Free Flight
Duration
Harry Murphy
Thanks. In the interim since our last session, the volume of fresh postal commentary and column feedback has been most gratifying and probably more than sufficient to fulfill my space quota for this issue should I attempt to honor all responses. I hope this is an indication that we are passing on items that are of interest to most. At any rate, I'll get on with the program to enable covering as much of the mail-bag material as possible — and many thanks to all who take the time to contribute to the written words of Free Flight.
Denton's stripper
Serious-minded rubber-powered competitors be alerted! Larry Kruse sent a photo of Stan Denton's custom-made rubber stripper. This fantastic machine may be the world's best for the purpose intended. Machined from bar stock with a spring-loaded cutting wheel and ball-bearing races, the stripper is calibrated in increments of one-hundredths of an inch with adjustments being made by two knurled knobs.
Larry advises Stan produced an initial batch of 25 devices and his last conversation indicated there were only a few left. Whether additional production was planned was unknown at this writing. The gadget appears built virtually indestructible and might make a good club purchase. Price: $100 each plus $2.75 shipping. Stan's mailing address is Denton Motors, Ltd., 1107 S.W. 42nd St., Oklahoma City, OK 73109.
Stuff from Starline
Sal Fruciano of Starline International sent a photo of ex-Hoosier Ed Lidgard posing with a 110-square-inch, silk-covered model of a design he calls My Sparky. The excellently performing design was originally conceived in the early Forties when Ed worked for the Comet Model Airplane Company in Chicago.
Sal further comments that Ed, now retired, has been a regular at Taft (CA) contests of late. Although he doesn't seem to compete officially, he can usually be found toying with one of his many fine original rubber model designs, most of which are under 150 square inches wing area. Catching Ed downwind at the Free Flight Champs while retrieving a 100-square-inch, all-balsa cabin model, Sal relates that Ed volunteered the design dated back to 1940 when designers used to have lunchtime design contests: everyone got a clean sheet of paper and 15 minutes to come up with an original, rule-compliant, workable design.
Indicating the steady growth of Starline International, Sal also sent a copy of its new quality catalog, which is chock full of items of interest for the outdoor Free Flight buff. You may recall we recently relayed an advertising plug on Starline's digital "Thermal Sniffer" thermometer; long-time modeler Henry Struck commented that in his heyday "thermals" were called "risers," and suggested "riser recognizer" as a more appropriate name.
In addition to the thermal-detecting device, Starline's new catalog includes Montreal Stop units, Euro-style front ends, prop blanks and forming blocks, rubber, lube, and other accessories for the serious rubber-power competitor. It also offers the Campbell kit line, the Italian Rocca prop line (including folders), and the Toyo line of precision hobby lathes and accessories. A dollar will get you a copy of the catalog; an additional $2 will bring an eight-page price list and catalog on the Toyo items. Address: Starline International, 6146 E. Cactus Wren Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85253. Phone: (602) 948-5798.
FF from Fresno
Free Flighter Mel Schmidt sent a photo of a beautifully built, Super Tigre G21/29–powered Shocer. This model was victorious in B Gas at the '86 Taft Free Flight Champs, posting a winning time of 42:30. Mel advises the ship was built from a stock Shocer kit. If the kit is of interest and you can't find one in your local hobby shop, a SASE to AJ Free Flight Service, 4840 E. Leisure Ave., Fresno, CA 93727, will bring information on Shocer kits that are available in four different sizes.
AJ Free Flight Service uses the same mailing address as the Fresno Model News, the newsletter of the Fresno Gas Model Airplane Club (FGMAC). We'll spotlight their newsletter this month. The FMN claims Free Flight-scene coverage for California's Central Valley, with Paul Archuleta as current Club President; VP is John Villanue; Luther Simonian guards the books and the club "sock"; and Russ James produces the newsletter. Interested modelers can join the FGMAC for $7.50 per year. The club's official mailing address is 4215 E. Clay, Fresno, CA 93702 (Luther Simonian).
