Model of the Month
December 2005
Top Flight .60 size P51D-Mustang
(By Robert Baker)
  Top Flight .60 size P51D-Mustang, with an O.S. 1.08 2 stroke engine. 16 oz. fuel tank, Robart air-retracts. I started working on it in December of 2004, had to quit work on it around April. It was just too hot. Started working on it again around mid-September, and finished it in late November 2005. I cut the angle on the ailerons to get a quicker roll rate out of it. It is about 45 degrees deflection up and down in addition to long servo arms too. I cut lightning holes in every conceivable place to make it as light as possible..and its 10 lbs. on the nose. Had to add 2 1/2 oz. of lead to the rudder to balance it...and its a little bit nose heavy. The bottom line is, it flies great and with the flaps, really not very difficult to land. I have a 16 x 8 three bladed prop that looks nice and scale for the airplane. I have yet to open it up full throttle, but I'm expecting it'll do about 110mph straight and leve! l flight. We'll have to see. I love it.
November 2005
Cloud Dancer
(By Walter Skinner)
 
Here is a picture of my new airplane while it is still in one piece. Tried it out 2 weeks ago and it flew great.
Thunder Tiger "Cloud Dancer" with added Batman & Logo. OS .46 FX.
Not much else to say about this plane. It is an ARF but not for a novice builder, a lot of things unsaid/unwitten. I have noticed that what everyone wrote in RC world about it is correct. You cannot fill it with fuel and let it set. It will flood. Otherwise it is a very easy to fly airplane. Nice gentle moves on partial throttle, predictable on full. It is a pleasure to fly.
October 2005
Gator RC Giles Pattern Plane(Rebuilt)
(By Jon Athans)
 The pattern plane demolished at Scobee on the first flight. Martin and I went down to fly pattern together. He forgot his transmitter and had to go all the way back home. He told me "don't fly without me." Of course, I opted to try it out about an hour later.
Coincidentally, the entire surrounding fields were flooded about 3 feet deep from previous thunderstorms so it was like flying off my own personal carrier.
I performed a few high speed taxis and everything looked good. I taxied to the far end and proceeded for a takeoff. As the plane got airborne, it started to roll a little left. I corrected with some right and all of the sudden, it was rolling at about 360 degrees per second. I went full left and it rolled just as fast in that direction.
She pitched up and nosed over towards the ground and piled in while doing the aileron death roll. It was like my own personal re-enactment of a Japanese suicide bomber on Pearl Harbor as the Giles exploded into the water. In the aftermath, small bits an pieces of cowling and fuse floated in the water downwind of the crash....that added lots of realism.
  
September 2005
Manx 250, 60cc, open rocker, four stroke engine.
(By Jon Athans)
Well This is not a model but I thought it was unique enough to share this as model of the month!
  That was a custom made, one of a kind, 60cc, open rocker, four stroke engine.
It was called a Manx 250 and had 13 ball bearing supports and used a true wet-sump oil system. The valve train was a pully belt much like the old Predator 120 setup. That particular engine was stamped #1 of the production run. The company made 200 total and is now out of business.
Why I sold the thing, I have no idea. But, it resides with a guy in Las Vegas (at least that's who I sold it to). It was completely machined out of bar stock and therefore, pretty heavy, but one hell of a conversation piece. It was brand new, never run or mounted.
  
  
August 2005
Electric Not For Sale
(By Chris Bourne)
 One gusty Saturday morning at our field, I was complaining to John Forestieri about how I couldn’t fly because my little foamies don’t like the wind. I told him that I would like to find a 40 size “Fun Fly” type airplane for days just like this. Of course, it would have to be electric. I explained to John that I really like unique airplanes. The more unique, the better I like it.
John said: “I’ve got just the plane for you”
We went to John’s house and down from the rafters of his garage, he pulled an old kit for the “NotForSale”. (Originally published plans in MAN May 1993) I use the term kit loosely. The only thing cut out was the ribs and the wingtips. Everything else was just a stack of balsa. I Like It!
Off to New Creations R/C (www.newcreations-rc.com) to pick out the power plant. After a couple hours with Kirk, we picked out the following: Model Motors Axi 4120/14, Castle Creations Phoenix-80, Falcon Batteries 5S2P 5000mAh LiPo, Ultimate BEC and an APC 13 X 6.5E Thin Electric Prop. Thanks Kirk!
After a couple of month’s worth of building, I now have something that resembles an airplane. BTW: All of the hatches (there are four) and the cowling are mounted w/ NdFeB magnets – No Screws!
The first flight was as good as it gets: Only minor trim adjustments and plenty of power. This is definitely a Fun-Fly plane. 10 to 15 minute flights are normal with a little throttle management. Gliding by at a good clip with the motor turned off you can hear a sweet swooshing sound. It’s great!
Watch The Video !
July 2005
Edge 540 .60 ARF
(By John Norwood)
 
Watch the Video
June 2005
Rascal 110
(By Steve Griesmyer)
  
