Free Flight: Old-Timers
By Bill Baker
1902 Peter Pan Norman, OK 73072
Many columns ago I suggested the Theo-Radical design by Maurice Schoenbrun, published in the April 1941 issue of Model Craftsman, as an overlooked design that should be very competitive in today's Old-Timer contests.
I think the only reason we do not see this model at contests is the relative obscurity of the magazine, because all the design elements are there for high-performance free flight:
- long tail moment arm compared to most Old-Timer gas designs
- polyhedral wing
- pylon-mounted engine
- large lifting stabilizer and small fin
- a good airfoil
This thing should outperform the Playboys and planes with their fat fuselages. It's the right size — 45s to the lighter-weight .60s.
Well, someone, at last, has made one. (See the photo of Charles Bruce holding his copy—powered with an Atwood .49.) Charles says the trim flights are progressing nicely. Plans are available from John Pond; I know of no other source. I will give you a copy of the magazine article for a SASE, plus maybe a loose stamp.
Pond's catalog number for the plan is 4F2. Contact:
- P.O. Box 90310, San Jose, CA 95109-3310
- Tel.: (408) 292-3382
Peck-Polymers Convertable
Peck-Polymers sent me a kit of their Convertable, a rubber-powered cabin-type model designed by Tad Dietrich and published in the 1934 Frank Zaic Yearbook. The name "Convertable" apparently referred to its ability to switch from wheels to floats. "Convertable" was misspelled in the 1934 publication, and we will never know if it was the designer's error or Frank's. In the interest of accurate recreation of history, Peck-Polymers retained the original spelling, and in every other way maintained this classic design "like it wuz," except for one vital point: the materials.
The quality of materials—wood prop blank, tissue, and the new tan rubber and hardware—is much higher than you would have found in any 1934 kit. The wood, from Superior Aircraft Materials (Taibi), is especially outstanding.
The plans and instructions include clear photographs and much valuable "how-to" information. The plans were redrawn to excellent modern standards by Gerald Blumenthal.
Peck-Polymers' kits are generally very good value with quality design and materials, and a line of parts, materials, and accessories vital to the builder of small rubber-powered models. Their R.O.G. and Stringless Wonder kits are great fun and should make for a successful experience for the younger modeler.
In addition to the Convertable (the floats are included), they have another Old-Timer design, the Flying Aces Moth, which is perhaps the best available first Old-Timer rubber model for the never-built-one-before person, since it uses a plastic propeller (P-30 size). The Dietrich Convertable should be a great performer, as it is larger and has a much superior propeller if properly carved.
Propeller Carving and Tools
Carving a propeller is a matter of practice, really, and Ken Sykora's Oldtimer Model Supply has properly dimensioned propeller blanks in a variety of diameters. Contact:
- Ken Sykora's Oldtimer Model Supply, P.O. Box 7334, Van Nuys, CA 91409
- Catalog: $2
At these low prices you can get a lot of practice at a very reasonable cost. The thing that really takes knowledge in designing a propeller is taken care of by the proper dimensioning of the blanks. To get good practice you need a good knife, which is a big part of the secret, other than practice.
Knives:
- Toll-free order number: 1-800-225-1153
- Catalog number: 03A40
- This gets you a set of two Swedish carving knives. Price: $11.95, plus UPS cost of $4.
The blades of these knives are laminated: very hard edge-holding steel in the middle, sandwiched with a springier steel so the blade won't be brittle.
Ask them for a catalog; it will really blow your mind and allowance quickly with all the great woodworking tools. Mail orders:
- Woodcraft, P.O. Box 1686, Parkersburg, WV 26102-1686
Catalogs, Kits and New Lines
I received a catalog from Charlie's R/C Goodies, which is mostly small RC stuff including various small electric lines. But there's also quite a bit of Free Flight stuff, including the amazing R/N Models line and, new to me at least, the Pharis Models line.
The R/N line includes 3/4-size versions—which just happen to work nicely with P-30-size plastic propellers—of:
- Korda Wakefield
- Flying Cloud
- Clodhopper
There are also some .020-size Old-Timer gas models: So-Long, Streak, Simplex, Playboy, Brooklyn Dodger, and old (Pioneer, Golden Era, etc.) gas scale models.
The Pharis Models line is mostly profile rubber ships, an R.O.G., and a P-30, but the kit that caught my eye is the Ace Whitman 1939 Albatross, a 36-inch wingspan Old-Timer cabin-type rubber job. I ordered one and found the kit very acceptable in quality of materials. The plan is a reprint of the original and has a lot of data on two sheets. It's not a contest model, but it sure looks like fun. I think I will build it and the Dietrich/Peck-Polymers Convertable and take them along to fly while the batteries charge on my electric-powered sailplanes.
Pharis Models also has a kit for the Thermic Trio, which is a big nostalgia trip for me. This is just a kit for three small (about 8 to 10 in. span) hand-launched gliders. It used to be part of the Jasco (Zaic) line. I must have made a gillion of them, along with Thermic 18s and 20s.
Catalog orders for Pharis Models:
- Charles, 2828 Cochran St., Suite 281, Simi Valley, CA 93065
- Tel: (805) 581-5061
- Phone orders and credit-card payments are okay for those in a hurry.
Events and Competition Notes
The Brainbusters Model Airplane Club of Hampton, Virginia will host a 50th Anniversary Reunion during April 1992. Interested parties should contact:
- Ed Sullivan, 19 Frederick Dr., Newport News, VA 23601
- Tel: (804) 596-6104
All three rubber models described in this column would be eligible for SAM competition in the "Commercial" event. I would not expect them to be competitive outside of that event, where they would be up against Jabberwock and Gollywock designs.
By the way, I understand Midwest has released a new production run of Jabberwock and Gollywock kits. I have not had the opportunity to examine these new kits, but the designs have long set the standard for performance potential in small Rubber Stick and Cabin events.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
