SMALLnet post406

Bruce Stough < > replies to JW's question in Posting # 405 about whether Fly Quiet's silicone-fiberglass exhaust tubing stands up to usage with diesel fuel:

I received a sample of the exhaust tube when I ordered a couple of mufflers. While I have not used it in the air yet, I did attach it to a PAW .35 on the test stand. After about 40 minutes of running, it shows no sign of being attacked by diesel exhaust. Bruce Stough

I'd like to get one for my Norvel .061's, but would like to find someone who has actually used one!

One thing I would like to see them make: a better Norvel muffler. Something that mounts onto the Norvels directly at the exhaust port, as the Norvel mufflers have no real seal on them!

...BlitzK, I covered the "Norvel muffler" topic in one of my recent Engine Shop columns in Model Aviation. The pertinent paragraphs from that follow:

"Speaking of Norvel engines, the mufflers on the smaller sizes are retained with a wire spring clip. I rather like that feature, because in an "unplanned landing" the muffler can pop off rather than break off. But some flyers have complained that spring pressure doesn't provide a positive seal between the muffler and the engine.

"However, the only difference an imperfect muffler seal makes is in allowing a little exhaust oil seepage at the junction. The engine's sound output doesn't increase -- and "muffler pressure" doesn't DECREASE. This latter point seems to be what worries flyers. They're concerned that fuel delivery from a muffler- pressurized tank may suffer from a faulty engine-to-muffler seal.

"But this situation isn't like a slow leak in a tire, where pressure loss IS detrimental. Model engine muffler internal pressure is DYNAMIC, not static. And don't forget that every muffler comes with a sizable built-in leak: its exhaust exit. Therefore it's pointless to be much concerned about imperfect sealing where the muffler meets the engine case." [JW]

Ever since the World Combat Champs in Europe were won by a Westland Whirlwind with two .12 engines, it has seemed to me that there is a future for a class of model that does not often get mentioned on SMALLnet. That is, the reasonably accurate and detailed scale model of around 35 inch span, powered, for a WW 2 prototype, with a .12 or .15 motor.

Now it does not matter how detailed or beautiful your model is, but in a Scale contest, the judges are just not going to bother to look at a really small model. I found that out when I had a .75 cc diesel-powered Albatros D III in the Control Line scale event at the British Nationals in the '60's.

Nevertheless, with modern mini radio gear, practical small scale models can be made. They do not cost much (have you tried buying wood for a 10-foot-span model recently ?), can be made in a few weeks, and can give the builder great satisfaction.

I flew my Nakajima B6N1 Tenzan at a scale model meet in the States because there was nothing specific in the rules that said I could not. Since it was fast, once it was up, it just blended in with the other models and did not look out of place at all.

I have just finished a pair of the Aichi A6M1 Seiran (on floats) and Nanzan (with retracts). They are 1/14th scale, with a wingspan of 34 1/2 inches. The Nanzan uses the excellent Great Planes .10 (small) retracts and a standard retract servo (as no-one makes a small one). It flies very nicely, aerobats well, and does satisfying take-offs and landings on our tarmac strip.

The Seiran was the prettiest model I have built for a long time, and taxied well on the water. But I had great difficulty getting it to take off. I therefore added flaps, which came to six servos and five channels. That's perhaps over the top for a 35-inch model. It just did not want to fly, possibly because it was 200 grams heavier than the Nanzan.

Naval aircraft make good subjects for scale at this size as, possibly because of the stability requirements for the originals, they have adequate tail areas and moment arms.

I have used 3/32nd balsa sheet over a stringer-and-former crutch for fuselages, and blue foam for the wings. Both are covered with brown paper, put on wet with PVA glue. Detail is added using card for panels and PVA glue dotted on for rivets. They can be painted with spray can enamels with a coat of matt polyurethane to finish.

Why not get out a book of scale drawings and choose yourself a nice obscure prototype !

Finally, with regard to Eric Clutton's recent posting, I flew my Sharkface 5 with TD 049 and two HS 80 servos, last Sunday. I love it.