 
April 2005
Tensor 4D ARF
(By Chris Bourne)
Chris says this plane flys great. A more detail review coming soon.
March 2005
1910 French Voisan Prototype
(By John Norwood)
 The model is based on a 1910 French Voisan, to which I've made modifications. That will hopefully make a practical flying plane. It was built of spruce (over 200 ft) fabric and wire. The main structure is held together with brass fittings. The model was completed over a 6-month period and weighs 30 lbs., giving a wing loading of 17-18 oz per cubic inch. The first short test "Hops” immediately showed that I had greatly underestimated the drag factor of this early type of design, and the Zenoah 6-38 was replaced with a 6-62, giving twice the power.
The engine is mounted within the starter fitting which makes starting the thing a more practical task. The model has undergone several design changes and modifications and having made several long "Hops". I am confident that it is now ready for a successful flight as soon as the "March Winds" abate. Test "Hops" have shown that just like the original, the model does not like the wind.
I am looking forward to flying the model this summer at various events, and I hope that it will give people an idea of how these "Early Bird" looked in the air.
The pilot (or Kruspy Crashworth") is made from balsa "fleshed" out with foam rubber. His head, hands, and boots are from an action figure. His "leather-flying jacket" is made from a leatherette material using a toddler’s outfit as a pattern.
Watch this Big Bird "Hop".
Watch Her Fly!
 
