Free Flight: Old-Timers
Clarence Haught
Contest Season Wrap-Up
I just returned from the last contest of the year here in the Northwest. Wonder what it would be like to have flying weather year round? You'd probably lose its appeal after a while — we all tend to take things for granted — and when would you do all your building? At least in a seasonal area you can plan in the fall, build in the winter, watch the wind blow in the spring and crash in the summer.
At the aforementioned "Power Bash" put on by the Boeing Hawks the emphasis is on flying. Bash rules call for six official flights with any model. Of course AMA and Old-Timer are separate categories. Six flights calls for consistency and reliability and can take most of a day just for this one event. Everyone has a good time and merchandise prizes are awarded clear through last place! It's a great change of pace.
There seems to be more and more "special events" getting started in various parts of the country. "One engine" contests have been held with good response — Brown Jrs., O & R 23s, and so on.
V.A.M.P.S. Antique Special Event
The V.A.M.P.S. of Las Vegas have announced their 1979 annual for February 24 and 25 and have included a special event for big models. To enter this special Don Weitz event, your model must meet the following:
- Wingspan of 96 inches or more.
- The model must have been designed, kitted, or plans published prior to January 1939 (Antique).
- Powered by an original ignition engine, which will be allotted 1/4 ounce of fuel per pound of model weight up to a maximum of 1 1/4 ounces.
- Timers can accompany the contestant while chasing the model, just like the good old days.
- Best one out of two official flights is counted, but you must make over 4 minutes for the flight to be official.
- Model must R.O.G. (rise off ground); the modeler may guide one wing tip during the takeoff run.
We need more events like this.
Encouragement to Contest Participation
Many modelers shy away from contest activity for one reason or another, but if they only knew what fun they were missing. Contest directors could forget about breaking even financially on contests. Lifelong friendships are founded on the competition trail as well as invaluable experiences from observing and sharing with other modelers.
If you are one of these modelers who is hesitant to enter a contest for any reason, I'd like to urge you to give it a try. It could be one of the best things that ever happened in your modeling career. You may find yourself driving great distances to a meet mainly to renew old acquaintances, and to check who wins what!
Y & O Returns
Bill Schagerman, of Lee's Summit, Missouri 64063, has purchased tooling and the remainder of the wood stock for the Y & O line of propellers of the 1940s. These props have a unique blade shape and are available in a variety of woods. One sample I have is genuine oak!
I must admit to being a bit skeptical of the blade airfoil section, so I dragged out my old Ranger, powered with an Ohlsson .20 rotary valve, for a few tests. The O & R turned the 10-3/2 Top Flite that I normally use at 8000 rpm on my Heath tach. Changing to the Y & O 10-4 I found it to turn at the same approximate revs, a 10-6 turned 7000 rpm and an 11-4 did 6000. All figures are plus or minus 25 rpm, taking into consideration the small increments in which the Heath tach is calibrated.
Flight performance of the Y & O props seems equal to other brands, although this is very difficult to determine with all the variables to be considered. I obtained these nostalgic beauties from Tom Cope:
- Tom Cope, 23262 S.E. 57th Street, Route 3, Issaquah, Washington 98027 — lists them along with other items of interest to oldtimers.
Diameters range from 8" to 18" with pitches in the 4" to 8" range. Tom tells me that Y & O props are also available in laminated wood, and prices are right. I've also heard that Mark Fechner stocks Y & O props along with many hard-to-get engine parts:
- Mark Fechner, 4456 W. 3145 So., Salt Lake City, Utah 84120.
Rebuild That Engine
With good original ignition engines getting harder and harder to find, it makes good sense to get maximum life out of the ones you have available. Fortunately, lapped piston-and-cylinder assemblies have long lives if they are not exposed to excessive dirt and grit. Many high-time engines still have good compression long after the rest of the engine is no longer serviceable.
If the cylinder-piston fit is no longer acceptable, it is possible to have the cylinder chrome plated and the old piston refitted, provided your engine has a removable cylinder head allowing access for machining. If your engine has an integral head you are pretty much stuck.
The most common ailment with old engines is worn main and connecting rod bearings. Not only do worn main bearings allow crankshaft wobble and engine vibration, they also allow leakage of crankcase compression, which is vital for proper fuel transfer in any two-stroke-cycle engine.
Fabricating and fitting new main and rod bearings is an economical and worthwhile undertaking and allows many hours of continued service from your old engine.
Broken mount lugs can be repaired by careful buildup of metal using the Heliarc welding process and then filing and/or machining back to shape.
Incidentally, the common use of electric starters can be harmful to older engines due to their lack of thrust bearings capable of absorbing inward pressure on the crankshaft — the reverse of normal thrust. This load is often borne by the thin front surface of the main bearing wearing against the back of the prop-drive washer. Allowed to continue, this procedure can lead to the crankpin machining a groove in the rear crankcase cover.
There are several shops specializing in model engine rework. Some will not work on old-time engines. A couple that will are:
- Mark Fechner (see address above).
- J.L. Machine Service — John Lorbiecki, 5847 N. 67th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53218.
Anyone else willing to work on old-time engines please contact me and I'll get the word out.
C. E. Haught Route 5, Box 16 Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
