Author: V. Mankowski
Edition: Model Aviation - 1987/02
Page Numbers: 100, 101, 102
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10 Best Designs - 1986 Nats

By Vince Mankowski

Those attending the 1986 National Contest in Lake Charles, LA, were able to nominate their choices of best designs from the thousands of entered models. The Nats Management Committee then reviewed the nominees, and on these pages are the final choices. Each has received a special Nats trophy and recognition for being one of the best.

S-3 — Jim Simpson (Sanger, TX)

  • Descendant of the Legionair RC Sailplane; can be built with 78-, 98-, or 118-in. wingspans.
  • Interchangeable wing panels and stabilizer (stab); interchangeable canopy option for adding a thermal sniffer.
  • Can be flown in Two-Meter, Standard, and Unlimited classes.
  • Wing root chord: 10-1/2 in.; fuselage length: 48 in.
  • Typical flying weights: 42 to 72 oz. with ballast added.
  • Unique design slated to be published in MA; construction plans are unavailable at present.

Starship — Archie Adamisin

  • Control-line precision aerobatics model combining conventional and canard configurations.
  • Canard surface adds stability and turning authority.
  • Uses a single-blade propeller and features a spring-loaded single-wheel main landing gear; outrigger wheels mounted on wing tips for ground handling.
  • Wingspan: 65 in.; weight: 44 oz.
  • Power: O.S. Max FP40 driving a Rev-Up 11-6EW propeller cut and balanced for single-blade use.
  • Construction plans not available at present; an article may appear in a future MA.

TBM Avenger — Dennis Crooks (Big Rock, IL)

  • Dennis’s first competition RC scale model.
  • Features: RC folding wings with locking sequence, torpedo/bomb drop doors, and retractable landing gear.
  • Built from Bob Holman plans; fiberglass-covered wood construction; finished with K&B materials.
  • At the Nats Static Show it placed second in Sport Scale Expert and was judged Best Warbird and Best RC.

Flipped Out — Bill Gieseking

  • FAI Power Free Flight folder design.
  • Bill has long experimented with folders at his Denver, CO home.
  • Notable flight profile: rocket-like climb followed by wings spreading at altitude.
  • Folders can be inconsistent—one flight a winner, another marginal—but this one works.

Centaur II — Robert Sifleet (Glen Rock, PA)

  • Nats Free Flight FAI Power champion.
  • A version with a 1-1/2 in. longer nose tied for first at the U.S. Team Selection Finals.
  • The shorter-nosed model flown at the Nats was easier to trim—useful when engines turn heavy glass props at 28,000 rpm.

Zero A6M2 — Charles Bauer (Norridge, IL)

  • Built from a Top Flite kit and flown in FAI Control Line Scale.
  • Uses RAF Avionics electronic controls from a J. Roberts control handle through two standard and one insulated line of .021 in. diameter.
  • Control functions: throttle, tank drop, flaps, and retracts.
  • Scale panel and rivet detailing achieved by projecting a three-view drawing onto the model and tracing.
  • Wingspan: 66 in.; weight: 10-1/4 lb.; power: Super Tigre .60.
  • Retracts: Rom-Air (main gear) and Robart (tail wheel).

Garfield — Richard Doig

  • 10-1/2 in. chord "flat" F1D-class indoor ship that won its event at the 1986 Nats.
  • Features: variable-diameter propeller, suspended stabilizer with adjustable incidence, wing-post motor-stick bracing, and boron/kevlar filament-construction bracing.
  • Scored a two-flight time of over 55 minutes at the 55-ft. ceiling Nats site.
  • Plans are not available; many of the techniques used have been featured in Indoor News and Views.

Halflite 1/2A Control Line Combat — Larry Driskell

  • Larry presently resides in California; this design has been the Nats winner three years in a row.
  • Construction: carbon-fiber-reinforced foam wing, easily-replaced tail, and robust engine and bellcrank mounts.
  • Sturdy, lightweight competitor with clean lines to minimize drag.
  • Look for a future MA construction article.

Triad RC Sailplane — Ed Whyte (Wyoming, MI)

  • Available in 118- and 136-in. span versions.
  • Construction: epoxy/glass fuselage with foam-core wing and stabilizer.
  • Clean design still in R&D—expected to improve with further development.

Grumman Guardian (Outdoor Free Flight Scale) — Dave Platt (Plantation, FL)

  • Event winner; model flew out of sight (timed for 36:45) and was found and returned the next day.
  • Built from Dave’s own drawings; wingspan: 46 in.; airfoil: Benedek 8306B; weight: 6.7 oz.
  • Excellent detailing: searchlight, arresting hook, antennas, and radar, combined with outstanding flight performance.
  • This airplane is slated to be featured in an upcoming Flying Models.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.