New Comers
Bob Underwood P.O. Box 40, St. Peters, MO 63376
EARLIER IN THE SERIES, we talked a little about the trauma sometimes encountered when selecting a trainer aircraft. Fortunately, there are a number of good trainers available, especially for RC.
The RC versions run the gamut from virtually "ready built" to kits. Many of the kits provide excellent instructions which even include equipment installation and flight training suggestions. As stated before, control line sports fewer trainers available, with little of the ready-to-fly type. Free flight reveals virtually none.
The Thingamabob trainer
In the middle of the last decade I developed a trainer that ultimately wound up in Model Aviation with plans and an article. The "masterpiece" was named the Thingamabob, and was designed to allow a variety of flight modes.
Features:
- RC trainer using three channels: rudder, elevator, and throttle.
- Can be flown as a control line model (not the best control line trainer because its wing area/weight ratio makes it a little dicey in wind).
- Includes a flight mode referred to as tethered RC.
Each of these three flight modes may be accomplished with the model set up using a .25-size glow engine or electric motor for power and with tail-dragger or tricycle landing gear. It can be shifted from one configuration to another in a matter of minutes at the field.
What is tethered RC?
A 60-foot .021 steel control line is anchored to a post in the center of the circle, run through a guide at the model's wingtip and attached to a metal plate anchored on the center of gravity of the model. The clevis attaching the rudder pushrod to the servo is removed and anchored in place on another metal plate in the model, producing a right turn in the rudder.
As the model flies in a counterclockwise circle around the center post, the right rudder produces tension on the line. The pilot stands outside the circle and controls the elevator and throttle.
Learning to take off and land can be accomplished easily, without having to worry about any right and left movement of the model. It works well in confined areas, and can even be used indoors—especially as an electric.
Construction notes
The model was designed for simple construction. The fuselage sides are pieces of 1/8 x 3 x 36 balsa with an angle cut. They are scored just behind the wing and angled straight to the tail, so you don't have to worry about two sides of different stiffness and their inability to bend equally.
The Thingamabob is ugly! Modelers do not become attached to it for any aesthetic reasons. It was designed to do one thing: act as a trainer! Yes, you can induce roll, if you have enough patience, altitude, and distance. Yes, you can coerce it to fly inverted—for a while! But don't try to turn it inverted.
Would a bigger engine (say, a .40) help? Don't! It was designed for, and flies well with, a K&B .25 Sportster. The airframe is not meant to support more power.
I wish you could get the Thingamabob as a kit, but you can't. The plans are available through Model Aviation's plan service; see the list on page 176 of this issue. The Thingamabob is plan #649 from the April, 1990 issue. The accompanying article (which is not a construction article) may be obtained through the Membership Department. Perhaps you can finesse an experienced modeler into helping you build it. We'll provide some details on a center post for tethered flight in a coming issue.
Misconception Management booklet
We have numerous requests for the "Misconception Management" booklet mentioned a few months ago. This document, provided through the courtesy of John Hunton and the Northern Virginia RC Club, poses a series of misconceptions about flying and then gives the straight skinny about them. We'll toss a few of these in your direction over the next few months.
Misconception: My model balances where they say.
Most model plans show a balance (CG, or center of gravity) point. You will do well to balance your model at this point for the first flights. What very few plans show, however, is whether the balance point shown on the plan is for the model dry, or fueled and flight-ready. An understanding of the extremes will help you realize how the balance point of a model can be shifted to optimize what you want.
If the balance point is too far forward, elevator effectiveness becomes limited. If the CG is too far forward the elevator is too weak to lift the nose for proper rotation at takeoff and landing, which means the model will take off and land at higher speeds. Controls will tend to be unresponsive. If the CG is moved rearward, controls become more responsive until the point is reached where the model will become unstable and uncontrollable. Instability means an inevitable crash.
Two points to glean above: the information is subtle and very clear. You will be able to shift the CG of your model to attain the control response you wish. As you gain experience with your trainer, shift the CG rearward slightly to liven up the controls and shorten takeoff and landing distances. Another point very important: If you're unsure of the CG location...
Letter from Dave Sandilands
A recent letter addresses a basic problem that's tough to solve:
"I became involved in RC flying about two years ago when I was 13, and I believe this is the best hobby around. Only it's discouraging to see that all of the other fliers are 'old guys' who are much more experienced than I am. There's no one to talk to on my level.
"In a few years, it would be great to get together at the club field and go flying on the weekends with a bunch of kids. The problem is that there's a shortage of kids who are into flying. The kids I know who are into modeling, however, have trouble staying interested because of our low incomes.
"Is there any way that my friends and I can get other kids into this hobby successfully? We would greatly appreciate any ideas or suggestions on how to achieve this.
Dave Sandilands 53 Rollstone Ave. West Sayville, NY 11796"
Dave, we really wish there were simple answers to your concerns. We can't do much about the lack of money, other than to say that there are challenging and relatively inexpensive aspects to aeromodelling. Certainly, if you're longing for the more exotic high-tech things, a problem exists.
It's important to remember that most of the present longtime modelers cut their teeth on simple, inexpensive models. They, too, had a wish list of unattainable goals early on. They maintained their interest and moved from level to level as the opportunity presented itself and their skill allowed.
The second problem you indicate is that "there's no one to talk to on my level." We trust you are referring only to experience level, since certainly there should be no "talking down" on any level but experience! If that is the problem you are encountering, then the fault is, at least in part, with those adults with whom you are associating.
Your plea echoes not just from other young people, but the NewComer who is 65 as well! Hopefully, every club has a small cadre of members who can and will talk "NewComer." Our problem, Dave, is to convince them to do it! Let's hope your appeal will help create an environment that will improve that situation.
Letter from Richard E. Frey — Where to fly?
A last thought for this month is contained in a long letter from Richard E. Frey of Elmont, New York. He indicates that he is "your typical old newcomer," having grown up with U-Control models with full ignition engines, then "graduating" to glow plugs. I, too, dropped out in the early fifties, just when Citizen's Band 27 MHz single-channel radio was being born.
His problem? Where to fly!
"I live in the suburbs of New York City—an area that is probably one of the most congested in the US, so wide open spaces are hard to come by.
"I have located four flying sites in my area through a local hobby shop, but have had no luck in getting in any of them. First, all they were locked up like Fort Knox, and unless you had built-in radar, just locating the site was like a mysterious treasure hunt. There are no signs, directions, telephone number, or anything that would help you."
Richard's letter goes on to detail his frustrating attempts to contact people and ends by stating that he has "to date delayed buying and building a model because I still want to fly it, not put it on a shelf."
We have mailed him a listing of AMA chartered clubs and club contacts for his area. Unfortunately, we know that not all experiences are the usual. Will someone in the Elmont, New York area please contact him? Richard E. Frey, Box 030010, Elmont, NY 11003-0010.
Right now, it looks like Richard's address isn't the only part of his life that's filled with zeros as far as modeling is concerned.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
