Written by Neil Miles
For members
As seen in the July 2004 issue of Model Aviation.

What are some goals your club would like to accomplish with its main event this year? Perhaps raising operating funds, attracting new members, raising your club’s profile in the community, improving the club’s reputation among other clubs in your area, or generally making your event the social RC hit of the year in your region.

Your group can accomplish many or all of these goals with its major event of the year; all it takes is a strong team, hard work from most of your club’s members, and solid organization. Did I mention hard work?

The Rocky Mountain Big Bird Festival—sponsored by the Love-Air R/C club in northern Colorado, of which I am a member—is a Giant Scale fly-in that celebrated its 10th anniversary in August 2003. With a history of demonstration pilots including Chip Hyde, Quique Somenzini, Sean McMurtry, Bill Hempel, Garrett Morrison, and Doug Gearman; more than 100 pilot participants; and an excess of 2,500 spectators, this gathering has grown to be one of the premier RC events in the region.

Garrett Morrison was the featured pilot at the 2003 Rocky Mountain Big Bird Festival. The crowd loved his performance!

The fly-in brings thousands of dollars per year into the Love-Air R/C’s operating fund, attracts 10-20 new members each year, exposes thousands of spectators to the best of RC flying, and is now a must-attend event for an ever-increasing number of RC fliers from roughly 10 Western states.

In this article I will outline some of the keys to this event’s success to help your club accomplish its goals with an event. Many decisions made will depend on your club’s objectives for its key event. Decide what the group wants to accomplish, and include/exclude items from the plan to help get you along that path.

Some of the following points may not apply to your event; however, they may allow your club to be more creative in planning its next activity. And later we might read about your events in MA!

Our club and leadership team has learned a great deal in the past decade about how to successfully manage an event that has grown from a small club activity to a regional place to be. Love-Air R/C is not a superclub; it is typical, with approximately 170 members.

However, we are blessed to have a great flying facility, and we have a committed core of capable leaders managing the Big Bird Festival. Key decisions were made in developing the gathering. They were to:

• Pick a unique event focus and type.
• Choose a consistent time of year that does not conflict with other regional activities.
• Include the public as spectators and plan for their enjoyment and parking.
• Raise club funds through the public raffle of a custom-built RTF aircraft.
• Market the event in MA and in local newspapers, and produce a color brochure.
• Bring in some of the top names in RC Aerobatics as demonstration/air-show pilots.

As you plan your club’s event, look around to see what would be interesting, fun, and could attract pilots from an event type and time-frame standpoint. Consider your flying facility and what type of events would work best (e.g., jets and close-in trees may not be the optimal fit). Then the serious planning can begin.

Planning

Planning is the key to making any major event work well. We start team meetings in January or February to decide on the show pilots and get a start on the marketing for the August event.

We try to request our event sanction early from AMA to ensure that our ads will run and that we get on the calendar. We submit event announcements to AMA’s Competition Department for MA’s “Contest Calendar” in March, and we submit our 1⁄4-page ad to MA in March or April, depending on the ad deadlines. Deadlines for advertising depend on the time of year of your event. Contact your target publication and work your ads back from their submission deadlines.

A critical factor is appointing committee leads for each important facet of the team structure. The event director and contest director lead the team, and they take care of many duties by themselves.

Additional committee directors cover field preparation, running our public raffle, public relations/marketing, sponsors/prize donations, air-show-pilot coordination, the air-boss team, concessions/vendor relations, public-address (PA)/music-system direction, the transmitter impound, and, most important, the parking team.

We hold monthly meetings before our regular club meetings to keep the team aligned, moving forward, and handling any issues that arise. We also regularly discuss the festival in our club meetings to keep the membership informed, answer questions, recruit additional volunteers, and collect any new ideas the members have.

Your event’s theme and type should reflect your club’s interests to encourage as many critical volunteers as possible. Inevitably, at every well-managed RC event, a sizable portion of the club’s members are involved in running it. We have found that nothing works better than a heartfelt personal invitation to get a volunteer signed up. Our committee leads reach out to help club members volunteer for their teams.

Safety Considerations

Safety should be the number-one consideration when running any event. Pilot and spectator safety are combined in our hobby because of the observers’ proximity to the aircraft.

A competent event staff must perform careful pilot/airplane inspections before any aircraft leaves the ground—especially for large Scale or Aerobatics models. Thorough inspections include checking such items as hinges, linkages, and propeller condition.

Proper safety fencing, spectator/crowd control, and strictly monitoring the participants’ flying ensure spectator safety. We use a team of air bosses with radio systems, fluorescent vests, and coordination with the announcers to keep the flightline safe and enjoyable for all. The air bosses watch for erratic flying or violations of the specified no-fly zones; if they see an infraction, they ask the offending pilot to land immediately.

Air bosses with radio headsets control runway access and flight operations at an event. You can see the flight-station safety fencing in the background.

Our field has three taxi entrances to the runway. The air bosses control the flow of on-deck pilots at two of the entrances and the safe landing, shutdown, and collection of models at the third.

The air bosses call changes in the wind direction and tell the pilots when they must flip the flying and landing pattern. They are also responsible for informing all pilots if a landing or dead-stick approach is underway or called. A polite, firm voice and some experience are air-boss requirements, so older club members are typically more successful than our junior members.

To keep each participant better aware of the situation surrounding his or her aircraft, we require all pilots to have callers with them at the designated pilot stations. Some initially resist this rule since we hold more of a fun-fly event, but with as many as six models in the air, with their different types and speeds, fliers soon realize that flying with a buddy is much safer.

Besides, only the caller can really watch the other airplanes, pay attention to the air bosses, relay the good-natured ribbing that takes place, correct the announcer on the aircraft’s description, and retrieve the model at the end of its flight.

A well-functioning transmitter impound is mandatory for a well-managed event. Our impound team is a good-natured bunch, and we supply a weatherproof trailer with temporary shelving inside to make the impound process enjoyable and safe for all pilots.

We use a frequency analyzer to check for transmitters left on and for radio problems. If turbine-powered jets are present, additional fire extinguishers must be present and a fire crew must be standing ready.

This turbine-powered Eurofighter wowed the crowd with its sound and speed. Safety is paramount with this type of model.

Remember to consider spectator/pilot physical separation for safety’s sake, and check in with local fire and rescue services to ensure that they know the best routes to your event and what they can expect from a crowd and access standpoint. GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates often help emergency crews understand exactly where you are in relation to your road access points.

We maintain crowd control by having all club staff, pilots, and pit crews wear badges while in the flying/pit areas. If someone crosses the spectator fence line and is not wearing a badge, we ask that person to step back to the spectator area for his or her own safety.

Generating Club Funds

The main source of revenue from our event is a public raffle for an RTF Giant Scale model. It is one of a series of modified Sig Kadets that one of our members originally created. It is constructed by one of our members who custom-builds models for others.

A public raffle prize such as this 82-inch-span “Quinn” Kadet RTF can increase crowd participation and interest.

The Kadet spans 82 inches and comes with the radio fully installed. It is immaculately covered and truly ready to fly (except for charging the batteries and adding fuel). This airplane has an excellent reputation with the region’s pilots and looks great. Since we fly identical models on spectator buddy-box machines during our event, visitors can see that it flies extremely well. The quality of our raffle airplane helps us sell a good quantity of raffle tickets each year.

Although most club members can sell raffle tickets, certain unique individuals truly excel at it. Our resident supersalesman knows nearly every business owner in our area and could sell iceboxes to Eskimos. Engaging your supersalesmen/women and finding the right prize(s) will enable your raffle to generate enough funds to cover costs and help build excitement.

Although the entire club sells raffle tickets for months before the event, we sell many tickets during the festival, and we hold the drawing at the close of the event. Every year crowd members stay in the stands hoping they will win the model.

The raffle-prize aircraft is shown to the crowd throughout the day to generate incremental ticket sales.

Remember to follow all state rules for holding a public raffle. Register it with the correct authorities, and handle the ticket numbers and stubs according to their regulations. We have a team who does the necessary research and runs our raffle beautifully each year.

Another way we help to cover event costs is to ask for a $2 donation per vehicle for parking. We rent an additional field from a local farmer, where we park more than 800 spectator cars each day. Parking money is kept as a donation to eliminate liabilities and income issues. It usually covers the cost of bringing the air-show pilots in and renting the extra field.

You will probably have 15 people packed in a Suburban who refuse to pay. Our parking-team members have learned to reach into their own pockets and say, “I’ll just pay it for you.” This gets most holdouts to contribute, but not all. However, some spectators give us $10 or $20 and tell us they really appreciate the event; they love to come out every year and are quite willing to help with event costs.

We sell souvenir Rocky Mountain Big Bird Festival T-shirts each year, but mostly to the pilots and crew. They usually sell out at a marginal profit. We also sell club-logo ball caps, and spectators often purchase them. These are not big money-makers for our club, but they have become traditions that help pilots remember their time with us when they go back to their home clubs and flying fields.

Field Preparation/Parking

To get ready for the event, we hold a field-cleanup-and-safety-fence-extension party. We have the 1⁄3-mile access road to our facility graded and prepped to handle the crowds and minimize the dust. (Colorado dryness/washboard is our problem; other regions face different issues.)

We spruce up the paint on our shade shelter and our signs, and then we bring in the spectator stands we rent from a local school district. Luckily we have a generous house-moving-company sponsor that helps transport the stands to and from our field each year.

We extend our spectator separation fence using a rope divider across the entire width of the flying-field property (which fills up with pilots’ trailers and RVs anyway), and then we rope off an 8-foot spectator walkway the entire width of the property. This allows the audience to walk safely behind the flightline/pit area to look at the models and talk to the pilots. Since the stands fill up well before the noon air show, the footpath acts as an overflow to ensure that all who attend have a good view of the show.

Determining the best location for food vendors’ stands/tents early in the planning process helps maintain satisfactory spectator traffic flow and keeps almost everyone happy. We put the concessions well behind the pit area, near the parking area.

A local pilot’s Hawker Sea Fury really spiced up the noon air show, and it included realistic warbird sounds.

If you have hobby vendors at your event, plan for their location in advance as well, so that they are near the pilots but not blocking the spectators. We have also learned to control the location of pilots’ tents/shade structures, to keep the audience’s sight lines as clear as possible in the vicinity of the stands.

A good parking crew is critical to keeping things flowing well. This is one of the most important but undervalued jobs at the event. The parking team is the first club contact the spectators have at the event, and first impressions are extremely important. It can be a hot, dry, and dusty shift for the club volunteers.

The parking team members hand all spectator cars our full-color event brochure, ask for the donation, and tell them about the raffle. The parking officials direct visitors where to park; they keep spectator vehicles in a separate area and allow only pilot vehicles close to the pits. There are many cars to handle, and it is helpful to rope off parking lanes to keep chaos out of the parking area.

One of the most important items in field preparation is bringing in and positioning mobile restroom facilities; close to 2,000 spectators and 200-300 pilots, crew, and staff down a good quantity of coffee, soda, water, hot dogs, and burgers each day. We learned that with our crowds, we must contract for our portable restrooms to be serviced on Friday and Saturday.

Our wives designate some for women’s use only and decorate them with flowers and such. They stay much cleaner than the boys’ facilities. Consider prevailing wind direction and campers’ locations when positioning the temporary restroom facilities.

Another important factor when the public is involved is garbage containers and collection. We have learned to provide several trash containers for the event and bring in an industrial-sized trash dumpster to help us keep on top of the situation; the 3,000 spectators create a remarkable amount of trash in just two days.

Providing for cigarette-butt disposal is a fire-prevention must. They rarely end up in the designated containers, but it is important that they not go into the regular trash. We clean up the cigarettes and garbage Friday night and Saturday night, and we do a final cleanup Sunday after the event.

Registration

We post a pilot sign-up form on our club Web site and include one in the event brochure to facilitate advance registration. Model inspections and check-in start Friday afternoon, to help get ahead of the Saturday morning rush.

We encourage advanced registration with a reduced event/landing fee for those who sign up early. There are typically 100-110 pilots, and having at least one-third of them preregistered has made the process more streamlined on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

We provide the fliers with name badges and pit-crew badges. Cheerful volunteers for registration and keeping the check-in table close to the transmitter impound keeps things running smoothly.

Event Program/Agenda

Balancing the pilots’ desires for an enjoyable event and the public’s desires for a great air show has been a key facet of the Rocky Mountain Big Bird Festival’s maturation. This balance is shown in the program choices we make for the event.

We decided to include a world-class flier as our featured air-show demonstration pilot each year. We pay a reasonable fee to bring these special pilots in and pay their travel expenses (gas or flight costs and hotel/meal expenses).

Garrett Morrison’s 3-D model in the rolling-harrier portion of his crowd-pleasing Freestyle routine.

We recoup this money by having additional spectators and pilots attend and selling incremental raffle tickets to the public at the event. Including the words “World Champ” and “National Champ” in the marketing materials seems to work well in attracting crowds and pilots.

Use any relationships that any of your members have with top-shelf pilots to make the invitation process smoother. If you don’t have connections, attending events at which good, potential air-show pilots perform is a great way to introduce yourself and see how different pilots would fit into your event.

We have learned a great deal through the years about the event’s structure and flow of flying and activities, such as to set specific times for 3-D flying, warbirds, and a mix of normal/sport flying and crowd buddy-box flight instruction.

Providing designated warbird flight times brings out the showmanship from the Scale pilots. Most spectators will respond to this type of aircraft.

We found that those who spend many hours on their warbirds like to fly together and are displeased when other pilots pull 3-D Harriers directly in front of their models. So the warbird times become their own mini air shows and allow the announcers to speak about the pilots, their models, and the full-scale aircraft and their histories to keep the spectators engaged.

In a like manner, the set 3-D flying times attract IMAC (International Miniature Aerobatic Club) and Freestyle enthusiasts who kick in the smoke systems, try formation aerobatics, and Torque Roll their models for the crowds.

Separate 3-D flying times showcase IMAC and hotdog pilots’ flying skills in a more controlled environment.

Our featured air-show pilot is usually asked to evaluate other pilots’ aircraft, and the 3-D segment is a good time for these test flights and for the air-show pilot to check out his model before the noon demonstration.

Even with a set time for 3-D flying, we mandate that Harriers and hovering maneuvers be executed out from the runway in the middle of the rectangular traffic pattern, keeping the runway mostly clear in case someone needs to land quickly for any reason.

During regular flying times, we prohibit 3-D maneuvers, and the regular sport fliers come to the flightline. We encourage normal aerobatics, and the Cubs, World War I aircraft, and sport models mix it up to the crowd’s delight.

Sport-flying times at the festival included more traditional aerobatics. Biplanes are a spectator favorite.

We try to keep the six pilot stations filled at all times, but there is a natural ebb and flow of pilot volume during the day. At slower times we encourage volunteers from the crowd to fly a Giant Scale model via a buddy box and instructor. The audience loves to see other crowd members fly a model then be interviewed by the announcers.

During these instruction times each day, we hold free public raffles for 40-size trainer kits/ARFs. We ask the crowd members to raise their hands if they would truly be interested in getting into the hobby, and then only those people receive tickets. Local hobby shops that help sponsor the event donate the kits.

We distribute the raffle tickets and call the winner out of the stands. The proud new kit owner has his or her picture taken with the hobby-store representative, takes a turn with the buddy box/instructor, and then is interviewed for the crowd. It is fun for the audience, and there is no lack of volunteers to take a turn flying a model.

We sell a good deal of raffle tickets for the Kadet during these times since the crowd can see firsthand that nearly anyone can fly with good instruction. We sell even more tickets at instruction time since our buddy-box instruction airplanes are copies of the Quinn Kadet that we raffle off, and crowd members can see how excellent a well-set-up Giant Scale model would be as a first airplane.

Free hourly pilot-prize drawings, major pilot-prize raffles, and excellent pilot-prize quality help keep participants returning year after year. Our super salesperson obtains these prizes.

Since the public is invited and comes for the noon air show, the pilots who attend are those who enjoy showing off their aircraft in a noncompetitive but well-managed environment. They come to enjoy the air-show demonstration featuring a world-class pilot as much as the spectators. Also allowing some regional pilots with special airplanes and skills to participate in the noon air show boosts their pride in participation.

The Love Air R/C club’s best pilots also got to participate in the air show program. Smoke is a crowd pleaser!

Our Sunday air show last year featured a comedy skit featuring a 12-foot-wingspan Cub, a Giant Scale-legal turbine jet, a 50-pound Hawker Sea Fury, a 3-D and a turbine helicopter, local pilots doing 3-D aerobatics, and the finale: Garrett Morrison’s (Lodi CA) amazing Freestyle Aerobatics demonstration.

During the event, the announcers are constantly broadcasting over the PA system the aircraft each pilot is flying; where the pilot is from; and the engine, kit type, and special features of the model and its full-scale counterpart. This keeps the crowd informed and involved, and it appeals to each pilot’s pride in his or her aircraft. Humor in announcing is a big asset in handling mishaps and keeping the enthusiasm level up on the flightline.

We use 70-volt horn speakers on poles down the flightline in addition to the main PA system cabinets to ensure proper sound coverage for the crowd and the pilots. We announce the pilot prizes and landings, ask for applause for good flights, and help the impound crew by calling for delinquent frequency pins and announcing when pilots in the queue can fly after their frequencies clear up.

To help encourage visiting pilots to get early stick time at the event, we often ask club members to refrain from flying Saturday morning to let the visitors have the first crack at it that day. Normal club flying starts each day at the end of the formal event hours, and we close the impound and distribute the radios to their owners until the next morning. We run the event impound and frequency control during event hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, when the Kadet is raffled off.

Social Activities

Pilots who attend the event, some every year, enjoy the social aspect and bring their RVs for dry camping starting the Tuesday and Wednesday before the event, to ensure a good spot.

A pilots’ meeting is held at the start of every flying day, during which rules, safety, and the day’s program are reviewed.

We hold a potluck dinner Friday evening and a pig-roast dinner Saturday evening during the event. One of our member families handles the potluck dinner, and another family runs the pig roast. We have tried Saturday-evening catered dinners throughout the years, but that has presented mixed success and increased costs.

The less-formal potluck and pig roast dinners have become fun traditions and are followed by a round of night flying starting at dusk Friday and Saturday evening. All manner of contraptions show up in the sky, and people either watch the craft or simply visit with friends down the line of campers and RVs.

Event Promotion

Properly marketing the fly-in has made a big difference in continuing to attract participants and increasing the number of spectators. Our first year with real marketing was coincident with having Quique Somenzini as our air-show pilot, and we went from 300 spectators the previous year to 2,500 spectators that year.

