Focal Point
Loening Keystone Commuter
Frederick Pierce (Box 68484, Seattle, WA 98168) built this model "with a lot of my own modifications." All hatches are functional, and the gear folds to the "up" position with lock pins on the fuselage sides.
Power is a SuperTigre 3000, swinging an 18 x 6 prop. Weight is 25 pounds. Plans, which were drawn from an 8 1/2 x 11 three-view, are available from the author.
Dream Come True
Jay C. Wiley (RR1 Box 50, Oakland, ME 04963) likes his 1/6-scale S.E.5a from the old Top Flite kit. "This is the first model I have built and covered myself," he said. "I have always loved the S.E.5, and it was a dream come true to build one."
Wingspan is 53 inches; weight is 6 1/2 pounds; power is a Saito FA-80 four-stroke. Radio is a Hitec Focus 4 FM.
"Everyone I know is anxious to see my S.E.5 in the air, and I don't want to disappoint them or myself."
Curtiss Junior
Dave Fogarty (4750 Bison, Boca Raton, FL 33428) did a true scratch-build on his 94.8-inch-span Curtiss CW-1 Junior, including the labor of love of drawing the plans from Paul Matt drawings and preparing the documentation. He's shown here preparing the model for flight at the 1998 Nationals in Muncie, where it finished 11th in Designer Scale.
Construction follows the full-scale prototype. Power is an O.S. .91 FX. Weight is 17 1/4 pounds. Radio is a Futaba 1024 CAPS. An unusual feature is the Variable Incidence Tail, adapted from Dave's free-flight models; it proved of great value in trimming the model.
"Many people commented that this was the most unusual RC Scale model at the Nats," said Dave. "I'd like to see more Juniors out there."
First Scratch-Built
Mandy Radin holds Jim Hooker's 1/6-scale Hansa-Brandenburg. "It was a very satisfying experience" to make his first scratch-built model.
Wingspan is 78.5 inches; weight is 10.5 pounds; power is a Magnum .108 with a 16 x 6 prop. Super Coverite was used, with hand-painted markings.
The model has 14 flights to date, "without any problems. It takes off, flies, and lands beautifully, much to my surprise and pleasure," says Jim (236 Cole Dr., Festus, MO 63028).
That Old Feeling
Jack Dwyer of the Penn-Ohio Radio Kontrol Society shot this photo of Larry Blews' (134 E. Garfield, New Castle, PA 16105) enlarged (170%) version of Joe Wagner's Sioux. Power is an O.S. .15, with two-channel control "for that old Free Flight feeling," says Gary Bayless, who submitted the text. "It is a gentle flyer, and truly one-of-a-kind."
Covering is 21st Century, and the servos and receiver are hidden from view "to add to the illusion of a Free Flight model."
Three Generations
From left to right are Don, Mitch, and Nick Courte: grandfather, father, and son. All three started flying in 1998, and all three have soloed. Each flies his own model without assistance.
"Guess who crashes the most? Grandpa!" wrote Don (610 Victoria Dr. C-201, Cape Coral, FL 33904).
Quail Hunting?
M.D. Cunningham (503 Mt. Lebanon Church Rd., Greer, SC 29651) built this Aerosport Quail in 1/4 scale. "It makes an excellent advanced trainer," he says.
Wingspan is 72 inches; power is a .70 four-stroke; weight is 8 1/2 pounds. It has flaps and steerable nose gear.
"My son and I bought [the full-scale] N 6703 in 1977. We flew it 250 hours."
Proud of your latest building/flying effort? Share it with MA's readers! Send us a glossy color print (no digital photos or photocopies, please), with an appropriate description, and we'll run the best submissions as time and space permit.
Please include your full address (including e-mail, if available) so that interested parties may contact you directly.
Never Gets Old
Mario Guevara (1049 Rolling Hill Way, Martinez, CA 94553) "wanted to recall a historic moment in modeling," when he built a replica of Dick Korda's 1939 Wakefield World Championship model.
Mr. Guevara used Ted Just's slide from the September 1996 MA cover as the basis of his photo, which was taken by his wife, Ann.
"It was as fun to build then as it was today. A great idea never gets old—it lives on."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
