models executive Charlie Bauer.

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Jeff built this Proctor Enterprises Antic Bipe in 1978. It hung over his dining room table for decades, and finally made its maiden flight two weeks before the Spirit of Selinsgrove vintage meet in 2014. Power is by a Webra .61.

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rotary-engine sound module may have helped the judges to forget about the lack of nitro fumes. I also took along an original Jensen Ugly Stick with an Enya 60, a JCM Specialties Airfoil Muffler, and the down-elevator-triggered wheel brakes that were drawn and described on the Jensen plans.

Just for grins, I also made a flight or two with my 36-inch Berkeley 1/2A Privateer, 36-inch Comet Models P-38 Lightning and 54-inch Taylorcraft, all modified for RC and electric power, and finished in Polyspan (a silkspan look-alike) and clear dope. Tom showed another interesting collection of periodcorrect airplanes, including a Ben Buckle Long Cabin “old timer” with a

very early O.S. .40 four-stroke.

We had a great time at Selinsgrove.

We flew some great old airplanes and took home a few awards, but what we appreciated most were the new friends we made and the common bonds between us. These people are modelers, and the craftsmanship skills they put into their airplanes cannot easily be equaled. Wood joints are perfectly mated, airframes are skillfully sanded and prepared, finishes are meticulous, and RC and engine installations are neat and tidy. We sat and talked old materials and techniques throughout the two-day event—with people who knew the subject matter and enjoyed sharing rcflyernews.tumblr.com

their knowledge and experiences. It was a real treat, and an oh-sorefreshing change from crowding the field with a collection of lookalike foam aerobats.

Since that event, we have vastly increased our collections of VRCSqualifying models and engines, and have both been building nonstop for each year’s reachable vintage events.

One of the airplanes I built for 2017 was a 114-inch Berkeley Custom Privateer. This 1953-designed flying boat is powered by a 70-year-old Fox .59 engine, and finished in polyester fabric and Brodak dope. It’s amazing to watch this massive behemoth do its takeoff roll and climb skyward at what appears to be the breakneck speed of 1/2-mile per hour. Few models can equal its grace and magnificence as it cruises crawl-speed in a low pass over the field. I hope you will find the bench and field images entertaining.

Each year, VRCS chooses one of the popular kits from the era as “Theme Plane.” These models are judged under the Concours d’Elegance rules for fidelity to the original design. Past years’ Theme Planes have been the Goldberg Falcon, Phil Kraft Ugly Stik, the Astro Hog, and a dozen others.

Noted designer and Scale authority, Dave Platt, has chaired the Theme Plane Committee for several years, and in his honor, the Theme Plane for 2018 is the Dave Platt Contender.

Mine has just been completed from a laser-cut short kit from Eddie Taylor at Lazer Works, which is based on the original Top Flite plans from the late 1960s. Building this model truly exemplifies Mr. Platt’s talent for intelligent design, blending simplicity and functionality into an extremely attractive and spectacular performing model airplane.

So what does it take to attend a VRCS event? Not much more than an appreciation for aeromodeling craftsmanship and older model airplanes, and you don’t even have to be a member of the group to fly.

Scale and Concours d’Elegance models must have been designed prior to 1975. Pattern and openflying models must be at least 35

years old, based on the current year.

For example, in 2018, the models you fly at a VRCS event would have been designed anytime prior to 1983.

If you would like to attend a VRCS meet to enjoy a day or two of open flying and camaraderie, you don’t need to know much about vintage aircraft. However, if you’d like to fly in the old AMA Class I, Class II, or Class III Pattern events, Scale or Concours events, please visit www. vintagercsociety.org to review the model requirements and flight rules.

Although typical two-stroke glow engine of the era are encouraged, no one is turned away for flying models with four-stroke or electric power.

You should also know that while many of us enjoy using vintage RC systems, any radio that meets current AMA and FCC guidelines—and host-club field rules—is acceptable.

Over the next few issues, I’ll be sharing with you a wealth of oldschool materials and building techniques while preparing an original Top Flite Models’ kit of Phil Kraft’s national and world champion Kwik-Fli III. This model will be powered by a vintage O.S. .60-H “Gold Head” engine, with the very same Semco Flo-Thu Muffler that I used on the Kwik-Fli I built in 1968. That Kwik-Fli was my first RC airplane, and as you would expect, its maiden flight didn’t end well. I can’t remember what I did with my original gold head, but somehow the muffler stayed with me over the past 50 years. The new Kwik-Fli will fly this spring—and things should go a bit better.

For now, get ready to clean off your workbenches, gather your T-pins and hobby knives, and check around for those long-forgotten kits you probably have stored somewhere in your home. Some serious, old school fun is about to begin.

Contact: vintagercsociety.org/cms3

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HOW TO

Walbro Carburetor Rebuild

By Wil Byers

On Good Advice, It Was Time….

M

y Cub’s DA-120 engine had not been running right for quite some time.