Our marketing efforts are multifaceted and consist of our Web site; more than 3,000 fullcolor, two-sided, 11 x 17-inch brochures; two “Contest Calendar” ads in MA that run for several months; a 1⁄4-page black-and-white ad in MA; small ads in each of the local newspapers; and feature articles in each local paper in northern Colorado (three newspapers in three cities).

We place ads in local newspapers the Friday and Saturday right before and at the start of the festival, and they reinforce the photo articles that each newspaper publishes promoting the event. We put a great deal of effort into trying to get the papers to come out and publicize the fly-in beforehand, and our objective is to have articles running on Friday or Saturday morning along with our ads.

Things got interesting when the best 3-D pilots tried to outmaneuver each other. Careful co-pilot spotting is a must!

Our event brochure has evolved through the years. We now use one large, two-sided, color leaflet. The front side has large pictures and much of the spectator information. The reverse side has pilot information, a preregistration form, a map, an event schedule, and detailed directions.

These handouts feature a good-size picture of the previous year’s raffle model and enough photos to show the size and variety of aircraft that will be present. We promote our guest airshow pilot and direct people to our Web site for additional information.

We are only able to have a brochure of this quality because a generous club member owns a printing business. A member lays out the ads and the pamphlets, and our printer creates and donates the brochures in awesome color and quantity.

This allows our members to distribute them at regional contests and use the photos to help sell raffle tickets. We distribute the leaflets to clubs and hobby stores across the state and to our mailing list of past attendees. The brochure is big enough to use as a window poster at the hobby stores. Since it has complete spectator and pilot information, the one brochure works for friends and modelers.

In previous years we tried separate pilot and spectator brochures, and you always had the wrong one in your car or field box when someone asked about the event. It also doubled the cost and work for the printer.

We also use the brochure at our mall show later in the year, to show the public what our main fly-in is like (we use stickers to correct the dates for the next year). See what printing connections you have within your club, and use them to the max.

Last year we made a connection with an excellent professional sports photographer— Bill Sallaz of ActionPic9.com—who shot some amazing photos of Saturday’s activities. His pictures accompany this article. Bill will be at our future events, and we will be using his photography in our marketing efforts this year.

Having top-quality photographs available for purchase will be another drawing card to encourage pilots to attend our event with their airplanes this year. Good photography can increase the results of your club’s marketing efforts and Web-site work.

A wide variety of aircraft types, such as this Scale biplane, help attract and hold the spectators’ interest.

Television coverage is possible but hard to obtain without a good contact at the station. We did get a news crew out one year, and they did a super spot for us, but we have been unable to get them to come out again because of our distance from Denver. Any connections your members have with photographers, the press, or TV stations are valuable and should be shamelessly exploited.

Anything is possible for your event. Our team has been amazed at the type of fly-in the Rocky Mountain Big Bird Festival has become. The last time Chip Hyde was our featured pilot, he said, “Man, you guys just have fun at this thing!” Our goals mix financial, promotional, and membership aspects. For more information or to contact our club, use our Web site.

You can use your event for anything you want to accomplish. Your team can merge the members’ strengths and create an exciting event that shows your club and the hobby in the best light.

Full-scale air shows are being increasingly controlled by spectator liability issues and are moving the crowds farther and farther from the action. You can get people closer to great looking aircraft and really get them excited about model aviation.

Our hobby and your next big event can provide a unique opportunity to engage the public, attract members, and help finance your club’s operations. Set your goals, pick your team, and make it happen.

-Neil Miles

Written by Tom Ryan
Modeler takes interest in helicopters to the next level
Our community
As seen in the December 2011 issue of Model Aviation.

Transitioning from flying model RC helicopters to full-scale helis is no small feat, but Chuck Bucci from Hales Corners, Wisconsin, took on that challenge. Chuck bought a Rotorway 162 F (kit helicopter) in October of 2010 and began building it in his garage. On January 21, 2011, only four short months later, the kit was 95% complete and only hours of work away from its maiden flight.

After building and flying model helicopters, such as his T-Rex 600, and after seeing a friend’s experimental Rotorway Exec, Chuck decided that he wanted to build and fly his own full-scale helicopter.

Chuck poses with the model helicopters that inspired him to take on this full-scale project.

After many hours of research and networking with others who have built Rotorway helicopters, Chuck found a kit in Florida that had been purchased from Rotorway but never built. The owners of the kit didn’t have the time to build the helicopter and decided to sell it.

An experienced local builder, who also happened to own a Rotorway, offered his help and the two set off for Florida to inspect the kit and make sure that it was what Chuck wanted. The asking price was within Chuck’s budget, but he also had to consider the cost of the upgrades that the helicopter would need.

The Exec 162F is a two-seat helicopter, which is a good thing since Chuck’s wife, Andrea, enjoys flying as well. The heli has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,500 pounds and a rotor diameter of 25 feet.

After a careful inspection of the kit, the deal was made and the Rotorway kit was on its way to Wisconsin in a rented truck. Chuck’s transition into full-scale experimental helicopters had begun.

This wasn’t a quick decision. Before Chuck shelled out the money for the project, he did something that many transition builders don’t do: he took some lessons in a Rotorway. He took lessons for eight hours, making sure that this was what he wanted to do.

The saying “measure twice and cut once” is useful no matter the size of your project. In this case, it’s a full-scale Rotorway Exec 162F helicopter.

After flying the Rotorway 162F, he was ready to go ahead with the project, but first things first! His wife, Andrea, had to buy into the whole idea, too; after all, this was a big commitment of time and resources. Chuck wanted her to be a part of the process, so Andrea took a ride in a Rotorway so she could see where he wanted to go with his building and flying. He wanted her to agree that this was a good idea and that it would be a fun experience for both of them. Andrea agreed and served as is his copilot on the project and spent many hours helping.

Chuck also visited the Rotorway factory in Arizona to talk to the people with whom he would be dealing during his build. He wanted to see where the kits were made and what went into the materials.

Various photos of the Rotorway during its assembly in Chuck’s garage. His goal was to complete the project in eight months.

With his tour complete, Chuck felt confident that the Rotorway was the best helicopter out there for him as a first-time builder. Many like the idea of building, but after they buy a kit and start the work, the reality of the long hours and extra resources needed hit home. Often, the kit doesn’t get started because of lack of time and skills, and in the end, it gets sold.

To ensure that wouldn’t be the case, Chuck joined the Rotorway Owners Group and the EAA to get the best advice. Members of both organizations shared experiences and building techniques and were helpful to Chuck during the build. A local builder also assisted him with advice and checked to make sure the build went as planned.

Caption

Building a full-scale helicopter such as the Rotorway takes time, money, and a reasonable amount of mechanical experience. Chuck has been a self-employed electrical contractor for roughly 35 years. He has a basement full of metal-working machine tools that he used to create parts for the helicopter, saving him time and money and eliminating the need for outside contractors.

Chuck had reasonable expectations of what it would take to complete the build, plus the time and cost to earn a pilot’s license. He and Andrea felt that his timetable seemed realistic and acceptable, and he wasn’t worried about losing interest in the overwhelming work needed to complete the build in the eight months he allotted.

Summer 2011 was set as the target completion date. To Chuck, this wasn’t going to be a work in progress, dragging on for years and years; it would be an ongoing push every day until the helicopter was complete.

Caption

When asked what he believed it would take to do the build right and complete it in the eight months he forecasted, he replied, “You have to have the time and money to put into this; otherwise you’re just fooling yourself.”

All right, we know the timeline was eight months, but what about the cost?

Chuck believed he would invest $60,000 in the helicopter, and that’s not counting the cost of getting his pilot’s license. Considering what helicopters sell for today, he believes that’s a low price for a quality helicopter. Because he’s both the builder and the mechanic, maintenance costs would be lower compared to paying an A&P aircraft mechanic to do the inspections and needed repairs. Also, the cost per hour in fuel is a fraction of that of a factory-built production helicopter.

Caption

All things considered, the Rotorway is a cost-efficient, two-seat personal helicopter that is affordable for the average builder.

At the age of 57, Chuck, who came to love helicopters because of his six-year affiliation with the Southeast Wisconsin Area Rotory Modelers (SWARM) RC helicopter club in Franklin, Wisconsin, took that passion to another level. Because he understood helicopters and how they fly (from his model-building experience), moving to the Rotorway build wasn’t scary. It was more of a challenge—a challenge that he felt he was ready for based on his start in model aviation.

The finished helicopter in flight.

You could say that model aviation was the first step on his journey to full-scale flight; the AMA led him to the EAA, and model flying blossomed into full-scale flying.

The partnership between the AMA and the EAA will no doubt transition more model aircraft pilots into full-scale fliers and vice versa, making this partnership a win-win for everyone who loves general aviation and wants to be involved. Whether it’s model or full-scale flying, it’s the thrill of flying that counts! Chuck’s dreams of building and flying his own helicopter were realized on April 12, well ahead of schedule. Since that time, he continues to enjoy piloting his models and full-scale aircraft.

As I look at Chuck and Andrea’s new adventure in aviation and the pride they feel knowing that the dream of flight is no longer a dream but a reality, I can’t help but notice that it all started with a model—a flying model.

-Tom Ryan

Sources:

Rotorway International
(480) 961-1001
www.rotorway.com

Written by Chris Mulcahy
RC Helicopters
Column
As seen in the June 2014 issue of Model Aviation.

Learning to fly model helicopters can be challenging. Add to that the lingo that comes with helis, and it can be somewhat confusing to a beginner. Compounding this are the many RTF helicopters that are now available, which are perfect for getting into the air quickly, but the pilot misses out on the education that he or she could get from building an aircraft from a kit.

I often receive requests to explain terminology and for correct helicopter setup techniques, so I decided to attempt to break down some terms for those who wish to learn. For the purposes of this column, I’ll be discussing setup techniques that can be used for most 3-D helicopters.

In 3-D, the helicopter uses a variable-pitch rotor head. This means that the pitch of the rotor blades can change from a negative to a positive value. If it changes from -12° to +12°, for example, giving 24° of usable pitch (this varies between helis), this is known as the collective-pitch range. We change this value using the throttle stick on our transmitters with -12 being the stick at its lowest position, and +12 being at the stick’s highest position.

This change in pitch is provided by the servos driving the swashplate. Most of today’s helis use three servos, arrayed 120° around the main shaft, to drive the swashplate up and down, which changes the pitch of the main blades. This type of mixing is referred to as electronic cyclic/collective-pitch mixing (eCCPM).

The e is frequently dropped from the acronym. The “electronic” part of the title refers to the software in your transmitter, and the “cyclic/collective-pitch mixing” refers to the action of your three swashplate servos being driven by your transmitter. Pilots get confused about the difference between collective pitch and cyclic pitch.

This Synergy N5c shows how the pushrods should be set in relation to the servos when the transmitter is at mid-stick with zero pitch on the blades.

You should now know what collective pitch is. Cyclic pitch refers to the maximum pitch allowed by an elevator or aileron input. For this example, we’ll say that the cyclic pitch range is +/- 10°, giving us 20° of usable cyclic-pitch range. In its simplest terms, this is how far the blades are allowed to deflect when given an aileron or elevator command.

A low pitch setting will manifest itself in a slow roll or flip rate, whereas a high pitch setting will give a fast roll or flip rate. Some gyros can be programmed with a specific roll/flip rate, but still require a setting for the cyclic-pitch range so that they don’t exceed your helicopter’s limits.

The programming for all of these settings takes place inside most modern-day gyros, with little programming done in the actual transmitter. These gyros can be plugged into a computer and programmed, or in some cases, programmed directly on the gyro (unless you fly using a Mikado VBar, which allows you to program it from the new Mikado transmitter).

When setting up a new helicopter, begin with the collective-pitch range. The setup procedure is the same for a sport or 3-D helicopter. The pitch curve in your transmitter should be linear, which can be viewed in graph form on your transmitter as a straight, diagonal line from the bottom left to the top right.

The first thing to set is zero pitch, with the throttle stick in the center position. Most of the setup from this point will be done with the throttle stick in the center position, and the blades at zero pitch.

A pitch gauge can verify that the blades are at zero pitch. The pushrods from the blade grips to the swashplate can be adjusted until the blades reach zero; both main blades need to be zeroed.

When this is complete, you can test your collective-pitch range by running the throttle stick up and down and reading the pitch gauge. The adjustment for the maximum/minimum collective pitch will be controlled in your gyro, which should be explained in the instructions.

If you have excessively more pitch in one direction than the other, you will need to go through all your linkages back to the servos to make sure they are correctly set up. This all needs to be set up with your throttle stick in the center position.

Pushrods should be 90° to the servo arms. If you were to draw an imaginary line between the center of the servo and the servo ball on the end of the arm, your pushrod should be 90° to that line. If you have an offset bellcrank with a push/pull system then the imaginary line you draw between the servo arm, and the same on the bellcrank arm, should be parallel with each other, even if the pushrods taper in one direction.

The Raptor E700 is a good example of correct geometry with an offset bellcrank.

All of your pushrods should be square to ensure that you get an equal amount of travel in both directions. Correct geometry is a key part of a good heli setup. When you have set your geometry and have achieved 0° pitch at mid-stick with an equal amount of positive and negative pitch, you are ready to set your cyclic-pitch range.

This will likely be programmed in your gyro. Depending on the gyro, you will need to either set only the elevator or aileron pitch, or both independently. To set the elevator cyclic-pitch range, the blades should be positioned perpendicular to the helicopter.

Using your pitch gauge, you can deflect the blades with an elevator input, and adjust your gyro settings accordingly. For the ailerons, it is the same process, but with the blades running parallel to the heli, deflecting the blades with an aileron input. The aileron and elevator pitch should end up the same for a consistent feel.

With the setup complete, your heli should be ready to start flying 3-D. However, if you are flying sport only, you can now go into the pitch settings in your transmitter and adjust your pitch curve to reduce the amount of pitch used when sport flying. You still have a flight mode available with a linear curve for when you want to try 3-D.

Some people learn to fly with the helicopter hovering around mid-stick, whereas in 3-D, you will be hovering at roughly 3/4 stick. This is because you will have 0° to 12° of collective pitch, from mid-stick to either high or low (depending on being upright or inverted). If you plan to fly 3-D, the best thing to do is to learn to hover at 3/4 stick with a linear pitch range from the start.

There are plenty of new terms and techniques to learn when getting into helicopters, and it never hurts to ask questions. A good source is your local hobby shop, or you can talk with experienced pilots at your flying club. There are several websites that you can view for information.

If you have any specific questions about setup or terminology, drop me an email and I’d be happy to discuss it in a future issue.

-Chris Mulcahy
cspaced@gmail.com

Sources:

International Radio Controlled Helicopter
Association (IRCHA)
www.ircha.org

Written by Jay Smith and Matt Ruddick
Tiny Whoop creator
I Am the AMA
As seen in the December 2017 issue of Model Aviation.

Jay Smith:How did you get involved with model aviation?

Jesse Perkins: I’ve been flying RC airplanes since I was a kid, but the hobby was reawakened when my parents bought me a Proto-X for Christmas three years ago. I truly fell in love with flight, and as soon as possible [I] was flying all kinds of quadcopters, and eventually flying FPV.

From there, I went on to found Team BIG WHOOP with Chris Fischer and Jordan Temkin (who is now the two-time world champion of “Drone Racing League” on ESPN2). We began traveling around the world to compete in drone races.

When traveling in the United States, we noticed the same top pilots traveling to all of the events, so we started DroneHaus, which was pretty much an Airbnb house that we’d fill with top pilots at the various events. We all became as close as family, and every night we would fly and race micro drones around the house.

The evolution of those micro drones gave birth to Tiny Whoop. Since Tiny Whoop became popular around the world, I’ve created www.tinywhoop.com along with Tiny Whoop Musician Ben Shepard, and I am now a full-time pilot and online retail store owner.

JS:How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?

JP: Model aviation impacted my life in a truly amazing way. Since the birth of the Tiny Whoop movement, I’ve been able to focus on flight full time, flying around the world and meeting amazing people.

The community we’ve helped create is packed with positive, helpful, and innovative people. Every day I hear more stories of kids, significant others, fathers, and mothers getting into the hobby and spreading the joy of the gift of flight.

JS:What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?

JP: I am currently working hard on micro drone innovation, namely Tiny Whoop. Every week, we hear of new technologies and innovations that allow Tiny Whoop pilots to see significant improvements, such as longer and faster flights, better video transmission, more control over the aircraft, and other new features.

I also run the Tiny Whoop Micro FPV Pilots of the World Facebook group, which is currently 21,000 pilots strong and growing quickly. Managing that group keeps me in touch with all of the new ways these thousands of pilots innovate and modify the Tiny Whoop platform. It’s incredible!

JS:What other hobbies do you have?

JP: When I’m not flying or managing www.tinywhoop.com, I love hanging out with my amazing girlfriend, Liz, and her two kids. We get out into the Rocky Mountains for hiking and camping every chance we get, and play tons of silly games together. In addition to having fun with those three, I love to juggle balls and pins, as well as play banjo and other stringed instruments.

JS:Who or what has influenced you the most?

JP: As mentioned, my parents really changed my life when they bought me my first little quad, but I have to say the biggest influence on my career as a drone pilot has been my team, Team BIG WHOOP. Jordan, Zachry Thayer, Travis McIntyre, Chris Fischer, Christian Petersen, and Christian Avedon are the best teammates and friends a guy could ever ask for. They are unbelievably passionate about flight and consistently ride the cutting edge. Without their help, friendship, support, and loyalty, I would simply be a different person today. Liz is also amazingly supportive, constantly encouraging me to fly everywhere we go.

JS:What kind of impact do you think the Tiny Whoop has had on the hobby?

JP: It’s hard to overstate the impact Tiny Whoop has had on the greater FPV hobby. Every top pilot I know flies a Tiny Whoop, and tens of thousands of pilots around the world got into model aviation with a Tiny Whoop. Benedikt Haak, the godfather of micro flight and owner of Micro Motor Warehouse, said recently that Tiny Whoop is the most-flown quad on the planet, and I believe it.

Written by Mark Fadely
RC Helicopters
Column
As seen in the January 2013 issue of Model Aviation.

W elcome back. Many helicopter pilots put an incredible number of hours into improving their flying. Are you one of those people? If you are, then you will like the subject of this month’s column. It is about becoming better and integrating music into your flying routine.

So, You Think You’re a Pretty Good Pilot?

