Letters to the Editor
Hangar 13 correction
In the February 1996 issue of Model Aviation, the construction article for the Hangar 13 1/2A Texaco contained an error in the text and plans concerning dihedral.
The dihedral of the first main wing panel is 1 7/8 inches. Our apologies for the error, and we hope this does not adversely affect those who wish to build Hangar 13.
George M. Niebauer Jim Haught
Places to Fly
I was recently impressed with Golf Digest's "Places to Play" booklet. The book lists public golf courses around the country and includes useful information like phone numbers, greens fees, course ratings, subscribers' comments, and staff. The booklet is very handy when I'm traveling so I can make plans for golf in the area.
I was wondering why Model Aviation couldn't make a booklet of flying fields around the country and call it "Places to Fly" or something similar. It would be helpful to modelers who travel and are looking for a club to visit while staying in an area. The booklet could be updated yearly and sent to AMA members.
Brock Reeve Beaverton, Oregon
Swordfish
In his article on the Fairey Swordfish (November 1995), Don Berliner states that "...only five are known to survive. Four are in British museums ... (and) one is in the Canadian National Museum in Ottawa, Ontario."
Well, yes and no. According to Great Aircraft Collections of the World by Bob Ogden (Grange Books, London, 1986; reprinted 1991), there are three survivors in Britain:
- Mk. II, built by Blackburn in 1943; Fleet Air Arm Museum.
- Mk. III, 1944; Imperial War Museum.
- Mk. IV, 1942; RAF Reserve Museum.
The example in the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa is also an original, built in 1942. There is a replica in the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. In addition, there is an example in the Museum of Flying, Santa Monica, California — I saw it about a month ago; the museum's information guide does not list it as a replica.
Ogden's book is an excellent reference for the scale enthusiast. The photographs (some in color) are sharp and clear; all aircraft in each museum are listed. Although the book looks like a $30–$40 coffee-table sort, it can usually be found among remainder/sale books for less than $20.
Henry D. M. Sherrerd Jr. Dexter, Maine
Good News
Over the last several months I have had the good fortune to get to know the St. Joseph Barnstormers and become a member of our fine RC club.
It's refreshing to get together every weekend with a group of people who exemplify the ideals of helping one another and truly sharing in something that has become a welcome retreat from my work-a-day world. They are never too busy to answer questions or help when I run up against a problem that seems beyond my abilities. They are very active in promoting the RC hobby in our area and are always willing to put on a show for local groups and schools.
To thank them all by name would take too much space, so I'll simply end by saying, "Thanks, Barnstormers. It's a real pleasure knowing such fine people."
Randall Huston Bolickow, Missouri
Thanks to My Instructor
I am writing this letter in hopes that you will publish it in your magazine. I've been waiting for a chance to thank my instructor in a special way for all of his help.
I started flying model airplanes when I was nine years old. My grandpa really got me started; he was involved in the hobby and we were buddies, so I decided to give flying a try. I was using a PT-40 trainer powered by an O.S. .40. It was later changed to a Magnum .45, which was more than enough power for the PT-40. The first flight was a scary but fun experience. My flights gradually got better with the help of my instructor. Before I knew it I had soloed, and everyone said I was flying better than my grandpa.
I have become a pilot and I owe it all to my friend and instructor, Floyd Harp from my hometown of Longview, Texas. Mr. Harp was so busy running back and forth helping other people he hardly got a chance to fly himself. I am now 11 years old and he is still going out of his way to help people. That just shows you what kind of person Mr. Harp is.
If you are reading this, Mr. Harp, I would like to thank you for helping me all those times without thinking twice. Yes, Mr. Harp, you're "the best we've ever seen."
Nicholas Greeno Longview, Texas
Help Wanted
When I was a youngster I tried to fly free flight and control line; however, at that time I didn't belong to a club—maybe there wasn't such a thing in Detroit in the early 1940s. I never had any of those cheap airplanes to fly. Due to penlight batteries and spark advance and a very limited budget I couldn't even get the engines to run.
Twenty-five years ago I returned to the hobby, joined a great group (Kent Radio Aero Modelers in Grand Rapids, Michigan), and now I am trying to revive my interest by building the airplanes that I never could get to fly years ago. However, now I am unable to find kits or plans for particular free flight and control line planes. I thought you might be able to help.
My first airplane was a control line Baby Shark; then a control line kit called the Dreamer. The last was a free flight called Playboy Senior.
Any help you can give me in finding these models or plans would be greatly appreciated.
