Free Flight: Sport & Scale
Bill Warner
Childhood memories — A-J Interceptor
Personally, I still have a model in a tree in Cleveland, OH. I shot it up there in 1940 — my first encounter with high performance. That nifty A-J Interceptor was quite a step up from the penny gliders we used to get from the ice-cream man. Even a kid of seven could get that A-J up a hundred feet with a good catapult shot. Once you folded the wings back on the way up, the air pressure would lessen on the folded wings, allowing them to pop out and rotate 90° into flying position with a resolute "snap." If you have never had the fun of playing with one of these little "sort-of" scale gliders, you've missed something.
Visit to Washington, D.C.
A visit to Washington, D.C. this past summer was an unforgettable experience for a model buff. Tom Schmitt, our gracious host, made sure we got to visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the AMA Museum at Reston, and the sacred haunts of the legendary D.C. Maxecuters — namely Don Srull's "ten-paces-across" building studio and the Friday-night model meet at the COMSAT field.
The traditional bull session at Roy Rogers' restaurant produced lively discussions on the latest tricks in modeling, such as getting ether for diesel fuel from "Instant Start" spray cans (available at auto supply stores) by attaching four feet of fuel tubing to the spray nozzle and using it as a condenser. An alternative — putting a hole in the can with a .22 from 30 feet — was mentioned as having been tried with good results, but for most of us the condenser idea seems the safest!
It was great fun attending the COMSAT flying in the evening calm, with a wide variety of outstanding scale models filling the sky. The CO2 Guillow's FW-190 of Allan Schanzle outflew the others in the big mass-launch of the evening — even the fine Luscombe Phantom of Rolfe Gregory (Rolfe built the originals!). The likely reason: the four-pound balsa Allan uses. Other vivid memories include Don Srull's electric Bleriot doing over three minutes and watching a jumbo-rubber Curtiss float into a tree, followed by a lively retrieval jamboree with everyone offering Don lots of great ideas. The old weighted-string routine finally bore fruit.
1947 (Jet) Interceptor — kit availability
The 1947 (Jet) Interceptor is available again in ready-made or kit form. The kit can be made in about an hour, and after a little Teflon powder on the pivot, it can perform like a champ. Price: $3.95 (plus $3.00 postage). Order from:
- A-J Fun Pak, P.O. Box 548, Oregon City, OR 97045.
Order two — the postage covers that many. Order more if there are any trees in your neighborhood! You may need extra nose weight, as I did. Enjoy!
AMA Museum, Reston, VA
A trip to the AMA Museum in Reston with Tom and curator Hurst Bowers was a real treat. I've always been a sucker for models hanging from the ceiling. I think the sight of a huge silver scale model hanging from the ceiling of Fleischmann's Bike Shop in Ravenna, OH in the late Thirties turned me to modeling rather than a life of crime. Seeing the original 82-in. Cleveland Model Supply Stinson Reliant in all its splendor at Reston almost sent me into ecstasy. Hurst has done a great job with the museum — all AMA members who visit will be impressed.
Notes and short items
- Rib cap strips: For more information, write Chuck Anderson, 202 Inglewood Circle, Tullahoma, TN 37388 or phone (615) 455-5788.
- Dan Pruss had an example of a computer-generated airfoil plot in his April 1985 "RC Soaring" column here in MA.
That's all for now. I'll be back in two months — keep those cards and letters (and photos!) coming my way. Don't send them all to Harry Murphy, who'll be at the FF Duration helm next month.
Bob Meuser, 4200 Gregory St., Oakland, CA 94619.
Landmarks in FF Scale history
Landmarks include the Miss L.A. and the Miles and Atwood rubber jobs that Jack McCracken made for the great Lawrence Brown in the early Thirties, restored in the early Seventies when Russ Barrera acquired the two rather deteriorated ships. The Miss L.A. was one of the most trick models of the period, with automatic flaps that came down for landing as the rubber motor slacked.
Other notable ships mentioned:
- C. O. Wright's historic Nats-winning Antoinette
- Danny Lutz' impeccable 2-speed Chester "Jeep"
- Dennis Norman's flashy Caproni twin-engined rubber biplane
- A large number of the late George Meyer's ships (Luscombe Phantom, Moeller "Stomo," Arrow Scout)
The "model mobiles" hanging from the ceiling allow many models to be displayed nicely, though a pair of binoculars helps appreciate them better.
Plastic props for jumbo-rubber ships
Plastic props for jumbo-rubber ships are hard to come by — the 9-inch Peck prop is about the biggest commonly seen, and even they break. Bobby Haight (the "Vegas Vulture") cuts blades from gallon porcelain "slip" containers after his wife Doris has poured the contents into a few dozen doll-head molds. Affixed with epoxy into dowel hubs or in balsa spinners slotted to receive them, they work great. The three-blader on his jumbo Vickers Wildebeest is fairly low-pitch but performs quite well. You can find these bottles in dumpsters behind industrial users where they contained green soap or similar products, or try your local craft shop to see if anyone is pouring doll molds. The bottles Bobby uses are translucent white and the material is about .035 in. thick.
Book recommendation
Bill Hanan's new book, Models and Musings, has been out for a couple of months. Strong on the "semi-sort-of-scale" simple model, the book is perfect for a Friday-night project you will fly Saturday morning. Price: $8.95 (plus $1.00 postage). Order from:
- W.C. Hanan Graphics, P.O. Box A, Escondido, CA 92025.
Clubs with useful newsletters
In response to many reader requests, here are clubs with newsletters useful for FF scalers:
- D.C. Maxecuters — Allan Schanzle, 20008 Spur Hill Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20879. Bi-monthly. Great plans, three-views, articles, and a photo page. $10/yr.
- Flying Aces — Lin Reichel, 3301 Cindy Lane, Erie, PA 16506. The official F.A.C. newsletter. Plans, notes, contests, fun. Quarterly. $10/yr.
- Flightmasters — Carlo Gadel, 5726 Case Ave., No. Hollywood, CA 91601. Quarterly. Lots of three-views, plans, ideas from rotating editors. $12/yr.
- M.I.A.M.A. — Dr. John Martin, 2180 Tigertail Ave., Miami, FL 33133. Published eight or nine times a year. Plans, humor, philosophy for indoor nuts. $10/yr.
SAM — proposal for Class C Rubber
"It might be argued that we have too many events now, but this is due to the 'special' events that are added to the Champs based on local interests and lobbies. Class C Rubber reflects the Old-Timers event as it was flown in the old days we are trying to emulate and preserve. These are the only models that should be considered for basic event status.
"It is felt that the addition of this event is long overdue and will strengthen the organization. Also, the fact that good, dependable rubber is readily available once again encourages the building and flying of this type of model. All support for this proposal is welcome."
Competition
While many fliers never enter a contest for a variety of reasons, including a dislike of "competitive pressure," I can't help feeling these individuals are missing out on a great deal of the enjoyment this hobby offers. I've known modelers to be on the verge of a coronary when things go bad on the competition field, but most of us can handle a little nervousness and still have a good time. I only made it to three contests this season, and at each one I saw several spectators who had tables of good models at home that would fit the categories being held. Why not bring those models out and get in on the fun? Most entry fees are low and the rewards worthwhile.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
