Control Line: Speed
Gene Hempel
This month's column begins with thanks to the individuals who took time to write. I appreciate your comments and suggestions.
This issue — highlights
- European Championships information
- Warning about Hoppes gun oil in model fuel
- Break-in procedure for ABC engines
European Championships
The European Championships were held in England July 8–12 at the Three Sisters Flying Field. Although the date is just shortly after this issue of MA is in the hands of readers, it may be timely for some of you. For those planning a holiday in Europe, this would offer an opportunity to visit with the international Speed fliers. It would be nice to see some American Speed fliers there. The contest director for this event is Ken Morrissey, 26 Queensway, Heald Green, Cheadle, Cheshire, England, SK8 3JE; phone 061-437-9794.
Hoppes gun oil warning
Do not use Hoppes gun oil in your fuel. Hoppes gun oil is composed mainly of nitrobenzene — a very toxic chemical known to cause cancer. It can be absorbed through the skin and is accumulative in the body. This is the stuff that smells like shoe polish and was once used in model fuels as a masking agent until its dangerous side effects became known.
ABC engine break-in
ABC stands for aluminum/bronze/chrome. The cylinder is made of bronze with a layer of chrome in the bore; the piston is aluminum.
The ABC engine is entirely different from a ringed engine. A ringed engine should be run very rich for the first few test runs, with a gradual leaning-out each test so that by the seventh or eighth run the engine is running in a slightly rich two-cycle. An ABC engine should never be run in a complete four-cycle mode other than at initial start-up. If the engine is run overly rich, it does not come up to operating temperature and the piston/cylinder fit remains tight. This causes the piston to be pushed up and pulled down on each stroke, resulting in stresses to the rod, wrist pin, etc.
Quite a few modelers new to ABC engines have used break-in procedures designed for ringed engines — running the engine fast four-cycle on the bench. When the rod breaks, they wonder what happened. Therefore, any ABC engine should be broken in by running in a rich two-cycle mode.
Letter from Les Byrd (Lewisburg, OH)
"I'm writing to make my views known regarding the suggested rule changes for CL Speed, specifically the 'Ban-the-Pipe' movement and the recommendation that Monoline also be banned.
"Apparently, the feeling is that if the event were simpler, more would participate, and costs would be lower. I don't see it that way.
"I don't believe that there are necessarily a lot of modelers who would enter (or return) to CL Speed events if they were easier to do. Speed does not — and should not — appeal to everyone. The sparks that get anyone involved in anything are interest, encouragement, enthusiasm, and (eventually) determined goals. If you want to participate, you'll do your homework, search out the go-fast equipment, spend the bucks, and practice. I personally believe that many fall short in the practice department. If they would spend the time to learn their equipment and make calculated changes, they'd soon be running with the fast guys. There's no substitute for experience and intelligent experimentation.
"The very nature of Speed dictates that it is a high-precision, high-buck, specialty event. You have to accept the fact that you won't find much of the equipment you need in the local hobby shop. By comparison, the NASCAR stock cars aren't stock, and they get very few of their parts from the OEM. Virtually every high-performance competitive event evolves from something simple into a technically complex — and thus expensive — venture. Subtle differences yield victories and also technical advances that benefit everyone involved. Witness Schnuerle porting and tuned-pipe applications in RC boating and RC Pattern; these were CL Speed innovations. Also, many materials and safety innovations that are standard in the family car trace their roots to auto racing.
"Although I have been in modeling for 10 years, I am a beginner in CL Speed. A friend provided the interest, encouragement, and enthusiasm to motivate me to join NASS (North American Speed Society) and get involved. Last year, I built and flew a Monoline trainer. It's a ST G1.5 on a Tatone pan and set up for clockwise flight. I probably only flew it 15 times last year, but it's still in one piece, and I learned how to handle Monoline. Along the way, I was looking ahead and wrote many letters and have accumulated a file of catalogs on specialty high-performance parts suppliers. This past winter, I built a Wisniewski/Sackett Pink Lady A, complete with tuned pipe. I also built an original-design inverted F-40 and have another Pink Lady kit (a D) and two O.S. .65s waiting for the workbench to clear so that I can start them.
"I am not naive enough to believe that I can set records my first year out; indeed, I may never set a record. But the appeal of Speed to me is that to do it well, you must use first-rate equipment (everyone likes new 'high-tech' toys), build precisely, know your equipment, and tune it for the conditions. It's a challenge, and it should be. To change the rules now would be to cheat me out of what I got into it for in the first place, not to mention all the fast guys who have years of research and megabucks invested in their equipment."
Les Byrd concludes by asking for comments on whether Speed is dying or just lingering along.
Gene Hempel 301 N. Yale Dr. Garland, TX 75042
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