Don L. Clark 5480 Kies Rd. Rockford, MI 49341
FF Scale Comments
I would like to add to James Miller's comments on FF Scale (Model Aviation, February 1996). Jim is right on target when he cites AMA Scale rules as a major reason for the decline of FF Scale at the AMA Nats. There are relatively few people who can build to the AMA standards. Those few who can do not find any local companions with whom they can share their fun. They are forced to be loners.
Contrast the above with FAC (Flying Aces Club) rules and activities. There are events for even the least-skilled modeler, such as Profile Scale, and non-judged events such as Golden Age Scale. There are bonus flight points for harder-to-build models such as biplanes and pushers. Nobody has to ROG (Rise Off Ground). The rules satisfy the needs of all modelers, beginners and experts alike. Among these needs is companionship.
In our local FAC squadron we have 42 dues-paying members, 15 or 20 of whom fly FF Scale every week. Most of our members do not belong to AMA; there is no reason for them to join. We have several contests a year with 20 to 25 participants. In contrast, I am one of only two or three participants in FF Scale at the one contest in our area that offers FF Scale under AMA rules. It is a pleasure, then, to have an active FAC squadron.
Recommendation: appoint a subcommittee to study rules changes that would rebuild interest in small-scale nonpowered FF Scale.
Ollie Benton Signal Mountain, Tennessee
Critique
I don't very often write letters to the editor. A magazine has to do something very good or very bad to jar me into action. In this case, I think the graphics are a big mistake.
First, on page 8 (February 1996 issue) you have a nice article with nice pictures about Scale Masters 1957. It took about 20 seconds for me to get a headache from trying to read text printed in reversed-out (white on black) type placed on top of photos. The contrast is poor and the letters seem to blur. The small type used for captions is barely legible.
The next outstanding example is on page 40. I had to move under a very strong light to make out the black text on a green background. It wasn't too bad near the bottom of the page, where the green was graduated out, but up in the middle of the page it was a waste of ink. The other colors on the page are also poor choices. Whoever heard of putting royal blue next to emerald green? And whoever thought that a light-gray secondary heading would look good over a wavering border between light and dark green? Face it, it's almost invisible.
On page 43, there's a box with an extracted line in it ("The best part of this..."). It's nice to know you have all these fonts at your disposal, but it's difficult to make out what the words are. Each letter must be decoded individually. Text should be readable first, then pretty.
On page 60, there is a dark-gray background on which are printed black-and-white pictures, one of which almost totally disappears into the gloom. Then, around the edge of the pages we find some more childish clip art. On page 76, at the top-left corner of the page where your eyes start their scan, there's a little box in shades of gray. Intense study reveals that it represents the words "How to do it" done in a bas-relief effect. This little box should jump out at you — black-on-white, or white-on-black, or black-on-yellow, or red-on-yellow. Definitely not gray-on-gray.
When I first got into desktop publishing, about 10 years ago, one of the first lessons I learned was that if you have 300 fonts at your disposal, you don't have to use them all on every page; and if you've got a lot of clip art, you don't have to use it all at once. Typographic and graphic effects should enhance, not overpower.
I read your magazine mainly because it's the "official voice of the AMA." I must admit that the content of your magazine has never been mesmerizing, but this month it was downright annoying. If this type of amateurish design continues, I will definitely save some money on my next AMA renewal.
Robert E. Gray Oxnard, California
Young Cartoonist
Hi! My name is Keegan and I am 11 years old. I am currently learning to fly my PT-40 with the help of the Ithaca Radio Control Society instructors. I am also a member of AMA.
I like to draw cartoons and would like to be a cartoonist for a career. While listening to the old-timers in the club tell about their various crashes from unknown causes, this cartoon came to mind. Would you please consider including this cartoon in an upcoming issue of Model Aviation?
Keegan Shields Lansing, New York
Facts About Fuel #2 — Color Confusion
So often I get calls from modelers who've drawn wildly erroneous conclusions about color in fuel. Let's clear the air with a simple statement: color in fuel is just color—nothing more. Frequently a caller will say, "I can tell you use Klotz oil in your fuel because it's red." Klotz red? Well, yes — as bought it would be red. However, we make fuel other colors (4-stroke blue). Try making blue fuel red — add oil. It's that simple. Many oils use several dyes, giving us the ability to make fuel whatever color we wish. Still, modelers will swear to their mother's grave that red runs better; purple, etc., makes no sense. They insist silly correlations like "the shirt will last longer because it's blue instead of green." Fuel is dyed; except for occasional blends, no color is added to affect performance. So to say color affects performance is wrong.
I'm aware of two exceptions:
- Color sells.
