Radio Control: Old-Timer
Dee B. Mathews
King Burd — George Austermann (1935)
Ugly but pretty. This month's Old-Timer was designed by George Austermann in 1935. It was first flown at Logan Field in Baltimore with a Baby Cyclone A; the all-white, uncolored ship was damaged upon landing. Kramer Brothers (a large hobby distributor at the time) returned the King Burd to production. Kramer Bros., through their subsidiary Burd Models, sold the kit for $3.00. Although advertised extensively, only about 75 kits were sold.
In 1936 there were very few gas-powered kits on the market and even fewer engines in the hands of modelers. Ads even suggested building a King Burd and powering it with rubber until the builder could afford an engine.
Specifications:
- Span: 59 in
- Chord: 9 in
- Kit: Burd Models — Kramer Bros.
As can be seen in the photos, the King Burd has an exceptionally simple structure and is obviously easy to build. Note the natural hinge lines on the empennage and the wing-tip construction. The King Burd is a splendid design for those who enjoy flying and building Old-Timers.
Danny Sheelds and the King Burd
Danny Sheelds provided much of this information and has a long-standing love affair with the King Burd. Danny built one from the kit in 1936 at age 13, but since his father made only $20 a week he could not afford an engine. Danny and many of the Baltimore SAM members feel the King Burd is one of the best flying five-footers around. A number of King Burds have been built and are flying regularly in the Maryland area; many served as first trainers for RC neophytes.
Several years ago Danny and Gene Crimm produced a limited run of kits and are considering doing so again. Included in the possibilities is a 1.5-sized enlarged version suitable for .40 power.
Contact: Danny Sheelds, 3 Cinnamon Circle, Randallstown, MD 21133 for information on the kit or plans. Always enclose a SASE when writing, and mention you saw it in Model Aviation.
Photos and Notes
We should all feel justifiable pride in the accomplishments of those who began in free flight and rubber model contests. The King Burd's simplicity and classic styling (note the scallops seen in old ads) make it attractive both to builders and flyers.
Paul MacCready and the General Skyfarer
No surprises: the young man holding the General Skyfarer free-flight rubber-scale model is Dr. Paul MacCready. Although the photo is from the April 1944 issue of Air Trails, the model was actually built and flown in 1941 as part of Paul’s successful bid to win the National Junior Sweepstakes Championship. Dr. MacCready's Gossamer Condor, Gossamer Albatross, and Solar Challenger have been thoroughly documented in various publications.
Old-Timer at the '82 Nats
John Pond has advised that he is willing to organize and run SAM events at Lincoln. Old-Timer CL and FF events will be held at the Nats' CL and FF sites, while O-T RC events will be flown at the Big Bear Lake facility in Omaha. For the official unofficial events schedule, check the bulletin board at the AMA Nats HQ.
Gas and Oil — CHS Electronics Electronic Ignition
My February column detailed development testing we were doing on electronic ignition systems from Bill Carpenter at CHS Electronics. We have now been using the units in several applications and are highly impressed.
Features we particularly appreciate:
- Nothing needs to be cut from or bolted onto the engine; the unit is self-contained.
- The "black box" includes coil, condenser, chip, etc.
- An idiot-proof method of setting up the unit.
The CHS unit is available in a smaller size (suited to .15 to .29 engines) as well as the original unit that will even run chainsaw engines.
Sample performance numbers:
- K&B .40 (Stock No. 8011) — 11 x 6 Top Flite Super Maple — 8,500 rpm and five minutes per ounce of regular gas and Klotz oil.
- 8,500 rpm on a 16 x 6 Top Flite (result that really shocked us).
- Two-and-one-half minutes per ounce on our OS Max 90.
Battery/run-time:
- The smaller unit will give about 1.5 hours of sparks with a 250 mAh battery pack.
- The larger unit with a 500 mAh pack will spark longer than the receiver batteries will last.
Interference and installation notes:
- No significant interference with Pro-Line, Kraft, Royal, World, or Cannon units to speak of.
- We did have aileron glitches with long leads on an Airtronics system but cured that by separating the two battery packs a bit.
For details, available setup services, and so forth, send $1.00 and a large SASE to CHS Electronics, P.O. Box 1732, Riverton, WY 82501. Don't send it to me!
Doc's Workshop Discoveries
- Butyrate windows: Reworking the edges of clear butyrate sheet windows with #220 sandpaper greatly improves flow of and adhesion with thick cyanoacrylate glue. If just the edges that will be concealed are lightly sanded, the adhesive seems to flow only along that edge and sticks much better. For filling gaps and butt edges we still prefer Wilhold R/C 56 white glue.
- Masking tape: Sig Stripe Rite tape works well to mask paint edges. Unlike conventional masking tape and vinyl electrical tape, Stripe Rite has fairly low tack, which prevents paint from lifting when removed. It seals edges well with little bleed-through from dope, epoxy, or polyurethane. Stripe Rite is available in 9/16-, 1-, and 1-1/2-inch widths. For small radii we use electrical tape on curves and then remove it very slowly.
New Playboy Kit — Leisure Electronics
Roland Boucher (pronounced "Boo-shay") recently sent a sample of Leisure Electronics' down-scaled Playboy Senior kit. The parts are sawn from excellent balsa and ply, and the strip wood is well graded. Each shaped piece is pre-cut (no die crushing), the hardware package is complete, and the plans are well done. The rarely seen Cabin Playboy is also shown on the plans.
Although designed around Leisure's LT 50 electric motor and an Astro prop drive, the model would also be a joy to build and a delight to fly with three channels and a glow or diesel engine in the 1.5 cc range. For competition, the model would be something else on a SAM-legal .19 engine such as Duke Fox's new BB .19.
The Playboy Sr. kit should be available at your local hobby shop, or write Leisure, 11 Deerspring, Irvine, CA 92714 for more information. Tell them Model Aviation sent you.
Something for Really Large Old-Timers
Back in 1976, when we first started "pounding the drum" for polyester sheathing as a covering...
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