Do all of your buddies applaud after your flights at the local field? Can you feel your confidence growing when you are in your element (the club field)? Are you thinking about competing? If these things describe you, then you will want to read on.

If you have become proficient in your flying, it will be natural to augment your flights with accompanying music. As in many other types of performances, it is more fun to watch a heli fly when it “dances” to music. Heck, most fireworks shows today are set to music.

At major helicopter events, the flying performances are tuned to the music with expert synchronization of the beat and mood.

Bobby Watts’ heli is shown here in the midst of winning another night-fly competition. Bobby designed a microprocessor-controlled lighting system called the Digital Aerial Light Controlling Onboard Nodule (DALCON) that automatically stays synchronized to the music.

Face the Music

The old style of flying helis to background music is being replaced by well-thought-out flying routines that incorporate precision planning and custom musical scores. It takes many hours to put together a pleasing flight routine combined with a well-choreographed music track.

It is hard work to design the flying to music, but it pays off with a routine that looks better because it follows the music in tempo and mood. You can spend a few minutes picking a good song from the radio to fly to, or you can spend months making sure everything is just right with a custom-made mix.

Harder Than It Looks

When you give choreography a try, you may find it difficult. When most pilots go up for a flight, they generally have a good idea which maneuvers will be flown. They might vary the order of the moves, or alter some of them. It also does not make much difference if you fly an extra 25 feet before starting the next trick. This changes when you begin choreographing your flying with music.

A dance group needs to make every turn and twist on the beat, and the heli must follow suit. If you attempt to fly your favorite maneuvers with better timing, placement, and precision, they will be more difficult. Entering a maneuver early or exiting one late will throw everything off.

Although spectators might not fly helicopters, they will notice if your timing is off when the music is playing. The top-level contests include flights to music because it highlights the pilots’ skills and makes an entertaining event.

Work It Out on the Simulator

Simulators are the most powerful tools available to advancing helicopter pilots. The simulator is valuable when working out your flight-to-music routine. I recommend working in short segments. Plan where in the flight you will be and insert the music clip in that section so you can fly to it over and over. Looping the music so that it repeats the same segment will accelerate the tweaking process.

Kyle Dahl is one of the best pilots in the world when it comes to flying a choreographed routine. Here he is Tic-Tocking to the beat during his competition flight.

One element to be aware of is the simulator’s real-world speed. I found that no matter how I adjusted the speed on the simulator, the timing was always slightly different in the real world. After you have flown a couple of choreographed routines, this timing difference will become easy to account for.

What Makes Good Flying Music?

That is a good question. The answer is different for everyone. One thing is for sure—the music needs to have an obvious correlation with the heli’s movements.

Think about your favorite maneuver, and then try to imagine a piece of music that would accentuate that move. Major contests require the pilots to perform their routines to precise timing to place well.

Choreographed flights serve two purposes. First, flights integrated with music are more entertaining for the spectator, and second, those same flights are easier to judge because segments that do not match the music and rhythm are obvious.

It is nearly impossible to find one song that will complement your flying style for an entire flight. A mix of music that lasts approximately four minutes is best. That is enough time to show all your best skills without boring the audience by going on too long.

It is important to not repeat anything during the flight. Keep it fresh and new. You are an entertainer, so plan your routine with that in mind. The flight should be captivating for experienced heli pilots as well as spectators who may have never seen a helicopter fly.

The Mikado helicopter team put on this unreal choreographed triple night flight. Each heli had a different set of neon lights to add to the visual experience.

What is the best way to get started? First you need to find a good way to play music while you fly. Some pilots use their MP3 players and listen through earphones. I never liked this method. The few times I tried it I put an earbud into one ear so that I could still hear the helicopter with the other ear.

A small boombox works well, but sometimes it is difficult to hear over the sound of the heli. Jim Stark made a small, portable sound system with a car audio amplifier and two small studio speakers. It was loud enough to hear with the helicopter in the air.

Include a number of starts and stops in your flying and in the music. The most obvious timing of the flight to music is when things happen abruptly. Imagine flying along straight and level to stage center, and then you jerk the heli up into a vertical position as the symbols crash in the music.

How Do I Start Mixing My Own Music?

There are many different mixing programs on the market. I have heard of some free online versions that work well.

I use a program called Music Studio by Magix, which has worked well for me for a long time. Becoming familiar with the program is half the battle. The mixing software is powerful, and you can perform quite a few elegant tasks with it once you figure out how to use it. Using the program is time consuming.

I spent approximately an hour a day for a few months learning techniques with the Music Studio program.

Like all software, it seemed slightly overwhelming at first. Now that I have been using it for several years, I can sit down and make a simple mix in minutes. That is a job that used to take me a couple of weeks.

Choreography Is a Requirement

All pilots who compete in the Extreme Flight Championships (XFC) or the 3D Masters in Europe must have excellent flight-to-music skills. In fact, the organizers want the competitors to understand the importance of maneuvering their helis in harmony with music. The K-Factor (a percentage of your total score) is high for choreography.

Bobby Watts gets a couple of comments from judge Alan Szabo after his XFC performance. Bobby spends much time choosing music that is perfect for the mood he is trying to portray with each segment of his flights.

This is what is written in the official XFC judging criteria:

“The entire flight should be accurately and precisely choreographed to music and/or other suitable sound effects. It should include different types of audible rhythms, beats, tempos, and sounds that reflect the maneuvers, speeds, and attitudes of the aircraft.

“Higher marks should be given for choreography with the music to enhance the flight, and the flight choreographed to enhance and present visual impressions where both the music and aircraft are flowing together with each other and acting as a unified entity to display a harmonious presentation.

“Marks should be deducted in this category if only portions of the flight don’t follow the music or if portions have no reasonable relationship to the music. Marks should also be deducted if it is obvious that the intent of the maneuver is not in concert with the music or audio.”

Putting It All Together

I have always enjoyed watching good flying to music. I think it adds much to the entertainment factor. It is a way to express yourself on a higher level than simply flying with no purpose. Try not to get frustrated. You have to remember, it took many hours to learn how to fly RC helicopters, and it will take some time to figure out how to fly to music as well.

Everyone enjoys seeing an excellent, well-choreographed flight. The International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree demonstrations allow attendees to watch the best pilots in the world show off their unique skills. They make the heli look so natural, like a skillful dancer makes difficult moves look easy.

If you like to try new things, then flying to some music—and maybe even making your own music—might inspire you to attain that next level.

I hope you enjoyed reading this.

-Mark Fadely
MDKJA@aol.com

Sources:

Magix
(305) 722-5810
www.magix.com

IRCHA
www.ircha.org

Written by Matt Ruddick
Products that are Worth a Closer Look
Product spotlight
As seen in the October 2017 issue of Model Aviation.

Matt Ruddick reviewed the DJI Mavic Pro ND Lens Filter 4-pack from NeatoTek. Here is what he had to say:

For photographers who plan to jump into the world of aerial photography, one trick of the trade is no longer out of reach. Neutral density and polarization filters can be the difference between merely getting a shot and getting the perfect shot. That’s where the NeatoTek ND lens filters come into play.

This pack comes with ND4, ND4 with polarization, ND8, ND8 with polarization, and ND16 filters. These high-quality filters allow you to adjust your camera settings to fit any situation, without losing the optimal image quality of your DJI Mavic Pro.

The filters come packed in a padded hard case that uses a magnetic clasp that fits nicely into my Mavic carrying bag. Each filter is constructed out of durable, lightweight aluminum that is imperceptible to the camera gimbal.

Installation is a breeze. The filters slide on and off of the camera lens with ease, yet are snug enough to not move during flight.

After a dozen flights using these filters, I haven’t had one slip off, nor was I concerned that one might. Of course, what good is a nice, lightweight filter that fits well if the optics are subpar? Luckily, that’s not an issue with these NeatoTek filters.

After thoroughly testing them, I found no degradation in image quality or resolution with the filters applied, and instead I was presented with a richer, more saturated picture from the polarized filters.

What probably sets the NeatoTek filters apart from the rest of the field is the price point. At $69, they are priced significantly less than most other packs of similar quality, and will add a tremendous amount of production value to your photos and video.

The NeatoTek ND Lens Filter 4-pack is available for the DJI Mavic Pro, as well as the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, and can be found on the company’s website.

NeatoTek: email: info@neatotek.com; website: www.neatotek.com

Each example was shot at ISO 100 and 1/60-second shutter speed. Without a filter, your image would likely be blown out on a sunny day.

Because of the lack of polarization, the standard ND8 filter appears brighter and more washed out than the ND4 filter.

The ND4 with polarization filter returns the brightness and contrast to a manageable level. The polarization also helps reduce glare and restore color in the sky.

The most drastic change was moving to the ND8 with polarization. Brightness levels are back within limits, and color has been restored in the sky.

The ND16 filter shows similar attributes to the ND8 with polarization.

Products that are Worth a Closer Look
Product spotlight
As seen in the November 2017 issue of Model Aviation.

If you have ever used a LiPo battery to power your model aircraft, it is likely that safety has crossed your mind. Although LiPo battery incidents can happen at any time, it is during the charging process that many pilots have the most concern.

Having witnessed a LiPo fire at a recent event when another pilot was charging his battery and it suddenly burst into flames, had me thinking about the safest way to charge. Tom Mast, the inventor of BAT-SAFE, experienced a fire in his home that led him to design this product for peace of mind.

BAT-SAFE is an insulated, double-wall steel box that contains fire and intense heat in case a LiPo battery ignites. In case of fire, the box filters the resulting smoke and soot through a flame arrestor covering the top of the box.

Measuring 12 x 9 x 7 inches and weighing 4 pounds, the inside diameter is 9.5 x 6.5 x 4 inches. The difference between the two is the insulation needed to contain a fire. The BAT-SAFE is somewhat similar to a fireproof document safe in this regard; however, it is intended to keep the fire in instead of keeping the fire out.

BAT-SAFE includes a charger stand, allowing the charger to be easily accessed and for the charge and balancing leads to extend into the charging compartment through a seal. Velcro is included to connect the charger stand to the BAT-SAFE as well as to keep your charger in place on the stand. Also included is a product manual that can be downloaded from the company’s website (www.bat-safe.com).

It is likely that you will need to extend your balancing wires, so a set of five long balance wires with JST-XH headers can also be purchased. After you have everything connected to your battery, a latch on the outside of the box keeps it sealed.

Not wanting to destroy a LiPo battery and possibly damage the BAT-SAFE, I was confident in its abilities after watching the video on the BAT-SAFE website. Beyond using it for charging, BAT-SAFE can be used for storing LiPo batteries and the website states that you can charge and store up to two 6S 5,000 mAh equivalent (222 Wh) safely inside the BAT-SAFE.

BAT-SAFE retails for $59.99 and is definitely worth the price for the safety and peace of mind, knowing that in the event a battery ignites, the flames will be contained. BAT-SAFE can be purchased directly from the company website or from several distributors that carry the product. A list of distributors can also be found on the company’s website.

BAT-SAFE: Website: www.bat-safe.com

Written by Walt Wilson
Create exactly what you want, for the fun of it
How To Do It
As seen in the April 2011 issue of Model Aviation.

Scratch-Building Essentials

To build from scratch, or even from a kit, you need several basic tools. A hobby knife set is necessary for any building project—even assembling ARFs. Inexpensive sets are available almost anywhere hardware and crafts are sold.

If you want better quality, purchase an X-Acto set from your local hobby shop. You can use others, but a #11 blade will be the most used; stock up with lots of extra blades.

They’re available in packs of 100 for a good price, and you’ll use them if you build much. In addition, they dull quickly when cutting MonoKote and similar covering materials.

Every household, even if it has no model builders in it, should have an electric drill.

Cordless drills are convenient and versatile, but the good ones can be expensive. And if you don’t charge them after use or keep them on a trickle charger, the batteries tend to run down when you need them most. Many cordless drills can be used as forceful screwdrivers too.

Although it is a bit more trouble, you can also use a drill with a cord. It is generally less expensive and always ready when you need it.

Obtain a drill press if you can afford it. Many are inexpensive and have amazing capabilities besides making accurate-size holes that are perpendicular to surfaces. A drill press can be adapted to use as a milling machine, sander, lathe, and probably some other things.

A set of hole saws will prove to be valuable. Those are available at most stores that sell woodworking tools.

A Dremel, or equivalent, power tool has all kinds of uses and is an important part of any shop. Cutoff wheels and sanding drums are indispensible.

Most plywood and thicker balsa parts can be cut with a basic coping saw, but it’s much easier to use a band saw or a jigsaw. The latter will do most small jobs, but I much prefer a band saw with a metal-cutting blade. The metal-cutting blade allows you to cut aluminum for landing gear, gear covers, and other applications, as well as all types of wood.

Other helpful tools are bench-type belt/disc sanders and, if you plan to carve much balsa, Great Planes Power Planers.

There are many good-quality brands of power tools. The Sears Craftsman line is competitively priced. Since you’ll probably find uses for these tools far beyond modeling, get the biggest (within reason) and best you can afford.

It’s unnecessary to have all of the equipment I’ve mentioned just for building models, but it does make it easier. Hand tools can be used for most applications.

Okay, let’s cut some wood!

Scratch-Building

If you've accomplished building model aircraft from kits and want to go a step further, try building from scratch.

There’s a lot of satisfaction to be gained from constructing an airplane from a pile of balsa and plywood. The major reason for scratch-building is to have something unique. Don’t worry if you’re not an aerodynamic wizard; borrow from an established design.

Producing a model from plans and converting a glow-powered design to electric can be a good start. “Quarter Midgets,” or .15-size sport aircraft that were popular in the 1970s, can be great designs to convert to electric power.

Plans for many of them are still available from magazine plans services.

The scratch-build method in this case was to reduce and paste up plans of a favorite kit of a larger model. Not all kit plans are complete, so prepare to exercise your imagination.

Reducing a large favorite aircraft and converting it to electric power or a different size glow engine can also be a good first project. And it isn’t as difficult as it might sound.

If a complete kit or set of plans from an old kit is unavailable, check with fellow club members who build their own aircraft or purchase plans from your favorite aeromodeling magazine or plans seller. Plans for some kits that became popular were first published in modeling publications.

Decide what size you want the airplane to be and what power system you’ll use. A 36- to 40-inch wingspan is nice for electric or .15-.25 glow power.

That size of model is big enough to fly well, and the components can usually be fitted with little difficulty. Aircraft in that size range are easy to transport too, if you don’t have a van, SUV, or other large vehicle. And in most cases, the cost of electric power components won’t break the bank.

Use a copy machine at the local office supply store to modify the plans to the size you want. Use 11 x 17-inch paper. You can also resize plans with a scanner attached to your home computer, but scaling could be more difficult and the printing size is usually limited to 81/2 x 11-inch paper, requiring many more copies.

The reduced plans set will be in pieces, so line up and overlap the segments, and be sure that all major parts are shown. Then trim and tape the pieces together with outlines and centerlines aligned, and mount them on a piece of white cardboard, or poster board. You can get it from most dollar stores or art-supply shops.

Now you need a piece of vellum, or similar translucent paper, that is large enough for the project. This kind of paper is available at artsupply stores. Tape the vellum over the plans. If you want to modify anything, such as the shape of the fuselage, wingtips, or tail surfaces, now is the time to draw the changes.

If you want a more aerobatic model, such as for 3-D flying, examine the relative sizes of control surfaces on aircraft that are capable of the maneuvers you want to do; increase or adjust your design’s surface sizes appropriately.

Trace the significant parts, and sketch any details you might want to change.

The author admired the Sig Four-Star design so much that he wanted a version that would be suitable for small-field flying.

Begin construction with the fuselage.

Determine the thicknesses of balsa, plywood, or other materials to be used.

If the model will have electric power, most parts can, and for weight savings should, be somewhat lighter than those used for glow power. The firewall, or engine-mounting structure, should be plywood, but it can be thinner than is normally used for a glow engine.

You can typically replace non-load-bearing plywood bulkheads with balsa.

Measure your components, such as motor, battery, ESC, servos, and receiver, and figure out where they will be located.

If necessary, add, remove, or change the locations of formers to accommodate the components.

Formers can ordinarily go where the original design has them. The motor will usually be in the front (some models are pushers), so measure the distance from the propeller drive surface to the back of the mounting plate for your motor, and add roughly 1/16 inch. That’s how far the firewall must be from the front of the fuselage.

Formers are normally required at the front and back edges of the wing. They have to bear loads, so they should be plywood. Landing gear mounting blocks and related bulkheads should also be plywood.

Most motors are fairly lightweight, so the battery must be placed as far forward as possible in the fuselage for balancing. Is the forward fuselage large enough to accommodate the required battery? If not, modify the height or width so it will be.

If possible, provide space to move the battery fore and aft a bit to aid in balancing. Provide for passage of cooling air for the motor, ESC, and battery while developing your design.

Most plans sets show the formers and wing ribs, so tracing the outlines is easy enough. If formers are not shown or must be moved fore or aft, measure the height and width of the fuselage in each location and then adjust dimensions as necessary.

Consider what size holes must be cut in the formers to accommodate components, pushrods, etc. The formers can be figured out fairly easily, based on making everything fit.

If you want rounded corners on the fuselage, add pieces of triangular stock to the appropriate areas. Trim the corners of the formers to accommodate the triangular stock.

The wing saddles usually need additional thickness or reinforcement, so add thin plywood or an extra, thicker layer of balsa in those locations. The firewall and landing gear mounting can normally use reinforcement too.

On the Sig Manufacturing Four-Star replica shown, the 1/16 plywood reinforcements run from the former at the TE of the wing to the back of the firewall; they are used for supporting the landing gear mount. The firewall is 3/16 plywood, and the other formers are 1/16 plywood. The fuselage sides and miscellaneous parts are 3/32 balsa.

Once you’ve adapted and redesigned to your satisfaction, it’s time to cut wood.

Trace the parts onto the appropriate material and cut out all required parts, to make a “kit” before assembly. I’ll address building in the traditional manner, with balsa, spruce, plywood, etc.

Scratch builders make a kit before starting assembly. Dry-fitting the parts can help detect design flaws before glue makes the errors permanent.

Cut out most of the parts needed before starting construction. Trace or lay out the fuselage sides on a piece of balsa in the desired thickness.

Some models, such as those in the Four-Star series, have formers keyed to the sides of the fuselage. It helps to install the formers straight if this feature is used when building a spin-off. Tape another piece of balsa to the fuselage side marked for cutting, and cut both sides at the same time. This assures that they are the same.

Use a band saw to cut the slots for former tabs. If you want lightening holes in the fuselage sides, hole saws can be used to cut the ends and an X-Acto knife to cut between the holes.