- An identifying sticker should somehow come off the container so you'd know to use blue 4-stroke fuel in a 2-stroke engine (enough oil).
— PowerMaster Fuel, POWERMASTER P.O. Box 650, Elgin, TX 78621 Tel.: (512) 285-9595; Fax: (512) 285-9400
Autogyros — Upper Midwest Research Trial
As a result of help with announcements of previous autogyro fly-ins in Arizona and an emerging interest in model autogyros, we have been encouraged to host a get-together in the upper Midwest in July. Several folks commented that Arizona is a bit far, so we will hold an Upper Midwest Autogyro Research Trial on July 11–13.
Event details:
- Fields located five miles east of St. Paul, MN.
- Nearby motels available; KOA campground within a couple of miles.
- Mall of America is only 30 minutes away.
- Thursday and Saturday (July 11 and 13): Sodbusters Club sod field reserved; baked-in-the-ground bean feed on the evening of the 11th.
- Friday (July 12): 3M Club R/C Flyers field reserved (hard-surfaced runways).
- Fields are within a ten-minute drive of each other.
For more information, including model information and maps, please contact: Bill Friedlander 1015 12th Street, Hudson, WI 54016 Tel.: (715) 386-5944 CompuServe: 73134,1411 E-mail: william@pressenter.com
Bill Friedlander Hudson, Wisconsin
Letters Continued
Doc Brooke
I read the outstanding article on Ralph C. "Doc" Brooke in Model Aviation [Rick Allison's "RC Aerobatics" column, January 1996].
To expound further on his accomplishments, may I add the following: while sweating it out in the dentist's chair at one of several visits, we got to talking about flying F4U Corsairs. His was an RC scale model; mine was the full-scale at NAS Sand Point (Seattle) in the USMC Reserves. Little did I realize I was talking with the world champion!
Doc told me the story behind his unique position as the only civilian to have Navy wings without ever having been in the service. As it happened, the Operations Officer at NAS Sand Point (also a dental patient of Doc's) questioned his flying prowess and challenged Doc: "If you will land your Corsair on my carrier (USS Enterprise Jr.), I will give you your Navy wings." The rest is history.
At that time (1965) I wasn't active in model flying, but became very interested after watching Doc put his Corsair through every acrobatic maneuver in the book and then come in for a landing, inverted (with landing gear extended) to the 90° position, then snap roll to flare out for a perfect three-point landing—something I'd like to do someday!
Bob Morse Gig Harbor, Washington
Mid‑America Challenge
Ref.: Photo on cover, January 1996
During the long non-flying season in Winnipeg, Canada (winter) I read as much as possible about gas engines and large planes. Your magazine is a good source of information and ideas for future projects.
I was struck by the cover photo. Having seen the results of propellers on full-size aircraft I was concerned by the proximity of the four large and powerful planes on the cover. I have some questions:
- Has a prop ever come off in the startup area?
- Do the engines run quiet or are those on the start line wearing ear plugs?
- Do the rules of this particular event dictate that you must expose yourself to such potential danger?
- Could the hay bales be packed two on top of each other and placed to form a small pit paddock area?
I am not indicating that those responsible are not following common safety rules, but as a professional airman trained in flight safety, I have found over the years that safety can always be improved; the trick is to be seen as helpful, not judgmental.
Thanks for the articles and keep up the good work on frequency invaders — what you do in the States ultimately affects modelers in Canada.
Sgt. John Leroux Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Technical Director Steve Kaluf has been heavily involved with the Mid‑America Challenge; his response follows.
Response from Steve Kaluf, Technical Director (Contest Director of the event):
- To my knowledge we have never lost a prop during the startup. All aircraft are started with large electric starters, which minimizes the chance of a backfire knocking a prop off. Also, virtually all aircraft (except the smaller AT-6 class) use multiple-bolt prop hubs, making it very difficult to lose a prop during startup.
- The noise level of the aircraft varies. Most crews do wear hearing protection. My guess is the cover picture was taken during priming of the engines — not the actual start.
- The photograph is somewhat misleading; it was taken with a telephoto lens. The distance between aircraft is actually about 30 feet. Certainly, if a prop were to come off an aircraft, an injury could happen.
- Packing hay bales two-high or placing some sort of barrier between aircraft is a good idea. I will put a bale or barrier between aircraft at the next race I run. Thanks for the input.
The main concern at any race of this nature is safety. Nonessential people are about 400 feet from the flightline. Air crews are limited in number and certain safety practices must be adhered to. Thanks for voicing your concerns.
Steve Kaluf Technical Director
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