Regrettably, I’d been tolerating its performance out of sheer procrastination—not really wanting to remove the airplane’s cowl, fuel system, and then having to dig into the carburetor.

As you would expect, my procrastination bit me in the ass!

The scenario reads the same as those of many RC pilots: the model had a minor crash when the motor quit because of lack of proper maintenance.

What happened was the Cub was on a downwind to final approach, running parallel to the runway. I pulled the throttle back to slow the model and the DA-120 quit.

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The engine had done so before, but not at such a low altitude—the model was only about 30 feet high.

Consequently, I turned the model 180 degrees to make a landing flying it into the wind, but at only about 100 feet from the end of the runway. The runway at Weaver’s Airfield, where I was flying the model, is adjoined on the north side and east end by alfalfa, which at this point in time was nearly ready for cutting, so it was about 18 inches high. Therefore, when the model reached the end of the runway, even with its dead engine, it still had flying speed. To soften the impact with the alfalfa, I pulled up elevator. The model climbed a bit, and then the landing gear caught the alfalfa. All was looking good until the elevator could no longer prevent the model from rolling onto its back. The result was a slightly damaged model and the return to the workshop with my procrastination tail between my legs—time for repairs.

A Call to Desert Aircraft

T

he incident was on a Saturday.

My friend Rob and I repaired the model that evening. The next day was the continuation of our aerotow event, of which the Cub was a tug aircraft. The engine problems persisted. Therefore, it only made two tows on Sunday, after which it was loaded into the “big ole” van for a trip back to the workshop.

Once back at the shop, I gave Desert Aircraft a call to explain the situation. I explained to the service guy that the engine would not idle properly, and it would almost always die when I pulled the power off. He inquired if we had tried to adjust the high and low needles on the carburetor, which we had done numerous times. Considering that, the DA representative suggested

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the alcohol in most of today’s gasoline had damaged the Walbro carburetor’s diaphragm, so the carburetor needed to be rebuilt. I ordered the rebuild kit from them, along with the new propeller that was required to replace the one that broke as the airplane laid over on its back.

One thing about ordering anything from DA is that you don’t wait for long to get it. I swear they

STEP

must have had my parts packed and waiting for shipment before I called.

As a result, the parts arrived the Wednesday following my Monday morning call. How good is that in terms service and attention details?

As modelers we often don’t have much time to wait, so getting it shipped immediately is excellent.

Inside the Rebuild

A

s you can well imagine, I was forced to rebuild the carburetor. I started the rebuilding process by first removing the fuel tank from the airplane—I’ll show the new tank install in another article and talk about setting up the tank correctly. Then the carburetor rebuild began.

01

First I removed the cowl, disconnected the throttle linkage and fuel feed tubing. Then the carburetor was removed from the engine's intake by removing two Allen-head bolts. The reed valve assembly came off with it.

My DA-120 was having carburetor problems, so.… The carburetor is shown to the right of the engine’s reed valve assembly.

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HOW TO

STEP

02

On the workbench, l removed the metering diaphragm's cover. Four screws hold it in place.

At this point, I recommend that you organize the carburetor parts on your workbench in the order they are removed such that you can reassemble the carb in reverse order. Then too, use your phone to photograph the parts as they come apart just in case you forget how everything is supposed to be reassembled.

Once the metering diaphragm's cover has been removed, you'll remove the diaphragm and its gasket. They'll be thrown away, but again put them in their respective order.

In this view you can see the high and low needle valves and the throttle’s butterfly control arm. You’ll need to clean the needles.

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STEP

03

After the metering diaphragm is removed, you will remove the inlet's metering valve assembly.

The assembly is held in place with one screw. Be extremely careful when removing the metering valve assembly because there is a spring under the metering rocker arm that holds tension on the valve to keep it seated. You do NOT want this spring flying out of its socket to who-knowswhere in the room because it may never be found again. FYI, if you do lose the spring you can likely get another at a lawnmower and weed eater repair shop; alternately, DA will be happy to sell you another too.

With the top cover removed, the metering diaphragm is exposed. You must remove it and then replace with a new one at reassembly

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HOW TO

STEP

04

Once the needle valve assembly is removed and placed in its respective order, you must remove the bottom, fuel feed side cover from the carburetor. Again, four screws fasten it in place.

You'll remove the gasket and fuel pump diaphragm.

Set them aside in their respective order, so you’ll remember the reassembly order.

This is the metering needle on the output side of the carb. You will not get one with the rebuild kit, but if its tip is damaged you must replace it.

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The metering needle and its control rocker arm are shown here.

You’ll want to remove it to clean the needle and seat.

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HOW TO

STEP

05

At this point, it is advised to remove the high make sure their ends are clean and free of b and lubricate the threads.

Here you can see the top on the fuel feed side of the carburetor has been removed.

Look at the debris that was found inside.

Not good!