It was good to see Eric Clutton's contribution: his Sharkface was one of the more famous (notorious) single channel models. I vacillated about mentioning the over-elevation technique, but in fact it was employed by a couple of my clubmates, Reg (Ginger) Lewis and Roy Panteney -- who flew Hundleby Sparkies with some success, and used the technique of keeping the model banked on either wingtip to beat their way upwind. That would be in 1951.

Regarding FROGs, which were my favourite motors for many years, I bought some left-over World Engines spares one year at Toledo. I don't think I have many connecting rods, though. Dave

Charles Leonard MIGHT want to try Carlson Engine Imports for the Frog connecting rod he needs. Here's why: Carlson sells the Aurora diesels, which are re-issues of vintage Frog motors. Worth a shot... All the best, Curtis

I just wanted to let you know what I've been up to this month. First, I kit-bashed an old Ace Simple Series CAP 21 into a CAP 232; powered it with a Norvel 15, with rear-mounted rudder/elevator servos as per the 1/3 scale guys.

Had to make a cowl, as the 232 needs one to look right. This was done with a sanded styrofoam plug, laid-up 2 layers of epoxy/light cloth, then skim coated with thinned epoxy/ microballoons.

I melted out the foam; then primed and painted. It's a one-off thing -- but then, I only needed one!

The model flies nicely; even glides fairly well. Interesting phenomenon: I tried a vertical-line inside-to-outside snap, and the plane cartwheels wingtip to wingtip or tumbles, depending on angle of entry! It flat spins well; takes 2 turns to recover.

My boy was so impressed by all this that he's doing the same thing with the Extra 230, but making it into the Edge 540, That looks about the same, just needs the H-9 color scheme. He's been flying the Ace Simple Ultimate with Norvel .25 power. SCARY!

Been having troubles with getting new flyers soloed before they get discouraged. What I had come up with was a balsa 48" constant-chord high-dihedral 3-channel, that I sold with a guaranteed repair cost not to exceed a certain amount.

Then last month I noticed an ad for the JK Aerotech T-52 trainer. It looked just like what I was building, but was foam and tape. It is easy for a beginner to repair, and even comes with tape! Coroplast tail and nose doublers; fiber tape spars; good moments, well-engineered.

Anyway, I ordered a half dozen. Put one together with a Thunder Tiger 2.5 ounce tank in the fuselage; foamed it in place with aerosol foam sealant; then mounted a Norvel .074. (It would be nice to have the firewall cut to size; they provide an oversize piece). I stuck the servos in with silicone and taped her up.

The T-52 balanced with 2 full-size servos mounted as far forward as the supplied pushrods would allow. I made a couple of guides for the rods out of 1/4" dowel with a hole drilled in it and glued into the fuselage. HS-81 servo for the throttle. The rest of the model is per the kit instructions.

It flies absolutely GREAT with the 074, including good vertical (!) performance. The T-52 has responsive controls, and glides and rides thermals like a glider. And you can fix your mishaps with tape. What a product!!

That's about it; am thinking about a Sig Kobra with retracts and Norvel .25 for next month -- we'll see. If you need anything or just want to talk small planes, check me out at < http://www.creative-net.net/~armadilo/ >.

I was looking for a throttle sleeve for my TD .049. My obsession over the Littlest Stick has subsided, and I ended up building a Bandit. The Bandit is an indoor pylon racer designed for the TD .020 (I have one of those too; never run, just like the TD.049.)

If anyone knows where I can get a TD .049 throttle sleeve, I'd love to hear about it. I've also lost the sleeve for my TD .020.

I also received a Norvel .061 to put on the Bandit. The Bandit isn't going to be an aileron/elevator setup as it was designed. I'm building the elevator and ailerons as per plans, but the Bandit's growing a working rudder, and throttle. Therefore the Norvel. I made this choice because I assume that it'll run on "normal model fuel" instead of the expensive Cox stuff. And in hopes that it'll actually start when I ask it to. Nero

...Nero, Kustom Kraftsmanship used to carry those Cox parts. Since Joe Klause retired, the K-K product line is now available from: Competition Model Airplane Parts and Accessories, P.O. Box 462218, Escondido, California 92046 -- Phone (760) 746-3164 ; FAX (760) 745-4584. [JW]

I am having fun designing and building a .10-size plane, sort of like a GLH with its swept wings. I went to a club meeting, and told them of my idea of making a swept wing design with dual flaps and ailerons.

