RADIO CONTROL JETS
Jim Hiller, 6090 Downs Rd., Champion OH 44481
NEW KITS are coming to market quickly these days, and it's hard to keep up. They are making it to the flying fields now, so let's discuss some of them. The Century Jet Models Talon, the Golden West Models Blade, and the Bob Violett Models (BVM) F-86 Sabre and BobCat are the subjects for this month.
Century Jet Models Talon
Brent Wilson has a nice-flying Talon powered by a RAM 750 (18-pound-thrust) turbine. Lewis Patton has been putting in some excellent flights with this model. He reports that it has good aerobatic characteristics similar to the older-style Pattern models. Lewis can lay out some long, flat, slow rolls with this jet; they go on forever.
The model is a bit large, providing a nice appearance in flight and comfortable landing speeds compared to the typical jet model. The Talon appears to be coming on as a fine jet for a sport modeler. The kit is highly prefabricated, primarily made from molded composites. Most of the work to be done on this kit involves installing systems and applying finish paint. For additional information, check out Century Jet Models' Web site at www.centuryjet.com.
Golden West Models Blade
I just started flying my new Golden West Models Blade. This design is intended to be an introductory sport jet and is a flying-wing design. The plug-in wing panels are of composite construction as are the fins.
Unlike many existing designs in this category, the Blade includes a fully cowled turbine. Minimal inlet ducting is required, and when the hatch is removed the turbine is fully exposed; only this hatch covers the engine. You can run the turbine with the hatch removed and view the status of the engine before flight, then simply secure the hatch and fly.
The Blade is a fast sport model, but, like most delta-wing aircraft, it can be slowed to comfortable landing speeds. It tracks well, and with its centerline thrust position it has virtually no pitch trim change with throttle changes. The Blade is very aerobatic, even at moderate cruise speeds. Full power is required only to go vertical.
One neat thing about this model is that there is plenty of room for fuel tanks. I am running two 24-ounce header tanks just ahead of the landing gear and one main 40-ounce tank, also just ahead of the center of gravity. Total fuel weight is 88 ounces, and the tanks are close enough to the center of gravity to make trim changes unnecessary as the fuel burns off. The fuel tanks are standard giant-scale tanks; no special composite tanks are required.
I am flying my Blade with a JetCat P-80 (17-pound-thrust) turbine. The empty weight is roughly 19 pounds, making performance quite impressive. More power is not required, though some pilots will opt for more.
I am quite pleased with this fully molded, simple-to-assemble model. Additional information on the Blade and kit options can be found on the Golden West Models Web site at www.goldenwestmodels.net.
BVM F-86 Sabre
The next model—and one kit I particularly like—is the new F-86 Sabre from BVM. Bob Violett has re-engineered the old F-86 specifically for turbine power, but the upgrades do not end there. The molds are new, the construction methods are completely changed, and the features are impressive. Bob has put many years of experience and love into this kit. It is designed and manufactured with attention to detail for the jet modeler.
The new BVM F-86 Sabre is based on the larger "6-3" wing. What is that? The later F-86s had a wing with a longer chord—an additional 6 inches at the center-section and 3 inches at the wingtip.
Features and notable kit details include:
- A 60-plus-page instruction manual specific to your turbine installation, covering many unique features of this model.
- Wings that come as obeche-sheeted foam and include pre-hinged ailerons.
- Hinge system consisting of a full-length strip of Kevlar epoxied in place under the wing skin as part of the prefabrication process.
- Removable fin and stabilizers for improved storage and shipping.
- An aluminum block that secures the fin post to the fuselage and laser-cut carbon-fiber stabilizer spars that bolt to the fuselage.
- Access to the stabilizer screws through the opening left after the fin is removed, made easy by a well-planned break point and fillet area.
- Servo pockets cut into the wing and stabilizers to perfectly fit the laser-cut servo mounts and hatches included with the kit.
- Overall accuracy of machine-cut and laser-cut parts that greatly simplifies the builder’s workload.
Jerry Kerr of Columbus, Ohio, allowed me the privilege of flying his BVM Sabre at this year’s Heart of Ohio Jet Scramble. He powered his F-86 with an AMT AT-180 turbine. It has been a while since I flew an F-86—what a pleasure to fly an award-winning model such as Jerry’s.
The F-86 is a wonderful scale jet. Its flight characteristics are honest. The first thing you notice is the takeoff roll: it tracks like it is on rails, and corrections to heading are predictable. It helps when the aircraft is well aligned and set up as Jerry Kerr’s. The Sabre is a clean design, and power must be used with discretion to avoid porpoising on landing or overcontrolling. Maneuvers are smooth and simple at all speeds from about 80 mph through top speeds exceeding 180 mph.
BobCat (BVM)
Humpty bumps go vertical forever, and you throttle back to keep the model from going too high. You can pull or push a BobCat over the top of a Humpty bump. Up-elevator is a little soft when going slow over the top; it’s easier to push when slow, but it will pull over the top at all speeds.
Slow rolls, point rolls, and knife-edge flight are as good as any Pattern airplane—kind of a surprise considering its twin-boom layout. Cruise-speed to full-throttle slow rolls are effortless, and you can go as far as you want. It will hold altitude.
The most impressive part of flying Kenneth's BobCat was that there was no trim change with throttle changes. From slow cruise to full-power passes, it tracked straight. There was no climbing at higher throttle settings or airspeeds; throttle input does not push the nose down. It accelerates straight, and with that AMT 180 we are talking about instant acceleration.
The BobCat sets up nicely for landing. All the tricks with the landing-gear doors and the large, fat wing slow this aircraft down. The descent rate is good, and a smooth elevator response makes for an easy flare to landing. This airplane makes you look good.
I thank these master builders, Jerry and Kenneth, who trusted me and allowed me to fly their stunningly beautiful models for this review.
I hope you enjoyed gaining a little more insight into some of the new turbine models on the market. These are just a few of the kits available to the turbine modeler.
It's time to kick the tires and light the fires because we're heading to Superman in a few hours. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
