Radio Control: Soaring
Dan Pruss
TOLEDO: Bigger isn't always better but in the case of the Toledo Annual Radio Control Exposition it is. This year's 25th Anniversary outdid itself. The "what's new" department saw manufacturers taking the wraps off their latest products while modelers obviously had been hiding in the weeds for the opportunity to display their wares for this one. And the prizes Toledo's Weak Signals gave must have had the silversmiths working overtime.
RC Sailplane Results
- First place: Ken Bates, Ann Arbor, Michigan — "Merlyn" (LSF Level V). Large ship: wing area about 2,100 sq. in., weight 140 oz., aspect ratio 10.7:1. Finished in silver MonoKote trimmed in metallic blue.
- Second place: Tom Pratt, Cincinnati, Ohio — "Cincinnatian." Wingspan 120 in., all-flying "V" tail. Beautiful finish.
- Third place: Dave Corven, Detroit, Michigan — "Outlaw." Original design, wingspan 120 in., 1,164 sq. in., 12% thick airfoil, Phillips entry, turbulated leading edge. Narrow fuselage to minimize drag; can carry 24 oz. ballast. Finished cream with maroon trim using MonoKote’s new colors.
- Fourth place: Warren Tiahrt — "Bird of Time" (design/kit by Dave Thornburg, being kitted by Mark's Models). High eye appeal. No points for original design but placed fourth overall and second in "Best MonoKote Covered Model."
MonoKote and Finishes
Probably the highest compliment a MonoKote-covered entry can receive is that it looks spray-painted. Tom Ingram is long-time master of this effect and has developed MonoKoting into an art. This year his entry was a Waco biplane in white over red with a scalloped radial cowl. The white scalloping was inlaid around the red lobes — each lobe was individually covered and glued on the cowl. To hide hairline glue joints Tom ironed a narrow 1/32-in. wide strip around each of the fourteen lobes with a special tip fitted into a soldering gun. Ingram's techniques have benefited the hobby; Top Flite is now adding a new MonoKote iron with interchangeable shoes for hard-to-reach places.
Tiahrt’s finish ("Bird of Time") — sky blue and white with dark blue trim — was described as a "painted" finish equal to the best.
It has long seemed to this writer that sailplanes should be show stoppers at events like Toledo — they often have the finish and detailing to match museum pieces. Hopefully Bates, Pratt, Corven and Tiahrt have set the pace.
Seen or Heard About at Toledo
- MonoKote: Two new colors in addition to maroon-and-cream — gold and burnt red. Top Flite Models, Inc., 1901 N. Narragansett Ave., Chicago, IL 60639. For a free MonoKote sample and 12-page catalog send 50¢ to the above address.
- Cox Hobbies: Showed the "Aquila Grande" with fiberglass fuselage. Kit quality in the best tradition of Lee Renaud. Contacts: Cox Hobbies, Inc., 1505 E. Warner Ave., Santa Ana, CA 92702. Cox action hotlines: 800-354-3544 (general), California 1-800-432-7277.
- Craft-Air (Tom Williams): Showed the Viking. Comes with a choice of rib sections; modeler can purchase a second wing at a discount. One wing: 11½% flat-bottom airfoil. Other wing: 12% semi-symmetrical. Craft-Air, Inc., 20115 Nordhoff St., Chatsworth, CA 91311.
- Fab-Tek, Inc.: New sport winch — a lightweight battery-powered unit including a 300-ft nylon line, two-step variable speed control and fold-down handle. Intended as a sport winch to replace a hi-start for casual flying, not for large contests. Fab-Tek called it "Aunt Martha" as your sailplane sidekick; all-up weight is only 34 lb (includes string, foot-switch and battery). Battery not included; a garden-tractor-type battery is recommended. Using the recommended Sears Deep Cycle Utility Die Hard #96012 yields about 40 launches. Addresses given: Fab-Tek, Inc., 2250 W. Science Drive, Tempe, AZ 85282 and Fab-Tek, Inc., 17 Sugar Hollow Rd., Danbury, CT 06810.
- Computerized proportional servos: Full-function radios using microprocessors to control up to six channels with mixes, trims and exponential rates done by program. Units under test are not inexpensive but indicate the direction R/C is heading.
Tip for transporting sailplanes in cars with low rooflines: Use foam blocks under the wingtips and fuselage to raise the glider slightly and protect the finish — avoid straps rubbing on the covering.
- Bob Martin R/C Models: Plastic molded fuselages (tough, crash-proof). Demonstrations showed durability. Fuselages being produced for the Aquila, Paragon and Coyote. Bob Martin R/C Models, 3058 N. Marengo Ave., Altadena, CA 91001.
- Hi Flight Model Products (Bill Mueller): Showed the heavy-duty Hi Flight 12 winch designed for hundred-plane contests. Selected by the USA FAI Soaring Team for use in Belgium and by the League of Silent Flight for the 1979 Tournament. Also producing the Mirage (Blane Rawdon design) — a fine quality, low-cost kit now in second production run. Hi Flight Model Products, 43225 Whittier Ave., Hemet, CA 92343.
- Bob Smith R/C Aircraft: "Sea Breeze," a complete ready-to-fly sailplane for thermal flying or slope. Epoxy-molded white fuselage. Two-piece wings with polyhedral shape molded into foam and epoxy; wings available in red, blue, orange, brown, purple or yellow. Install radio and fly. Bob Smith R/C Aircraft, 485 Easy St., Simi Valley, CA 93065.
Show Overview
That is just a smidgen of what was seen at Toledo. Over 220 booths were used by nearly 200 manufacturers. Most of the models would do most museums an honor to be there. Highlights included a Pietenpol with scale fuel filter and spark plugs that nosed out Steve Sauger's Lockheed Orion (which had a finished interior including a desk complete with typewriter) and a Best of Show all-metal P-38 that took one full-time year to build. 1980's show can't be better — but it will be. The next year’s always is.
FAI Update
By the way, the USA is not sending a team to Belgium this year — you are. If you would still care to support the team, send $5 or more to:
USA FAI R/C Soaring Team Fund Box 4319, Irvine, CA 92716
You’ll get a patch and decal to show you are part of the team.
Incidentally, your team is taking the job most seriously. All five met on March 10–11 for a full two-day practice session — progress most gratifying. Next session is slated for early May. These sessions are at the individuals' own expense. With your support the team hopes to get to Belgium a week early to learn the territory — as they did two years ago in South Africa.
Dan Pruss, Rt. 2, Box 490, Plainfield, IL 60544.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