I was told that was a bad idea, as swept wings are prone to low- speed snap rolls with flaps. Is this true or false? Ken

I am in process of designing a Douglas SBD Dauntless for a Speed 400 electric setup. I think that the canopy from the current Guillow SBD Dauntless kit would be a perfect fit for this design.

I tried e-mailing Guillow about maybe buying a canopy from them and have never had a response.

Do any of the SMALLnet tribe have any suggestions or experience that might be of help here? Cheers, Gus Morfis

...Gus, it seems that quite a few model airplane suppliers don't answer their e-mail. I personally know some of those, and they have good reason for neglecting e-mail correspondence: It takes up too much of their time!

However, almost ALL the companies I've done business with WILL respond to phone inquiries. Snailmail too. Try the Guillow folks on the telephone -- that will probably be your easiest way of obtaining an SBD canopy. [JW]

Seeing the information on the G-1S CO2 motor made me think that my latest venture may be of interest to some of the SMALLsters.

It is well worth reading the FAQ, as it explains the business philosophy and pricing scheme. Basically you get what you want and pay based upon the width, density, stiffness, grain, and thickness. Reception from the indoor fliers that have purchased from me so far is beyond favorable. I am getting comments like "I am never going to buy wood from the other vendors again".

Guess I should also put in a pitch for Indoor News and Views. If you are interested in indoor freeflight, INAV is THE news- letter. 5 - 6 issues a year now, and only $12.00 in the USA. Details on my site: < http://www.IndoorDuration.com >.

...Tim's announcement reminds me that Joe Deppe died last year. Joe was the man who produced accurate-to-a-thousandth precision-cut basswood -- a favorite material among Flying Aces rubber-power flyers. They used it for making strong, lightweight laminated wingtips and other curved surface outlines.

Joe was the ONLY source of custom-cut model airplane basswood in the USA. And now he's gone forever. [JW]

My little HLG design is giving me close to one-minute flights in dead air with sloppy throwing technique. Best flight to date is 12 minutes in very light thermal activity over a parking lot. I can't wait until the summer thermals kick in! Mike

David Dodge sent me a pack of plans by Louis Garami -- lots of little rubber models that I had seen earlier, plus more that I hadn't -- and a copy of the original Strato Streak .099 gas model free flight plan (drawn by Paul Plecan) as published in Air Trails, December, 1941.

On that copy, it says the full-size plan can be obtained for a total price of TEN CENTS ! I think that a new car then cost about $5-600; so we have some idea -- but a dime! Wow -- doesn't that make the plan about the price of a couple of candy bars? And, wouldn't the postage for a folded plan take up a goodly portion of that dime?

AL A. A. Lidberg model plan service -- FF/RC kits and plans < http://www.aalmps.com >

...Al, you're a nostalgia-inducer! Louis Garami had a philosophy that's influenced my model-building methodology quite a lot. Louis discovered that you can ALWAYS make room on your building board for a new project, just by pushing stuff firmly towards the back.

The Strato-Streak by now has become THE standard airplane for SAM's Class A free flight competition events. Used to be that at SAM meets you'd see a wide variety of neat little Class A models: Zipper A's, Baby Playboys, Buccaneer 36's, 36" Buzzard Bombshells, American Ace 36's, Garami Molecules, Megow Cardinals & Zombies, and many "magazine designs".

Not any more.

BTW, I've yet to see an R/C conversion of the little Buccaneer. It would make a neat SMALL flyer; to me it's the prettiest of all the several Buccaneer sizes and versions.

Now for the ten-cent model plans. I still have one of those prewar Air Trails full-size plans, mailed to me 60+ years ago. It carries a 2-cent stamp, and was sent by "Third Class Mail".