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h and low needle valves. You'll want to check to buildup or dirt and debris. Clean them with alcohol

Another view of the feed side of the carburetor shows just how much debris had accumulated inside the cavities and near the screen.

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HOW TO

STEP

06

This shows the debris that was trapped in the fuel feed side of the carburetor. It was removed and a new diaphragm installed.

Now you're going to clean the carburetor. I used the same gasoline that I run in the engine because it has a bit of oil it, which will keep the carburetor lubricated.

As you can see by examining the photos, there was quite a bit of debris inside the carburetor. I'm not exactly sure where it came from; however, a fellow RC pilot suggested that the debris came from the old fuel tubing. I'd agree with him, except for the fact that the fuel line is new and my DA never entirely ran as other DA engines I've owned — they usually perform like finely tuned pieces of machinery. This one never did entirely. I suspect that something contaminated the fuel tubing to the carburetor when I was assembling the airplane. That contamination then made its way into the pump side of the carburetor.

The rest is history.

The lesson here is to be extremely careful with the fuel tank and feed lines cleanliness while assembling the system in the airplane. Also, be certain to install a new fuel filter in the feed line between the fuel tank and the carburetor.

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Look at how the debris was captured in one of the cavities for the cover on the fuel feed side of the carburetor.

After all the parts were cleaned with the DA engine’s fuel, all the cavities and galleries in the carburetor were blown clear.

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HOW TO

STEP

07

After cleaning all the parts of the carburetor with the gasoline (do it outside in fresh air to be safe), use canned compressed air to blow out all the cavities in the carburetor. Doing so will make sure you've removed anything that could clog a fuel flow path inside the carburetor. I bought my compressed air can at Staples. It is made for cleaning computer parts but works excellent for cleaning carburetors. I recommend you use a magnifier to examine all the crevices in the carburetor to make certain it is spotless before the next step.

STEP

08

Once you're assured the carb is thoroughly cleaned, you'll reassemble it. Reference the photos you've taken with your phone if you are uncertain about how a part should be go back together.

However, the gaskets and diaphragms have index holes which mate to index pins on the carb's body, so it is going to be nearly impossible to get them installed wrong; note I said nearly! You must make sure you get the gaskets installed in their proper order with respect to the carb's body and the diaphragms.

The photos you've stored on your phone will help in this respect.

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This new gasket must be placed against the cover for the fuel feed side. Note that the indexing holes in the gasket must index.

The pumping diaphragm mates to the carburetor’s body as shown. The cover and gasket will then get mated to the body as they were before.

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STEP

09

Fasten the carburetor's fuel feed side cover with the four screws. Don't over tighten them too much or you may strip the threads on the carb's body. That would mean you'll be in need of a new body or a completely new carburetor—not a good option.

The cover for the fuel feed side of the carburetor is shown here being fastened back onto the carb’s body—four screws hold it in place.

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HOW TO A close up of the metering needle’s rocker shows the control rocker must mate with the needle.

STEP

10

You must reinstall the metering valve and the metering rocker arm that holds tension on the valve. This can be somewhat tricking because you must engage the metering valve, compress the tensioning spring, put the rocker bearing in its respective position, and then install the retention screw. It is not difficult, but you must be careful not to have the spring fly out of its position, which could then easily be lost.

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The metering diaphragm’s casket goes against the carb’s body. There are two indexing pins to locate it on.

STEP

11

Once you have the metering valve rocker fastened in place, you'll install the gasket on the carburetor's body and then the new diaphragm in its respective position. The index pins will mate with the gasket and the diaphragm, so this is quick and easy.

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HOW TO

STEP

12

Then you'll reinstall the cover over the metering diaphragm and tighten the four screws. Check and double-check that the screws are tightened evenly, which will avoid creating air leaks or such later when the engine has some hours of running time on it.

The new metering diaphragm is shown here mounted on top of the gasket and carburetor’s body. The cover goes on next.

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STEP

13

Next, you will reinstall the reed valve assembly on the carburetor. You'll first need to install the reed block. Make certain it is installed correctly with respect to the hole in the carburetor's body and the gasket because this is what operates the pump function on the fuel feed side of the carburetor. Then you'll slide the reed valve assembly onto the bolts that run thru the carb's body and the reed block. At this point, the carburetor and its reed valve assembly are ready to reinstall on the carburetor.

After the metering diaphragm’s cover is fastened in place you must reattach the reed valve body to the carburetor.

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HOW TO You’ll install the reed block between the reed valve assembly and the carburetor, with it oriented properly.

STEP

14

Add the reed valves manifold block and then fasten the complete carburetor assembly to the engine. Apply blue Loctite® sparingly to a few threads on the bolts. Then tighten the hex head bolts to secure the carburetor assembly to the engine, but don't over tighten them. You want secure but not crushing the manifold.

Here you see the hole in the gasket and the reed block. They must be installed properly so the carburetor can pump fuel.