Trace or otherwise lay out the formers on the appropriate thickness of plywood or balsa. Most formers will require holes for the battery, ESC, wires, pushrods, etc.

If the wing LE will be held in place with a dowel, or center rib extension, now is the time to cut or drill that hole. Cut out the landing gear mounting block if it will be installed in the fuselage.

A frame with flat sides is an excellent choice for a first-time scratch-build project. Because this model borrows its de sign from a kit, the assembly instructions can be helpful.

It’s usually safest to drill or cut all required holes before cutting the former outline, because larger pieces of wood are easier to hold and less likely to break. If the hole is to be essentially square, drill small holes at the corners and use a Dremel cutoff tool or coping saw to cut between the holes.

If holes are to be round, use the nearest-size hole saw.

Remember that this is your design, so you can take liberties where necessary.

Clean up any rough edges or adjust hole sizes with a sanding drum in a Dremel tool.

Locate the centerlines (vertical and horizontal) for the motor on the firewall, and lay out the pattern for motor mounting holes.

If there will be offsets, plan for them now by offsetting the centerlines so that the propeller drive hub will be centered when the engine is installed.

Drill the holes and install blind nuts before installing the firewall in the fuselage.

Allow for passage of any wires through the firewall to the ESC.

If you’re building an electric model, provide for intake and egress of cooling air for the ESC and battery. If you’re using a glow engine, locate and drill holes for the throttle pushrod and fuel lines, or tank plug, now. It’s easier to do all this before installing the firewall.

Scratch-building requires provisional thought. In this case, air passes through the corners of the square fuselage to cool the motor and electronic components.

The type of airplane you have chosen will dictate building procedures. With the 60% Four-Star replica, when laying out the formers for the fuselage, I was sure to mark top-to-bottom centerlines on all of them. If you plan to round the nose or other areas, install triangular stock at the top and bottom of the sides.

Start assembly by gluing doublers, wing saddles, triangular stock, etc. to the fuselage sides. Be sure to make a left and a right side.

Install the formers at the front and rear of the wing. The fuselage sides are usually parallel in this area, so mounting the formers perpendicular to the sides is easy enough.

Lay one side flat on the building board and glue the formers 90° from the side.

When dry, cured, or whatever, depending on adhesive type (I recommend one that dries slowly for this operation), adhere the other fuselage side in place on the other side of the formers.

Carefully maintain the 90° angles, ensuring that the sides are parallel to each other and the ends are aligned. If your model has slots and tabs, as the Four-Star series does, alignment is easier, but check it again before it dries to be sure.

When the center formers are secure, lay out a centerline on your building board.

Position all aft formers while pulling the tail end together. Line up all centerlines on the formers with the centerline on the building board.

It helps to put heavy weights on each side of the previously assembled center part of the fuselage, to hold it in place. Make sure that the fuselage sides are aligned, vertically and horizontally, at the aft end.

When satisfied that all parts are centered, use CA or your preferred glue to install them. Repeat the procedure with all forward formers except the nose ring (if you have one), being careful to align the centerlines.

Fuselage designs with flat sides make it easy to bui ld a square structure. All formers are perpendicular to the long fuselage side.

If engine offset is planned, make sure that you install the firewall at the necessary angle to provide it. I prefer using epoxy for installing firewalls.

When the glue is dry, cut out and add the servo trays, battery tray, landing gear block, cockpit floor, and any other internal structure. These parts might be provided in a kit but not detailed on the plans. They can be cut to fit in most cases, preventing bad fits caused by tolerance buildup, etc.

For easy access I installed the rudder and elevator servos and pushrod tubes before sheeting the bottom of the aft fuselage. In the 60% electric-powered Four-Star, the Hitec HS-55 servos are mounted in the same general location as those in the larger Four-Star 40s.

Determine where slots or holes for rudder and elevator pushrods should be, allowing for the lengths and locations of control horns. I used .043-inch-diameter music-wire pushrods inside plastic tubing, supported on both ends and in one location in the middle.

Add stringers to the aft fuselage deck or other places where applicable. Install any remaining formers, and sheet the upper fuselage as required with 1/16 balsa. Install all battery and ESC shelves, the landing gear mounting block, and blind nuts before sheeting the bottom of the forward fuselage.

You’re close to 50% finished with construction. Build and install the wing before sheeting the bottom aft fuselage, to assure a good fit.

Another good tip for new scratch builders is to choose a straight wing design. That way, multiple ribs can be made simultaneously. Tapered ailerons simulate a more advanced look.

A question I had was, When scaling down a wing, how do you know what size spars to use? The answer is to scale them down too.

The original Four-Star 40 has 3/8 x 3/16 spruce spars. Electric power is easier on structure than an engine, so 3/16 square hard balsa should work for the main spars. Four-Stars have five spars, so all but the main spars, top and bottom, could go down to 1/8.

I used those sizes on my airplane, and they worked fine. The ribs are 1/16 balsa; 1/32 would work but is extremely fragile.

Use the reduced-size rib outlines to determine airfoil and spar placement. I used rib spacing that was close to that of the full-size Four-Star 40 and decreased the number of ribs to save weight.

Make two templates from 1/8 plywood for cutting ribs. Drill holes and use 3/16- or 1/4-inch-diameter dowels to hold the templates and balsa together.

Trace the rib outlines onto balsa, and use an X-Acto knife to cut all ribs a bit oversize. Assemble all of the same-size balsa ribs between the plywood templates, drill, and hold together using the dowels.

Typical cutting implements used for model building include (clockwise from top) an X-Acto razor saw, a hand plane, a bulk pack of #11 X-Acto blades, a hobby knife, a single-edge razor blade, and (center) a balsa stripper. Carelessness with any tools can land you in the emergency room.

Sand all ribs to the exact shape and cut notches for spars at the same time, using the templates as a guide.

All W-2 ribs should be identical at this point. The W-1 ribs are 1/8 inch thinner (11/16 on each side), to allow for the 1/16- inch center sheeting.

Cut a joiner from 3/16 plywood (or the same thickness as the main spars), and cut 1/16 balsa to width for the TE sheeting.

Make a scaled-down LE from medium balsa. Cut a TE to size and sand to a slight taper to match the TE sheeting.

Glue the ribs and spar parts together with CA. Be sure to make left and right wing panels, and cant the center W-1 ribs, as shown on the full-size plans, to allow for dihedral.

Add 1/16 balsa shear webs on each side of the main spars in the area to be sheeted on each panel; shear-web grain should be vertical. They make a box to contain the wing joiner.

Cut out the area between the main spars in the center ribs to accommodate a wing joiner. Check the fit and try pushing the wing halves together, with the joiner in place, before gluing.

Sand and trim the joiner as necessary to make it fit. Place proper-thickness wood blocks under the tips for dihedral and join the wing halves with 30-minute epoxy, ensuring that the wing tips are in alignment with each other.

Determine where the wing-mounting screws will be, and make sure that there is solid balsa in that area. Add balsa blocks if necessary.

Add 1/16 sheeting to the center of the wing where shown on the plans. Make ailerons from 3/16 balsa sheet and sand them. Sand a “V” shape on their LEs, to provide clearance for movement when hinged. If the ailerons are significantly larger, for 3-D flying, consider building them using the technique I will describe later when I address the tail surfaces.

The easiest way to make tail surfaces is to simply cut them from 3/16 or 1/8 balsa.

The author suggests an excellent tail-surface construction method. The fin and stabilizer are built up using laminated 1/16 balsa. Lightening holes can be cut in the core sheet after assembly, if desired.

Sand them smooth, and sand a “V” shape on the LEs of the elevator and rudder hinged edges. If you want lighter surfaces, an open built-up structure will do the job.

I have a slick way to make a light structure. Check (look down the edges) and buy balsa that is unwarped. Cut pieces of 1/16 balsa to the desired shapes for the fin, stabilizer, rudder, and elevator, with the grain running lengthwise. Make doublers for areas where the control horns and tail wheel tiller will be located.

Make a doubler for the center of the stabilizer that is approximately 1/4 inch wider on each side than the fuselage at that point. Select proper-thickness balsa strips to make the surfaces the thickness that you want. They’re available in most sizes from your favorite hobby shop. If you cut your own, use a balsa stripper to make the pieces the desired width to make LEs and TEs.

With the balsa core on a flat surface, use thin CA to glue the doublers in place. If the edges or tips are curved, sometimes you can use the scrap from cutting the original outline as a doubler, at least on one side.

Cut more strips to make ribs, perpendicular to the core grain, and glue in place with CA. How many ribs do you need? I used two on each side for the 60% Four-Star. Space the ribs evenly and use what looks right; it’s noncritical.

Repeat all the doublers and ribs on the other side (bottom) of the core. The CA hardens the balsa, making a plywoodlike structure, and, under normal atmospheric conditions, the perpendicular wood grains keep it from warping.

Sand the edges to the desired shapes. If a knife edge is desired, install ribs and sand to a taper, but don’t use a doubler on the outer edge. If you want, use a Dremel tool and sanding drum to cut lightening holes in the cores after assembly.

Sand the rudder and elevator LEs to a wedge shape and cut slots for hinges. I use the Great Planes Slot Machine for this, but a knife or purpose-made slot cutter can also do the job.

The Great Planes Slot Machine (top) cuts hinge slots, and the Great Planes Power Planer shapes solid-wood parts. Both are useful for the scratch builder and can cause bodily injury if used improperly. Be careful!

If you want a different-thickness surface, use different-size doublers and ribs, but stay with the 1/16-inch core unless you’re building a much larger aircraft.

Sand all surfaces smooth, and cover the mating surfaces to be hinged with strips of covering material that is roughly 1/4 inch wide. Then cover the rest of the surfaces, overlapping the strips and edges. Install CA-type hinge material and you’re finished.

This building technique can be used for much bigger airplanes too. It makes a lightweight yet strong and rigid structure, and it is almost as quick to build as it is to describe.

Cut and install wing-mounting blocks in the fuselage. Make them large enough to have sufficient wood around the bolt locations, but leave room between them for the aileron control rods and horns.

Install the blocks approximately 11/16-1/8 inch below the aft wing saddle surface.

Cut a piece of dowel rod close to 1 inch long and, chucking it in an electric drill or drill press, sand one end round. A 3/16- inch-diameter dowel will work fine for a small electric airplane; you could enlarge the dowel to 1/4 inch for a glow-powered aircraft. Drill and install the wing retaining dowel in the center of the wing LE, with the rounded end out.

Fit the wing in the saddle and be sure that it properly fits the contour. Adjust the dowel hole as necessary for a good fit.

When you’re satisfied that it’s correct, glue the dowel into the wing. Put the wing in place and align it by measuring from each wingtip to the center of the aft end of the fuselage.

Determine the wing-mounting-bolt locations. With the wing properly aligned, with an equal measurement from each wingtip to the center of the fuselage tail end, drill the bolt holes. I used two 4-40 screws, with flat washers, to hold the wing in place on the little Four-Star. Once the holes are located in the mounting blocks, drill as necessary and install blind nuts.

With the wing installed, fit and sheet the aft fuselage bottom with 11/16 balsa, with the grain crossways.

Use fine sandpaper to smooth all surfaces, corners, edges, and irregularities in the fuselage and wing. Instructions are included with most covering materials, so I’ll address that part in general.

This is what is called the “bones” shot. The exposed wood is ready for final sanding in preparation for covering.

As with the tail, cover the mating hinge surfaces with narrow strips of your favorite iron-on material. Cover the wingtips, with some overlap around the edges, and iron it smooth.

Cover the bottom of the wing, one side at a time, with some material overlapping the edges and roughly 1/2 inch of overlap in the center.

Ensure that every edge is tightly sealed before shrinking the center of the material.

Pulling edges loose can be a problem if you don’t. Trim any excess with a new #11 X-Acto blade.

Cover the top, one side at a time, with some material overlapping the edges and close to ½ inch of overlap in the center.

Trim as necessary and iron down all loose edges. Cover the rest of the ailerons, first on the bottom and then on top.

Cover the bottom surfaces of the fuselage, with some overlap around the edges. Cover the sides and then the top surfaces.

Building leads to finishing. A small model such as the author’s was covered in Solite to save weight. Models with wingspans longer than 40 inches can be covered with MonoKote or UltraCote.

You should have made slots in the balsa for the stabilizer and fin when you cut out the sides of the fuselage. On the miniaturized Four-Star, the stabilizer is installed on a flat surface on top of the fuselage. Trim away the covering material in areas to be mated with the stabilizer.

Horizontally align the stabilizer with the wing by measuring tip to tip. The stabilizer can be held in place with pins or rubber bands while checking alignment.

When you are satisfied, use a felt-tip marker to sketch the outlines of the fuselage edges on the stabilizer. Trim the covering on the stabilizer so that the joint to be glued is wood to wood, with just enough covering overlap to hide the joints.

Vertically align the stabilizer by sighting from aft of the tail and comparing the stabilizer tips with the wing. Trim or shim the fuselage as necessary to get it right. The better the alignment, the less likely your model will be to have weird flying characteristics.

Install the stabilizer using CA or your favorite adhesive. Trim the covering as necessary and install the fin 90° from the surface of the stabilizer. Be sure that the aft fuselage and back of the fin are aligned for rudder hinging.

Commercially made aluminum landing gear is available from most hobby shops, but the chances of finding a set that perfectly fits your airplane are slim. You can fabricate landing gear from .062-inchdiameter sheet aluminum cut out on a band saw with a metal-cutting blade. File and sand the edges smooth, and bend it into shape using a drill press vise.

If the vise jaws are rough, protect the aluminum with scrap sheet metal to keep from marking it. If a buffer is available, polish the aluminum. You can also make landing gear from music wire.

Drill press vises have many applications in aeromodeling. The author made the one shown in a high school shop class, and it has had many years of hard use. Manufactured drill press vises are available for as little as $9.95 at Harbor Freight.

Look for lightweight wheels in a size that looks appropriate. I fly from an asphalt runway, so 1 1/4-inch-diameter wheels work fine. If you fly off of grass, you will probably need to use bigger wheels.

The first two Four-Star replicas I built had open wheels. The most recent version has scratch-built wheel pants.

A variety of hobby shops sell canopies for numerous sizes of models. The ones I used on my aircraft were cut from a World War II 9-inch bubble canopy from Sig.

You could also use plastic soda or water bottles or various product bubble packs as canopies.

From this point forward, assembly is essentially the same as with a kit-built model. Install the motor, ESC, and radio. I’ve used a full-size, full-range Futaba receiver in all three Four-Star replicas I’ve built.

A variety of manufactured and homemade clamps may be used. One-inch-square wood blocks with nails are easy to make and useful for holding structures in place on a building board. Manufactured clamps are available from Harbor Freight and other tool sellers.

My current model has a Rimfire 28-30-950 motor, E-flite 25-amp ESC, Hitec HS-55 servos, and 3S 11.1-volt, 2100 mAh battery. This sized-down Four-Star 40 has an all-up weight of 24 ounces and flies similar to the full-size version. Even moderate winds are no problem.

Start with the CG in the same relative place as on the airplane you used as the source for your design. Shift the battery fore or aft, if possible, to aid balancing before adding weight.

I had to put 1/4 ounce of lead in the tail of my current aircraft. I didn’t have to add weight to the previous versions, but they used lighter batteries and smaller ESCs, and they weighed 20 ounces apiece. When in doubt, go slightly nose-heavy—never-tail-heavy—and your new model will be more likely to survive for a second flight.

Scale down the source airplane’s recommended control surface throws. Use an incidence meter or other method to assure that when the trim is centered, the ailerons are in equal positions at the outboard tips before flying. That will reduce the likelihood of unpleasant surprises on the first takeoff.

Have fun with your new scratch-built model! It will give you much more pride of accomplishment than any ARF.

Once you have completed your first scratch-built airplane, you might want to move on to more elaborate, more original projects. The sky’s the limit!

-Walt Wilson
rallyo@charter.net

Sources:

Sig Manufacturing
(641) 623-5154
www.sigmfg.com

AMA Plans Service
(765) 287-1256, extension 507
www.modelaircraft.org/plans/plans.aspx

Written by Al Clark
Build this fun-to-fly electric sport model
Construction
As seen in the January 2018 issue of Model Aviation.

Editor’s note: In 1982, author Al Clark designed his original glow-powered Terrier. He published it in 1984. Al recently redesigned the popular aircraft as an electric sport model and has provided an extensive feature detailing its construction and complete materials list.

The plans are available as a free download or can be purchased through the AMA Plans Service. The following highlights some of the changes in the Terrier ES, its features, and its flight characteristics.

—Jay Smith

Download free plans!

Full-size plans
Click here for full plans (60 x 36")

Tiled plans
Click here for tiled plans - (30 8.5 x 11" pages)

Three-view
Click here for three-view (8.5 x 11")

Specifications

Wingspan: 58 inches
Wing area: 550 square inches
Weight: 68 ounces
Wing loading: 17.8 ounces per square foot
Power system: .25-size electric motor; 50-amp ESC; 4S 4,500 mAh LiPo battery
Radio system: Four-channel radio and receiver; three servos

Construction

The Terrier ES is a redesign of the glow-powered Terrier model I designed in 1982. The original model was the size of most .40 glow-powered airplanes, but it was lightweight and powered by an O.S. .25 engine. It proved to be an excellent performer. The Terrier was published in Radio Control Modeler magazine in March 1984, and the plans were a best-seller.

At the time, I received many letters and photos from modelers in the US and abroad. I recently discovered that the original Terrier plans have made their way onto the Outerzone Plans website and was pleased to find encouraging comments from modelers who are still building and flying it.

Having designed more than 50 RC models throughout the last 45 years, I can honestly say that the Terrier was the best all-around sport model I ever designed. The new electric-powered Terrier ES (ES for electric sport) is even better!

This shows the tail surfaces with the edges sanded, a bevel sanded into the hinge lines, and CA hinges temporarily installed.

I have built and flown many glow-powered models, but these days, my glow-powered aircraft have been replaced with electric-powered ones. As have many other modelers, I have been won over by the convenience, low noise, and reliability—and the best part is not having to clean the oil off of an airplane after a flying session!

In the past 15 years, I have often thought that an electric-powered Terrier would make a great model, but other projects had priority. After a recent discussion and some encouragement from my brother, Rod, I finally created CAD plans for the Terrier ES.

