Author: B. Boss
Edition: Model Aviation - 1999/04
Page Numbers: 122, 123
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CONTROL LINE SCALE

Bill Boss, 77-06 269th Street, New Hyde Park, NY 11040

A Visit to Lithuania

Dave Dulaitis of Chipley, FL, a frequent contributor to this column, sent a report on a 1997 visit to Lithuania—his native country. His visit included attending the Lithuanian Nationals and other aviation-oriented events and air shows. The report also illustrated the struggles some foreign model aviation enthusiasts face in pursuing this hobby.

Dave noted that the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius has a small control-line (CL) flying facility with circles completely enclosed with wire mesh for safety, and that modelers fly only in accordance with FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) classes in competition.

After many years of Soviet rule, the people of Lithuania are not very wealthy. Therefore, construction of models requires considerable effort and finding ways to build without great expense. Most people in Vilnius live in small apartments, so little model building is done at home. Most construction takes place in model workshops maintained by the local aero club, which encompasses all aviation disciplines.

The workshops are equipped with appropriate tools, and balsa is supplied. Everything else used in the models is made by hand, including bellcranks, wheels, tires, etc. Building is a long, tedious process, with many hours spent on the smallest parts.

There are local hobby shops, but they handle only plastic models and literature. As with most model builders, "where there's a will, there's a way," Dave noted.

In this month's top photo, Dave is conferring with Petras Akinis, winner in CL Scale at the 1997 Lithuanian Nationals. The model being discussed is Akinis's Yak-6, powered by two .64 engines and equipped with operating throttle, flaps, and retractable gear.

The bottom-right photo is of a project Dave completed in 1996: the Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear." It has a 60-inch span, weighs about eight pounds, is powered by four O.S. .10 engines, and is controlled with the standard three-line bellcrank system. Dave sent several other pictures that I’ll try to include in future columns. Thanks for the report and photos, Dave.

Hint for the Workshop

Need an extra-long sanding block? Make one by gluing sandpaper to aluminum channel stock. The aluminum stock can be obtained from most hardware stores and comes in various sizes and shapes. You might also find long steel rods or threaded stock around the house that are useful. Most hardware-store items come in 36-inch lengths.

  • Choose the size/length of sandpaper blocks based on the intended use; for example, an 18-inch block is good for sanding leading and trailing edges.
  • Smaller blocks can be made using scrap plywood, sticks, and hardwood dowels.
  • Use smaller sanding tools to get into hard-to-reach places; a large long sanding block can be hard to control.

This item was found in the April 1998 Indy Sportliners CL club newsletter.

Scale Aircraft Documentation and Resource Guide

Bob Banka of Scale Model Research has expanded his Scale Aircraft Documentation and Resource Guide (catalog #16). The latest issue is about 40 pages longer than the previous one and contains more than 7,400 color Foto Paks—375 added this past year.

The guide lists more than 35,000 different pages of three-view line drawings and information. Of special interest are sections on racing airplanes, gliders/sailplanes, helicopters, and other miscellaneous aircraft, engines, and airships. The catalog also includes 10 articles about scale modeling by prominent scale competitors, covering topics such as taking photos for documentation, electric power in scale, designer scale, building large models, covering techniques, and more.

To obtain the catalog, write to:

  • Bob Banka, Scale Aircraft Documentation and Resource Guide, 314 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Catalog cost (includes Airmail postage):

  • U.S.: $8
  • Canada and Mexico: $10
  • Europe and South America: $15
  • Asia, Africa, Australia: $18

News from NASA (National Association of Scale Aeromodelers)

A recent issue of Replica, the newsletter of the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA), announced the new NASA officers:

  • Stan Alexander, President
  • Mike Welshans, Vice President
  • Ed Culver, Replica editor
  • Gerald Deneau, Replica production editor
  • Ed Clayman, NASA webmaster

NASA is one of the 12 AMA Special Interest Groups with a website. The site is in the early stages but already includes contest updates and scale events; documentation help; links to AMA and FAI websites; question-and-answer pages; and more. Ed Clayman has done an admirable job building the site. NASA's website address is: http://www.scaleaero.com/nasascale.htm.

Send scale contest or fly-in information for your district to Ed Clayman:

Replica plans to expand to about 20 pages. Individuals are being sought to head sections directed toward Free Flight, CL, Radio Control, and documentation. Anyone who wants to participate should contact Ed Culver for further details:

  • Phone: (919) 553-0577

There will also be space for "want" and "sale" ads.

To join NASA, send your name, address, AMA number, and dues to:

  • Stan Alexander, NASA President, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville, TN 37211-3831

Membership fees:

  • U.S.: $10
  • Canada: $12
  • Elsewhere: $17

Make checks or money orders payable to: National Association of Scale Aeromodelers.

If you own a computer but are not on the Internet, consider getting connected. In addition to the NASA site, useful resources for scale builders include the Smithsonian and U.S. Air Force museum websites.

Contest Activity

The Garden State Circle Burners (GSCB) of New Jersey held a successful 21st annual George L. Gaydos Scale meet in September 1998.

  • Eighteen contestants entered 35 aircraft in AMA Precision, Sport, Profile, and GSCB Team and Fun Scale, making for a great day of scale flying.
  • Plaque-type awards were given for third place in all events. Special prizes donated by manufacturers and local scale support groups were given to fourth- and fifth-place finishers.

The GSCB presented three special awards:

  • GSCB Top Gun Award (best all-around model, including documentation and flight presentation): Jack Patralia (MA) for his Stephans Akro.
  • George L. Gaydos Jr. Competitors Award: Junior Scott LeFevre (Dover, NJ) — sixth in Profile with an F6F Hellcat and third in Team Scale with a Piper PA-22 Pacer.
  • George L. Gaydos Perpetual Competitors Award (top award of the meet): Mary Knight (Pompton Lakes, NJ) — second in Sport with a Great Lakes Biplane and third in Profile with a Stearman Biplane.

Bill Reynolds, Contest Director, urges all CL scale modelers in the Northeast to attend the September 1999 event. Watch this column or the Model Aviation "Contest Calendar" for contest dates.

Please send ideas, notices of upcoming CL scale events, contest reports, and especially photos of CL scale activity to me at the address at the top of this column.

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