Radio Control: Giant Scale
John A. de Vries Colonel, USAF, Ret. 4610 Moffat Ln. Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Incident and recovery
I'm glad to be back after a month's hiatus. The break occurred at a particularly opportune time: at the appropriate deadline I wasn't in any condition to sit at the old word processor for any length of time. The reason was that I was hit by an errant RC model — a .40‑powered trainer running full bore — and took a direct hit in the right kidney.
A combination of factors helped ease the situation. Club member Pete Glesser, a paramedic, provided truly professional emergency treatment, and my wife transported me to the hospital without delay. X‑rays and other tests revealed no permanent damage, but my back was super‑sore for a couple of weeks and I had three wounds caused by the engine that later healed. From personal experience I can tell you it wasn't a lot of fun.
At the time I was behind the spectator chain‑link fence at the club field. The model just missed my wife and our three‑year‑old grandson. What "might have been" is frightening to contemplate. The incident has prompted our club to investigate ways to increase the height of the spectator fence, which is located an appropriate distance from our paved runway. It brought home the absolute need to observe AMA Safety Guidelines. I'm a believer.
Scale inquiries and requests
A couple of letters have arrived that pose some interesting questions:
- Joan Alyea (former IMAA Safety Chief) asked for scale documentation and data on the Klemm 35, a between‑wars German light low‑wing monoplane. She's building the Krick kit. A search through my library turned up information on the Klemm 25 (Swallow) but not an authentic Klemm 35 three‑view. If any reader has a genuine Klemm 35 three‑view or other documentation, I'll be happy to forward copies to Joan.
- Clarence Givens (Pagosa Lakes, CO) has a unique problem. He's finishing a 1/3‑scale Curtiss‑Wright Junior. The original Junior was powered by a three‑cylinder Szekely engine mounted as a pusher above the wing center section. Clarence needs a functional three‑cylinder engine about 12–13 inches in diameter to power his model. The only commercial three‑banger we uncovered was a British engine that is no longer manufactured. Current feasible solution appears to be building an engine from available four‑stroke cylinder assemblies — a daunting task given the machining required for a crankcase, valve cams, and adapting RC carbs. We would appreciate hearing from model machinists who might be interested in helping Clarence.
- Charlie Fowler (Alameda, CA) is developing mechanically activated Fowler flaps for Giant Scale models. Fowler flaps move back and down when lowered, increasing wing area and creating drag — more complex than simple hinged or split flaps and commonly used on commercial jet transports. Charlie has sent photos of promising mechanisms and plans to visit with a wing section fitted with the flaps. We'll share the system in this column or in a separate article when details are available.
Commercial services and classifieds
- David H. Bessel, Concept Technology
P.O. Box 669, Poway, CA 92064 Dave offers a scanner/plan‑enlarging service that converts small 8 × 11 three‑views into quarter‑scale and larger prints. RC modelers report good results for quarter‑scale and larger Giants. If interested, send a business‑sized SASE for a price list and ordering instructions.
- M. H. Pickard, Fiberglass Master
Rt. 1, Box 530, Goodview, VA 24095 Telephone: 703/890‑6017 Pickard will mold fiberglass cowls for $30 to go with Jim Pepino's Supermarine S6B drawings noted last column. He needs 10 confirmed orders to manufacture sets — a handy option for the Lake Havasu Miniature Schneider Races scheduled for late 1989.
- Dennis Crooks (DC Aviation)
P.O. Box 98, Big Rock, IL 60511 Dennis publishes an attractive 1989 calendar illustrated with superb color photos of Giant Scale models. Price: $6 (postage included) or $7 for first‑class mail.
- Dennis Lott — Safety Plus glasses
Dennis manufactures protective sunglasses advertised as Safety Plus. After my accident I've become especially safety conscious and have found these glasses useful for sun protection on bright flight days.
If you have information, documentation, machining services, or interest in any of the above items, please contact the named individuals or let me know and I'll help forward inquiries.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
