CONTROL LINE NAVY CARRIER
Dick Perry, 7005 Del Oso Court NE, Albuquerque NM 87109-2930
Fox Mark VII Combat Special
The Fox Combat Special has always been a good engine for Profile Carrier. The latest version, the Mark VII, is available direct from the factory. It can be purchased with a carburetor, and, if desired, a left-hand crankshaft.
Competitors who have worked with the Mark VII report that it is an excellent engine with very good performance potential, and is light in weight. The traditional dimensions of the Fox Combat Special have been .800-inch bore and .714-inch stroke for a displacement of .359 cubic inches.
Some competitors who have measured the dimensions of their Mark VII engines have reported the same bore but reported strokes from .718–.720 inch, for displacements slightly more than the .3600 limit for Profile Carrier. The longer strokes have been identified in right- and left-hand crankshafts. If you have purchased a Mark VII engine, check its dimensions before using it in competition; if you find that your engine exceeds the displacement limits, Fox should be able to provide a replacement crankshaft.
New Kits
I have not examined the following kits, so I cannot make any recommendations for or against them. However, I did want to let you know about some new kits that have been introduced in the past year.
- Richards Custom Model Kits (26737 Chiplay Ave., Hayward CA 94545-3159; Tel.: (510) 786-0796) has a number of models that would qualify for bonus points in the Profile Carrier events. Specifically for Profile Carrier are the Avenger, Seafire, Dauntless, and Trojan models, which have 300–345 square inches of wing area. A 365 square-inch Tigercat is also available, as are kits similar to the old Midwest models that were designed for Stunt. They have about 500 square inches on a 48-inch span. These include Skyraider, Mustang, King Cobra, and Bf 109.
- John Brodak (Brodak Distributing, 100 Park Avenue, Carmichaels, PA 15320) is producing a Grumman Guardian Profile Carrier model. The model was designed and flown extensively by Bill Calkins before it was kitted by Brodak; it was designed from the beginning as a Carrier model, and the original has very good handling qualities in low speed.
John also produces a variety of profile models that are intended for Stunt but are adaptable to Profile Carrier. They have wingspans of about 48 inches and wing areas of about 480 square inches. Models eligible for the Carrier Scale bonus would be the Hawker Hurricane, Me 109, P-51B Mustang, A6M Zero, and Martin AM-1 Mauler.
Nationals
The CL Navy Carrier competition at this summer's Nationals (Nats) will be run by John (Doc) Holliday. There are still opportunities to volunteer to work as an official or to help in some other way. With three days of competition, including the unofficial Navy Carrier events on Saturday, it is possible to work one day and fly the others. Many contestants from the official events on Thursday and Friday run the unofficial events on Saturday. For those who worked earlier in the week, it is possible to sign up to help by contacting Bill Calkins (317 Snow St., Sugar Grove, IL 60554; Tel.: (630) 466-1531).
The unofficial events will include Sportsman Profile, .15 Carrier, Skyray Carrier, and Nostalgia Carrier. I've discussed these events in previous columns; if you need rules, write to me or contact me by e-mail at IFLYCL@compuserve.com.
Mystery Airplane Contest
A few years ago I included a mystery airplane contest in my columns. It has been a while, and I've acquired a few more obscure three-views to stretch your memories and research skills. The rules are simple, and the winner will be selected at random from those who correctly identify the mystery airplane drawing from each column. The prize will be a year's membership in the Navy Carrier Society, but bragging rights are also included. I'll try not to make it as easy as some of the airplanes from earlier years.
Each mystery airplane will be a prototype that is eligible for bonus points in CL Navy Carrier events; it will have been designed or tested for service aboard aircraft carriers, and it will have flown.
This month's mystery airplane would make a rather good model for CL Navy Carrier events. If built to exact scale, it would produce a model with 320 square inches of wing at a 44-inch span. Its tail area is large enough for good control in high and low speed with a reasonable balance point. For those of you who like to use flaps, the prototype would be particularly easy to duplicate. The flap is a single unit that extends the full width of the flat center section of the wing—even under the fuselage.
If you think you can identify the mystery airplane, send me a note or e-mail message. In my October column I will list the winner and those who correctly identified this aircraft.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
