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.
Coronet 150
Last winter I built the Coronet 150 by Doc Mathews as featured in the October 1988 issue (Plan No. 598).
I found the construction to be very interesting, giving a real look at how free-flight planes were made yesteryear. This type of building gives one a real sense of pride when the work is finished.
Powered by an older .40 four-cycle engine, my Coronet 150 is a joy to fly. It will almost fly itself. A couple of folks who had never flown an RC plane before had no trouble flying the Coronet once it was airborne.
The glide is quite flat. It loves to stay up in a thermal. My greatest joy with the Coronet is just putting around—making touch-and-goes, low flybys, and hearing the wind noise from the plane as it passes by while making lazy circles overhead.
The Coronet 150 is also capable of making continuous loops. It will do a fair rudder roll, and it will recover from a spin without any effort.
I have been flying it a lot this summer. The rewards of the Coronet's construction show up. No ARF or kit will compare with this type of relaxed flying. Everybody should build one.
I have 23 models in my RC fleet, so I am familiar with all types of flying. The Coronet turns me on. Maybe it is because I am 68 years old. My Coronet also won first place in the sports category of our club's mall show this year.
Charles J. Beck Freeport, IL
Canard Lover
Enclosed is a photograph of my All-Canard Air Force. My friends in the Levittown Aerobugs call me the "Canard King." From left to right is my 1/4-scale Quickie, Mystere 3000, and Canard Stick. The Canard Stick is my favorite, as I feel it is the best low-wing aileron trainer on the market. With the easy-building, anti-stall design, it's the best way for the intermediate pilot to go from a high-wing trainer to low-wing excitement.
In the October 1989 issue I saw the letter from Alton Dobbins in Shaw, SC. I called him and discussed the Canard Stick. To anyone flying this plane, I suggest increasing the elevator throw by 1 inch.
When landing this airplane, follow these steps:
- Keep the fuselage level during the descent on final.
- Have the throttle just above idle.
- Chop the throttle back to idle when the plane is about 2 ft off the ground.
- Give full up elevator to flare and land.
If you do this, the mains will make contact first, and the nose wheel will contact as the plane loses speed. Landings done in this fashion will eliminate any problems. The whole key is to come in with a little power; otherwise, the airplane will mush and pancake, resulting in a sloppy landing.
Ken Karpinski, Sr. Philadelphia, PA
Wind in the Wires
Few of us have seen a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny even in a museum, much less flown in one. Old newsreels and brief snatches of documentaries may have shown one adorned with a wing walker, perhaps coming down a rope ladder to board a speeding auto.
Recently I received this photo from Owen S. Billman of Mayfield, NY. Owen has spent his life hanging around airplanes and quaint airports. He is into home-builts and sundry classics—and he is a modeler. I'd like to share his picture and words.
"Just a week ago today I got my first ride in a Jenny... after wishing for 66 years (I was six when I saw one of those critters for the first time). My old friend Cole Palen finally yielded to my wheedling and took me over the Hudson in the early morning. Beautiful!
"Now I am angling for a balloon ride and (if I can afford it somehow) a supersonic flight. I've enjoyed most of the other routes."
Incidentally, Owen uses various letterhead designs decorated with, for example, a Heath Parasol. This particular letter from him bears a nice rendition of a Dalrymple, 26-hp Aeronca, Wichita, 1929, rounding a pylon.
Bill Winter Fairfax, VA
Sweepee
I have been in and out of the hobby since 1947 and have tried most phases of model aviation. This is my first letter to a publication, and it is the Sweepee designed by Sanjay Dhall that is responsible.
The description of the Sweepee's flight characteristics sounded just like what I wanted for a small-field aircraft, so I sent for the plans. Being one who makes small adjustments to suit personal tastes, I reduced the wingspan to 42 in., made it a taildragger, and powered it with an O.S. .10 FSR. I used a Futaba mini flight pack, and the model's weight came out at 30 oz.
The first flight was an experience. Imagine, if you can, a "backward" airplane that was tail heavy with a rich engine and 10 mph wind. I made the proper adjustments and subsequently have flown it when it was too windy for most anything else. It flies great.
My biggest surprise came when I found out how well my Sweepee handles as a taildragger. It runs on the ground wherever you point it.
I'm thinking of building a larger, 900 sq. in. Sweepee aimed to be under 6 lb. with O.S. .90 FS power. I believe this design is ideally suited to a four-stroke engine if I can figure out how to handle the extra nose weight.
I can recommend the Sweepee design to anyone with reasonable building and flying experience who wants an airplane that can be flown in most weather conditions. Try it as a taildragger with a wire torsion-type gear.
Thomas F. Coletta Cincinnati, OH
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
