Control Line: Aerobatics
Wynn Paul
DESPITE THE Toledo show being 98 percent RC oriented, there were several items which would appeal to the stunt flier. There were very few stunt fliers there: Les McDonald, representing Orange Blossom Hobbies; Lew McFarland, representing his own X-Cell Hobbies; Fred Tellier, a member of the 1978 Canadian FAI team. Art and Arch Adamisin were selling RC components, however, the best part of the Adamisin family there was lovely daughter Marie. Well, back to toy airplanes.
Two stunt planes were visible: Top Flite's new Tutor profile stunt ship, patterned after the Nobler, was on display. With 410 sq. in. of wing and a .35 engine it should be a good flier. It also looks good.
At $24.95 it's a pretty high priced profile, but with the hardware included it should not be much higher than other similar profiles. Lew McFarland also had his familiar Akromaster on display, with plans available. It is a 46-powered plane with about 670 sq. in. of wing. Lew placed fourth in the Nationals with this plane a few years ago and the "Akro" is one of the more popular semi-scale airplanes. Contact him at X-Cell Models, 347 Eastland Shopping Center, Lexington, KY 40505.
In the prop department, J. T. Finley, distributor for Rev-Up Props, assured me that Rev-Ups will be available in quantity. He said that anyone having problems should contact him at 6540 East Central, Wichita, KS 67206; Tel: (316) 683-4221. At the Zinger booth, I was informed that after many requests there will soon be a Zinger 12-6 prop for all of us who use the 45 and 46 engines.
Duke Fox assured me that there was no need for 5- and 5.5-oz. fuel tanks, so Fox will not be making any. However, on the positive side for Duke, his new bounceless wheels are supposed to be really good. They should be in your hobby shop now. Try a set. Dropped from shoulder height they will not bounce.
Back to fuel tanks. It's good to hear that Randy's Model Aeronautics is back into full production of fuel tanks. These are the former Don's tanks that have been popular in the Midwest. He has the following tanks available: 3.5 oz. profile, 3.5 narrow stunt, 4.0 profile, 4.0 narrow stunt, 3.5 uniflow stunt, 4.0 uniflow stunt, 5.75 uniflow stunt. He also has Don's Custom racing wheels again in the 1.25, 1.5 and 1.75 in. sizes. Randy Dick also has a number of other specialized items, including fuel. Write him at 515 Coleman Blvd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.
Just to clear up the usual confusion, the Randy Hancock custom fuel tank is not to be confused with Randy's Model Aeronautics. Randy Hancock makes his own tanks one at a time for a price of $10.00 each, expensive but well worth it when you see the workmanship. Production may be slowed a little bit in late May and early June as Randy was getting married on May 27.
The Stamco "Super Sander," consisting of 2- and 3-foot aluminum extruded bases with a handle, looked pretty good for building purposes. Used for truing the leading edge, trailing edge; surfacing wing cores; sanding in dihedral; cross grain sanding, and sanding surfaces such as fuselages and wings, this product looks like a winner. If you've never used some sort of long block for sanding on a big stunt plane then you are missing a very good gimmick. Try using an old piece of 1 x 2 furring strip as an experimental piece. Make it about 12 or 18 inches long. You will be amazed at the proficiency you will be able to obtain. Then you will be sold on these aluminum blocks as they are lighter to hold and easier to control. Oh yes, these long sanding blocks are great for shaping flaps and elevators.
Need some weight in the nose or tail of your plane? Try "Form-a-Balance." It is a high density powder that is mixed with epoxy or resin to form a balance weight for your model. A one-pound bottle costs $2.95 and should be available at your local hobby shop. It could also be used for wing weight.
Harry Higley keeps coming up with some great little products. His latest is the "Harry's Handy Hex Key," a long-reach hex screw wrench. The wrenches are about 11 inches long and quite handy for reaching into those hard to get at places. There are two sizes: the 3/32 in. fits 4-40 and 5-40 screws, and the 7/64 in. size fits 6-32 size. The price is $4.99 per set of two. Harry also has "Harry's Heavy Hub," a 2-ounce prop nut machined from hex bar stock and nickel plated. Price is $2.39 each. I imagine that if you drilled and tapped the hole all the way through the nut you could then mount it inside a spinner. I am going to suggest to Harry that he also make a nut similar to this for stunt that can be used directly inside a spinner.
Harry also has a "Bisco Balancer" which can perform two functions. Firstly, it can be used to mark equal lengths on a prop blade. Secondly, it can be used to balance the prop. An illustrated instruction sheet is included with each Bisco balancer to show how to use it. Good idea at $1.45 each. The "Glue or Screw Weight" is a 1-ounce lead casting especially designed as ballast for nose and tail or other balancing. The back is serrated for glue adhesion and the tapered sharp arc acts as a wedge under the glue. It can also be screwed down using the hole in the middle. Price is $0.89 for set of three. If your hobby store doesn't have these items, write Harry, at 433 Arquilla
Control Line: Aerobatics
Wynn Paul
Drive, Glenwood, IL 60425.
K and S Engineering now has butyrate clear sheets available in 8 x 10 in. sheets at .0075, .010, .015, and .030 in. thick. These sheets are flexible, clear, can be vacuum formed and can be painted with enamel. K & S also has some new balsa hole cutters, a set consisting of 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 5/8 in. precision cutters costs $5.00.
Of great interest at the Toledo show was the large number of very finely finished pattern, pylon and scale planes. Some of the pattern planes had an absolutely breathtaking finish and color scheme. However, in discussing these finishes with World Champion Les McDonald it was his opinion that the majority of the Acrylic finishes using Motorcycle paints and automotive finishes are just too heavy for the SSF (that's the serious stunt flier). Yes, for RC they are really beautiful, and quite possibly in the hands of a very experienced painter, a stunt plane could come out competitive using these finishes, but Les' feeling is that for the average builder and flier the finish would add too much weight to the stunt model. Let's remember that with today's muffled engines (yes, world, precision aerobatics leads the way in using mufflers) the average 35-size airplane must weigh between 40 and 44 oz. to be competitive, while the 40 size should be between 45 and 52 oz. and the 46-size engine plane should be from 48 to 55 ounces. Now I know that I'll get five letters saying that Joe Bellcrank just finished his new Stiletto kit and the acrylic finish added only four ounces. Good, write me a detailed account of how you did this and I'll publish it with due credit. One last word on finishes. I'd like to hear someone's opinion on using the Coverite product "Glaskote" on a stunt plane. I wish I had time to try it but just don't. Write in on this.
This was my first visit to Toledo and, except for a few sneers when I mentioned that I flew and advocated control-line, I found the manufacturers and displayers a pretty good lot. It is a worthwhile trip for the airplane enthusiast.
Stunt Events at Contests: Do you realize that you could have no less than eight separate stunt events at a contest now! Yes, starting off with four PAMPA classes, then you could have AMA novice pattern for the real beginners. Next, comes profile stunt for those with kit or homebuilt solid fuselages; then, we have the increasingly popular Half-A stunt event that uses the full pattern and no appearance points. And then for John Miske and Dave Marshall and others, we have the Old Time Stunt Event, using planes kitted or designed prior to December, 1952.
Keep in mind when planning for contests that now it is entirely possible to have a variety of stunt events that will attract more people. No need to have only the standard stunt event. Try a Half-A event or the Profile stunt. I feel that including profile stunt at every contest would do more to promote the event than any other. This allows the rank novice with a Banshee or Twister or Tutor or Excalibur get into the world of stunt.
For information on PAMPA or stunt write Wynn Paul, 1640 Maywick Dr., Lex., KY 40504.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