The Terrier ES’s fuselage was redesigned to accommodate the electric motor, ESC, and LiPo battery pack. This resulted in a change in the firewall location; the addition of a battery mounting shelf; adding a removable hatch on top of the fuselage for battery access; adding air-cooling intake and exit holes in the firewall and fuselage; and a different location for the rudder and elevator servos. Not having an upright-mounted glow engine and muffler meant that I could close off the front of the fuselage and essentially make it into a full cowling for a more scalelike appearance.

The spar webs, LE, and top trailing edge (TE) sheet have been installed. Landing gear mounts will be installed next.

The Terrier ES retains the aerodynamics and overall configuration of the original model. I did not want to make any changes that would upset its excellent flying characteristics. The motor thrustline, wing, and tail are all set at 0°, which helps ensure that its inverted flying characteristics are similar to upright flight.

As did the original, the Terrier ES uses a modified NACA 2415 airfoil, which is the primary reason for its excellent performance. The modified airfoil reduced the leading edge (LE) radius by 40% then recontour the first 15% of the top and bottom surfaces. This modification resulted in providing cleaner snap rolls and spins. Entries are relaxed and the maneuvers are easily stopped when the transmitter sticks are released.

Even with this modification, the airfoil still exhibits outstanding low-speed stall characteristics. This airfoil has a smooth lift-to-drag curve, which provides predictable handling. Combining the modified NACA 2415 airfoil with a relatively high aspect ratio 6:1 wing results in excellent climb and glide performance. Only a little down-elevator is required to fly inverted, and outside maneuvers are easily accomplished.

The lower D-tube sheeting has been removed above the slot in the landing gear mount. A little extra sheeting was removed at the outer end of the slot to accommodate the forward sweep and torsional movement of the landing gear. The 1/16-inch diameter screw holes have been drilled for the landing gear strap.

In addition to the airfoil selection, the wing’s strip ailerons do not extend all the way to the wingtips, so when an aileron is deflected downward, the outer portion of the wing stays at neutral. It has a washout effect, helping avoid tip stall.

The E-flite Power 25 870 Kv outrunner motor I am using has slightly more power than the old O.S. .25 glow engine did, and with the APC 11 x 5.5 propeller, it makes the Terrier ES an even better performer. If desired, the model is now capable of a vertical climb.

Takeoff runs can be extremely short and triple snap rolls are accomplished with no problem. The instant response and acceleration of the electric motor is a pleasant improvement over the old glow motor. Using a 4S 4,500 mAh 35C LiPo battery provides 8- to 10-minute flights, and the battery is barely warm at the end of a flight.

The inboard TE stock with the installed aileron torque rod has been glued to the wing. Make sure that the TE stock is aligned with the airfoil shape when gluing. The slot allows torque rod movement. Refer to the plans and pay particular attention to the angles and position of the ends of the torque rod wire when bending, and don’t forget to slide the brass tube bearing on before completing the bending!

The Terrier ES is an easy model to fly and has no bad habits. If you can fly a trainer you will be right at home flying the Terrier ES. However, unlike the trainer you learned on, the Terrier ES is fully aerobatic and has plenty of power. If you get tired of full-bore aerobatics, you can throttle back and have a great time slowly flying around at half throttle.

With its wide landing gear, the ground handling is better than most tail-draggers, as well as most tricycle gear models. Both wheel landings and three-point landings are easily accomplished. Touch-and-gos are easy to do and great fun. On takeoff, simply use gentle rudder input to steer, and on steep climbout, remember to use a bit of right rudder.

The Terrier ES can perform the usual loops, rolls, spins, snap rolls, and Hammerheads with ease. With a little practice on your piloting technique, you will be doing four-point rolls, tailslides, double and triple snap rolls, snaps on top of loops, square loops, and other fun maneuvers.

The wing is centered on the fuselage and squared using a string to measure from the wingtips to the back end of the fuselage. The wing is then taped down at the front. Use the hole in former F2A as a guide to drill a 1/4-inch hole into the wing for the hold-down dowel.

Because of the Terrier ES’s relatively low flying speed, you will be able to do all of these maneuvers in front of yourself! You will also be pleased to discover that the Terrier ES is equally adept at outside maneuvers such as outside loops, outside snap rolls, and inverted spins. A slip is a difficult maneuver for many models to perform, but is easily done by applying full rudder and the appropriate amount of opposite aileron. If you are high on final approach, extra altitude can quickly be lost doing this fun maneuver.

The lightweight Terrier ES is extremely robust. It is simple and easy to build, doesn’t require much wood, and needs no composites. It uses standard film coverings such as UltraCote (what I used on mine), and because it’s electric, no fuelproofing is required in the firewall area or anywhere else.

It is an economical model to build because it uses a simple radio system—only three analog servos and a four-channel receiver, and a relatively inexpensive E-flite Power 25 motor and Hitec Energy Sport 50-amp ESC. It is easy to transport fully assembled in most cars. It goes into my little Honda Fit with no trouble, but the wing is easy to remove, if needed, to fit into any size vehicle.

This shows a front view of the fuselage before the 1/8-inch balsa front and 1/8-inch balsa top sheeting have been installed. The upper curved piece of 3/8-inch balsa has the back sanded off so that its cross-section is triangular (refer to the side view on the plans). Also visible are the lower 3/4-inch triangular piece and the 3/8-inch triangular pieces on the left and right sides.

Flight Characteristics

Choose a day with light wind, preferably down the runway, for your first flight. Taxi out, get pointed straight, and smoothly advance the throttle to full throttle. Use the rudder as needed to maintain runway heading. You will find that the Terrier ES gets into the air quickly at full throttle.

Climb to roughly 200 feet and set the trims for straight-and-level flight. Throttle back if you feel you are flying too fast. After you get a feel for the model, you will find it is easy to control while still being quite responsive.

This is a top view of the fuselage before turtledeck formers T6 and T7 and the stringers have been added. Crosspieces at the T6 and T7 positions, turtledeck former T8, diagonal braces, and the stabilizer doublers are shown. Barely visible are the edges of the two cooling-air exit holes in the bottom fuselage sheeting.

Go to half throttle and perform a few stalls. You will find the stall recovery to be quick and easy with the addition of a bit of power. If you feel like doing some relaxed flying, you will find that the Terrier ES flies well at reduced throttle settings. You will also discover that scalelike takeoffs can be made at less than full throttle, and these are fun to do.

Landings are easy, but on your first landing approach, you will probably be surprised at how well the Terrier ES glides. You might have to do a couple of go-arounds and start your approach farther out than you are used to with other models. After you get some experience with the model, you will find that it slips well, and you can easily bleed off excess altitude with a slip if you are high on final approach.

The radio installation shows the rudder and elevator servos on spruce rails. The receiver is held in place to the left fuselage side with Velcro, and a soda straw is installed as an antenna holder.

The Terrier ES lands at a relatively slow speed—probably lower than you are used to. If you try to force it onto the ground, it will just take off again! Wheel landings are easy and work perfectly for touch-and-gos. Slow it slightly more and it makes perfect three-point landings. As with any tail-dragger, always hold full up-elevator while taxiing (unless you are taxiing downwind on a windy day, in which case you would use down-elevator). With the wide-spaced landing gear, the Terrier ES is nearly impossible to tip up on a wingtip while taxiing.

Snap rolls are best performed using ailerons, rudder, and elevator, although they can be done using just rudder and elevator. At full throttle, you will be able to do triple snap rolls. Outside snap rolls are as easy to do as inside snap rolls. Spins look best using low throttle, rudder, and elevator only. Consecutive inside and outside loops are easy.

The battery hatch has been removed, showing the 4S 4,500 mAh 35C LiPo battery with a Velcro strap. This size battery is good for 8 to 10 minutes of spirited flying. It can be moved fore and aft as needed to attain the correct balance. The hatch is held down using magnets and a dowel pin.

Inverted flight requires only a little down-elevator, and the Terrier ES flies well inverted at lower throttle settings. Just remember that the inverted stall speed is slightly higher than the upright stall speed. As already mentioned at the start of this article, many other maneuvers can be done and will add to the fun of flying the Terrier ES.

The Terrier ES is economical to build, easy to transport, easy to fly, and extremely aerobatic. After 46 years of flying nearly 200 RC models, the Terrier is my all-time favorite all-around model. I’m confident you will enjoy yours as much as I do mine!

The author on a cool spring day with the Terrier ES, which is ready to fly.

—Al Clark
hotdogx@knology.net

Sources:

Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com

Hitec RCD
(858) 748-6948
www.hitecrcd.com

Written by Rachelle Haughn
Several tools rolled into one
Product review
As seen in the January 2018 issue of Model Aviation.

Bonus Video

Have you ever purchased a short kit or ordered precut balsawood? If so, did you find yourself constantly checking your email for shipping updates or impatiently waiting for a big brown truck to pull into your driveway? You likely have thought to yourself, “I could have cut the parts quicker than they shipped.” Well, now you can!

The Stepcraft-2/420 Desktop CNC System allows you to cut parts for your aircraft from the comfort of your home or workshop. It’s available in several sizes to fit modelers’ needs. Not only can it cut balsa, but with the right attachments it’s capable of cutting metals, carbon fiber, a variety of wood, and plastic. It can perform tasks such as milling, 3-D printing, engraving, laser engraving, routing, woodworking, carving, hot-wire cutting, and wood burning. It can also be used for scrapbooking.

The Stepcraft-2/420 has a small footprint and would easily fit on a desk or workbench. It is also available in smaller and larger sizes.

The Stepcraft-2/420 measures 213/4 x 171/2 inches, with a 161/2 x 11.8-inch work surface. It currently retails for $1,499, plus shipping. The other available models are the Stepcraft-1/210, which is the smallest, the 2/300, the 2/600, and the largest is the 2/840, which would be useful for woodworking, large hobby model projects, and large craft projects. The kit versions of these range in price from $999 to $1,999. All are also available in ready-to-run versions, with additional costs for assembly and shipping.

The review model was sent as a kit. According to Don Sanqunetti, a volunteer at the National Model Aviation Museum, in Muncie, Indiana, who put the kit together, all of the screws and each piece came carefully and neatly packed in Styrofoam. Nothing came preassembled in the kit, which contains more than 100 parts (most are screws) and grease. A rotary tool was included with the review model, and spindles are available for an additional cost.

All of the pieces needed to build the Stepcraft come neatly and securely packaged. The Stepcraft Desktop CNC System can also be purchased prebuilt.

The first thing that Don did after opening the box was to clear off his workbench and spread the parts on a mat, as instructed in the 56-page manual. When he flipped through the full-color instruction book, he noticed that the steps were clearly laid out with diagrams. “Some people compare [these instructions] to a Lego construction set because everything is very well instructed and labeled,” Don commented. “But I’m older than that—I grew up with Erector sets in the ’50s.”

The kit does not provide the tools needed to assemble the Stepcraft. These include several sizes of Allen wrenches, a slotted-head screwdriver, long-nose pliers, a cutting tool, box wrenches in four sizes, superglue, a measuring tool, and multipurpose oil.

Listed with each step are the required parts for that step. There are no written, step-by-step instructions, which Don didn’t find problematic. For those who need more explanation, several helpful free videos are available on Stepcraft’s YouTube channel. Builders can also find videos for each step at www.stepcraftsupport.com/assemblycourse.

According to Stepcraft’s website, the average assembly time is 6 to 8 hours, with an additional 1 or 2 hours needed for final adjustments. Don, who has been building model aircraft kits for most of his life and has experience with CNC machining, said he worked on the project for roughly 16 hours over the course of four days. He added that the kit was fun to build.

During the build, Don had one point of confusion. He found that a drawing of the end switch bracket didn’t match up with the actual part sent with the kit, but later noticed that there was a note next to the drawing stating that the part shape had changed.

UCCNC software is included with every Stepcraft CNC machine.

After the machine was put together, it was time for Don to start cutting. The Stepcraft-2/420 comes with the UCCNC software to control the machine. The software comes on a disk and uses a G-code to communicate with the printer. If you lose or break the disk, the software can be downloaded from the company’s website.

If you purchase a Stepcraft in the US, Canada, or Mexico, it comes with a card for a free year of Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD/CAM software.

Also included is a parallel-to-USB interface for the Stepcraft, which allows you to connect it to a computer via a USB cable. The included cable must be plugged in for the Stepcraft to function. All commands to the Stepcraft are made by clicking on an icon in the computer software. The machine has no buttons, except for an emergency stop knob.

The Stepcraft is entirely controlled by computer software that comes with it. This emergency stop knob is the only control that is on the machine.

AMA was provided a copy of VCarve V9 Pro software, which retails for $699 on the Vectric website, to use with the review model. Don used it to cut out balsa wing ribs. When the machine cut out the ribs, it left small tabs on each side that needed to be cut with a hobby knife to free the parts from the material.

Before they were cut, the wing ribs were scanned into VCarve Pro. Design software to use with the Stepcraft-2/420 Desktop CNC System is available separately.

“It did what we wanted it to do,” said Greg Prater, AMA Plans Service coordinator, who helped Don operate the machine. “It works better as a router than I thought it would.”

“It takes a while to learn [how to use it],” Don added.

“I would give it a fairly steep learning curve, but it’s doable,” Greg stated.

When using the machine, the included cross clamps with bolts fit into slots in the frame to secure wood and other materials and prevent them from shifting during cutting. The bolts can easily be adjusted to secure materials up to 1/2 inch thick. The cutting area is a white Formica hardboard table and Stepcraft suggests that you put some type of waste board under the material that you are cutting to prevent damaging the Formica.

The Stepcraft can cut at a maximum speed of 50mm per second/107 inches per minute. If you choose to purchase the 3-D printing option, it can print objects at a maximum height of 4.72 inches.

In addition to a variety of wood, the machine can quickly cut though many types of materials, including metal, carbon fiber, and plastic.

If you wish to cut more than basic wood, there are four optional packages available that range from $1,799 to $4,499. Several accessories, tools, and bits are available through the Stepcraft website for an additional cost, giving Stepcraft Desktop CNC System owners endless options for projects. The attachments can quickly and easily be interchanged.

Don said that one of the options he would like to have is a dust collection system and that it would be nice to have the ability to make signs, plaques, and the AMA emblem.

The museum plans to use the Stepcraft for restoration projects and to create replicas of model aircraft that are no longer in existence, Greg said.

These wing ribs, cut by the Stepcraft, will be used to build a 1/2-scale de Havilland D.H.2.

“It will open some doors for us in terms of cutting formers, wing ribs, etc., as we look at building reproductions of historic aircraft or building exhibits. More tools means increased capabilities,” said Michael Smith, who is the National Model Aviation Museum director. “It will be a wonderful asset to the museum’s [workshop].”

If you are ready to get building sooner rather than later, consider giving the Stepcraft Desktop CNC System a try.

—Rachelle Haughn
rachelleh@modelaircraft.org

Manufacturer/Distributor:

Stepcraft
(203) 556-1856
info@stepcraft.us
stepcraft.us

Sources:

Vectric Ltd.
info@vectric.com
www.vectric.com

National Model Aviation Museum
www.modelaircraft.org/museum/museum.aspx

Written by Jim Tiller
AMA News
Column
As seen in the January 2018 issue of Model Aviation.

Happy New Year! May 2018 bring you great flying and great flying weather.

Lora Knowlton of the Jefco Aeromod’lers sent this report about the recent Hobby Expo in Denver.

The innaugural Rocky Mountain Hobby Expo took place at the Denver Merchandise Mart on October 28-29, 2017. The event, presented in partnership with the Hobby Manufacturers Association and the AMA, was a combined consumer/trade show covering all categories of the hobby industry.

The event’s mission was twofold—first to promote and educate people about family-oriented hobbies by providing information and inspiration to new/existing hobbyists, and second, to provide a cost-effective medium for manufacturers to reach retailers and consumers at a single event.

Jefco Aeromod’lers President Pete Thompson helps a youngster at the Hobby Expo make-and-take area.

There was much to see and do. There were RC vehicles, drones, model trains, RC airplanes, helicopters, boats, slot cars, scale model kits, rockets, Legos, table-top gaming, dolls, dollhouses and miniatures, beads, and scrapbooking.

The Jefco Aeromod’lers RC club helped to coordinate the AMA Make ’n Take Balsa Airplane area. Nothing is more rewarding that helping kids assemble a balsa airplane, then watching smiles evolve on their faces when the airplane flies!

Colorado Associate Vice President (AVP) Rick McCaskill also volunteered his time staffing the AMA booth.

Lora Knowlton and District IX AVP Rick McCaskill staffed the AMA booth at the Denver Hobby Expo.

Nebraska AVP Tyler Brown sent notes on the first District IX leadership meeting of the season in Brookings, South Dakota. Look for one of these meetings in your area this winter.

Because I am new to the AVP business, this was my first experience with a leadership meeting, but I had great help from South Dakota AVP Arend Schuurman and North Dakota AVP Brandon Koch. To add to it, our host, Arend, came up with an excuse for not attending—a “sinus infection” that turned serious and culminated into a three-day visit to the hospital, which ended his chances of attending his own hometown meeting.

Individuals brought up questions and issues affecting them. This allowed us to be specific with our answers and move quickly through the ones that everyone understood. This was my favorite part of the meeting!

Not only did this allow Brandon and me to relax as far as simply speaking, but this brought the people in attendance together as a group and allowed us to focus on the right material.

Some of the discussion focused questions on what AMA insurance covers and the types of club support AMA offers. Most of the questions affected nearly every club. How do we hold interest or attention from our youth today? What can we do as a club to gather interest and keep our clubs going strong in membership? As a club, what can we do to not lose ground or be forced out of our areas to fly? What does AMA do to help new clubs?

Although not all questions have definite answers, this did allow Brandon and me to make suggestions and get a real feel for where the problems and hearts of the local clubs are.

What I found most encouraging was seeing the leaders of clubs come together and resolve some of their own questions. I was thankful to meet all of them, share what knowledge I had, and take some newfound knowledge with me as we left. I leave you all with the same question I posed for all who attended. Legacy or legend: what would you prefer to leave when you’re gone?

Josh Nelson, Wyoming AVP, was interviewed in the November AMA Air about the Take off And Grow (TAG) grant that two Casper, Wyoming, clubs shared in 2017. See it at www.youtube.com. I strongly encourage your club to apply for a 2018 TAG grant. The application is on the AMA website and is due by February 1.

-Jim Tiller
jtiller@hotmail.com

Written by Joe Hass
An affordable Golden Age classic
Product review
As seen in the January 2018 issue of Model Aviation.