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At this point the carburetor is ready to be reattached to the engine. I cleaned the reed valve with my DA’s gas too.

The manifold fits on top of the reed valve as shown. You’ll want to use blue Loctite® on the mounting bolts very sparingly.

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HOW TO

The carburetor has been reattached to the engine in this photo but the throttle linkage has yet to be connected.

STEP

15

Reattach the throttle linkage. Then fasten the fuel feed line to the carburetor with a small snap tie.

Next, adjust the high and low needle valves as per the manual—close and open 1.5 turns on each.

The final step will be to run the engine and adjust the needle values for proper full throttle and idle.

After the engine is adjusted correctly, you'll want to install the cowl and clean up.

To ease my sight of the needle valves inside the cowl, I used fingernail polish to color the head of the high needle red and the low needle yellow. It just helps me see them more easily once the cowl is in place.

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Here the throttle linkage has been reattached to the control arm. Notice that the return spring has been disengaged.

I cleaned the needles.

Then I painted the high needle red and the low yellow—easier to see in the cowl.

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HOW TO

FINAL ANALYSIS

I think I need to underscore for you and more importantly myself that proper maintenance and cleanliness is required. My friends say I'm clean, almost to a fault. However, somehow I got the tank or fuel line contaminated for this engine. Consequently, the DA-120 engine never ran well from its initial running, which is absolutely not the case with DA engines as most RC pilots will tell you.

MANUFACTURE

I will add that the rebuild was fun and it educated me about how this Walbro model WJ71 carburetor is built and functions. So if your model’s engine is not running as you'd like Desert Aircraft maybe it too is time to have a look inside the carburetor to see if it is 1815 South Research Loop clean and free of debris. Indeed, do not be intimidated by the process. If Tucson, AZ 85710 I can do it, anyone can do it.

Phone: 520-722-0607

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Desertaircraft.com

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and presentation, quality editing, and proper distribution. In terms of content, we will continue to search for reports on 1.) fun and educational projects; 2.) events that enlighten our readers about airplanes, radio gear, formats, etc.; 3.) fullscale aircraft drawings that detail their designs; 4.) plans that show how model aircraft are built with quality and attention to detail; 5.) build articles that show you how the pros would do it; 6.) how-to articles that give you real insights into what it takes to make your models and radio perform optimally.

Newsletter We’re also going to offer a bi-monthly newsletter that will provide you with the inside scoop on what is trending in the industry, as well as upcoming events we find genuinely newsworthy.

Can We So, let’s see if this little company can live up to your expectations. I’d emphasize, it is not possible without your input and ongoing commitment to our pages. On that account, I ask you to share your like of RC Flyer News with as many of your friends as possible. We truly believe doing so will benefit the RC community in its entirety.

Remember, Kiona Publishing, Inc. simply does not have the financial resources required to market to all the social media channels that would otherwise benefit us. Therefore, we’re asking you to be our marketing team!

Wannabes I found the following very interesting. How about you?

The other day I was talking to the support staff at GoDaddy.com about domain support. The technician was assisting me in installing our site’s new Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. During our conversation, he asked what was the nature of our business. When I explained we were a publisher of an RC model airplane magazine the technician became alive with interest. He began asking questions about how to get involved! He told me he had gotten an inexpensive drone as a Christmas present, but that airplanes were his real area of interest. He said he had not had much success with the drone and that he found it rather dull after a couple of flights. He wanted to know how much it would cost to buy a model, where to get one, where he could fly it, if there were instructors to help, and on and on. Our conversation definitely deviated from the SSL certificate for quite a few minutes. The result was he ended up with my phone number, and I sent over a digital copy of the magazine. I’ve not heard back from him, but I’m hopeful his interest in the hobby has not been diminished.

Another interest came from my daughter when she visited me some weeks past. She is 31 years old and dating a guy her age. While she has never been much interested in dad’s obsession with all things flying, she explained how her boyfriend thought it was very cool that I flew them. My daughter now lives about two and one-half hours from me, in Seattle, WA. The boyfriend had apparently been inquiring about when they could come to visit so he might spend the day out flying models with me.

Obviously, these two potentials got me thinking: If there are two, there must be two thousand wanna-be pilots. What do you think? Is our hobby missing the mark with respect rcflyernews.tumblr.com

to bringing new RCers to the fold? I’m saying, certainly!

I’m also thinking we have a ton of fast learners waiting to discover the “real” 3D game of RC. I’m also thinking they must be welcomed at RC airfields, trade shows, and in our online forums. While I understand times are different from what many of us experienced in days long gone, I also recognize we need new pilots within our ranks. Sadly, I was chatting with a long-time RCer a number of weeks back when he voiced his opinion that “his club didn’t need new pilots because that would make the flight line more crowded.” I gotta say, I felt complete and total disgust for his opinion! When I told my 88-year-old mother what I’d heard she said, “Wil, He is an old fart. Ignore him!”

