Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
Ron Van Putte
111 Sleepy Oaks Rd. Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548
Pattern Kits
Periodically I get letters asking where to buy current Pattern kits (for example: "Where can I get a Pattern Wonder II?"). Often these kits are produced by small manufacturers and have long back-order lists. Jim Graham of R/C City has been quietly buying the rights to many Pattern aircraft, making them easier to obtain.
Available or obtainable models include:
- Eclipse
- LA-1
- Conquest VI
- Summit III
- Typhoon
- Phoenix 8
- EU-1A
- Avanti
- Cursor
- Vortex
- and several other Pattern aircraft
R/C City sells everything from basic kits through super-deluxe ones. Delivery times vary: the more prefabrication or special features you want, the longer it takes. Prices start just under $200 and go higher.
Contact R/C City: 96 Railroad Ave. #F, Suisun, CA 94585 Tel: 707-428-3119
Saving Your Smoke
I have degrees in aeronautical/astronautical engineering, not electronics, but Radio South's Tony Stillman has shared a useful tip: when a radio component "smokes," the smoker often throws away the escaping smoke (it literally escapes through cracks). Radio repair shops sometimes have to either put smoke back into a component or install a new component that already contains the smoke.
Replacing smoke is cheaper than replacing the component, even though the equipment to restore the smoke is complicated and expensive. If you ever "smoke" a radio component, save the smoke (i.e., preserve the component and any packaging) when possible — it can save you money on repairs.
Rules-Change Proposals
This cycle featured about 50 proposals published in the "Competition Newsletter" section of this magazine. The potential changes to competition rules are significant. Rather than comment on every proposal, here are a few items to watch and what to expect.
Key NSRCA proposal for 1992/1993 class changes:
- Novice and Sportsman: remain the same.
- Advanced: adopt the Canadian Advanced turnaround schedule.
- Expert Turnaround: deleted.
- Master: fly the current FAI schedule (which itself will change substantially based on draft schedules shown by Ron Chidgey).
Because NSRCA has been granted official status as an AMA Special Interest Group with advisory capacity on rules changes, NSRCA proposals bypass the initial vote and move directly to the final vote. Unless Contest Board members receive numerous and widespread objections, NSRCA proposals are likely to pass. It is therefore important for Pattern fliers to read the proposals carefully and make their opinions known.
A related proposal would introduce three turnaround maneuvers to smooth the jump in difficulty between Sportsman and Advanced. Under this proposal, the Sportsman schedule would be adjusted so pilots perform:
- a center maneuver,
- a turnaround maneuver,
- another center maneuver,
- then leave the box;
this sequence would be done three times, with a breather after the set of three maneuvers. The intent is to make the transition from Sportsman to Advanced less abrupt.
What you should do:
- Read the full proposals in the "Competition Newsletter" (the abbreviated versions in Model Aviation omit underlying logic).
- Contact your RC Aerobatics Contest Board member (see the Competition Directory in the "Competition Newsletter" section) if you want clarification or to express your opinions before votes occur.
Kombat 40
I’ve been flying the new prefab sport plane from The Airplane Factory (1880 Pineview, Mandeville, LA 70448) called the Kombat 40.
Features:
- Wings, horizontal tail, and vertical tail made of corrugated plastic (looks like corrugated cardboard but is plastic).
- Control surfaces formed by gluing trailing and contacting surfaces, then cutting through the outer surface so the inside material forms the hinge.
- Fuselage built from square aluminum tubing, separated by aluminum straps and riveted.
- Servos, fuel tank, and radio compartment mounted to the fuselage with tie wraps.
- Virtually all hardware and accessories included; you supply the engine and radio.
- Replacement-parts list covers every piece in the airplane.
My installation and performance:
- I installed a SuperTiger S40 with a MACS tuned pipe, a Futaba PCM 8 receiver, and used Futaba S-130 servos.
- The Kombat weighed about 5 lb.
- The manufacturer recommends keeping idle power for landings and not attempting extended dead-stick landings.
- The manufacturer claims a one-hour finish time; mine took just over three hours.
- At a contest in Atlanta, club members flew Kombats in Combat; the airframe is very tough — one pilot flew his again after a full-power vertical spiral into trees with virtually no damage.
Price:
- Introductory offer: $69.95 (regular retail $89.95).
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