Bonus Video

Specifications

Model type: Semiscale ARF
Skill level: Intermediate
Wingspan: 53 inches
Wing area: 424 square inches
Length: 40 inches
Weight: 66 ounces
Power system:RimFire .32 brushless motor; 75-amp ESC; 3S 3,200 mAh or larger LiPo battery recommended
Radio: Minimum four-channel recommended
Construction: Balsa and plywood
Covering/finish: Iron-on covering
Price: $139.99

Pluses

• Beautiful presentation on the ground and in the air.
• Great fiberglass work.
• Scalelike flight envelope at moderate power settings.
• Can be easily enhanced to be more scalelike.

Minus

• Assembly sequence.

Product Review

One of my all-time favorite airplanes is the Ryan STA. Whether in brightly polished metal or in the white, red, and black color scheme of this Tower Hobbies ARF, the STA wonderfully represents the Golden Age of aviation. I jumped at the chance to review this beauty.

This 53-inch semiscale model arrived well protected, with multiple plastic bags enclosing the major components. A partition holds the smaller parts and supports the fuselage. The fiberglass parts are beautifully finished with matching colors.

All of the hardware is included and pairs perfectly with the RimFire .32 motor and the Flight Power 3S LiPo battery that drives an APC 13 X 8 electric propeller. I used a new Tactic TTX660 transmitter, Tactic TR624 receiver, and Tactic TSX25 digital servos.

The covering only required minimal tightening. The 24-page manual is filled with great pictures and assembly details. There are multiple ways to make the STA your own with simple enhancements. I’ll have more on
that later.

Assembly

Assembly begins with installing the aileron servos. The servos are mounted to a hatch on the bottom of each wing. The ailerons are prehinged so adding the horns and pushrods completes this phase. After following the build sequence in the manual, I would consider installing the landing gear before joining the wing halves together. There is a lot of small hardware and it is easier to deal with the smaller wing halves.

Locate and separate the two 2 x 12mm bolts used to hold the elevator horn in place so that they don’t inadvertently get installed on the landing gear. Although the instructions call for removing the covering from the slots, that work was already completed on my review kit.

The robust landing gear is held in place with straps. I recommend a gentle twist of the axle to add a little toe-in of the main wheels. The beautiful wheel pants are actually two fiberglass pieces that aid in assembly and provide some flexibility. The upper gear cover is held in place with two screws.

Two-piece fiberglass wheel pants enhance the scale looks.

Although the instructions indicate that the holes you drill should be centered, I found it easier to offset them slightly to allow for easier access. You could also consider holding these upper covers in place with a few drops of Foam-Tac or silicone adhesive. The lower gear cover is retained by multiple straps. It is easier to drill the holes while the covers are off of the wing.

Make sure that the wheels spin freely before each flight because the lower covers are meant to move. One of the first enhancements I made was to paint the spokes in the wheels before completing the landing gear installation. The wing’s leading edge is retained in the fuselage with nylon pins. One by-product of using nylon pins is that they slide effortlessly into the fuselage.

When moving on to the fuselage, first check the cowl’s fit and assembly. It is a slick arrangement, sliding on and aligning easily. The cowl is retained by a magnet. To reduce hangar rash, I prefer to install the heavy hardware in the fuselage before adding the tail feathers. That means first installing the servos, motor, and ESC. The Tactic servos required me to slightly enlarge the opening in the servo tray. The instructions supplied the servo arm dimensions.

The RimFire .32 motor is a direct fit. The pictures in the manual call for the propeller adapter to be installed on the motor when it is mounted. On my aircraft, even with the propeller adapter aligned as indicated in the manual, the cowl could not be easily installed.

The RimFire .32 is the recommended motor and mounts easily to the motor box.

There was some extra material in the opening for the propeller adapter. You can either remove the extra material or install the propeller adapter after the cowl is snapped in place as I did.

Insert the elevator joiner then the horizontal stabilizer. After checking the horizontal stabilizer’s alignment, the fit was so tight that I elected to fasten it with foam-safe CA glue. Foam-safe CA doesn’t leave any residue on the covering or on the vertical stabilizer.

I temporarily installed the elevator halves to determine the proper location of the elevator horn. Removing the elevator, I drilled the holes and mounted the horn before permanently installing the elevator halves, again using foam-safe CA glue on the hinges.

Another enhancement was adding Fourmost Products 3/16-inch cockpit coaming to create a clean line around the cockpit and replicate an older aircraft. Thin, foam-safe CA held the coaming in place. The instrument panel sticker looked great on the sheet, but when I went to apply it, I found that it was a black sticker on black wood. I instead applied the instrument panel sticker to a piece of white paper then used Formula 560 adhesive to attach the paper to the cockpit.

Carefully look at the canopy and the lower frame sticker (the curved white one with the rivets), comparing the width of the sticker with the width of the lower edge of the canopy. Trim and sand the lower edge of the canopy so that the width of the lower edge matches the width of the sticker. Attach the canopy with Formula 560 adhesive.

Beautiful aircraft such as the Ryan STA need an age-appropriate pilot. I found one in my extra goodies—he even had a silk scarf. I built up a floor to get the figure in the right position and a few drops of epoxy secured it in place.

I used Formula 560 adhesive to secure the turtledeck and belly pan and allow time for alignment, and so that I could easily remove any extra glue. Formula 560 requires plenty of time for drying. The holes in the belly pan needed to be enlarged to allow the nylon wing bolts to be removed. With the wing mounted, check to make sure that the bolts don’t interfere with the elevator and rudder pushrods.

The Tactic TTX660 radio made setting the control throws easy. Whenever possible, I use separate channels for each aileron in case I need to add some aileron differential. I prefer more up-elevator than recommended to help keep the tail on the ground while taxiing. Always relink your radio after all of the controls have been set up. I used the radio’s throttle-cut feature as an external arming switch.

Another area that can be enhanced is the propeller. Although I painted mine silver-gray, you can have some fun replicating a wooden propeller as well. It will make your Ryan unique. The spinner includes a washer that has been turned down to fit inside.

The cowl comes alive with rivet detail. It is easy to apply the rivets on the aircraft. I found it helpful to cut the strips longer than needed to give me somewhere to hold onto while positioning the stickers. I prefer using a scalpel blade to trim the stickers, but a single-edge blade or a new #11 blade will also work.

Flight

With all of the equipment installed, a check of the center of gravity (CG) found it in mid-range. It was time for some ground photos and taxi tests.

There was no tendency to tip over on a paved surface and the rudder response was fine. The first flight was from a paved surface, and occurred before I put in the toe-in on the main gear. It was squirrely and I definitely switched to low rates on the rudder for takeoff from a paved surface.

The flight response was excellent although it seemed slightly nose-heavy. On a paved surface, throttle management is key for taking off and landing. Don’t jam the throttle to full on takeoff. For landings, simply fly the aircraft right to the surface, cutting the power before the wheels touch.

All of the basic maneuvers are easy. There is plenty of power for scalelike loops, rolls, etc. Even inverted flight only required a bit of down-elevator. Coordinated rudder helps in all areas of flight.

With the first flight and a set of flying photos in the can, it was time to fly off of grass. I had added some toe-in on the main gears for this flight, increased the up-elevator to aid in taxiing in the grass, reduced exponential on the ailerons to -20% (it was set at -25%, as were the rest of the controls), and moved the battery back so that it was centered in the hatch opening.

The battery is easily accessed with a removable hatch in front of the cockpit.

The takeoff run was smooth as I worked the elevator and throttle. The flight performance was improved with the more rearward CG. After more photos, it was time for the first landing on grass. I again carried power to just above the grass and then gently applied a bit of up-elevator to flair. There was never any tendency to tip over during the rollout. I was even able to taxi back. Fantastic!

My thanks to my son, Chris Hass, and to John Hakala, for their help during the initial flights and photos.

Conclusion

The Ryan STA is a beautiful aircraft that presents well on the ground and in the air. At moderate throttle, it flies in a scalelike fashion. The recommended power system gives it plenty of power for anything you would like it to do. It can be easily flown off of grass or pavement and is small enough to remain in one piece in nearly any vehicle.

You should add the Tower Hobbies Ryan STA EP to your aircraft fleet.

The completed Tower Hobbies Ryan STA looks nice. The only thing missing from this version are the wing struts found on the full-scale aircraft.

—Joe Hass
joehass@gmail.com

Manufacturer/Distributor:

Tower Hobbies
(800) 637-4989
www.towerhobbies.com

Sources:

Tactic
(217) 398-8970
www.tacticrc.com

ElectriFly
(217) 398-8970
www.electrifly.com

Fourmost Products
www.fourmostproducts.com

Written by Andrew Griffith
A purpose-built electric aerobat
Product review
As seen in the January 2018 issue of Model Aviation.

Bonus Video

Specifications

Model type: 3-D and precision aerobat
Skill level: Intermediate
Wingspan: 60 inches
Wing area: 655 square inches
Wing loading: 20-24 ounces per square foot
Airfoil: Symmetrical
Length: 57 inches
Weight: 5.5 to 6.5 pounds
Power system: 60-size electric
Radio: Full-range, four-channel minimum; five-channel recommended
Construction: Built-up balsa and light plywood
Covering/finish: UltraCote and paint
Price: $279.99

Test-Model Details

Motor used: PAU 6S 540 Kv brushless motor
ESC: Castle Creations Talon 90
Propeller: Xoar 15 x 8
Flight battery: Venom Fly 3,600 mAh 50C LiPo
Radio system: Spektrum DX18G2 transmitter; Spektrum AR6600T receiver; four MKS HV747 servos
Ready-to-fly weight: 6 pounds, 2 ounces
Wing loading: 21.5 ounces per square foot
Flight duration: 5 minutes

Pluses

• Highly aerobatic and flies bigger than its size.
• Excellent color scheme with good contrast.
• Performs 3-D and precision maneuvers well.
• Large hatch for easy access to change flight batteries.
• Better scale outline than many Extra models.

Product Review

Designed by Walter Extra for international aerobatic competition, the Extra 300 series of aircraft has been successful in full-scale competition and is a favorite of air show performers worldwide.
With this proven design, it is no surprise that numerous models of the Extra have been favorites of RC modelers and aerobatic pilots.

Models of the Extra come in all shapes and sizes—from ultra micro to Giant Scale gas. Although I enjoy the size and performance of large gas airplanes, I have come to appreciate the many things that 60-size electrics bring to the table.

Performance Aircraft Unlimited (PAU) has manufactured large-scale gas airplanes from 30cc to 200cc for nearly 11 years. For the last several years the company has had sponsored pilots who have finished on the podium at several major aerobatics competitions. Gabriel Altuz and David Moser finished first and third respectively in the 2015 Extreme Flight Championship; Kal Reifsnyder won the Freestyle portion at the Clover Creek Invitational; and Gabriel won the Tucson Aerobatic Shootout, all while flying PAU aircraft. These airplanes are designed to compete and win.

Herve Lejeune, owner of PAU, wanted to enter the ever-growing electric market, so the company scaled down its popular Extra 300SP design and released it as a 60-size electric. It’s a proven fact that if you want to fly better, you need to fly more, and 60-size electric aerobatic airplanes are a great way to get several flights in.

The biggest advantage is that you can transport them in almost any vehicle. Setup and breakdown at the field take a minute or two, and it’s easy to keep one in the truck for a couple of flights no matter what else I plan to fly that day.

I love my big gassers, but if I want to go to the field for a couple of hours and get several flights in, I can take one of my 60-size electric airplanes and a charger and not have to fool with hitching up
my trailer.

The 60-size electric Extra 300SP is built from balsa and light plywood and covered in genuine UltraCote. The color scheme is attractive, with good contrast between the top and bottom. A fiberglass cowl and wheel pants are provided and painted to match the color scheme. A carbon-fiber wing tube and landing gear provide strength while keeping things lightweight.

Overall, everything appeared to be built well and the covering was excellent—requiring merely a few minutes with an iron to tack down some edges and tighten a couple of spots. A complete hardware kit is included, and the quality of the hardware is appropriate for the aircraft’s size. A large hatch that includes a clear canopy offers easy battery access.

Construction

Having received one of the first kits, mine arrived before the instruction manual was complete. The good news is that there aren’t that many parts and the assembly sequence is straightforward. An online manual in PDF format is available on the company’s website.

Years of experience with mid-wing aerobatic aircraft have shown me that setting the center of gravity (CG) on the wing tube is a safe starting point. I’ve done this long enough that I can eyeball control throws and adjust them to suit me after flying an aircraft a couple of times.

I decided to assemble the Extra using ZAP thin and medium CA adhesive, along with Pacer Z-Poxy 15- and 30-minute formulas where required. All of the metal fasteners were secured with Z-42 threadlocker. Each of these products is available from Frank Tiano Enterprises.

I laid out the parts, decided on a logical assembly sequence, and elected to start with the wings. The MKS servos fit the cutouts perfectly. Pilot holes were drilled and RTL Fasteners servo screws were used to prethread the servo mounting screw holes. The threads were hardened with a drop of thin ZAP CA glue, servo wires were fished through, and the servos were installed.

The MKS-747 HV servos, when coupled with running the Castle Creations Talon 90’s BEC in 8-volt mode, provide plenty of torque and zip to the control surfaces, and the beveled edges combine for extreme 3-D capability.

A ventilation hole is provided so that cooling air for the motor and ESC passes smoothly over the components and out the bottom of the airplane.

The ailerons use CA hinges, and the slots for the hinges are precut and line up where they should. The hinges were installed using thin ZAP adhesive.

PAU provided G-10 fiberglass control horns, which were prepared by scuff sanding the shine off the gluing areas and securing them with 15-minute Z-Poxy. Because the installation is identical, I prepared and installed all four of the control horns at the same time. Instead of Z-bends or clevises, all of the pushrods on the Extra feature ball links on the servo arm and control horn. When combined with the stiff G-10 control horns, these make for a precise and slop-free control system.

The tail was assembled next. The servos were mounted as previously detailed. The elevators were inserted in the fuselage slot and rotated into position. The elevator surfaces appear to be approximately 65% of the total
horizontal area so 3-D flight won’t be a problem! The horizontal stabilizer is dry fitted and aligned with the wing.

Measurements were taken from wingtip to stabilizer tip on each side and the stabilizer was adjusted until it was square. Many kits that I have assembled require either sanding the saddle or shimming the stabilizer, but the PAU Extra 300SP’s horizontal stabilizer was precisely aligned with the wing when looking from 5 feet behind the model. The stabilizer was marked and glued in place with 15-minute Z-Poxy and the elevators were hinged using the provided CA hinges.

While the glue was drying on the stabilizer, the tail wheel wire was scuffed with 80-grit sandpaper and glued into the rudder. The rudder was hinged using CA hinges and thin Zap CA, and the ball link pushrods were sized and installed for the elevator and rudder.

The carbon-fiber landing gear was bolted to the fuselage with the provided hardware and each bolt received a drop of Z-42 threadlocker. The wheel pants are held in place by the axle nut, and a small Phillips screw prevents them from rotating.

I elected to use a PAU motor that is sold with the Extra. It’s a 540 Kv .60-size motor that is manufactured by Scorpion. The motor bolted right on and was connected to a Castle Creations Talon 90 ESC.

Made by Scorpion for PAU, the 540 Kv 6S motor is a perfect match for the Extra because it mounts right up and has plenty of power.

The Talon has a built-in BEC capable of supplying 20 amps to the radio system and servos. Because the MKS servos are high voltage, I used a Castle Link to configure the BEC to deliver 8 volts to the servos. The ESC is attached to the bottom of the motor mount and the receiver is mounted on the flat structure under the canopy.

The fiberglass cowl is stout without being heavy and the paint nicely matches the UltraCote. The cowl mounts with four small screws, and with the spinner backplate installed, it was fitted and taped into place. I was pleased to see after the holes were drilled and the screws were installed that not only did the spinner line up on the cowl, but all of the trim aligned as well.

The AR6600T receiver was mounted and bound to my DX-18, and Taildragger RC heavy-duty extensions were used to complete the servo installation. High rates were set for full throw, 70% mid-rate, and low rates were set to 40%.

The AR6600 Spektrum receiver, combined with the author’s DX18 radio, offers integrated telemetry. The Venom 50c battery provided plenty of punch for 3-D flight and consistent power for larger International Miniature Aerobatic Club-style aerobatics.

Exponential is largely a function of pilot preference, but mine was set at 45/35/30 respectively. I’ll adjust individual throws, rates, and exponential settings as I get a feel for the Extra and dial it in.

Flying

The PAU Extra 300SP can be transported in nearly any vehicle. Assembly at the field consists of sliding the wings onto the wing tube, plugging in two aileron extensions, and installing one M2.5 bolt on the retaining tab on each wing. The canopy/hatch has a quick-release latch that exposes a roomy compartment where you can install a flight battery with plenty of room to adjust the battery position and attain the proper CG. I started with my CG at the center of the wing tube.

You have some leeway in battery choices. I flew the Extra with a LiPo battery weighing as little as a 6S 3,600 mAh to as heavy as a 6S 5,000 mAh battery. A 4,000 to 4,200 mAh LiPo battery pack would probably be the perfect blend of weight and flight time.

With a 50C Venom LiPo battery pack installed, I ran a test with a wattmeter on a fully charged battery. The power system pulled 75 amps and produced a shade more than 1,500 watts, giving a power loading in the 250-watts-per-pound range. That’s plenty for spirited performance!

While taxiing, the Extra tracked nice and straight, but it wanted to fly, so I held full up-elevator to keep some pressure on the tail wheel. On the paved runway, I slowly advanced the power and the tail came up almost immediately. It was flying in 15 feet. Some right rudder was needed to keep the takeoff run straight, but I used little because the large surface area of the rudder and fin quickly became effective.

After a couple of clicks of elevator trim and a click of right aileron, I had the Extra flying straight and level hands off. Even in low rate, the controls were responsive, and in high rate the roll rate was slightly faster than a drill bit. At the center of the wing tube, the Extra is slightly nose-heavy, which is suitable for flying precision. Pilots who want to fly all-out 3-D will probably want to bump it back more.

I spent a few battery packs working on precision aerobatics to get a feel for the response and personality of the Extra, keeping the rates in low and mid-rates. The recommended motor/ESC combination produces plenty of power so long, smooth uplines were performed with authority. Rolls are nearly axial and slow rolls look great with a little rudder and elevator correction.

Point-roll stops are crisp, and snaps are clean and stop immediately when the controls are released, with no signs of over-rotating. Knife-edge pulls to the wheels slightly and is easily corrected in flight or can be mixed out with roughly 4% up-elevator.

When I was comfortable, it was time for a little fun. The next battery packs were spent trying rolling harriers, flat and inverted spins, knife-edge spins, and blenders. A hint of wing rock was present when the Extra was flown post stall, but it was easily countered with some aileron. Hovering is done at roughly half stick. Full throttle will snatch the Extra out of a hover with gusto.