While I’ve become an old fart too, I genuinely enjoy seeing young men and women come to the hobby.

Honestly, I sometimes live vicariously thru them, imagining that one day I’ll be able to fly rolling circles 10 feet off the ground, just as I’ve seen the young “hot thumbs” do.

Let me end this Leading Edge column by asking: How many of you are old farts? How many of you welcome new pilots to your RC airfield. How many of you still embrace change and improvements in your airfield? How many of you give back to the hobby that has given you so much?

How many of you give recognition where recognition is deserved? Alternately, how many of you are merely takers?

I suggest it’s time to be 1,000,000% honest with yourself, your club members, and the global RC community. If you are an “old fart,” don’t let it make you old. Remain young forever by being inviting and malleable. Live vicariously too!

You’ll discover it will give you joy you might otherwise miss.

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KRANICH III

GLIDER

By Hans-Jürgen Fischer

Setting Records & Making History

T

he Kranich (means crane) glider series production was done in the aircraft division of Karl Schweyer AG Company in Mannheim, Germany. In its version two model, the two-seater was the

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most widely built glider in Germany from 1935 to 1939. Several hundred of the Kranich were built, however, the exact numbers is not known.

On 11 October 1940 Erich Klöckner flew a Kranich to achieve

the record setting height for a glider of 11,460 meter (37,598 feet).

Unfortunately, because it occurred in wartime, the altitude record was not recognized by the Allied occupying powers. Klöckner did,

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KRANICH III GLIDER

RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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SPECIFICATIONS Crew : Two Wingspan : 18 m (59 ft 01 in.)

Length : 7.7 m (25 ft 3 in.)

Aspect ratio 14.3 Airfoil : Göttingen 535

however, receive official recognition by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in the late 1990s.

This record height was exceeded some ten years later by the American Bill Ivans during a similar scientific program in the Sierra Nevada wave.

In 1942 the Swedish manufacturer

AB Flygplan in Norrköping built 30 Kranichs, which were subsequently delivered to the Swedish Air Force for use as trainer aircraft. These machines were given the military designation Flygplan Se 103.

Between 1950 and 1952 a slightly modified copy of the Kranich II were

Empty weight 185 kg (408 lb) (equipped) Max weight : 350 kg (772 lb) Wing area : 22.7 m2 (244 ft2) Wing loading : 19.4 kg/m2 (4.0 lb/ft2) Velocity never 175 km/h exceed (109 mph) Rough air speed : 128 km/h (79.5 mph) Aerotow speed : 100 km/h (62.1 mph) Winch lauch speed : 80 km/h (49.7 mph) Maximum glide : 23.6 at 70 km/h ratio (43.5 mph) Rate of sink 0.7 m/s (140 ft/min) at 60 km/h (37.3 mph)

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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built in Poland, known as the SZD-C Żuraw (żuraw is Kranich in Polish = “crane”). Fifty of this version were built and sold.

After the war, Jacobs designed the Kranich III, a new development

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very different from its predecessors.

It was developed and produced at the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory in Bremen. The first flight was on May 01, 1952. It was piloted by Hanna Reitsch. Thirty-seven of this

version were built and sold mostly in Germany.

A number of the Kranich III are still airworthy and being flown, which is a testament to this design.

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PLAN

30%-SCALE SUPER CHIPMUNK

BY WENDELL HOESTETLER Text By Wil

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Art Scholl Delighted Airshow Fans for 25 Plus Years

A

rthur Everett Scholl was based in Southern California. He was the quintessential American aerobatic pilot, aerial cameraman, flight instructor and educator—a pilot without compare!

I last saw Art Scholl at the 1983 Reno Air Races, where he performed an aerobatic show to the absolute

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delight of the huge crowd. He did a routine in the Piper Cub that was amazing. However, his signature airshow performance was done in a Super Chipmunk. It left me awestruck, as I’m sure it did many others in the crowd. Notably, his dog, Aileron, rode to and from Reno sitting on the Super Chipmunk’s

turtle deck behind Art. I also saw Aileron waiting patiently on the wingtip of the airplane as Art talked with the crowds. They both put on one hell of a show!

Sadly Art Scholl (December 24, 1931 – September 16, 1985) died during the filming of the Top Gun movie. His Pitts S-2 camera

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30% SUPER CHIPMUNK

airplane failed to recover from a flat spin and plunged into the Pacific Ocean. Scholl, 53, entered the spin intentionally as a way to capture the action of a spin on film.

Observers watched the aircraft spin past the planned recovery altitude.

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Scholl’s last words over the radio were “I have a problem—I have a real problem,” after which the Pitts impacted the ocean about five miles off the California coast, near Carlsbad. The cause of the crash was never determined by investigators.

Neither the aircraft or Scholl’s were recovered. It was appropriate to let him lay with his airplane.

