FREE FLIGHT SPORT and SCALE
Bill Warner, 1370 Monache Avenue, Porterville, CA 93257
MORE ON WARP DRIVES
Wow! What a response to the November issue's discussion of gearless transmissions for rubber! Bob Meuser writes that the drive should be called Hovsepian and not Hovespian, in honor of Al Hovsepian who headed up the metal-stamping outfit in Berkeley, California that produced many such units. Bob still has some of Al's little gems, but he wouldn't part with any of them for the world. While still in junior high school, Bob made one himself with 16 parallel motors, but adds that "...of course, it didn't work."
Longtime AMA Executive Director John Worth writes that after reading the material from Bruce Holbrook, he is inspired to build his first model in many moons to utilize his 1931 "Prime Mover" six-crankshaft gearless transmission.
FAC Commandant Lin Reichel corrected me on the FAC ban on gears and monkey-motion transmissions: it's just in the mass-launch events.
For Gear Lovers Only
Bill McCombs, author of Flying and Improving Scale Model Airplanes, wrote to chide me for implying that the Hovsepian transmission was more efficient than gears. He noted that gears have a rolling friction to contend with and the crank setup has a sliding friction plus the back-and-forth component.
I agree with Bill that it is probably less efficient, though I think it probably beats gears at leveling the power curve (torque burning) as it acts sort of an escapement. I don't know of any figures available that compare the two directly, but I'm sure some engineer-type out there will take up that challenge.
By the way, if you send a 2-stamp SASE and $2 to Bill McCombs at 2106 Siesta Dr., Dallas, TX, he'll photocopy the pages on gears from his book and send them to you. He might even include his sheet on trouble-shooting FF Scale flying problems, if you ask.
Results of our August "identify the model" contest
The model—Ken McDonough's 1/32-scale all-sheet Armstrong-Whitworth Siskin III with 41(F) Squadron markings, photographed at the 1968 Aeromodeller Rally at Old Warden—was perfectly identified by Mark Braunlich of Willoughby, Ohio.
Twenty-six entries correctly identified it as a Siskin III or IIIa. Prizes (kits, plans, and certificates from the Warner attic) have been sent to ten skysters drawn at random from correct submissions:
- Kenny Porter (12)
- Bob Haight
- George Wagner Sr.
- Art Doten
- George Scrimshaw
- Charles Gabriel
- Sir Lionel Cheetwell
- Dick Bartlett
- Peter Kaiteris
- Jim Wilson
Also correct but unlucky in the draw:
- Jaime VanDiver
- Bob Scheidly
- Bruno Frescki
- Bill Jenkins
- Harry Volk
- John Magno
- Ernie Wrisley
- Travis Foss
- Len Weiczorek
- Forrest Gassett
- George Ardwin
- Bob Isaacks
- Doc Martin
- F. Pisano
Thanks to all of you savvy skysters who sent in entries, and to those of you who wrote and said you wanted more contests!
Cute Laser-Cut Kits
Opening the spectacular new 35-inch Piper J-3 rubber kit from Herr Engineering provoked mixed emotions. The laser-cut parts are pretty enough to frame and put on the wall; never mind that internal rib intricacy is mostly show—the grain running across struts and edges browned by the cutting process makes them striking.
I next felt a too-good kit might take the fun out of building: the modeler would be reduced to the role of assembler, with the attendant loss of satisfaction and personal accomplishment. Upon close inspection, however, those fears proved baseless—there's still plenty to build. The kit looks a lot simpler at first, but sorting out unmarked parts, making stacked-disc balsa wheels, the pretty traditional built-up fuselage, scale prop and engine, laminated wingtip and tail parts are still challenging. Instructions are excellent; plans show laminating outlines. Anyone who has built one model should be able to build a handsome model with flight potential.
$34.95 kit; guaranteed. Two dollars will bring Thomas Herr's catalog (gorgeous 30-inch Ryan ST, 30-inch Scout, Son of Flying Aces Moth line) and glue-applying equipment. Send to Herr Engineering, 5648 Kingman Ave., Portage, IN 46368.
Judges Bias Rules Fun
Grant Carson, scale judge at the U.S. Free Flight Champs, writes in comment on Tom Arnold's statements concerning some FF Scale judges favoring translucent, light-looking models. Grant rightly observes that judges are supposed to follow the AMA rules, which state that "...to obtain maximum points...the color, degree of gloss, opacity of finish...should be accurately represented." He mentions that some judges let their personal feelings get in the way of adhering strictly to the rules, and that he has been quite upset by it at times.
This is a good point. The purpose of rules is to insure fairness, and Grant's feeling is that a contestant should not have to guess the judge's bias.
Many years ago I too used to get upset by judges who "prevented me from getting recognition" in the form of a trophy. Then one day it hit me that trophies were only one form of recognition, and that building what you wanted to and doing your personal best was more important than winning. Competing is more fun when it is a form of recreation and sharing with other modelers, and not just a quest after another trophy.
I once encountered a fellow modeler late at night in a hangar at one of the big Navy Nats in Chicago. I complimented him on his quite-excellent model, but I don't think he even heard me. He was too busy bemoaning the fact that the judges had not given him credit for this and that on his model. My impression was that he was thoroughly miserable. That trophy was really what was important to him. I haven't seen him since, but I hope that he is having more fun out of the hobby these days.
I seldom even read the rules anymore, and I almost never even look at my scale score. When you do your best on the model, and the model does its best to be what it is and a fellow modeler appreciates it, what more do you need?
Hallman's Loose
Tom Hallman's 1937 Chet Loose racer is one of those models that makes your heart beat just a little faster. No one could have done it better than Tom, a top-notch professional artist who does covers for Rex Stout novels in his spare time. This little 21-1/2-inch model weighs 32 grams without rubber, and "flew right off the drawing board" as we model-news scribblers often say. It required no ballast, and only minor adjustment to please the great thermal deities.
Tom, who has a habit of losing his models out of sight in contests, may think that the red color scheme may help, but to me it looks like a transponder would be more in order!
Thanks, But No Thanks
Tom Yanosky, with guidance from former AMA museum curator and fellow FF scale modeler Hurst Bowers, recently built the ultimate museum model for the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. The basswood model is covered with silk and has metal cowling, brass fittings, working controls—the works. Nine months of his professional life went into this "maximum-effort" machine.
Needless to say, NASM was delighted with it, but only had $400 to offer him! With so much of himself invested in it, Tom decided to hang on to the model. Who can blame him? Congrats on an inspiring piece of work, Tom!
New CO2s From Gasparin
The Czech carbon-dioxide king, Stefan Gasparin, has done it again! He has followed up his nine-cylinder masterpiece with a flat four, a five-cylinder radial, and two three-cylinder Anzani-type designs.
The old blue-anodized heads are gone, with the new arrivals sporting a more scale-like bronze-anodized finish. The GM63A pictured is manufactured by G-Mot and features a quasi-Chauvière prop by Sedlar. Thanks to Fritz Mueller for keeping us up to date!
Source List
Additions and updates are coming in constantly for my resource guide, the Cottage Wings list. With this list you'll never again have to worry about where to find a rubber stripper, colored nitrate dope, data on an airplane, or a Flying Aces Squadron to join. Send a dollar and a large SASE with 52 cents postage to me at 1370 Monache Ave., Porterville, CA 93257.
Until next time, gang, remember that trophies are plastic, but compliments are golden (and they never collect dust). Laminate that for your wallet.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
