Author: B. Baker
Edition: Model Aviation - 1995/03
Page Numbers: 125, 126
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FREE FLIGHT OLD-TIMERS

By Bill Baker

1902 Peter Pan, Norman, OK 73072

Magazine: Strictly I.C.

There is a magazine for people who build miniature internal-combustion engines called Strictly I.C. The sample issue I have (Aug/Sep 1994) features a quarter-scale Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk engine as the lead article and concludes part 5 of a construction series for a quarter-scale Kinner five-cylinder radial.

Ads list several casting kits for sale, including replicas of antique model airplane engines. Especially recommended are five kits from Roger Schroeder:

  • Roger Schroeder, 4111 West 98th Street, Overland Park, KS 66207 (send an SASE for a list, which includes a Brown Junior scaled to .19 displacement).

Other articles in the issue include:

  • Conversion of a Magnum .40GP or O.S. .35/.40 to spark ignition
  • Make your own ceramic insulators for spark plugs
  • Making your own spur gears the easy way

Subscriptions are $25 from Strictly I.C., 24920 43rd Avenue South, Kent, WA 98032-4160. Although the magazine is into Volume 7, all back issues are available from the publisher, and indexes for past volumes are available for those who want to catch up. My impression is that this is a very high-quality publication for those with the interests and tools required.

Hinge Angle and Drilling Jig

In my November column I showed Jim O'Reilly's method of determining the hinge angle for a "perfect fold." This requires a compound angle to obtain rotation of the blade as well as folding back.

If you use a wire hub, see Jim's Tubestake O.M.T. article in the March 1987 issue of Model Aviation. If you use a hub with a drilled hinge hole, Jim's drawing should help. The drilling jig shown could be used with minor modifications to establish the position to solder a hinge tube to a piece of brass sheet, which is then bound to a wooden hub in the traditional Old-Timer way.

To make the jig:

  • Cut scraps of 2x4 to an angle between 12° and 16°, depending on the pitch/diameter (P/D) ratio desired (see November column). I suggest a P/D of 13 for most Old-Timer models, for which the angle should be 15°.
  • This is a quick job if you can use a table saw. (I could have made such a block in seventh-grade shop with hand tools; if you don't know anyone in seventh-grade shop, borrow a table saw.)
  • Attach small strips to hold your hub at 45° to the edge of the block, and drill the hinge holes with a drill press.

Note: errors are additive; a one-degree error anywhere can produce a two-degree error elsewhere.

Jim O'Reilly Plans Service

Jim O'Reilly has started a plans service (illustrated list $2). The high-quality CAD plans include modern and redrawn Old-Timer designs, such as:

  • Lidgard's small rubber cabin (a "Jabberwock eater")
  • Lidgard's Eugene large rubber cabin (about 190 sq. in.)
  • Lanzo's Puss Moth (with the correct airfoil)
  • Civy Boy 84 for nostalgia fans

There are 13 plans on the current list and more in progress. I have encouraged Jim to redo Theoradical (the original was primitive), and suggested he do the Stahl large Mustang A and the Boulton Paul Defiant (redrawn with box-and-former structure instead of the original half-shell structure, which I find crazy-making). If you have suggestions for Jim, send $2 for his list to:

  • Jim O'Reilly, 4760 North Battin, Wichita, KS 67220.

Texas Timers (Hank Nystrom)

Hank Nystrom now offers an ignition model of his Texas Timer. Contact:

  • Texas Timers, 3317 Pine Timbers Drive, Johnson City, TN 37604. Tel: (615) 282-6423.

These are quality clockwork items made with features for modern free flight like quick-DT and autosurfaces.

OK Engines Catalog

OK Engines (Box 355, Mohawk, NY 13407) issued a catalog (March 1995) for $1.25 listing their Cub engines and parts. They also have a catalog of OK ignition parts covering pre–WWII models (such as the .49 and .60) and postwar engines (Bantam, CO2, etc.). Suggest sending a couple of bucks for their catalogs.

BY&O Propellers (Clarence Bull)

Clarence Bull has retired and started a new business making model-airplane-related supplies. He now makes Y&O-style propellers called BY&O. They are crafted from beech wood and are also available laminated with alternating colored woods—very pretty and suitable for Old-Timer and Nostalgia-era models.

  • Clarence H. Bull Jr., BY&O Propellers, Box 492, Harrisburg, OR 97446.

Robert Eierman's List and Books

Get Robert Eierman's list for $3 (it is many pages; postage is nearly $1). He describes many engines for sale—from rare collectibles to common runners, and from true antiques to the latest models. What's unique: he will accept model items you want to dispose of, give you credit, and you can spend that credit on items from his list. I've used it to clear out engines, parts, kits, and books—like a garage sale—and acquired nearly new engines for current projects.

The list includes items beyond engines (kits, silk, clockwork timers) and books of interest to free flight modelers. Robert also carries new copies of Art Suhr's books, essential if you're interested in ignition engines; these books reprint contemporary magazine articles reviewing engines when they were new and are well printed and bound.

Contact:

  • Robert Eierman, 504 Las Posas, Ridgecrest, CA 93555. Tel: (619) 375-5537.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.