De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk The aircraft is a tandem, two-seat,

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single-engined primary trainer aircraft. It was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Company, Canada. Itwas developed shortly after World War II. It sold well in the post-war years, employed mostly as a replacement for the

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De Havilland Tiger Moth biplane.

The Chipmunk was De Havilland Canada’s first postwar aviation project. It had its maiden flight on May 22, 1946, and was subsequently put in service that year.

During the late ‘40s and ‘50s, the

Chipmunk was procured in large numbers by military such as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Air Force (RAF), and several other nations’ air forces, where it was typically used as a trainer. It was produced under license by

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PLAN

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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30% SUPER CHIPMUNK

De Havilland in the United Kingdom, who produced the vast majority of Chipmunks, and also by the OGMA (Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico) in Portugal.

The Chipmunk was slowly phased out of service from the late 1950s onwards. However, it remained as a basic trainer within the Royal Air Force until 1996. Many of the

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military Chipmunks were then sold to civilians or to companies. Because of their excellent flying characteristics and aerobatic capabilities they found many uses. Consequently hundreds of Chipmunks remain airworthy around the world.

Many Chipmunks were modified to serve as aerobatic aircraft as the “Super Chipmunk” in the United

States. The modifications include an increased horsepower engine, clipped wings, installing retractable landing gear, a single-seat layout, an autopilot, and a red, white and blue paint scheme, plus a smoke system.

Additionally, the control stick gets a three-inch extension for better control authority during extreme aerobatic maneuvers.

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SPECIFICATIONS Crew : Pilot & passenger Length : 25 ft 5 in. (7.75 m)

For over 25 years the Super Chipmunk was flown by Art Scholl.

His Super Chipmunks included N13A and N13Y. N13Y is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, UdvarHazy Center at Washington-Dulles International Airport.

Wingspan : 34 ft 4 in. (10.47 m) Height : 7 ft in. (2.1 m) Wing area 172 ft² (16.0 m²) Empty weight : 1,517 lb (646 kg) Gross weight 2,014 lb (953 kg) Max. takeoff weight : 2,200 lb (998 kg) Wing loading : 11.709 lb/ft² (57.82 kg/m²) Engine : de Havilland Gipsy Major 1C, 145 hp (108 kW) Maximum speed 138 mph ASL (222 km/h) Cruise speed : 103 mph (90 kn) Range : 225 NM (445 km) Service ceiling : 15,800 ft (5200 m) Rate of climb : 900 ft/min (274 m/min)

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BUILD

C

i r ru s S R2 2T 1.5 M

PURE ELEGANCE IN A BIND-N-FLY SCALE AIRPLANE

BY JEFF TROY

1

Parked on the tarmac at the local airport, the new Cirrus SR22T looks like you should climb aboard.

RC Flyer News JULY/AUGUST 2018 128 RC FLYER 128 NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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E

-flite’s Cirrus SR22T attracts immediate attention, and it’s all good. The company never misses its mark, particularly when it comes to creating some of the world’s most attractive airplanes in its electric-powered, Bind-N-Fly format. The Cirrus SR22T comes to you in high style, with graceful, flowing lines, functional flaps and numerous scale details, and flight performance that shows it off from power-up to touchdown.

In The Box The SR22T is neatly packaged in a sturdy box with each of its primary components poly-bagged and nestled in divided compartments to prevent damage in shipping or handling. A 64-page, step-by-step instruction manual in four languages is included.

It walks you through every phase of the airplane’s simple assembly, RC programming, and flight.

2

The kit has five major airframe components, a dozen screws, and a few landing gear legs—less than an hour to assemble.

was in the mid-40s—a lousy day by summer standards, but for midJanuary, a godsend. I arrived at my club’sairfield with the Cirrus assembled, my DX9, three charged 3S 3200-mAh batteries, my Nikon, and my buddy Tom Kozel, who would take the flight shots while I was busy on the sticks.

Preparation for the maiden was

effortless. I turned on the DX9, lifted the model’s canopy, strapped down a flight battery, and replaced the canopy. A thorough recheck of all the rate switches, the flap switch and surface directions had the Cirrus flight ready in just a few moments, with me eyeing the environment.

Tom placed the model on the runway

It took me less than 30 minutes to get the Cirrus flight ready, and the manual made programming my DX9 transmitter go quickly. A Phillips screwdriver was the only tool needed to assemble the model. I did, however, use an adjustable wrench to tighten the propeller nut, and I called on a couple of common accessories to verify the model’s center of gravity and measure control surfaces deflections.

Flight Report Winter in Pennsylvania is often cold and ugly, but I lucked out with a half-decent day in early January.

It was overcast, but the wind was reasonably light at roughly eight milesperhour, and the temperature

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The main gear legs slide into plastic pockets inside the fuselage’s wing sockets.

Phillips-head machine screws retain them.

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BUILD

E-FLITE® CIRRUS SR22T 1.5M

The nose gear’s linkage comesconnected and adjusted—insert the assembly through the steering arm, and tighten the retaining screw.

