Eric Clutton <  > wrote:

I see someone is looking for plans of my Quadraplane. Sorry I can't help; but I can help with the spelling -- it is KWOD ! So there ! ERIC.

Pete Redhead <  > reports:

As they explain in their terms, it is a part-time operation run by enthusiasts, so it can take some time to locate and print the drawing. But that's a small price to pay for the dedication put in by these guys to save the archive for the benefit of real modellers!

Regards, Pete Redhead

George Hostler <  > sent:

Recently I relocated to the Island of Okinawa from Clovis, New Mexico because of work. My previous E-mail address is no longer valid. This Yahoo one is. (I go by High Plains Thumper because Clovis is in the High Plains of New Mexico and "Thumper" is a single-cylinder motorcycle: my ride is a 1987 Suzuki 650 Savage.)

I have found a modeling club that uses one of the heliports as a flying site out here. I might make their next club meeting.

More "news": For a limited time, Hobby-Lobby is discounting their Miss Stik 50" span R/C stick-and-tissue model for $24. See < http://www.hobby-lobby.com/miss-stik.htm > -- and their Miss Stik Junior 36" span model for $17. See < http://www.hobby-lobby.com/miss-stikjr.htm >.

These resemble a Scientific Coronet except they have a diamond fuselage cross section. Should build into a real pretty model, I have already placed an order for the larger Miss Stik. I'm thinking about covering it with Litespan, which should give it an appearance of tissue instead of clear film coverings.

I brought my 34" span DMECO Livewire Kitten kit with me, am thinking about building it as an electric using a 1,000 RPM/Volt Outrunner brushless motor like Great Planes, 12 or 15 amp ESC and 8.4 Volt 1600 NiMH battery pack, as a 3-channel. (LiPo batteries are out, as they are not airmailable.) This will be my first electric. Does this sound like a reasonable combination for the Kitten?

Sincerely, George Hostler

Peter Clarke <  > inquires:

Can anyone tell me the cubic capacity of a Brown A23 ? I had always assumed that it was 23 cubic mm, despite the fact that the U.S. tends to measure in cubic inches.

Recently I tried to fly my new BMJR Models Mini Rambler with a Gasparin G24, which I know to have a capacity of 24 cubic mm, and it was obvious that the model was underpowered.

This new Mini Rambler was built to replace my previous one that was A23-powered and flew beautifully, until it flew away at Middle Wallop U.K. !

I decided to power the new one with a G24, because I thought it would be easier to replace the motor if I had another flyaway -- as G24s were still in production and A23s are almost irreplaceable except at a ginormous cost. But now I understand that G24s are out of production as well. I did an engine change with my original plane and forgot to take a note of the serial number of the motor, so won`t be aware if it ever comes on the market again.

Sadly, such things happen -- and yes, I did have my name and address on the model. Incidentally, does anybody know of the whereabouts of A23s nos 1 to 26 ? I ask this because I have nos. 27 to 29, and wonder if the others are still safely in someone's ownership, or stuck up into some tree.

Regards, Peter Clarke

Joe Ross <  > asked in a personal e-mail about this year's annual SMALL meet at Little Rock. I told Joe that as yet I'd heard nothing definite. Joe checked further:

I did a Google and found the North Little Rock "Sky Tigers" website: < http://www.nlrskytigers.org/index.htm >. Under the SMALL banner, this is what they had to say on the web.

"The 15th annual SMALL event was held June 3rd, 4th and 5th. The event in Little Rock is the largest SMALL event held. This year [2005], 89 registered pilots attended. Lots of outdoor flying and a large indoor session was held on Friday the 3rd.

"For 2006, the event will be hosted by another club in the Little Rock area. Watch the leading publications for details."

Here is what their website says about their new field location:

"Where we fly: An easy drive from Conway or Little Rock, the NLR Sky Tigers R/C club field is near Mayflower, AR. Located on the grounds of the Highway 89 Raceway. See the "Map to Field" for details."

