Control Line: Speed
Gene Hempel
The contest season is almost finished, and I finally have some time to gather all my notes together and write this month's column.
Newsletters and Organizations
The first noteworthy item is the excellent newsletter Flying Lines, edited by Mike Hazel and John Thompson. They do a beautiful job covering a broad spectrum of articles concerning Speed and CL racing. If you are interested, send $7.00 for a year's subscription to: Flying Lines, 1411 Bryant Ave., Cottage Grove, OR 97424. They need your support to make this newsletter a success.
I received a letter from Doc Jackson concerning the organization of a National Control Line Society. The idea behind this organization is to bring together all CL special interest groups. Another function of this organization would be the dissemination of information from its leadership. Please drop a line to Doc Jackson at Thomas Jefferson University, 1025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Doc would appreciate your comments concerning this new organization.
Frank McCune, editor of the Miniature Aircraft Combat Association (MACA) newsletter, sent me a copy of the MACA newsletter, which I enjoyed very much. The combat fliers are very interested in reworking their engines just like the Speed fliers. Maybe we can share knowledge with the Combat fliers, and vice versa.
Evert Gray Memorial Speed Bash — Allentown, PA (October 5)
Les Baer, Sr., reported on the Evert Gray Memorial Speed Bash held at Allentown, PA on October 5: "The contest went very well. The temperature was a little cool, with a high of 64°F. It was sunny all day, low humidity and hardly any wind. The turnout was excellent, which kept everyone busy the whole time."
Results:
- 1/2A Open
- 1st: Nick Sher — 132.11 mph (new record)
- 2nd: James Van Sant (Penndel, PA) — 94.20 mph
- F/A1 (five entries)
- 1st: Sam Burke (Canada) — 249.50 kph
- 2nd: Cliff Norman (Philadelphia, PA) — 233.31 kph
- 3rd: Ed Gifford (New Jersey) — 193.13 kph
- (Yes — we’re going metric!)
- Formula 40 (seven entries)
- 1st: Cliff Norman (Philadelphia, PA) — 143.03 mph
- 2nd: Nick Sher — 142.01 mph
- 3rd: Tom Schaeffer (New Jersey) — 140.68 mph
- D Speed
- 1st: Frank Garzon (New York) — 190.60 mph
- 2nd: Dan Benesch — 190.20 mph
- 3rd: Lee Baer — 189.20 mph
Flash: 1/2A Open Speed Record
On October 5, 1980, at the Evert Gray Memorial Speed Meet held in Fogelsville, PA, Nick Sher was officially clocked at 132.11 mph for a national 1/2A Open record. The backup flight was 127.79 mph.
The powerplant was all Cox with modifications by Nick Sher and Gene Hempel to improve bypass breathing. This engine utilized the chrome-shaft setup, with the crankshaft I.D. bored out to .200 in. It is felt that more speed is possible with further experimentation in pipe length, pipe volume, fuel, and head volumes.
Technical Notes and Projects
George Craig (Tarpon Springs, FL) wrote about how to machine a Cox 1/2A cylinder on a drill press using a simple fixture he designed. I will try to include photos of the fixture and discuss this neat machining method in a later column.
Brian Fairey of Waterloo, Ontario, writes that he is developing a side-exhaust .15 engine for team racing. Brian has done a beautiful job of designing this engine. For more information, write to Brian Fairey, 242 Bellhaven Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2J 3C6.
Half-A Engine Parts
Many modelers have written asking where to locate blank Cox .049 cylinders. To make these available, I have ordered several dozen blank cylinders and many other Cox .049 engine parts. I also have the new case with the chrome-shaft setup. For more information, send a SASE to: P&G Metal Shop, c/o Gene Hempel, 301 North Yale Drive, Garland, TX 75042.
Closing
The next two Speed columns will cover how to construct a 1/2A pipe for your Cox .049 engine. Wishing all you Speed fliers a Happy Turkey Day and a Merry Christmas.
Gene Hempel 301 N. Yale Dr., Garland, TX 75042.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