4

facing into the wind, and then got the camera stills going as I powered the Cirrus down the tube. This model tracked straight from rollout to liftoff, and never deviated during the climb to altitude. Turns were gentle but authoritative, and no trim adjustments were needed. I brought the model around, leveled it, and held the heading for a few seconds as instructed to let the AS3X find the sweet spot.

From then on, it was all fun. The Cirrus flies beautifully. It’s totally smooth, and really looks sweet in low passes, where those scalelike lines really come to life. I performed the takeoff in low rate as the manual instructs, then switched everything to high rate after two or three circuits around the field. The Cirrus is so exceptionally smooth and solid that all of my subsequent flights with this model were made with the switches in their high-rate positions.

Basic maneuvers are crisp and 130

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accurate, and the Cirrus is capable of a lot more aerobatics than a pilot would think about trying in the fullscale airplane. Wingovers, stall turns, split “S” and Immelmann turns, inside loops, Figure 8s, and other simple stunts fit it easily. The bonuses are solid outside loops, and extended inverted flight without applying much down-stick to stay level.

This airplane is just so much fun to fly. I’m no 3D guy, and I don’t fly Pattern to any degree beyond what’s required for Class III Vintage events (where I usually place third in a three-entry event—or second if one of the other two pilots crashes or defaults), but the Cirrus is capable of performing any maneuver I can call up, and makes me look a lot sharper on the sticks than I deserve.

The flaps are effective, too. I use half-flap for takeoff and full down for landing, doing the crosswind leg at half-flap and switching to full during the downwind leg. The flaps stay at full down through base, final, and

landing, and I don’t bring them up again until the rollout is complete and I’m taxiing the model back toward the flight station. I should mention that the Cirrus’ flaps are Fowler type, and not a simple hinge-to-the-trailing edge affair. These things are really cool to see in operation.

The Cirrus will give you more than five minutes of enjoyable, three-quartersto-full-power flight on a 3200-mAh LiPo pack, although five minutes (four minutes with a 2200-mAh pack) is a good time to think about landing without having to overwork the battery or risk an off-field touchdown.

I should also point out that the Cirrus was designed to fly on a 3S battery, and there is absolutely no need to fly it with a four-or five-cell pack. This is a scale model that’s at its best when flown in a scalelike manner, and the recommended 3S battery will give you that—right hand up! E-flite dedicates significant design time to matching the battery pack to motor, speed controller and propeller. twitter.com/rcflyernews

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A joiner tube passes through the stabilizer recesses, and the two stab panels slide over them. Neat fillets are built into the fuselage.

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Push the stabilizer panels tightly into fuselage recesses, and secure them with a self-tapping screw at the center of each fillet base.

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BUILD

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E-FLITE® CIRRUS SR22T 1.5M

The upper cowl must be on the model before installing the propeller. The cowl is removed by sliding it forward.

Assembly

Summing Up The E-flite Cirrus SR22T is a terrific little airplane. It’s beautifully elegant, and flies with a grace and smoothness that equals its visual appeal. The high-aspect-ratio wing gives the model a nice extended glide, which can really be appreciated on a long final approach, and the three-blade propeller provides plenty of tractor in addition to its enhanced scale appearance.

The flaps are effective during takeoff and landing, and also fun to use in low-and-slow passes. Just remember to power up before bringing the flaps up. You don’t want to forget that your Cirrus is then probably flying below 132

RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

its normal stall speed, so get the airspeed up before raising the flaps.

If you’re looking for a rugged, scale airplane that flies with authoritative smoothness, and comes as closely as possible to popping out of its box and onto the runway, The Cirrus SR22T is exactly what you want. This is a complete package from kit box to airfield. I’m liking the way mine flies, and electric power doesn’t leave any mess in my car either.

Gotta love it!

Assembly starts by installing the two main gear legs, followed by the nose gear. The main gear slides into slots in the fuselage and are retained by a pair of Phillips head machine screws.

The nose gear requires just a bit more work…. The canopy is retained by magnets and lifts off easily. Then the upper half of the cowl must be removed to access the nose gear pushrod and steering arm. Remove it by sliding it forward. Slip the nose gear leg through the bottom of the fuselage and through the steering arm. Tighten the retaining screw and that’s it. All three legs carry sturdy tires and wheel pants, and there’s twitter.com/rcflyernews

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The Cirrus uses connector blocks permanently mounted in the wing roots and fuselage recesses for servo connections, which make wing mounting a snap.

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The wing panels slide over the large-diameter joiner rod and fit tightly into the fuselage recesses, where the electrical connectors mate.

The Cirrus flies well on power from a 3S 2200-mAh LiPo pack, although its flight time increases proportionally with a 3200 pack.

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E-FLITE® CIRRUS SR22T 1.5M

The Cirrus has loads ofdetailing, from the panel molding in its components to the tail-mounted, dual antenna on the vertical fin.

