Letters To The Editor
All letters will be carefully considered; those of general interest will be used. Send to Model Aviation, 1810 Samuel Morse Dr., Reston, VA 22090.
Mis-Identified!
Re the "Cessna 206" article in the December issue of Model Aviation by Dave Haught, I find it hard to believe that our talented (?) editorial staff failed to notice that the model is a Caravan I, not a Cessna 206 as Mr. Haught leads us to believe.
The manual lists the 206 Stationair six-placer as having maximum continuous power of 285 bhp at 2,700 rpm or 300 rated bhp at 2,850 rpm for five minutes. It has a fuel-injected six-cylinder engine of 520 cu. in. displacement. The 206 was never produced by Cessna commercially in a turboprop version, though such modifications have been made by private industry.
Having flown Cessna aircraft over the past 30 years, including the 206 and 210, it bothers me to see such inattention to details.
Eugene Cunningham Jackson, MO
Gee, it would be nice if we could know all things about aviation—full-size and models—but such complete knowledge has eluded us. We have to rely on authors to provide correct information, but even they are not infallible (sometimes we can catch their mistakes), as Dave Haught relates in his response which follows.
I find a problem in the name now that Eugene Cunningham has brought it up. This originated with the article in the August 1983 Air International that was used to build the model. On page 100 of that magazine, in the caption beneath the three-view drawing, the aircraft is indeed called a Model 206. In the text on page 98, however, it is called a 208. I apparently erred in using the three-view's designation. Sorry!
The photo of the prototype on page 100 of Air International shows registration numbers of N208LP, which should verify it as a 208 prototype. Sorry if anyone lost sleep on this. It was my mistake.
Dave Haught Ft. Wayne, IN
Ah, those typos! They have always plagued people who try to get anything into print.
A Different Twist
This is to let you know how interesting I found Dave Haught's article in the December issue of Model Aviation. The Cessna 206 Caravan (Ed.: Really the 208) appears to be a refreshing approach to control line, especially when powered by electric!
I also share a mutual interest in the Caravan. During the summer of 1985 I picked up issues of Private Pilot and Air Progress magazines, both having articles on the Caravan. Needless to say, it was love at first sight. I instantly realized that this aircraft was definitely worth modeling.
I decided that a 1 ft. equals 1 in. scale would be a nice size and had considered making it a Jumbo Rubber project. After much thought I changed to an RC version with a 52-in. span, three channels, and O.S. .10 power.
I began to draw the plans in October, and by the end of December I had built the "bones." The bones hung on the basement wall until April, when I decided to cover it, drop in the radio gear, and mount the engine. The Caravan was again to hang on the wall until mid-September, when I decided to give it to a friend for finishing and putting into the air. At this time it's ready to go, but I doubt if it's going to become airborne before the snow flies.
I haven't given up on the Cessna; my prints are back on the board. The wing will be a back-sparred one and will be increased for a lighter wing loading. By spring I hope to have another Caravan ready to go—with four channels and an O.S. .15. (I still think it would make a great Jumbo Scale Rubber project!)
Tim Sarber Wyoming, MI
Ouch!
The enclosed photos might be of interest to your readers.
A couple of months ago, my buddy Ken Von Thadden joined the AMA and started his first model, a Sig Kadet. On the day of its first flight, I flew the Kadet long enough to get it trimmed, then handed it over to Ken. He quickly learned the takeoff and landing pattern while I continued doing the landings.
On the 10th or 11th flight, the plane encountered a glitch. It turned over on its back and nose-dived straight into the middle of a 50-gallon trash drum! Talk about precision; you couldn't repeat that performance if you tried for a hundred years. Philosophically, Ken said, "At least I didn't have to pick up the pieces." He has now built a second Kadet which he's successfully flying with the Palm Beach Aero Country Club. He's now staying well away from the metal storage building that probably caused the glitch.
Mike Irish Lake Worth, FL
The first picture is the "before" picture of the Kadet (second from left); the other one shows the "spot landing." We don't enjoy showing a modeler's grief, but we must admit that Ken Von Thadden has a good outlook.
Sea Fury Plus Sweet & Low
I enjoy reading Model Aviation magazine. I belong to the Lackawanna Aeromodelers.
I want to show you a picture of my "Fish Stick" I put together. I call it this because I had a fuselage from a Sea Fury and a wing from a Sweet and Low. I had no idea it would work, but it did, and it flies great. Sometimes you hit it lucky. Power is a Zenoah 3.8.
Happy flying,
Peter Warren Jermyn, PA
His Kind of Student
I would like to share my experiences in radio control flying. Please bear with me, as I'm not good at this.
I've been in the hobby of RC flying for almost one year. I built an Eagle 63 by Carl Goldberg Models and installed a Futaba radio set. I don't belong to a club, but I was fortunate to meet Andy Anderson, who taught me how to fly. Six months later I'm taking off and landing (just the basics). Boy, am I having fun. All the work and time in building has paid off. There's not another hobby I can think of that's as exciting as this.
I would like to mention something to Thomas Anderson (who had a write-up in Bill Winter's November "Plane Talk" column under the subheading of Inside the Instructor's Head). Thomas, here's one person you can teach any time—because I, too, enjoy being around people who love model airplanes more than I do.
Joe Bartoluci Bound Brook, NJ
To tie all this together for readers who may not remember Bill Winter's November column, Thomas Anderson is an instructor for the Blue Angels Model Airplane Club. He is turned off by people who try modeling as a lark. Quoting Anderson's last paragraph in the November column pretty well summarizes it:
"I'm getting pretty tired of people who simply want to run a toy that flies. I'm losing interest in teaching any more. If someone does not love model aircraft and the art that goes with it, they only want to run a fast, agile toy that might as well be a boat. From now on, if I get the slightest hint that their interest is just a passing fancy, I refuse to help them or have anything to do with them, because I'm wasting my time. I know that there are some people who appreciate aircraft and love them the way I do, and I will seek them out and associate with them. Benjamin Franklin once said, 'My greatest desire is to surround myself with men more intelligent than myself.' My greatest desire is to surround myself with men who love model airplanes more than myself."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