My concern is for the last sentence in the paragraph about the SMALL meet. I wonder who is picking up the ball ? Joe Ross

Bill Baker <  > reports:

The John Pond catalog (and price) numbers have changed to AMA numbers. To help distinguish between the three, I will list the 1949 60" version as llB1; the 3/49 AT version as 34E7; and the 64" AT Annual version is 88G2.

Also, I channel-surfed into a showing of Porco Rosso on I think one of the Encore cable channels, and it was very entertaining, especially due to the fairly accurate vintage planes shown (as opposed to the usual cartooney Disney planes) .

Hollis Fenn tried to contact B&W 1/2A Models through the e-mail address I provided in the previous Posting. He failed, because of my typo. The correct address is: <  >.

I almost forgot to mention that we are flying our Speed 400-powered RC Tomboys, balanced at about 45-50% of chord due to the lifting stabilizer. If people are flying them with the CG at 30%, that is way too nose-heavy, and will be loopy for free flight.

Our Tomboys thermal nicely with little help from us, so free flight versions need DT (if not English weather).

Bill Baker

Jim Moseley <  > suggests:

Further to Dave Larkin's piece on the Tomboy: The fuselage is built from 3/16" square with distinct curves in the side view; when the sides are taken from the board a small degree of 'springback' might occur, which eventually requires incidence adjustments before flight -- usually addition of packing under the TE of the stabilizer.

Laminating the longerons from 3/32" x 3/16" obviates this small problem entirely.

I have an original APS plan and also an accurate rendition by an Aussie, Paul Straney -- can take copies off either if required.

Jim

Bill Stodgell <  > asks:

Does anyone know where I might find a set of plans for the old Civy Boy 31 free flight ? Think it might make a great R/C electric...

Bill Stodgell

Bob Davis <  > submitted:

Bob Davis Davis Diesel

Roger Freiheit <  > wrote:

Jimmy Christian asked for help in locating a kit or plans for the "Littlest Stick" that was designed by the late Fred Reese. FULL SIZE plans for the "Littlest Stick" were published in the November, 1975 issue of Radio Control Modeler (RCM) magazine.

Soon after the FULL SIZE plans for the "Littlest Stick" appeared in RCM, ACE R/C offered the "Littlest stick" as a kit. However, the Ace plans are NOT ALL FULL SIZE, and lacks a COMPLETE drawing for the stabilizer. Nevertheless, I can supply Jimmy with free FULL SIZE plans for the "Littlest Stick".

Radio Control Modeler was published for over forty years, but unfortunately is now a defunct magazine! RCM claimed that a considerable amount of its income was from selling model airplane plans to scratch builders. With today's "ARF" and "RTF" revolution, it is now hard to sell even high quality laser-cut model airplane kits. This dramatic change in the model airplane hobby certainly added to the demise of RCM. That is a loss to the R/C hobby and something for us older modelers, who still enjoy building from scratch or kits, to be concerned about.

I have built and flown two "Littlest Stick" kits. I have one remaining kit for the "Littlest Stick", but planned to build it myself. I am going to power it with one of my MICRO-FLITE COX TD .010 R/C engines. With my .010 R/C engine, the "Littlest Stick" will sit dead still on the runway on low idle, or taxi with a higher power setting. I also will be able to do touch and go landings, slow flybys, cruising flight, etc., just like the boys with their much bigger R/C models.

Today's MICRO R/C equipment, weighing only grams, will usher in a golden age for very small R/C models!

JW, When Dick Schumacher worked on, as I remember, a missile project with Babcock, he described to them what he believed to be an ideal R/C system for modelers. So Babcock, which was the largest manufacturer of R/C system for military drones, then decided to design an R/C system for R/C modelers. Babcock's R/C system was first advertised in the model magazines in 1953. The model magazines reported that the Babcock R/C system PROVED to be "amazingly trouble-free" !

I still own two of the Babcock R/C systems (BCT-2 transmitters and BCR-3 receivers). With a Babcock R/C system there was no such thing as an "occasional rare success surrounded by hours of failures". Well, now WE have added more fuel to the fire on the controversy pertaining to early R/C reliability.

