Free Flight: Duration
Harry Murphy 3824 Oakwood Blvd. Anderson, IN 46011
Pee Shooter (Elmer Jordan)
Leading off this month is a three-view of Elmer Jordan's very successful Pee Wee 30 design, which he calls the Pee Shooter. The plans remind me of the '56 Ramrod design; the sliced ribs, center spars, similar vertical fin, and wing-tip plates are certainly reminiscent of the fine Nostalgia Gas–eligible St. Jean designs of yesteryear. The model is interesting and certainly competitive, and over the past few years Elmer has stepped to the front of a number of trophy lines at area contests.
Construction details:
- Wheels: simple 1-inch-diameter disks of 1/32-in. sheet dural aluminum with four evenly spaced 3/16-in. diameter lightening holes. A 1/8-in. diameter solid aluminum rivet is staked securely at the hub, then drilled out to receive the 1/16-in. landing-gear axle.
- Fuselage: simple four-sided box of 1/16-in. sheet with a 1/8-in. sheet pylon.
- Wing and stab construction: conventional (see enlarged rib section views in the plans).
- Powerplant: Cox Pee Wee .020 engine; since mechanical fuel-cutoff machinery isn't permitted, an eyedropper fuel tank is used.
A photo of Elmer and his model appeared in the June 1992 column.
Plans from Bill Brewer
Master draftsman Bill Brewer drew the three-view and expertly detailed full-size plans. Offerings:
- Elmer Jordan's Pee Shooter plan: $5 postpaid.
- Bill Hale's Basic Yeller Pee Wee 30 plan (three-view appeared in Duration, August 1988): $5 postpaid.
- Both plans for $10 (one 29¢ stamp).
Order from: Bill Brewer 2370 Old Oxford Rd. Hamilton, OH 45013
Tell him you read about it in "Duration."
Second-generation Shurikens (BV Competition Engines)
A reconnaissance visit to Indianapolis around the first of June found BV Competition Engines beginning bench test runs of a new second-generation Shuriken 1/2A racing engine. The original B & V partnership has dissolved, but BV Competition Engines, Inc., is alive and well and preparing a stage-two offering.
Notable changes and features:
- Price reduced from the $200-plus bracket to $169.
- Lighter crankcase—exterior excess material machined away.
- Needle-valve assembly moved 0.100 in. rearward (away from the prop) for increased safety.
- Retains distinctive profile and deep red anodized finish.
- New porting in the cylinder liner for improved performance.
- Original fore-and-aft ball bearings retained for racing durability.
Approximately 50 engines will initially be offered to fill previously unfilled orders. Engines will be available in both side- and rear-exhaust versions by mail order only.
Contact: BV Competition Engines, Inc. 1205 Country Club Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46234 Telephone: (317) 271-6650
Incoming Mail
Ray Hayes — Directory for Rubber Model Kits & Supplies
- A 30-page directory (May 1992) covering indoor and outdoor disciplines, Sport, Peanut, Scale, and High-Performance categories. Lists kit and plan sources with costs, books on rubber power, addresses and dues of support organizations (FAC, NFFS, SAM, NIMAS, MIAMA), how-to articles, and a full-size plan.
- Price: $3.95 postpaid.
Order from: Ray Hayes 69598 Brookhill Drive Romeo, MI 48065
Tom Schmitt / Hi-Line sale
- Tom Schmitt and Don Srull have sold Hi-Line to David and Marie Rees. Hi-Line offers small electric motors for model airplanes. A dollar will get you a complete catalog.
Contact: Hi-Line P.O. Box 11558 Goldsboro, NC 27532
#### Tips & Techniques
Dave Linstrum — Microwaved wing tips
- Dave has been laminating tips in the microwave for about five years. He makes his matboard form extra long and tapes long laminations to it at the ends (the trimmed ends are discarded). One minute on high works for his Peanut and Pistachio tips.
Gene Pierre — Alcohol as activator for dried white glue on plastics
- Gene (Princeton, NJ) experimented with brushing alcohol around edges as an activator for dried white glue. He tried 91% and 70% alcohol on .003 acetate, .005 styrene, cellophane, and .002 IMS-supplied sheets; all held well and alcohol cleaned the plastics without attacking them.
- Advice: use a minimum amount of fluid to avoid residue lines inside canopies or other hidden surfaces.
Paul McIlrath — Z-Bar safety device for prop hooks
- Prevents rubber from climbing off the prop hook. Compared to more complex designs, the Z‑Bar is easy to bend. Paul used thread and CyA to secure it to a triangular hook; the columnist suggests thin brass wire and Sta‑Brite silver solder. Smooth the contact surface with epoxy or cement to reduce rubber chafing.
- Caution: be sure to attach your Z‑Bar right‑handed.
Closing note from the column: "Well, gang, until next time, keep the cap on your glue and your pins off the shag rug. Thanks for tuning in!"
Vintage Engines & Collectors
RJL Industries — Forster .99 reproduction
- The Forster .99 reproduction is ready for shipment in limited quantities (not mass-produced). Made using original casting dies; comes with two-speed ignition timer and ball-bearing crankshaft.
- Price: $289 plus $3.50 shipping.
- Historical note: original engines appeared in 1936 and were sold through the 1950s; claimed .68 hp swinging a 14- to 16-inch prop.
Contact: RJL Industries P.O. Box 5 Sierra Madre, CA 91025 Phone: (818) 359-0016
Model Engine Collectors Association (MECA)
- Membership: $20/year. Benefits include half-dozen MECA swap sheets, an annual MECA bulletin, and a complete listing of MECA members.
- Good for buying, selling, swapping out-of-production engines and parts.
Contact: MECA 3007 Travis West Lake, LA 70669
Kits, Catalogs & Plans
Campbell Custom Kits — .020 Replica of Aerbo (John Findra)
- Span: 29 inches; suitable as a Pee Wee 30-class model.
- Price: $21.98 plus $4 shipping.
Contact: Campbell Custom Kits 401 Executive Center Drive, Suite H-108 West Palm Beach, FL 33410
Ken Sykora — Old-Timer Model Supply catalog
- 1992 catalog of kits, supplies, and plans for Comet, Megow, Dallaire, Peerless, Scientific, Ideal, and other vintage kits.
- Price: $2 for the multipage publication.
Contact: Old-Timer Model Supply P.O. Box 7334 Van Nuys, CA 91409
Stan Fink — The Dombuster Spoked Wheel System & Plan Packet
- The Dombuster Spoked Wheel System: 14-page how-to booklet illustrating lightweight spoked-wheel construction. Price: $8 (postage included).
- Plan Packet: a dozen full-size plans by noted indoor designers (Doc Martin, Dave Linstrum, Ed Konfess, Carl Hedley, etc.). Plans include a Peanut Scale, a Bostonian, an Easy B, a No‑Cal Scale, and others. Packet: $8 (postage included).
Contact: Stan Fink 1810 Pine St. Philadelphia, PA 19103
FAI Events and CIAM Notes
At the recent CIAM meeting in Paris, the proposed 300-gram minimum weight rule for F1J Small Power did not pass. That proposal would have imposed a 10.6-oz. handicap on models, likely eliminating the Cox Tee Dee from competitive viability and making expensive new racing 1/2A and 1.0‑cc engines a prerequisite for competitiveness.
With that proposal off the table for now, attention shifts back to the original controversy over F1J rules: some feel the rules are too similar to 1/2A Gas, permitting the same models and engines to qualify for both events and creating redundancy. As the cost of new racing engines drifts down, the Cox Tee Dee may eventually be outclassed, but the redundancy in event rules will likely remain a concern.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
