Radio Control: Sport/Aerobatics — Ron Van Putte
Stormer time, again. A garbled version of what I wrote about the magazine articles and plans related to the Stormer and Flat Top Stormer was published in the August issue. Here's what should have appeared: the article for the original Stormer was published in the April 1961 American Modeler magazine and plans were available from Hobby Helpers on Group Plan 461. The Flat Top Stormer article was published in the May 1962 American Modeler magazine; plans were also available from Hobby Helpers on Group Plan 562. I hope this clarifies any confusion.
I'm writing this column immediately after returning from the Masters' Tournament. One item of discussion that recurred during the contest was the Turnaround Pattern. Frankly, I was dismayed that many fliers assumed everything would be different next year — that the rules proposals related to the FAI (Turnaround) Pattern would be passed. This view is contrary to that of most of the fliers from other competition classes I've talked to.
What really bothered me was the attitude that, since the FAI rules are to go into effect in 1984, the AMA Master-class rules would automatically become the FAI rules, and the rest of the AMA pattern classes would eventually fall in line. I wonder if the people pushing the Turnaround Pattern have considered what it's like at the average 40-contestant pattern contest. Contest directors seem to have enough difficulty putting on a pattern contest without worrying about what a special event like an FAI Masters class would add to the workload — flight-line operation, judge training, tabulation, and scoring. Many club contests dropped Sport Scale from their lists because it took too much time away from other events to be worthwhile.
The average contest draws three to five Master-class fliers, and very few contest directors are likely to put up with an event that takes a disproportionate amount of time away from the other events. I predict that few 1984 contests will have an FAI Master-class event if the FAI Master-class proposal passes. Alternately, if the NSRCA proposal passes making the FAI Master class the sixth AMA class, I predict the majority of contests will retain the current Master-class event.
Letters
- Fran Ptaszkiewicz
23 Marlee Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150 Fran wrote asking me to announce that he has a large stock of plans of Harold deBolt airplane designs he'd like to sell because he wants to get the stuff off his workbench and can do little building again. Anyone wanting the list should send an SASE to Fran requesting the RC list.
- Paul Maharis
P.O. Box 15, Kew Gardens, NY 11415 Paul wrote asking about the correct side-thrust and down-thrust for a 60-powered Magic. I don't have the answer; please write directly to Paul for details.
- Mark Murdock, Riverdale, GA
Thanks for the feedback after my May 1983 column about controlling sink rate on landing using throttle instead of elevator. Mark wrote that the column "took the words out of my mouth — I'll almost stop a little too soon. What's the pilot after wheels touch?" He's right; I left off part of the end of the landing description. Mark suggests landing a little, not a lot, fast. At the split-second the wheels touch the ground, get off the elevator — it will usually stop bouncing. New pilots still get a little bounce; try a speck of down elevator at the instant the mains touch. This is very useful in emergency situations such as a hot deadstick landing. Mark also added that for landings in gusty winds it's safer to come in at higher ground speed. Learn the higher-speed technique; it gives the sought-after look called "gluing" the runway. Thanks, Mark.
RC Aerobatics — Van Putte (Continued)
The February 1983 issue of Space Age, newsletter of the RC Aces (Stratham, NH), had an interesting article on fuel tubing that I think is worth sharing. One problem area in model airplanes that has always bothered people is the fuel tubing. There doesn't seem to be one kind that will do everything.
- Neoprene tubing: Before World War II neoprene was good enough for gasoline fuel, but it became scarce.
- Clear vinyl: Vinyl was the first clear tubing and was intriguing to watch as fuel bubbled through it. However, alcohol fuels later made many vinyls harden and vibrate off.
- Surgical tubing: Adopted because alcohol fuel caused vinyl to fail. Some people applied a yellow coating for identification; the coating also made it about 90% fuel-proof on the outside and extended its life.
- Silicone tubing: Can take some heat and has good fuel resistance, but it cracks near any sharp edge and is expensive.
- Buna-N (nitrile) tubing: In recent years many have used Buna-N, which has higher heat resistance than surgical tubing or neoprene, higher fuel resistance than surgical tubing or neoprene, and better gripability. It even works well between the muffler and the tank; because of muffler heat this is a place where silicone loses elasticity.
In testing, Buna-N tubing was found to be holding up well and works well everywhere except in the klunk tank, where surgical tubing is still often recommended. Incidentally, tank tubing should be replaced at the end of each season, and the tank should be flushed with clean alcohol before storage.
I disagree with recommending surgical tubing in the tank. Surgical tubing is susceptible to nitromethane — nitro turns it into a gummy, sticky mess, and some of that material can plug the fuel filter or pack up against the needle valve. For that reason I use silicone tubing in the tank, taking care to remove any sharp edges from the tank fittings if I use brass tubing. However, I usually discard brass tubing and use 1/8-inch Nyrod for tank tubing. It's easy to bend by using boiling water: bend it, place the bend in boiling water for a few seconds, then quench it in cold water and the bend is set. Nyrod tubing doesn't have sharp edges, and silicone tubing works well with it.
Last weekend I observed the first case of lightning interference I'd ever seen. Maybe someone can explain why lightning can affect a sophisticated digital receiver. During a Quickie 500 race, a bolt of lightning struck about two miles away. Both airplanes in the air glitched; one crashed and the other recovered. I knew it's not a good idea to fly near a thunderstorm because of the lightning hazard to the flier, but apparently it's not good for receivers either. Any comments on similar experiences or expert explanations would be appreciated.
Ron Van Putte 111 Sleepy Oaks Rd. Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