Roger, owner
Laura, assistant manager
MICRO-FLITE
3124 South 12th Street
Tacoma, Washington 98405 USA
253-272-5775
< www.micro-flite.com >

Dave Fritzke <  > sent:

It is not exactly like the RCM/Ace version, but the modifications made by Gene Rock and me are impermeable.

Dave Fritzke

Al Lidberg <  > answers Domenico Bruschi's request for plans of Sal Taibi's Spacer 1200 free flight model:

Here's the big Spacer [ WAY too big for SMALLnet! ] :

AL

Tom Pearson <  > wrote:

Good to have SMALLnet back again.

Back in about 1953-54, I gave R/C a try with a 465 MHz Citizenship system, in a Debolt Live Wire Trainer using an Allbon .09 diesel, later replaced with an Arden .09. I was 17 at the time. Battery life was a real problem, as the receiver and transmitter really sucked down the A and B batteries. As the voltage dropped, the receiver went out of tune, so you were constantly adjusting the tuning slugs. More time adjusting the tune than flying.

The radio box in the fuselage had the receiver suspended by rubber bands, supposedly isolating it from vibration which really screwed up the relay function. The radio box really offered little or no protection for the radio, as any impact would stretch the rubber bands far enough for the radio to hit something inside the fuselage.

The box did make it easy to remove/insert the radio into the fuselage though, which was a frequent occurrence. I finally gave up as the cost of batteries was killing me and the successful flights were very few.

ACE FOAM WINGS -- Can anyone tell me where I can get the foam wings, both the tapered and untapered variety? Hopefully someone is still making these after ACE's untimely demise.

COX PARTS -- I need a good source for getting some Cox parts. Scavenging old engines for parts at Swap Meets leaves a lot to be desired. My Texaco crankcase has a severe case of wear in the crankshaft bearing area. Also need the plastic front end for a TD .049; mine split (probably from old age) where the venturi screws in. Just split while sitting in a Ziploc bag in a drawer.

I have had good experience and huge cost savings by using the Nelson glow plug with Galbreth adapter in my Coxes and my VA engines. I just hate to search out the Cox heads and then have to pay over $10 for one.

I am building an .049-powered Skeeter glider for my grandson to learn to fly on, and would like to use one of my Cox engines. But if necessary I would buy one of the Norvels with the attached plastic fuel tank.

Anyone have experience with this Norvel?

I am looking for whoever is making a modern replica kit of the Veco Dakota, with the thoughts of putting a 2 channel (three with throttle) in it and flying it with a more modern .049 (hopefully with a throttle).

Also, I am looking for a old Comet kit, the Rookie Trainer. The kit dates back to about 1947, and was still around in Comet ads in 1958. It is a U/C trainer for .23-.29 engines. I learned to fly with one in 1947 with an ignition Forster .29. It is an all wood, plane with a shaped solid balsa 36" wing. Over the years I had several of them, as they were quick and easy to build and very strong. I had engines as big as ignition Atwood Super Champions (all the better to haul two "D" cells around) and a black case Series 18 McCoy 60 that really hauled the plane around at speeds around 90-100 MPH. The beauty of the Rookie Trainer is it will take off from a grassy area. I've been trying to teach my grandson to fly with a Norvel .061 trainer but finding an asphalt surface to fly from -- and flying there -- appears to be impossible. Despite the muffler on the Norvel, we generally can get in only one flight before the police arrive and shag us away. There's always someone complaining about the noise/danger and calling the police.

With a bigger plane like the Rookie Trainer, we can fly on the grassy edge of the local R/C field and not get hassled.

When I was a kid (beginning in the late WWII time frame as the vets were being demobilized) the local modelers, lots of them -- mostly vets -- used to fly U/C on the school field across from our apartment house. Despite the field being surrounded on three sides by houses and apartments, they flew .29-60 size planes powered by Super Cyclones, Forsters, Bunch's, O&R, Atwoods, etc.

One fellow had modified his Forster .99-powered Berkley Super Buccaneer to U/C and flew it there. Now that was a noisy beast! No one ever called the cops, they came out and watched! This was how I got hooked on U/C models!

Thanks, Tom Pearson