Remember that those were the days of ten-cent model KITS! At that time hobby wholesalers sold model kits to dealers at a "40% discount" -- and they received a "50 and 10" discount from the manufacturers. In "real money terms", that meant that a model kit retailing for one dollar got sold by its maker for 45 cents, and bought by the dealer for 60 cents.

Thus a ten-cent model kit brought in only 4 1/2 pennies to its manufacturer! Yet it contained full-size plans, wood, tissue, a pair of turned hardwood wheels, a twist-sawed propeller blank, a formed wire prop shaft, a hardwood nose button -- and sometimes even a rubber band!

You probably wouldn't be able to guess what the most expensive single item in a typical prewar ten-cent model kit was.

The box.

And yet the biggest and most prosperous model kit maker in the world built its business mainly on 10-cent and 25-cent kits. That was Comet. Megow wasn't far behind -- and THEY specialized in dime and quarter model kits. American Junior -- Jim Walker's outfit -- made its living through the ten-cent "74" balsa gliders and similar inexpensive "flying toys".

When Old-Timers reminisce about the Good Old Days and the great gas model kits of yore, they'll mention the A-J Fireball control-liner (which came with everything you needed except the engine, spark ignition stuff, and paint -- it DID contain a plywood control handle and a set of solid-wire lines); also the gas model free flight Comet Zipper & Sailplane.

But those model kits cost more to make than their makers sold them for! They were "prestige items" -- products that enhanced their manufacturers' reputations -- but a dead loss on the books.

Returning to the inexpensive model kits: most of us who grew up with Comet and Megow 10-centers can remember the low-quality wood in those. There was a good reason for that.

Up until 1950, all the balsa wood available to model kit makers at reasonable cost came in random-width rough-sawn billets; shaggy on all sides and ends. When you ordered a thousand board feet of bulk balsa from Balsa Ecuador (e.g.), you had no choice as to what you'd receive from them -- except that it was guaranteed to be balsa wood, and not, say, coco bolo...

The wood arrived strapped into bundles about 2 feet square by some random length between 38 inches and 74 inches. To use this wood for model kits, we first had to joint one surface of each billet (think of railroad-tie sizes -- and REAL railroad ties, not the miniaturized versions that home gardeners use to set off their flower plots) -- until we got a flaw-free flat surface.

Then the "jointed" billets would be power-planed to either 3" or 2" thickness. After THAT, back to the jointer again to make a square, smooth, straight surface on one edge of the 2" or 3" billet. THEN the ends were trimmed to length, with a radial cutoff saw.

Now, and ONLY now, would it be possible to see what the wood was like -- for grain, splits & shakes, mineral stains -- and, once in a while, imbedded bullets.

With all that preliminary labor put into the "raw" balsa before any sawing to size could be done, few prewar model companies could afford to discard questionable-quality wood. It HAD to be used -- and NOT in the company's "prestige products"...

Some Old-Timers may protest that the wood in Jasco kits was always good. Yes, indeed it was! But that's because Jasco -- Frank & John Zaic's enterprise -- was never a money-maker. It provided bare subsistence to the Zaics. And the "hired help" at Jasco were teenagers; some of them unpaid volunteers who simply loved model airplanes, and were happy to make sacrifices for the privilege of getting to work with the Zaics. Among those were Paul Plecan and Bernie Schoenbrun.

Frank Zaic is still alive, and still sells his world-famous paperback "Yearbooks". The reprinted 1934 book contains considerable information on Jasco's early days and finances:

"...I found a set of basement rooms which were no longer legal for habitation, on 7th Street [in New York City]. Rent: $8.00 per month. Sales for 1935: $1,612.00. Expenses: $1,349.00..."

The 1934 "Book" also includes reprints of several prewar Jasco catalogues. Those list model-building supplies, kits, "gas engines", wheels, propellers, and more.

Also, on page 117 is a reduced-size plan for Dick Schumacher's 5-foot "Pixy" gas model -- the wings and tail of which Schuey used in his early experiments with small-sized radio control. (One of these days I've gotta build and fly a Pixy, in memory of my old friend & R/C mentor.) [JW]

SMALLnet Posting post406