Feburary 2005
Quiet Storm
(By Chris Bourne)
 Before I begin, let me just say: I loved (past tense) how this plane looks and flies!
I had a few problems during the assembly. The instructions have you install the tail feathers before the wing. The problem with this is you can adjust the position of the tail feathers but not the wing. I did try to mount everything straight and true but the wing ended up twisted. This required a little twisting and heating of the fuselage to correct. The two piece main wing required a lot of sanding & tweaking to get it to fit into the fuselage. Several times I broke the fragile balsa mounting points where the wing meets the fuselage. The main spar is mostly balsa with two small lite-ply strips to reinforce it. It is joined with a small piece of lite-ply. I thought this looked a little weak but deferred to the manufacturer’s instructions. (This turned out to be a big mistake but I will get to that later.)
I had ordered an AXI 2212/26 brushless motor for this plane but did not use it. The pre-fabricated motor mount supplied with the kit is designed for a Hacker B20 w/ gearbox. Since I have a Hacker B20 15L +4:1 and didn’t want to build a custom mount, I used it instead. ( http://www.hackerbrushless.com/)
The two piece nylon landing gear looked very cool. It mounts directly to a thin plywood plate at the front of the fuselage. This plate broke off the first time I landed the plane on our rough field. I then mounted the gear to a piece of lite-ply and attached it to the fuse with rubber bands. This provided some shock absorbing capability. The rubber bands would break if the gear hit too hard.
 The cowl, canopy and belly pan are pre-painted vacu-formed plastic. The mounting instructions were not very clear. I ended up taping the cowl and belly pan to the fuse. For the canopy, I built a balsa frame and attached it to the fuse with very small NdFeB magnets. I glued the canopy to the frame. Worked great!
OK. Let’s go fly!
On its maiden flight, the Hacker B20 seized and the plane glided in gently. I sent the motor to Hacker. They promptly repaired and returned it under warranty.
The next few flights were spent trying to find the right prop. I ended up using an APC Slow-fly 9X6.
Now that the bugs are worked out, it’s really time to go fly…
Saturday March 12, 2005: On my second flight the main spar failed at the bottom of an unspectacular dive. Of course the wing folded. There wasn't much left. The $60 Kokam 2000 MaH 3S1P 15C LiPo pack was destroyed on impact. (One of the cells was punctured). The plane is complete loss.
Now for the rest of the story: I contacted Fliton (The manufacturer http://www.fliton.com/). They were hard to get a hold of during business hours. I ended up leaving a message. After half a day, I was contacted by a “Valley Dude” from Fliton. After explaining what had happened, all this guy could say was something like “that’s too bad” and “we’ve sold thousands of these planes and only a few had main spar failures.” I asked for a new kit and replacement LiPo pack. He said he would have to talk with his supervisor and get back to me.
Fliton’s response (by email) and mine follows:
From: Edson Hong [Edson@Fliton.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 1:37 AM
To: Chris Bourne
Subject: FlitonUSA: Customer Support
Hello Chris,
It has recently been brought to my attention that one of our important customers has reported an issue with their Fliton Quiet Storm. First and foremost, we thank you for the support and opportunity to better serve you. After reviewing the information provided to us by the customer, it is apparent to me that our warranty policy does not cover the type of damage reported. As you have flown this model upwards of 15+ times successfully, we cannot (and are not liable for) any wear/tear sustained during these flights. As much as we would like to cover all of our customers throughout the lifetime of the model, because of the various power mechanisms, building techniques, flying conditions...etc., we DO NOT offer this. Of course there are instances where "out of the box" models have damages sustained from shipping, in which case we will gladly provide compensation as necessary (before any assembly and use). With that said, we cannot provide a refund, free aircraft or any monetary compensation for this incident.
However, from a personal standpoint, I cannot help but to feel sympathetic to the situation, as I feel every flight enthusiast should enjoy one of our airplanes. I would like to personally offer you a new Quiet Storm at a price below wholesale of $85 (shipped) direct from us. Again, I apologize that you are in this situation and I hope that my offer can shed some light to the situation. If you are interested, please let me know. Thank you.
Best regards,
Edson Hong
President and CEO
FlitonUSA, LLC
(888) 473-0856
www.FlitonUSA.com
From: Chris Bourne
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 6:28 AM
To: 'Edson Hong'
Subject: RE: FlitonUSA: Customer Support
Mr. Hong,
I am amazed and appalled at your stand and your offer.
This was obviously a manufacturer’s defect. Nothing else.
When assembling this model, I thought the spar was less than it should be, but deferred to the manufacturer and built the model according to your instructions.
I will not invest anymore dollars in one of your models. There are plenty of other manufacturers who stand behind their products.
BTW: My experience with your product and your response will be posted on our club website for all to see. www.houstonsportflyers.com
Chris S. Bourne |
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January 2005
89 3/4" Astro Hog
(By Randall Miller)
 I'm honored to have my plane chosen as the model of the month, and was asked to tell you about it.
This 89 3/4" Astro Hog was built from plans that I enlarged from 71" plans that I bought from someone on the web. Because the 71" plans refer to assemblies and parts that are obtained in the kit, but weren't illustrated clearly enough on the plans for fabrication, I ended up buying the kit too so I could have the actual kit parts on hand to hold, study, or make stencils of. Besides enlarging the plans, I would also stencil the outline of some of the parts, and then enlarge these drawings by 25% in a Kinko's copy machine. Having the kit on hand with its instruction booklet and die cut parts took a lot of the guess work out of building the 25% larger plane.
Because I wanted the model to have the looks close to the original style of the late 1950's Astro Hog, I chose to cover it in Sig Koverall Cloth, and apply a butyrate dope and paint finish. Almost a complete gallon of Butyrate dope was used for a total of about 10 coats with a lot of sanding in between. It was my intention to prevent all or most of the fabric's weave from showing through. A couple of coats of Rustoleum auto spray primer was applied, and then another 2 to 3 coats of Rustoleum oil based enamel paint were sprayed. I bought two new Harbor Freight auto gravity feed spray guns to do the job, as my older "detail gun" was getting tired and couldn't handle these larger areas of this model. The process of applying dope and paint was very messy, as I ended up also having to repaint my two garage doors that were tinted red due to the over spray mist. As well, even though I tried to mask and protect my cement driveway and garage floors from the over spray, it was still necessary to spend a Saturday morning cleaning it all with muriatic acid. Nothing like a cup of dark coffee and a whiff of muriatic acid to provide the energy you need while you're on your hands and knees scrubbing the floors with a wire brush!
 I can honestly tell you that I believe my dope and paint days in RC Modeling are done. If I've got another 20 years of good life in front of me, I don't think I'll ever feel the urge again to make this kind of mess around the house, or up inside my nostrils.
I used a Moki 2.1 engine because I desired the traditional look of that big old engine head looking pretty as it sits upright in the wind.
The wing takes down in half with a gator tube for easy transport. Even though I cut the wing dihedral down quite a bit, it was still a job getting the gator tube to fit inside there. There was quite a lot of dremeling out the wing ribs with a lot of trial and error in the process.
I would say one of the most time consuming chores was making the ¼" landing gear. Yup...I found out that ¼" hardened steel wire sure doesn't like to bend easily or neatly. Neither does it feel particularly strong when it's holding up a 21 ½ lb plane! I had heard that ¼" steel landing gear wires are very capable of snapping and breaking on the landing. So as well, I had to get to work in figuring out how to add a set of support braces at the last minute to safeguard against any such occurrence.
Another not so entertaining part of the project was sanding and forming solid balsa sheets down into the ailerons, elevators and rudder surfaces that were part of the enlarged model.
Because I had heard that the nose on the 71" model had a tendency to tip over forward on the run way, I moved the wheels ahead of the front edge of the wing on my plane. Naturally I beefed up all the first few rib joints and the landing gear block areas in the wing halves to accommodate the extra stresses of this heavy plane on this portion of the wing.. Hopefully, it'll all handle our somewhat rough runway just fine.
The plane weighed about 18 1/4 lbs on completion, and required another 1 ¼ lbs of lead in the nose to balance it out. Add another 32 ounces of FAI go fuel and we have a final flying weight of 21 ½ lbs.
 The plane has a twin battery pack and a Nelson go driver in it to assure dependable idle.Though I love building RC planes, and have been doing it now for about 15 years, I don't do much flying and am still pretty much a beginner at it. Therefore, I have tried to make sure that plane will have plenty of battery in it, and run with a reliable idle, so whoever takes it up for me on it's maiden flight doesn't have to discover unexpectedly how it performs around the bend on dead stick!
This plane took me a year and 8 months to complete, and I don't have to tell you how nervous I'll be about the first flight. I figured I must have put about a good 700 hours into it. And that's not including the time repainting my garage doors or acid scrubbing the floors!
Well, if any of you guys are interested in this project, and need more of the details on how to hide away in your shop for many months at a time, give me a holler.
See you at the field.
Randall Miller
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