Red Devil revisited
I thought we had finally put to rest our continuous subject on removing old silkspan and tissue from elderly models when, in a recent column, I mentioned Red Devil Liquid No. 99 Paint and Varnish Remover. Apparently I erred in not indicating where I had located the 32-ounce can, because I received nearly as many "where-did-ya-get-it" requests as rave notices from those fortunate to acquire some.
Among the inquiries were longtime friend Sal Taibi of Long Beach, CA, and Atlanta-based Jim Walston. Jim, a wholesale hardware salesman, even called the company but indicated they were less than helpful for some unknown reason. Anyway, guys, I bought my can at a Target department store — and that's all I know. Now it's every man for himself. Good luck!
NFFS items
The National Free Flight Society (NFFS) — our most prominent special interest organization dedicated to support of all forms of competition Free Flight — has announced its 1986 list of inductees into the NFFS Free Flight Hall of Fame. Formal presentations are to take place on July 29 at the NFFS Symposium, held annually in conjunction with the AMA Nationals. The awards recognize contributions to the development and continuity of Free Flight model airplane activities throughout the U.S.A. and the world. The recipients for this year are:
- Joseph W. Foster
Wakefield team flier and World Champion in 1953; Grand Nationals Champion in 1952; Power champion and Indoor record-holder.
- Anne M. Gieseking (deceased)
NFFS administrator during the formative years of the organization in the 1960s. Publisher of books on modeling informative for both young and experienced alike.
- William C. Hannon
- Robert L. Hatschek
Flier of renown, towline tow-hook experimenter, and chronicler of concepts.
Congratulations to these well-deserving awardees.
In reference to some previously mentioned 1986 NFFS awards: Gil Morris, chairman of the NFFS Ten Models of the Year Award committee, sent me a copy of a letter written in Russian and signed by Mr. Y. Postnikov, Secretary of the Federation of Aeronautic Sports of the U.S.S.R. It was a note of appreciation for the committee's decision to place the 1985 World Champ models of A. Andrukov and N. Kanchensky on the 1986 list of NFFS' 10 best. Those awards were given in F1B Rubber (for a variable-pitch-and-delay prop) and in F1C Power, respectively.
NFFS President Tony Litano is circulating a request for increased correspondence to be directed to the NFFS Digest, the organization's newsletter, which is edited by Bob Meuser. Tony is soliciting anything from complete designs to simple construction tips, informative articles, or even questions and advice on anything pertaining to Free Flight. Send contributions to Robert Meuser, 4200 Gregory St., Oakland, CA 94619.
Speaking of the NFFS Digest, the April 1986 issue (Volume XX, No. 4) was totally dedicated to the NFFS-sponsored Nostalgia Gas event. The issue contains event rules, an engine eligibility listing, and a listing of hundreds of eligible designs. You can support the Nostalgia Gas events and the NFFS by sending your $15 annual membership fee to NFFS, 8383 Zancanaro St., Citrus Heights, CA 95610 — and don't forget to ask for the April issue.
The Kondo Brown
In the past it has been super sleuth Bob Larsh who submitted most of the hobby-related "Twilight Zone" stories included in this column. However, the "Kondo Brown" tale that follows developed right under my nose for some time; first innocently, and finally exploding with a bang.
Once upon a time I acquired about 65 engines in a package deal which included one I first thought to be a scudgy-looking Brown Jr. If you youngsters don't know what a Brown Jr. is, it was one of the first high-revving model engines produced in the mid-Thirties. My engine was stamped by Brown Jr. Motors in Philadelphia, Pa., as a .601-cu.-in. displacement powerplant. Some months passed before I examined it closely. In the interim I showed the specimen to several engine collector friends, but none could enlighten me as to its actual origins.
By today's standards a crude hand-stamping effort on the crankcase identified the engine as a KONDO SPECIAL MOTORS product; other than the name giving a hint to oriental origins, the... [Text incomplete]
See ya downwind!
Harry Murphy 3824 Oakwood Blvd. Anderson, IN 46011
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
