Free Flight: Scale Sport
Bill Warner
The 1980 Flying Aces Nationals are on for Wright Field in Dayton for the three days preceding the AMA Nats, and missing it would be like missing Halley's Comet or a Roadrunner cartoon! A full program will be offered, including:
- WW I and WW II scale events
- Air Race, mass-launch event
- Four Peanut events
- FAC (Flying Aces Club) Rubber and Power Scale
- Jumbo Scale
- No-Cal and Schneider Profile events
- Catapult Jet Scale
- Junior ROG
- Junior National Reliability Tour
- Embryo Endurance
For more information, contact Contest Director Frank Scott, 4283 Honeybrook Ave., Dayton, OH 45415. Phone: (513) 890-5989. Dormitory accommodations are available at the University of Dayton, and a big Saturday night banquet should be the high point of the FF Scale year. Family activities for non-modeling members—such as swimming, shopping, and museum tours—are being planned for those who could use a bargaining point with the rest of the family.
Plus, the AMA Nats follow right on its heels, which should give you the incentive to be there for the whole fantastic week.
First World Peanut Grand Prix
The First World Peanut Grand Prix will also draw modelers to the famous West Baden, IN site. MIAMA, the organizers, will have the renowned Butch Hadland flying in from England to head up this prestigious event. Classes to be flown will be:
- Pioneer
- WW I
- Golden Age (1919–1939)
- WW II
- Modern
Send your entry, accompanied by $5, to J. B. "Doc" Martin, 3227 Darwin St., Miami, FL 33133, by June 10. Bring the plane to the Northwood Institute by 10:00 a.m. on June 24 for scale judging. Entries may be 13 in. span or 9 in. overall length. Volunteer fliers to help with proxies will be welcome.
FF Scale Plans
Collectors who aren't aware of Art Hall's sensational master plans are in for a real thrill the first time they see one. His Marcoux-Bromberg plans are even being used as references in rebuilding original aircraft! One look at his "Mr. Smoothie" makes you want to grab your old X-Acto knife and skip supper while you bury yourself in balsa chips. Each plan is available in several sizes, and some have "press-apply" pattern sheets available, too. Other planes in Art's line include the Keith Ryder "Firecracker," the Chester "Jeep," the Northrop "Alpha," and his new project, the Pesco Special. Send 25¢ and a SASE for a list of these little gems to Hall Enterprises, Box 485, Winter Park, FL 32790.
Gene Thomas Classic Models
Gene Thomas' Classic Models offers a complete weapons system for the modeler who wants a plane guaranteed to get top scale points at the local meet, as well as wow spectators with snazzy looks and flying ability. His new catalog costs $1 (refundable with your first order) and includes photos of kits, documentation, plans, and plenty of exciting model shots. The catalog alone is destined to become a collector's item. Write to Classic Models, P.O. Box 681, Melville, NY 11747.
Construction Tip: Gusseting Corners
In an earlier column we considered gusseting corners formed by rib-to-trailing-edge and similar junctions to prevent tissue wrinkles. Flightmaster Dick Baxter of Costa Mesa, CA, has started a West Coast fad that seems to revolutionize this practice. On his Peanuts, Dick uses about a 3/8 in. length of 1/16 in. square balsa with a 45-degree angle on each end, installed at each corner of the wing. Having personally tried this on my new Mooney Bostonian, I admit I am sold! Not only is it quick and easy, but it saves weight. The longer you make it, the stronger the bracing effect. Try it—you'll like it!
Winding Etiquette
"Don't talk to me when I'm winding!" says Don Assel of Canton, OH. How many of us forget to either heed that admonition or to remind the uninitiated that the poor chap grinding away on the end of that little bundle of energetic worms is probably counting up to an exact 360 cranks—and that one extra crank will put him out of business. A good idea would be to print a small instruction sheet for the person who anchors for you, including information such as:
- Point the nose at the winder.
- Hold it by the fuselage (not around the stringers behind the wing).
- Stand still.
- Shoo off the talkers.
- Expect a sudden shock and don't panic if one comes.
- Don't forget to remind me to remove the winding tube.
FF SCALE/WARNER (continued from page 55)
A good hobby dealer is worth his or her weight in gold. One sometimes forgets that while trying to save a buck buying from a mail-order house. A modeler may save a few bucks on a big purchase, but it is those big items that keep a hobby shop alive these days. You can't just run down to the discount house every time you need a sheet of tissue, a tube of glue, or some dope thinner. Nor are they a very good source for friendly advice and help when you need it. Without your local shop, you lose in more ways than one.
John O’Leary, writing in the Minneapolis Modeler, relates the following true anecdote: "About half a dozen FF and CL types are assembled at the local hobby shop on the Friday before Christmas, sharing holiday good tidings and helping each other finish last-minute projects. They finish up, pay for their purchases and go home, with good will in their hearts, looking forward to the flying season."
Persevere—start a new model project this week, plan to make the FAC and AMA Nats, take a neighbor kid to the flying field with you Saturday morning, and be patient with your humble columnist if he is slow in answering mail. It's time for inspired building!
Bill Warner 423-C San Vicente Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90402.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
