Free Flight: Duration
Bob Meuser
SLIPS that pass in the night. If you were wondering why I made such a big deal out of having discovered a bunch of NFFS Symposium Reports, which we still have in plentiful supply, and pointing out that you could buy one for $2 over the regular price, well... I was talking about the 1971 issue. The price, however, was correct: $12 plus $2 P&H to anywhere in the world (and lesser nearby planets). Order from NFFS Pubs, c/o Fred Terzian, 4858 Moorpark Ave., San Jose, CA 95129.
In a previous column I mentioned that John Oldenkamp had been using the plastic bags available in supermarket produce departments as a covering material for outdoor rubber‑powered models. Most of the bags I've seen are plain old polyethylene and aren't worth much. The stuff John is using is much tougher. He is getting a bunch of it and plans to peddle it off to Free Flighters. Check with him at 3331 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA 92116.
Ornithopter postal contest
An ornithopter postal contest is being run for outdoor, IC‑engine‑powered, R/C or free‑flight ornithopters. The rules are strict enough to ensure that anything other than a true flapping‑wing model will be disqualified.
Rules and procedures (brief):
- ROG (rise off ground).
- Fly at least two minutes.
- Flight must be made at an official AMA or FAI contest.
- No entry fee.
- No deadline on flight date.
- Winner: the first person to make an official flight under the defined rules of play.
- Award: bronze trophy, a “purse” (contributions welcome), full coverage by the aeromodeling press, and a one‑year membership in the Ornithopter Modeler Society.
I wish the sponsors had included electric and CO2 power, but that wasn't done. Recall that Paul MacCready’s group (Gossamer Condor, Albatross, etc.) are working on a powered pterosaur (electric‑motor‑powered), so competition from that quarter may not be overwhelming. I wonder what the Japanese will come up with this time around.
Want more info? Send a SASE to the address at the end of the column and I'll clue you.
Maxwell rubber‑motor‑winding stirrup
The Maxwell stirrup is the ultimate S‑hook for rubber power. It connects the rubber motor to the prop shaft but, unlike some stirrups, it won't let the motor crawl around the prop shaft and escape the stirrup. Because it comes apart, you don't have to use a number of strands that is a multiple of four as with a closed stirrup.
Features:
- A hole drilled through the screw permits insertion of a wire used to hold the motor while switching from winder to prop.
- Weighs only two grams.
- Torque‑tested to 135 inch‑ounces.
- Can hold up to 14 strands of 1/4‑in. rubber.
The design originated with Andy Faykun. Mik Mikkelson saw Andy's, made some for himself, found they solved his problems, and decided to go commercial. Mik is a little reluctant to recommend them to Wakefield fliers, however.
Price: $3.95 each, or three for $10.95 postpaid. California residents add 6%. Order from Mik's Models, P.O. Box 1373, Hollywood, CA 90078.
Stock and custom fiberglass props
Would you like a fiberglass prop custom‑made to match your own master prop? Pop's Props, Inc. will do that. While Pop's caters mainly to the Control Line crowd, it offers items of interest to free flighters too, including stock and custom parts for Cox and Fox engines. A 22¢ stamp will get you the complete catalog. Write to Pop's, 709 Crescent, Sunnyside, WA 98944.
Fire, fire!
Hobby Woods has enjoyed a lot of rave notices in club newsletters since it started cutting balsa a few years back. It gained a reputation for a superior product and for attending to special requirements. A few months back a fire wiped out the works. At this writing Pete Vacco, Chairman of the Board and janitor, says he is back up to full speed and will be happy to fill your orders. Spruce, bass, balsa—lengths to six feet. Send a large SASE to Hobby Woods, P.O. Box 48, Linden, CA 95236.
We were also saddened to hear that Peck Polymers suffered a disastrous fire recently. We hope they recover and continue to supply the needs of small rubber‑power model enthusiasts.
From the tool crib
The Chopper is one of many nifty tools peddled by Northwest Short Line and available in model railroad shops. It consists of a swinging handle (a single‑edge razor blade is clamped to it) and a baseboard. It's for cutting wood and styrene to exact lengths, either straight across or at angles, and it works nicely on balsa.
Notes on performance and limitations:
- A slicing action is preferable for soft materials, but the Chopper pulls the blade head‑on and still makes clean cuts on rather soft balsa when using a new blade.
- Angle cuts (guides provided for 30°, 45°, 60°) are awkward because the main guide is not relieved in the middle to allow pushing stock through it. To make an angle cut you often must cut the stock square first, then trim the edge at the desired angle.
- Stock thickness is limited to about 1/2 in.
- On the unit I bought, the thumbscrews on the guide clamps were almost impossible to turn by hand; re‑tapping the inserts solved the problem.
- The construction seems less rigid than it is; be aware the blade can bend when a cut is made too close to the end of the stock—leave about 1/4 in. clearance.
Price: $16.95. A larger version, the Chopper III, has a larger baseboard and additional inserts for mounting more cutter assemblies; it sells for $24.95. Additional cutter assemblies cost $7.95 each.
Sympo 86 reports — advance orders
The best way to purchase an NFFS Symposium report off the press, short of buying one at the Nats, is to place an advance order. Recent reports have been running about $10 plus $2 P&H; a reasonable guess for Sympo 86 is about the same, give or take depending on pages and printing costs. To play safe, you can send a check marked "Not to exceed $15" or simply send $15 and receive a refund if the price is lower.
"But who's Fred?" you ask. That's Fred Terzian, head person at NFFS Publications. Write to him at 4858 Moorpark Ave., San Jose, CA 95129. If you don't know about NFFS Publications, it is high time you did; write to Fred for a list.
Miscellaneous notes and plans
- A sample one‑inch‑to‑the‑foot plan for a rubber‑powered ABC Robin arrived with a list of other plans. The plans list includes some 30 half‑scale plans selling for $4 each postpaid, and a few larger‑scale ones selling for $10, mostly from the late‑Twenties to mid‑Thirties era.
- On my sample plan the instructions were concise (no telling you how to glue Stick A to Stick B), and though the lettering and some outlines were rough, everything needed to build the model was there. The proprietor, Speed Wilson (a career commercial pilot), says most plans were drawn for his own use and that some are better than others. For a price list, send a SASE to Toko, P.O. Box 283, Welches, OR 97067.
I'll be with you again in two months.
Bob Meuser 4200 Gregory St., Oakland, CA 94619.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