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A second antenna is in the belly-mounted access hatch, just behind the red navigation light and between the two plastic foot steps.

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E-FLITE® CIRRUS SR22T 1.5M

The full-scale Cirrus was not intended for aerobatics.The model would turn the full-scale airplane’s paint job green with envy.

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The flaps were fully extended as the model turned from its base leg onto the start of this lengthy final approach.

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Flaps down, throttled back and lights blazing, the Cirrus SR22T is about to touch down after its third flight on “maiden day.�

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BUILD

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E-FLITE® CIRRUS SR22T 1.5M

RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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SPECIFICATIONS Aircraft type : Fixed-wing Scale Civilian Functions : Motor, ailerons, elevator, rudder, nose gear, flaps Construction : EPO foam, factory finished and decorated Wingspan 60 in.

Length : 41 in.

Wing area 338 in.2 Weight : 3 lb 15 oz Transmitter : Spektrum DX9 Black Used Receiver : Spektrum AR636A w/ AS3X and SAFE Servos Spektrum A330 Micro 9 Gram (6) Motor : E-flite 10-size brushless outrunner Speed Controller : E-flite 40-ampbrushless Battery : E-flite 3S 3200-mAh 30C LiPo Flight times : 6 – 8 minutes as tested Pilot Skill Intermediate Price Bind-N-Fly Basic: $229.99 Plug-N-Play: $199.99

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E-FLITE® CIRRUS SR22T 1.5M

plenty of strut detail to enhance the model’s realism.

Install the horizontal stabilizer panels by sliding the smaller of the two included joiner tubes through the fuselage, roughly centering the joiner, and then sliding the right and left panels over it.

Self-tapping screws retain the panels, and the receiving bosses are impossible to miss. Connect the elevator pushrod’s clevis to the innermost hole in the control horn, and it’s done.

The wing panels are installed in much the same manner as the stabilizer panels. Insert the large joiner tube through the fuselage. Center the tube and slide the wing panels over it until they contact the fuselage sides.

Each panel is held fast by a pair of Phillips head machine screws.

The included collection of accessories adds a lot of charm to this airplane; so don’t omit installing them unless you fly your models from a gravel runway. The upper and lower dummy antennae insert into slots in the fuselage, and the dual tail antenna mounts over the leading edge of the vertical fin. Two plastic steps are provided so imaginary pilots can board the airplane more easily. Each step is held under the fuselage by a machine screw.

The propeller and spinner are next, but don’t install them before replacing the upper cowl. You can’t get the cowl back on with the propeller blades in the way. With the front end complete, put a 3S LiPo battery in the fuselage, and bind the model to your DSM2 or DSMX-compatible transmitter. I’ve used E-flite 2200-mAh and 3200mAh batteries in my Cirrus. Both have delivered top-shelf performance, although flight time obviously increases with the higher-capacity pack.

proper connection to the control horns and servo arms, and then adjust the clevises to center each control surface.

Follow the manual to set the correct surface travel for the elevators, ailerons, rudder, and flaps. Dial in the suggested dual-rate and exponential settings, and while you’re at it, assuming you have the 2200-mAh battery, set the flight for four minutes as the manual recommends. You can easily add another minute to the flight time with a 3200-mAh pack.

The Cirrus has operating flaps, and entering the suggested values for the three-way switch on the DX9 resulted in the ideal positions for up, mid-point, and down-flap performance. I also took advantage of the DX9’s three-way switches for the elevator, aileron, and rudder rates, setting the high and low positions as suggested, and using a middle value for the switches’ center position.

The receiver is equipped with E-flite’s AS3X stabilization system, which activates when the throttle is moved past 25% and backed down. In a simple, illustrated side panel, the manual explains what reactions to look for when checking the system prior to flight. Once airborne, it

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suggests that the model should be trimmed, and flown straight and level with the flaps up for at least three seconds without touching the sticks. This allows the AS3X system to “learn” the correct settings for the flight.

The Cirrus’ receiver is also equipped with the SAFE Select feature, which is set to either the on or off mode according to when you remove the bind plug during binding. I used the traditional binding sequence, removing the plug immediately after binding, which sets the SAFE system to off. Had I chosen the SAFE system, I would have removed the plug immediately after seeing the rapidly flashing light on the receiver, and then bound the transmitter to the receiver in the normal manner.

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The navigation lights add to the model’s flight realism. They become operational once the wings panels mate to the fuselage.

With the radio receiver bound to your transmitter, the radio system on, all the trims at neutral, and the sub-trims zeroed out, double-check all of the pushrods and clevises for

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RC FLYER NEWS • Sept/Oct 2018

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The clean, sweeping lines of the Cirrus are evident. E-flite did well making this airplane as a fine-flying BNF model.

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The Cirrus on a low-and-slow flyby over the Lancaster County RC Club’s Julius Goldfarb Memorial Airfield—it flies slower with its flaps down too.

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