With the CG in the recommended location, hovering and torque rolls are easy to enter and maintain.

The large surfaces have plenty of control authority, and after you hit the sweet spot, it will spin like a top in a torque roll. After a couple of tries to get my timing right, I had the Extra doing pop tops with three or four flat rotations at the top. Fun!

I used low rates for landing and the light wing loading allowed the Extra to touch down gracefully at a slow speed. You can land the Extra on the main wheels with a little power or flare and do three-point landings all day long.

The Extra came with Side Force Generators (SFGs) and I tried a few flights with them installed after the photos were taken. The SFGs eliminate any rock in harriers and allow the Extra to come straight down with full up-elevator and a few ticks of throttle. The SFGs slow the roll rate, but there’s more than enough throw for the aircraft to roll quickly—even with the SFGs installed.

Conclusion

Another model of an Extra? No way! The Extra 300SP’s compact size makes it easy to store and transport.

In the air, it flies larger than its 60-inch size, drawing nice smooth lines and precise aerobatics. Slide the battery back slightly and flip the switch to crank up the rates to 3-D throws. It will snap, spin, blender, and fly post-stall with the best of them.

—Andrew Griffith
andy@customcutgraphix.com

Manufacturer/Distriubutor:

PAU
(808) 782-7171
www.flypau.com

Sources:

Spektrum
(800) 338-4639
www.spektrumrc.com

ZAP
sales@franktiano.com
www.franktiano.com

Castle Creations
(913) 390-6939
www.castlecreations.com

RTL Fasteners
(800) 239-6010
www.rtlfasteners.com

Taildragger RC
(270) 749-5814
www.taildraggerrc.com

Written by George Kaplan
Captures the lines and looks of a full-scale C-47
Product review
As seen in the January 2018 issue of Model Aviation.

Bonus Video

Specifications

Model type: Semiscale ARF
Skill level: Intermediate/advanced pilots
Wingspan: 70.8 inches
Airfoil: Semisymmetrical
Length: 47.2 inches
Weight: 7 pounds
Power system: Two .25 two-stroke (glow) or electric equivalent
Radio: Spektrum AR6600T receiver; a mix of mini servos; several Y harnesses; and servo extensions
Price: $289.95; $119.95 for optional retracts

Test-Model Details

Power system: Two Cobra C-2820-10 motors and matching 60-amp ESCs; Master Airscrew 9 x 7 x 3 counter-rotating propellers
Flying weight: 8.25 pounds
Flight duration: 9 minutes

Pluses

• Captures the lines and look of a full-scale C-47.
• Laser-cut balsa and plywood construction make up the entire airframe.
• The self-adhesive covering is preprinted with panel lines and hatches.
• Fiberglass cowlings and vacuum-formed nacelles, dummy engines, and tail fairings are painted to match the covering.
• Includes all pushrod and control linkage hardware.
• Fixed main gear hardware is included. Optional main gear electric retracts are available separately.
• Large battery/radio access hatch (held in place by strong magnets) is built into the cockpit area.

Minuses

• Limited electric motor options are available to swing propellers clear of the fuselage.
• VQ’s optional electric retracts require modifications to the internal framework of both nacelles.
• Wing attachment bolts were too short.
• Recommended 7-pound weight does not include retractable gear weight.
• The manual is well illustrated, but leaves out information in several of the steps, requiring the builder to figure things out.
Out of the box, the VQ Warbirds C-47 main airframe components are all built from laser-cut balsa and plywood construction. The model is rigid and well put together. Covering the airframe’s balsa sheeting is a preprinted, self-adhesive covering in the colors and striping that the U.S. Army Air Corps used on D-Day.

In a growing world of foam models, it’s refreshing to review a built-up balsa and plywood kit. Everything you see here is part of the kit, including the stock, nonretractable landing gear.

Also incorporated into the printing are panel and hatch lines to add scale realism. I’m happy to see that the covering has a matte finish because a glossy or shiny surface is never the way to go on most warbirds.

The nacelles, dummy radial engines, and tail fairing pieces are vacuum-formed plastic, and the cowls are fiberglass. They are prepainted and nicely match the covering. The hardware for the control linkages, fixed gear, tail wheel bracket, wheels, and an instruction manual round out the kit.

The manual’s steps are nicely illustrated, but I found it to be lacking during several steps of the build, requiring me to guess how to get things done. You’ll learn more about that as we go along.

Assembly

If you’d like to refer to the instruction manual as I go along, you can download a copy at the link in the “Sources” section.

Assembly starts with the wing—more specifically, installing the main gear into the wing’s center section. Depending on the type of landing gear you choose, the steps vary. VQ supplied a set of optional electric retracts along with the kit, so I set aside the standard fixed-gear parts and bolted on the retract units. The existing rails had to be modified to clear the bulges in the sides of the retract case. A few minutes with a sanding disc attached to my Dremel tool did the trick.

The framework of each nacelle is attached next. CA glue is called for in the manual, but I chose 30-minute epoxy to hold them in place. I also removed a bit of the covering around all of these joints. This is not mentioned in the manual, but I prefer a wood-to-wood bond.

After the nacelle’s framework was in place, things got tricky. Without further modifications, the main gear’s forks cannot fully retract because they hit the sides of the retract bay. I again used my Dremel tool to remove a significant amount of structure from both sides to allow the retracts to work freely.

I left the retracts powered up so I could remove a little wood at a time, check the clearance by operating them, and then remove more as needed. I was able to sand away enough for good clearance without affecting the strength of the wing and the nacelle’s structure.

VQ’s electric retracts were provided with this model. Installing them requires some modification to the mounting rails, and several small modifications to the nacelle’s framework.

All of this work showed another problem in the bottom part of the firewall that would interfere with the wheel when it was fully retracted. I reluctantly trimmed a bit of the bottom portion of the firewall as needed to allow the wheels to fully retract.

With the motors and retractable gear installed, there was no room to mount the required 60-amp ESC so that it would fit in the nacelle and/or cowling without modification. Everything was fighting for the same space!

The only solution I could find was to modify the nacelle’s framework by cutting part of it away. By removing a bit of the plywood on the upper half of the firewall supports, I could use that space above the tire to horizontally mount the ESC.

Figuring out how to pack everything needed for the electric conversion into the C-47’s cowl required some imagination and a bit of modification, especially when it came to mounting the ESC.

It was a tight fit and left little room between the ESC and the nacelle covering, but it was the only available option. To support the ESC, I used a bit of the trimmed-off wood to make upper and lower supports through which the ESC could slide. Note that I also used a bit of glue to reinforce the remaining firewall to the firewall support joints and hopefully make up for the wood that was cut away.

I used small twist ties and electrical tape to tuck all of the wiring in place. The wires had to be routed out of the back of the nacelle, through the wing, and to the middle of the center section. That was easier said than done.

I found that the factory-provided access holes were too small. Enlarging them significantly provided enough room in which to allow the power leads through. Another hole had to be cut for the retract and ESC control wires. When I was satisfied with the fit, I installed two mini servos to work the inner flaps.

All of these wires have to exit at the center of the wing. The only precut holes in the center of the wing are a few lightening holes. Because they were in line with the routing of the wires, I opened those and fed the wires through. Later, when attaching the wing to the fuselage, I found that these holes were exactly over the plate in the fuselage into which the wing bolts are threaded. I enlarged the holes in the wing slightly to make sure the wiring wouldn’t be pinched during assembly.

After I finally figured this out, the nacelle covers were installed, as were the cowlings. The bottom nacelle covers and the bottom of the cowls had to be trimmed to allow clearance for the wheels.

When the work on the center section was completed, a couple of thoughts came to mind. First, I believe this C-47 was originally designed as a glow-powered aircraft, with no retracts. This makes sense because there would be room for a small tank and a servo in each nacelle. Converting the aircraft to electric power is easy without retracts because there is still plenty of room, but by adding electric retracts, there’s no room for a tank.

The outer wing panels were assembled next. Both required two servos each for the outer flaps and ailerons. When they were completed, the wing panels were attached to the center section and supported by a center wing tube and two small, anti-rotation dowels. A single screw holds each panel in place. The company mounted this screw to the top of the wing rather than the bottom where it would be less noticeable, but that’s the way it’s designed.

The assembled wing now presents even more wiring to run through to the center section and this is where I found a trick. Included with the kit are two large sheets of VQ Warbirds covering material. Knowing that I had this extra material, I decided to cut away a bit of the covering on the bottom side of the wing, exposing one of the larger lightening holes so I could fish the wiring through. When all of the wires were in the right spot, I used some of the excess covering and patched the holes.

All that was left to complete was installing the included control horns and metal pushrods for each of the ailerons and flaps. The wing alone weighs 5.5 pounds with all of the wiring involved, four flap servos, two aileron servos, two ESCs, and two retracts. All have extensions of various lengths that run from the exit holes in the center section. They need to be wired to a Y harness for a single connection to the receiver. In the case of the flaps, three Y harnesses are needed. Factor in the left and right power leads and that’s quite a lot of wiring!

When selecting the motor and propeller combination, keep in mind that clearance between the motor’s shaft and the fuselage is 9 inches at the most, and that’s exactly what a .25-size glow engine would have.

Innov8tive Designs offered to supply a pair of its Cobra C-2820-10 motors and matching ESCs. Allow me to share some of the email that Innovative sent me to figure out the problem. The company did its homework!

“The real C-47 Skytrain had a typical loaded weight of 26,000 pounds, with a maximum gross weight of 31,000 pounds. The two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines made 1,200 hp (895,000 watts) of power each. This gave the aircraft a typical full-throttle power loading of 69 watts per pound at 26,000 pounds, and a maximum gross power loading of 57.7 watts per pound at 31,000 pounds.

“For a plane like this, 75 watts per pound would give you ‘Scale’ performance, but we typically like to have better than a 5° climb angle on our models, so 100 watts per pound would give good sport flying performance and 125 watts per pound would give stellar performance, even from a grass field.

“With that information, a pair of motors that will deliver between 350 and 400 watts each, running from a three-cell battery with an MAS 9 x 7 x 3 prop would be required. Looking to our Cobra brand, the C-2820-10, 1,170 Kv motors would work, and provide the following full-throttle performance numbers:

“Volts - 11.1
“Amps - 31.6
“Watts - 351
“Rpm - 10,200
“Thrust - 58 ounces
“Pitch speed - 68 mph

“Two of these motors together would get you 702 watts of power and a total of 116 ounces or 7.25 pounds of static thrust.”

Work on the fuselage was straightforward. At the rear, the stabilizer was attached then the vertical fin. Two pairs of small, laser-cut braces were included to help support the vertical fin and keep it in perfect alignment. It’s a nice touch!

The rudder and elevator servos are mounted in a tray near the C-47’s nose. Preinstalled tubes allow the pushrods to easily run through the fuselage and exit in the right spots. Two pushrods are needed for each elevator half, and a pair is needed for the rudder and tail wheel. These can be operated by a single servo using the included bolt-on Y system.

Vacuum-formed tail fairings need to be trimmed slightly, then the top fairing is glued into place and bottom fairing attached with screws to allow access to the tail wheel steering assembly.

Attaching the wing to the fuselage showed that the supplied wing bolts were too short. I replaced them with wing bolts from my own stock that were roughly 1/2 inch longer.

The completed C-47 comes in well above the manual’s recommended weight, which doesn’t take into account the retracts. My review model weighs 8.25 pounds using two 3S 2,200 mAh LiPo batteries in the cockpit area. To my surprise, it balanced perfectly, but let me throw one note in here.

There’s no recommended battery size called out in the manual, but the VQ website mentions 4,500 mAh. Unless you modify the bracing on the front of the battery hatch, you are limited in the thickness of batteries you can install. All of my 2,200 mAh batteries will just fit. Using two (one per motor) gives me 4,400 mAh. Larger batteries will throw off the center of gravity slightly and there’s not much room to move them fore or aft.

I mounted some hook-and-loop tape (not included) to hold the batteries in place. There are also slots cut in the plywood shelf that will allow you to wrap a piece around the batteries for an even more secure mounting option.

A large hatch built into the cabin area allows access to install the radio and change the LiPo batteries.

This brings up one other thing and that’s clearance between the rudder and elevator servos, the pushrods, the LiPo batteries, and all of that wiring. Take some time to make sure nothing is rubbing or interfering because there’s a lot going on in a small space.

Flying

Taxiing through short grass proved to be no problem, and soon the model was lined up on the runway. With a nod to my photographer, I throttled up, and soon the C-47 was off the ground with plenty of power to quickly climb to an altitude that was a few mistakes high. After a couple laps around the field at half throttle, I was able to trim out some of the roll and a fair amount of climb.

I kept up the speed during the first photo passes because you never know what a scale warbird will do at slower speeds. After all of the photos were taken, it was time to get a sense of how the C-47 would fly. It can easily be flown at half throttle and it is comfortable and quite controllable.

Flap tests were next, so I slowed the C-47 down. I found no ballooning at half flaps, but there was some when going to full flaps. The model will slow down nicely and still give plenty of control—perfect for landing. If you go too slow, it will tip stall (especially in the turns). It’s not violent, but it will get your attention.

After roughly 5 or 6 minutes, I decided to end the maiden flight and had no problem landing with half flaps. The batteries showed roughly 50% power remaining, so I reset my timer for 9 minutes and set up for more flights.

Aerobatics are something you’d never associate with a full-scale C-47, and the same is true with this model. With plenty of power, it will loop fairly well. Rolls are ugly, but can be done. Anything more than that and you’ll realize that what you should be doing are smooth passes, large turns, chandelles, 360° descending circles, and similar maneuvers.

The calculations that Innov8tive Designs provided were spot on. Even with the heavier-than-expected outcome, the company’s Cobra motors and ESCs are perfect matches to the VQ C-47. The aircraft won’t go vertical or hover, nor should it, but there’s plenty of power when you need it!

Conclusion

In the air, the VQ Warbirds C-47 Skytrain looks great and it sounds fantastic with the twin Cobra motors whirring along. It’s a nice-flying model when flown in a scalelike manner. It doesn’t have an aerobatic design, but simple loops and rolls are possible.

If you’re looking for a scale electric twin, give the C-47 a look. This conversion to electric power and electric retracts was quite a journey. Electric power by itself is a relatively simple conversion, but adding the electric retracts requires some ingenuity. If you want to use glow engines, skip the retracts and you should be good to go.

Shot from a low angle, it’s apparent that the VQ Warbirds C-47 faithfully replicates the full-scale Douglas C-47 used in the D-Day invasion.

—George Kaplan
flyingkaplan@yahoo.com

Manufacturer/Distributor:

VQ Warbirds
info@vqwarbirds.com
www.vqwarbirds.com

Sources:

Innov8tive Designs
(734) 452-5788
www.innov8tivedesigns.com

Instruction manual
https://vqwarbirds.com/product/vq-c-47-skytrain-d-day-edition-70-8-epgp-...

Review by Matt Ruddick
Unlock the potential of your micro brushed quad!
Product Review



The BeeBrain V2 Flight Set is packed with features and is the ultimate in easy assembly. Check out this review by Model Aviation’s Matt Ruddick!

Written by Troy Hamm
A 3-D-ready thoroughbred
Product review
As seen in the January 2018 issue of Model Aviation.

Bonus Video

Specifications

Model type: Mid-wing aerobatic aircraft
Wingspan: 90 inches
Length: 86.6 inches
Weight: 16.53 to 17.85 pounds
Power system: 50-70cc gasoline engine
Radio: Six-channel minimum
Servos: Five high-torque metal gear; one metal gear throttle servo
Price: $599

Test-Model Details

Power system: DLE-55 engine
Wingspan: 90 inches
Length: 86 inches
Wing area: 1,472 square inches
Radio system: Futaba 14SG transmitter; two Futaba R6008HS eight-channel receivers; five MKS HV777 servos; one JR 8411 servo
Propeller: 23 x 8 Acro carbon-fiber two-blade
Receiver Two Wrong Way RC
Battery: 2,300 mAh 2S A123
Ready-to-fly weight: 17 pounds, 10 ounces
Flight duration: 8 minutes

Pluses

• Flies precision aerobatics and 3-D well.
• Nice-looking color scheme.
• Many carbon-fiber components.
• High-quality fuel tank included.
• Adhesive included.

Minus

• No construction manual or CD enclosed.
• No wing or stabilizer bags included.

Product Review

Peak Model manufactures ARF gasoline-powered airplanes in sizes ranging from 30cc to 70cc. Some of the aircraft that Peak Model has available include the Extra 330sc, MXS-R, Sbach 342, Corvus 540, Slick 580, and the new LaserX. The company also sells engines, propellers, and the electronics needed to outfit its aircraft. I ordered the LaserX, DLE-55 engine, and an Acro 23 x 8 carbon-fiber propeller to power my LaserX.

The Laser design was developed by Leo Loudenslager, the full-scale 1980 World Aerobatic Champion. Leo’s Laser started life as a Stephens Akro. He completed construction of the Akro in 1970 and modified the aircraft during a five-year timespan. In 1975, he renamed it the Laser 200. Leo won multiple national championships and performed in many air shows with the Laser. The Laser 200 is a highly aerobatic single-seat aircraft powered by a 200 hp Lycoming engine.

Peak Model recently released its version of the Laser 200 called the LaserX. The LaserX features oversize control surfaces optimized for today’s extreme 3-D maneuvers. The LaserX is designed to be powered by a 50cc to 70cc gasoline engine and is constructed with balsa and light plywood. Carbon-fiber reinforcement throughout the airframe makes the structure more rigid and adds strength.

The LaserX features a plug-in two-piece wing and horizontal stabilizers. The airplane is covered with high-quality Oracover plastic covering and features a fiberglass cowling and wheel pants. Included with the kit are a wing tube, stabilizer tube, landing gear, tail wheel assembly, and spinner—all made from carbon fiber.

Assembly

The kit arrived in a large, heavy-duty box. The airplane was well protected and damage free. An interesting and innovative feature of the LaserX is its removable motor box. Peak Model packages the airplane without the motor box installed in the fuselage. This allows the airplane to be shipped in a smaller box, decreasing the shipping cost.

The motor box is not installed at the factory. Two-part epoxy is included to secure the motor box.

The airplane comes with an ample supply of 90-minute epoxy to secure the motor box and control surfaces. The kit does not include a construction manual. A generic manual that covers all of the Peak Model aircraft is available on the company’s website.

