NAVY CARRIER
Richard Perry
The first annual Pearl Harbor Day Meet, run by Frank Kelly, was held on December 2 at Van Nuys, California. The contest resulted in two new records: Junior Class II and Open Profile.
Records and notable performances
- Junior Class II: Bill Malo set the Class II record at 31.3. Bill's Top Flite P-51D Mustang was powered by an OS 60 FGR Blackhead RC engine running on suction with a Rev-Up 10-8W prop.
- Profile Carrier (Open): A G-S Bearcat modified with 13% chord plain flaps set the Profile Carrier record at 264. The aircraft used a .36 plain-bearing conversion of an OS 40 FSR, driving a carbon-fiber 9-6.5 prop. Recorded speeds were 93.7 mph (high) and 15.8 mph (low).
Schnuerle conversions and classification issues
There were three Schnuerle engines in the Profile class at Van Nuys; only one completed a flight, which seems to be a common occurrence with these engines. Schnuerle conversions provide a marked performance increase over the average ST 35 and are slightly better than a really good ST. However, the conversions are more expensive and harder to obtain than the ST 35. For these reasons, I feel that the conversions are a negative influence on the Profile Carrier event as long as conversions and production engines compete directly against one another.
I am not advocating doing away with Schnuerle conversions in Profile Carrier, nor do I propose that AMA establish two engine classes for Profile. I do feel, however, that there are areas where the amount of Profile participation would allow two classes of competition.
Expert/Novice classifications have been used in Detroit and other areas with considerable success. Engine specifications could be used as an additional means of classification; for example, a Schnuerle conversion would automatically place an entry in the Expert category.
Awards
The Pearl Harbor Day contest was noteworthy for its awards. The plaques, in addition to the customary engraved plate, had pewter replicas of carrier fighters (a Corsair in the example shown). The pewter replicas were made by Kris Jones from 1/72-scale plastic models (Testors). The models were sprayed flat black, then highlighted with silver Rub 'n Buff to give them a rubbed-pewter look. The bases were stained and varnished decoupage plaques.
The cost, excluding the engraved plate, was under two dollars per award, and the end result easily matches trophies costing considerably more. For a club on a low budget, this is a good way to provide first-class awards without bankrupting the treasury.
Profile model: "Mariah" (Tony Naccarato, Jr.)
The Profile model pictured this month is the "Mariah" belonging to Tony Naccarato, Jr. Mariah uses a very thin, low-aspect-ratio (about 2) wing with an outboard flap/aileron. Leadouts are movable, and the rudder is fixed.
Design and flight characteristics:
- The thin, low-aspect-ratio wing reduces frontal area and increases Reynolds number, which reduces profile drag at high speed.
- Induced drag at high speed is very small because of the relatively light wing loadings of Profile class models.
- At low speed, induced drag increases compared to a model with a higher aspect ratio. The wing produces a gentle stall because the low-aspect-ratio planform has more effect on lift than the airfoil section at high angles of attack. Thus, the thin airfoil is not a penalty at low speed.
- The outboard wing has a flap/aileron mounted on the inboard two-thirds of the span. It deflects up at low speed, providing a rolling moment out of the circle. In addition, the flap causes a pitch-up moment so that Mariah transitions to a full stall very easily and is quite stable at a 45-degree nose-high attitude.
Power and performance:
- Tony's engine is a converted K&B 5.8. Speed control is by Supertigre carburetor and rotary exhaust restrictor. The fuel tank is a uniflow type, and the prop is a Rev-Up 8-8.
- Tony has been scoring in the 240s with this combination without scale bonus points.
Richard L. Perry 416 Woodhill Dr. Goldsboro, NC 27530
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
