Free Flight: Old-Timers
Byline
Bill Baker 1902 Peter Pan Norman, OK 73072
Frustration
The time delays involved in magazine writing drive me up the wall. As I write this it is not yet Halloween, and when you read it New Year's Eve will probably have passed. It makes it hard to be timely, and when I also take into consideration that I only get to write for every other issue (with time out for the Nats and maybe other special issues), I conclude that I cannot do contest plugs or reports. With such precious little space each year, maybe I can be forgiven for not doing obituaries. My mail indicates that what you want is "where to get it" and "how to do it," and that is what I am going to do as long as I can.
One more comment before getting on with it: I am happy to give plugs to the cottage industries that provide us with what we need, but it is the responsibility of those industries to provide me with current information about their services and products — including catalog prices. I am tired of being whined at after I give a plug about not having given the price of the new revised catalog (of which I have not been provided a copy) correctly.
Competition rules and SAM information
If you want to complain about the competition rules, write to SAM Speaks, the newsletter of SAM (Society of Antique Modelers — which has the rules for Old-Timer competition).
- Editor: Bill Darkow, 1237 S. Grant St., Tacoma, WA 98405.
- To join SAM and get SAM Speaks, send $10 to Bob Dodds, 209 Summerside Pl., Encinitas, CA 92024.
There — I got that off my chest and feel better.
Events
Early reports from the '89 SAM Champs (held in October in Las Vegas) are that "it was the best ever," with a large pre-entry of nearly 300, two-thirds of which were Free Flight. John Worth(!). The site was excellent — no trees, corn, or potatoes — and the wind was almost nonexistent. I wish I could have gone, but had no money or vacation time. Faithful correspondent Mik Mikkelson sent me a pair of photos; note the flying site in the background — Free Flight heaven!
The NFFS "Nationals" at Lawrenceville, IL (June 1989) was considered a great success by those attending, and I understand they are going to do it again in 1990. This is of interest to us because they will have lots of Old-Timer and Nostalgia events again. One of my spies tells me the site and weather were "great," the Executive Inn food was "great," and the hotel also housed a convention of cheerleaders. One morning at breakfast, as the Free Flighters watched the cheerleaders parade in the dining room, one FFer said in a stage whisper, "Maybe we're dead!"
Silk and model covering
I've had a number of letters asking my help in locating silk. Kustom Kraftsmanship has an ad in every issue of this magazine mentioning silk and other fine things — and they have even more fine things in their $1 catalog.
- Kustom Kraftsmanship: Box 3010, Fallbrook, CA 92028.
The major distributor and source for silk in this country seems to be:
- Model Covering Company, 2320 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11223; Tel: 1-718-375-1223.
High-tension leads, RC and diesel notes
Kustom Kraftsmanship's ad also mentions resistor high-tension leads. I frequently get letters from someone who says he has stored his daddy's Super Boring 60 in the sock drawer with his Holy Bible for 40 years and now wants to use it in an RC model (probably an ARF) and worries about radio interference. That sort of person hasn't bothered to notice that it is Doc Mathews who covers Old-Timer RC matters, so he writes to me.
My answer (and that of my friend Bill Schmidt) is to put a 10K (10,000-ohm) resistor in the high-tension lead near the spark plug. It makes sense to have the spark coil near the engine and the receiver away from the engine, and that will help prevent interference.
Another source for high-tension leads with resistors installed is:
- Argo-USA, 3229 Dianora Dr., Palos Verdes, CA 90274; Tel: 213-377-6186.
Argo-USA is also a source for replica Orwick engines and, for the diesel fans, the Elfin 2.49cc and a real antique-looking Oliver Battleaxe 20cc and Battleaxe Twin 40cc.
There has been some controversy about the use of diesels in SAM competition. My two cents: if you want your models, car, home, clothes and hair to smell like diesel fuel, then have at it! The English like diesels, but they have lost all of their colonies, and I think there is a connection here.
Fresno Model Airplane Company
Fresno Model Airplane Company has a new owner and a new address. A SASE sent to the address below will get you a listing of their line of replica kits of favorite Old-Timer rubber models (some of these are the Miss World's Fair, Super Snooper, and the Flying Aces Sky Gull). New owner Steve Gunther says he will continue the line's reputation for quality kits of models that fly.
- Fresno Model Airplane Co., 3858 Maywood Dr., North Fresno, CA 93703; Tel: 209-268-7593.
Hobby Horn, P&W and Midway kits
I am lucky to have a good (by modern standards) hobby shop about a mile from where I live. I support it, but I still rely on catalogs and cottage industries for much of my supplies. In recent years one of the most important sources has been Hobby Horn. They advertise in this magazine, but I will give you the address anyway:
- Hobby Horn, P.O. Box 2212, Westminster, CA 92684; Tel: 1-714-893-8311. Their catalog is $2 — or free with any order upon request.
The Hobby Horn catalog is interesting because it contains a coalition of modeling interests: Electric RC, RC Sailplanes, FF and RC Old-Timers, and modern Free Flight. I think that if a Free Flight person is going to dabble in RC, it will likely be in sailplanes or electrics; conversely, RC types most likely to show some interest in Free Flight are often found among soaring modelers.
Hobby Horn carries kits from P&W and from Midway Model Co. (apparently their own kit line). Midway kits can be bought as either "full" kits (total sheet and stripwood included) or "partial" kits (only some parts included). The "full" kits have better-quality wood than you could generally get at the hardware store, so I recommend the full kits unless you have lots of good wood on hand.
According to their catalog, Hobby Horn has apparently taken over the line once made by 4-Ks, including the 4- and 6-ft span versions of the Buzzard Bombshell and the Lamb Climber, a popular OT rubber-stick model.
As an aside, I have just test-flown the Midway Ultra Mk IV (an electric RC sailplane), and it is not only the best electric sailplane I have flown, it is as good as any sailplane I've flown. For your first electric sailplane, I recommend the Carl Goldberg "Models" Electra, but the Midway Ultra Mk IV is a fine kit and a great flier.
The P&W kits are simply excellent for Old-Timers; the accuracy and quality of the parts and plans are such that they are worth the price. In some instances the structures are improved over the originals — the Zipper and the Sailplane (Carl Goldberg designs), for example, have built-up fuselages that are stronger and lighter than the original, with crutch-former fuselages rather than built-up sides; the result is truer, stronger, and easier to build. If you want to make a Zipper or Sailplane — or anything P&W offers — it is good judgment to get a P&W kit (unless you are into S&MM, in which case I wouldn't dream of interfering with your fun).
A note on wing retention (Lanza Stick)
In my last column (December 1989 issue) I had a photo of a Lanza Stick, and I ran out of space before I could point out that the wing was held on by rubber bands going around the fuse. Don't do that — you will break the lower longerons. Put some dowels in with bits of sheet reinforcement, and hook the wing rubber bands to those.
Even if it is too late to say it, have a Happy New Year!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