The first assembly step is installing the motor box into the fuselage. I applied the 90-minute epoxy to the outside of the motor box and then slid it into the fuselage. The motor box fit perfectly in place.

The next step is attaching the control surfaces. The 90-minute epoxy provided plenty of time to ensure that the control surfaces were positioned correctly and wouldn’t bind through their deflections. The supplied epoxy was also used to secure the carbon-fiber control horns.

After the servos are installed in the airframe, they are connected to the control surfaces by adjustable pushrods. The pushrods feature normal threads on one end and reverse threads on the other. This allows for quick pushrod length adjustments.

The rudder utilizes pull-pull cables that cross inside of the fuselage. When the cables are attached to the rudder servo, the rudder installation is complete.

The carbon-fiber main gear and tail wheel bracket were installed next. They fit perfectly and were secured with socket head cap screws. I installed the wheels and wheel pants at the end of the build.

The firewall is premarked for the DLE-55 bolt pattern. After the holes were drilled in the firewall, the engine was installed with the mounting hardware that was included with the engine. The throttle servo was mounted inside of the fuselage and connected to the carburetor with the included pushrod and ball links. A choke linkage was fashioned out of a piece of scrap aluminum and a piece of 4-40 pushrod material. The ignition unit was mounted inside of the motor box.

The carbon-fiber-reinforced firewall comes premarked for the DLE mounting pattern.

Also mounted inside of the motor box is a Tech Aero Ultra IBEC (Ignition Battery Eliminator Circuit), which is used to power the ignition unit. The IBEC’s LED power indicator light was mounted on the outside of the fuselage.

Included with the airplane was a high-quality clear fuel tank. Tygon fuel line was used to connect the fuel tank to the engine. I purchased a fuel dot at a local hobby shop and mounted it on the side of the fuselage.

The spacious fuselage provides plenty of room for the fuel system and radio equipment.

Two A123 battery packs and two Futaba R6008HS FAAST receivers were mounted inside of the fuselage. A rotary tool with a sanding drum was used to open the bottom of the cowling for cylinder head clearance and cooling. The large cowling easily fit over the engine and the Slimline wraparound Pitts muffler. The included carbon-fiber spinner and a Peak Model Acro 23 x 8 carbon-fiber propeller completed the powerplant installation.

Peak Model recommends 20° of control surface deflection for low-rate settings on the ailerons and the elevator. The high-rate aileron and elevator recommendation is 40° of deflection. The rudder deflection on low rate is 30° and the high-rate setting is 45°. The manual recommends 25% to 30% exponential on low rates, and 45% on high rates.

Remember to use a negative exponential number for Futaba transmitters. Most other brands of transmitters use a positive number. The airplane balanced at 8 inches back from the leading edge of the wing when measured at the fuselage. The LaserX weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces, ready to fly without fuel.

Flight Report

At the flying field, the LaserX was assembled and given a thorough preflight inspection. A range check was performed with and without the engine running. After pictures were taken, it was time for the LaserX’s first flight.

The LaserX tracked straight on takeoff with little rudder input needed. The DLE-55 provided plenty of power and the airplane was airborne in less than 100 feet. For straight-and-level flight, the LaserX required two clicks of up-elevator trim and one click of right rudder trim.

The center of gravity was nearly perfect and required merely a slight amount of forward stick for level, inverted flight. The LaserX is a solid-flying model, which makes it excel at flying International Miniature Aerobatic Club-style precision maneuvers. It handles windy conditions well and is stable at slow speed, which helps make it easy to land. The control surfaces are large and effective.

On the high-rate aileron setting, it will perform fast aileron rolls, while the low-rate settings provide for a more docile aircraft. The LaserX has a tall fuselage, and because of that it requires little rudder input to maintain knife-edge flight.

With the Side Force Generators installed, the LaserX required less rudder input to maintain straight-and-level knife-edge flight. The airplane is stable during high-alpha 3-D maneuvers and never showed a tendency to snap roll or tip stall when slowed. When the LaserX stalls, the nose falls straight ahead and recovers quickly by adding a little power.

Conclusion

Overall, I am happy with the Peak Model Acro 31% LaserX 55-60cc EP/GP ARF. It’s a nice-looking and great-flying airplane. I found it to be equally at home flying precision or 3-D maneuvers, and it’s stable throughout its entire speed range. The airplane was easy to build and features a lot of high-quality, carbon-fiber components.

The LaserX looks great both in the air and on the ground. Peak Model included a nice set of Breitling Graphics with the kit. I wanted to personalize my LaserX, so I ordered a set of vinyl graphics from B & E Graphix. B & E’s graphic packages are cut from high-quality, air-release vinyl that is easy to install and durable. The graphics package really sets off the red and yellow LaserX’s base color scheme.

The Peak Model Acro 31% LaserX 55-60cc EP/GP ARF has an attractive color scheme that really pops.

—Troy Hamm
funflyr@juno.com

Manufacturer/Distributor:

Peak Model
peakmodel@gmail.com
www.peakmodel.com

Sources:

B & E Graphix
(812) 641-1294
www.bandegraphix.com

Wrong Way RC
(386) 308-1481
www.wrongwayrc.com

Tech-Aero Designs
www.tech-aero.net

MKS Servos USA
(832) 287-2371
www.mksservosusa.com

Futaba
(217) 398-8970
www.futaba-rc.com

AMA in Action
Column
As seen in the October 2015 issue of Model Aviation.

The AMA Plans Service maintains approximately 18,000 individual plans that include Model Aviation (MA) plans, John Pond plans, and Model Builder plans. A physical copy of each set of plans is archived and all are also digitally stored.

Plans can be ordered in their original size, or can be enlarged or reduced to fit your needs. When ordering plans that have been featured in Model Aviation or Model Builder, where applicable, a copy of the article will be included with the plans.

In most cases, plans orders are shipped the following business day after the order is placed. Plans are shipped rolled inside a cardboard container. In the US, they are sent via Priority Mail, arriving at their destination in two or three days.

The AMA Plans Service is also the printing service for the National Free Flight Society and Skybench Aerotech plans.

In trying to preserve the work of many, the AMA Plans Service accepts plans donations. If you are interested in donating plans, please contact the AMA Plans Service for more information.

Beyond providing plans, the AMA Plans Service can also print banners used by many clubs and events.

To learn more about the AMA Plans Service, visit www.modelaircraft.org/plans/plans.aspx. You can also call or email at (800) 435-9262, extension 507, or planservice@modelaircraft.org.

With so many plans available, you might be wondering where to start. We have compiled a list of the top 10 plans, based on sales.

Grumman Goose

Designed by Paul Kohlmann

In 1936, the full-scale Grumman Goose was built to transport wealthy businessmen from Long Island, New York, to New York City. By the onset of World War II, these “flying yachts” were serving more pedestrian roles with commuter airlines, the U.S. Navy, and the Coast Guard. Gooses, as Grumman called them, were flown by many nations during the war, including Japan. Grumman stopped production in 1945 after 345 were made, but the Goose lives on. The Goose has been a staple of island-hopping, whether that is along the rugged coast of Alaska or the sunny Caribbean.

Dick Sarpolus’ Thermix ’13

Designed by Dick Sarpolus

Build your own thermal hunter with a nostalgic flare. Based on Frank Zaic’s Thermic series of gliders and sailplanes, Dick Sarpolus introduces a fun and enjoyable Soaring aircraft.

Terry Dunn’s Parallax

Designed by Terry Dunn

Explore asymmetry with an unconventional configuration. The Parallax’s asymmetrical design was inspired by the Blohm und Voss Bv 141 and Rutan Boomerang. Both of these designs are proven successes, yet their unconventional configurations make one question how they can even fly in a straight line.

Mark Rittinger’s Super Sportwin

Designed by Mark Rittinger

This sleek, twin-motor electric is built for speed. The Super Sportwin is not merely a scaled-up rendering of the original Sportwin. It’s an entirely new model, designed from the ground up, using the general shapes of the Speed 400 version.

Kingcobra

Designed by Mark Rittinger

Relive the excitement of post-World War II racing. With a top speed of 426 mph, the full-scale Kingcobra was one of the fastest aircraft of its time. Add in its cannon’s firepower, and it was also deadly. Following WW II, there was a surplus of wartime aircraft. A leftover fighter could be purchased for $1,500 and some still had full fuel tanks! With the return of air racing in Cleveland, many chose to hot-rod their WW II fighters, such as the P-63 Kingcobra.

eCobra

Designed by Dan Grotzinger

Build this electrified version of a Vintage RC design. It is a pleasant airplane to fly, agile in maneuvers, and fast at high throttle. It slows down nicely for landing with no bad habits.

Curtiss-Wright CW-1 Junior

Designed by Ernie Heyworth

A Golden Age classic turns out to be a natural for electric power. This airplane was developed in 1929 and became the most popular flivver-type airplane of the early 1930s during the Great Depression. The Junior was easy to fly. It had a low stall speed, could land in small farm fields, it had a metal frame, and it had good visibility for photo surveying. Air show pilots loved this airplane because the large wing let them park it into the wind.

Al Clark’s Mysterion

Designed by Al Clark

When designing the Mysterion, Al Clark stated, “I spent much time trying to come up with the best combination of weight, size, aerodynamics, and equipment. I believe the result hits the sweet spot.”

Hughes H-1 Racer

Designed by Jim Young

In 1935, the world’s fastest single-engine, land-based aircraft belonged to Howard Hughes. The H-1 Racer had many new features for its time, including the first use of hydraulically actuated landing gear. Howard achieved his goal of setting the world speed record of 353.322 mph in it. Build and fly your own version of the Hughes H-1 racer.

Golden Era 60 Bipe

Designed by Fred Randall

Two wings are as much fun as one. With its 900 square inches of wing area, this model can comfortably cruise at 65% power. Coordinating the turns is unnecessary when the speed is kept up, but in the wind it likes slight rudder mixed in the same direction as the aileron input. Elevator in a turn, whether it’s an inside or outside turn, can crank the biplane around as tightly as the pilot wants, if the engine power is willing.

Review by Terry Dunn
Sneak peak from the March 2017 issue of Model Aviation.
Product Review



Take a first look at the E-flite PT-17 1.1m BNF with Terry Dunn and see the full product review in the March 2017 issue of Model Aviation!

Written by AMA Staff
As seen in the August 2015 issue of Model Aviation.

Horace Hagen’s Cobra

Dieter Schlueter of Germany was the first person to commercially produce and sell a semiscale RC helicopter kit—a scale AH-1G Bell Huey Cobra. Horace Hagen received one of the first 50 kits built and sold by Dieter in April 1971. The kit also had the distinction of being the first RC helicopter kit in the US.

Horace Hagen donated his 1971 Scale AH-1G Bell Huey Cobra to the National Model Aviation Museum
in 2011.

Here is a description, in Horace’s words, of building and learning to fly the Cobra:

“The Cobra kit consisted of a fiberglass fuselage and the machined mechanics. It took me about four weeks to complete the helicopter using the German instructions and plans. The wooden formers had to be cut out of plywood and fitted into the fuselage. The hardest part of the assembly was the physical alignment between the mechanics and the fuselage.

“I had to make my own rotor blades out of wood. I used white mahogany (also known as Ramin or bastard mahogany) for the leading edge and balsa wood for the trailing edge. The instructions recommended a training gear in the form of a tripod. I made this tripod out of 1 /2-inch dowels and added spring-loaded shock absorbers. This was highly recommended by Dieter as a training aid.

“Since I had no spare parts, I proceeded very cautiously during the initial attempts. All of the initial attempts took place during May at our Monmouth Model Airplane Club flying field behind the Bendix plant in Holmdel, New Jersey. I went one step further than just using the tripod landing gear.

“I tied the three ends of the training gear to a brick via two-foot-long strings so the model could not fly away. However, this meant that I had to hover between the three bricks with only about one foot of slack in the strings. This system saved the heli when the throttle link came off the carburetor and the SuperTigre engine went to full throttle. I had to dive under the spinning main rotor and pull the fuel line off to save the helicopter.

“Looking at my flightlog book, I spent about 1.5 hours trying to hover the helicopter between the bricks. When I arrived at a point where I could hover the heli with all three strings slack for a few seconds, I decided to try my hand at hovering it without the tethers. I was quite shocked by how much easier it was to hover.”

The Cobra in flight over the closed runway at a Red Bank NJ airport, May 1972.

You can read more about Horace’s experiences during the early years of RC helicopters in his AMA History Project biography available at www.modelaircraft.org/files/HagenHoraceG.pdf

Written by Chris Mulcahy
As seen in the August 2015 issue of Model Aviation.

Stifling the Static

This month I welcome back David Buxton who has some interesting information about the static electricity generated by our helicopters. Here’s what he shared:

Many of our helicopters use a tail belt drive system that is similar to a high-voltage Van de Graaff generator, which also uses end pulleys and a belt. Triboelectric tables predict how much static will be generated, depending on the two materials involved. The best triboelectric table that I have found is listed in “Sources.”

Tailboom Static

A helicopter’s metal or carbon-fiber tailboom is where the static builds, much as it does on the dome of a Van de Graaff generator.

Most RC pilots who have belt-driven tail systems don’t experience static electricity problems. If the belt materials and pulleys are carefully selected to be close together on the triboelectric table, then a minimal amount of static will build.

Search the Internet for articles about what to do if your Van de Graaff generator quits working and you will find that these generators can be easily defeated, perhaps because of oily dirt on the belt, lint, sharp bits of wire on the dome, or humidity. Nitro heli exhaust will lubricate the belt, which is a good thing.

Diagram 1

Torque Tube

Many of our helicopters use a torque tube, which can be fragile for beginners and for those who often land their helicopters on rough terrain, thick grass, or weeds. A belt system is mechanically more robust and might be your best choice as long as static electricity problems can be eliminated.

In a dust storm, full-scale helicopters generate spectacular amounts of static from their main rotors and tail blades. Spinning tail blades generate static, even if dust is not blowing. Gears, including main gear against pinion and torque tube gears, generate some static. A torque tube does not entirely eliminate helicopter static, especially when the air is dry. A torque tube contributes vibration, which can affect gyro performance.

Symptoms

Radio restarts (because the radio’s power supply is spiking too low, for example) tend to result in the receiver ignoring the transmitter until the restart is complete. Static electricity can cause abrupt, surprise behaviors and servo twitching. Static problems can also cause radio restarts.

More Physics

The physics of a Van de Graaff-style high-voltage generator act like a constant current source. A steady current flow into a capacitor (such as the Van de Graaff dome and tailboom) results in the voltage steadily ramping up. The most common limits to increasing voltage are sparks, corona discharge, and dissipative leakage paths (humid air and static dissipative products). Electronically noisy sparks and corona discharge are what put your electronics at risk.

The lightning bolts shown in Diagram 2 indicate where the static electric currents are generated, rather than radiated. The blue lines indicate where corona discharge generally takes place.

Diagram 2

Slack Tail Belt

The tail rotor puts a lot of load on the belt, which causes it to stretch. The opposite side of the belt goes slack and slaps against the inside of the tailboom. This will especially be a problem when performing aggressive pirouette maneuvers.

Diagram 3

Greasy Belt

The most important thing that a heli pilot can do is keep the tail belt well lubricated, which does an excellent job of nulling the triboelectric effect. Grease against grease has no triboelectric difference. Lubricate all four surfaces of the belt. Experiments indicate that a good lubricant is more effective than graphite products selected for conductivity.

Another benefit of a lubricated belt is that it lasts much longer compared to a dry belt. For instance, a dry belt will try to climb the side walls of the pulley, resulting in most of the wear and tear that often leads to loose strands of belt material.

Use a dry silicon lubricant if you fly where dust is a problem. If you don’t like cleaning up the grease that gets thrown off the belt, reapply it. Lubricating the gears is also recommended for reduced static noise, quieter performance, and extended life.

Note that some lubricants, such as WD-40, are reported to be hostile to belt and pulley materials. Petroleum distillates are also a problem. Select the proper lubricant and be aware that propellants can be problematic.

Heli Ground: Tie It Together

Diagram 4 illustrates where the triboelectric effect generates static if the two separating surfaces are not lubricated. A carbon-fiber frame will accomplish most of the illustrated connectivity without the need for wires.

Diagram 4

The most important connection is between the tailboom and the frame (tailbooms are typically clamped in plastic). It is almost as important to connect the metal components of the tail assembly to the tailboom (a metal tail case would be an ideal solution). You can daisy chain the wiring because there is no need for a single-point approach. Dissipative or conductive interconnecting of all the conductive parts is recommended, even if your heli uses a torque tube.

Static can be effectively dissipated with 10 million ohms—even as much as 100 million ohms because of humidity or static dissipative products. There’s no need to sand off any paint unless you plan to use a multimeter to check wiring continuity.

If you have lubricated the belt and established a good helicopter ground system, you may not need to apply more treatments. If your heli flies in dry air, you want minimal corona noise for better long-range performance, or if you simply want to do what is best for your helicopter’s flybarless and radio system, then the following will be of interest to you.

Connecting Radio Ground to Heli Ground

I have discussed the problem of connecting heli ground to radio ground with several electronics engineers who design high-voltage probes for oscilloscopes. Electronics engineers frequently deal with analog ground that must be kept quiet and must connect with noisy digital and/or high-voltage circuits.

After reviewing helicopter ground and radio ground, I posed the following: Imagine a Van de Graaff machine and a radio nearby on an insulated stand. What would you do for best radio performance?

The answer is to connect a wire between the dome and the radio’s ground. This solution is recommended because the corona frequencies are well below 2.4 GHz.

For helicopters, if you are concerned about high-fault currents from the battery or a defective motor, use a resistor in parallel with a capacitor. A resistor limits the maximum fault current. The capacitor provides an effective short circuit at corona frequencies. We want the radio system to dance up and down with the helicopter.

Diagram 5

There are alternatives to using a resistor and capacitor in parallel when making the connection:

• Connecting to a battery negative would be less risky.
• Use a 2-amp fuse and check it occasionally to be sure it has not blown.
• Use a resistor and skip the capacitor; it’s better than no connection.

Summary

The most important thing that you can do is defeat the tail belt’s Van de Graaff generator behavior by lubricating the belt. This is intended to defeat the triboelectric effect, which determines how static charges are generated.

You should also develop a good ground system for your helicopter, even if it uses a torque tube. A non-contact voltage sensor can be used to evaluate how effective your treatments have been.

Chris Mulcahy
cspaced@gmail.com

Sources:

Triboelectric table
www.trifield.com/content/tribo-electric-series

David Buxton
david.e.buxton@tektronix.com