RC Giants
Sal Calvagna 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741 E-mail: ncalvagn@suffolk.lib.ny.us
In memoriam: Chuck Gill
It is with great sorrow that I share news of the untimely passing of Chuck Gill, proprietor of The Aeroplane Works, in late May. Chuck was a lifelong modeler involved in many aspects of our hobby. He was known for his excellent radio control (RC) giant cut kits and his involvement with the giant scale community. Outgoing, outspoken, friendly, and helpful to fellow modelers, he will be sorely missed.
Chuck's family has advised me that they will continue to operate The Aeroplane Works in the same high-quality manner for which Chuck was known.
ModelCAD and Wingmaster
Computer technology has moved modeling light-years ahead. I use the computer almost daily to research scale projects, correspond with modelers, and write this column. Now I have the opportunity to try my hand at designing model aircraft with two products from Upperspace.
ModelCAD
- Allows modelers to design airplanes, ships, and trains with ease and precision.
- Comes with online help, a complete manual, and five easy lessons for getting started.
- Can generate a complete set of plans and print them to scale.
- If your printer is not large enough, ModelCAD will print plans in pieces with registration marks for taping pages together.
Wingmaster
- Can produce any NACA 4-, 5-, and 6-series airfoils or select from more than 400 airfoils in the library.
- Allows customization of airfoils and modification of thickness and camber.
- Provides complete control of wing taper and sweep with dynamic on-screen display.
- Lets you specify spar size and generates automatic spar placement in ribs.
- Prints a single airfoil or a complete set of ribs; can print complete wing plans to scale or fit-to-page.
System requirements
- Microsoft Windows 9x, Windows 2000, or Windows NT 4.0.
For more information, visit www.designcad.com or call Upperspace at (800) 233-3223 or (918) 825-4844.
Now there is nothing to stop you from designing your own RC giant. I will definitely become more familiar with these two programs!
Yellow Aircraft P-40E Warhawk
Yellow Aircraft International, the manufacturer of excellent military and aerobatic model aircraft, has added a Curtiss P-40E Warhawk to its lineup. The model spans 86 inches and was slated to be available this summer.
Kit features
- One-piece, preprimed epoxy/fiberglass fuselage with integral vertical fin, panel lines, and scale details molded in.
- Fuselage formers preinstalled.
- Separately molded fiberglass components including lower chin cowl, belly pan, wingtips, precut canopy frame, landing-gear pods, landing-gear doors, exhaust stacks, and more.
- One-piece, bolt-on wing design with balsa presheeted foam-core wings and horizontal stabilizer.
- Landing-gear mounts preinstalled in the wing panels.
- Split flap, wheel well, aileron, and flap-servo openings routed into the wing.
Pricing and contact
- P-40E kit: $625.
- Main rotating retracts: $495.
For more information, visit www.yellowaircraft.com, call (781) 674-9898, or write to Yellow Aircraft International, 203 Mass Ave., Lexington MA 02420.
First RC Giant
#### Carl J. Capobianco Carl J. Capobianco of Nanuet, New York, is shown with his first RC giant. He built a Robin Hood 80 from an ISC kit during many cold winter days.
Specifications
- Wingspan: 80 inches
- Weight: 13 pounds
- Wing loading: 24.9 ounces
- Power: Zenoah G-23 gas-burning, two-stroke engine
- Covering: Super Coverite™, painted with LustreKote®, with two light coats of clear butyrate dope
Carl's model uses Futaba high-torque servos and an SR Batteries 1800 mAh receiver battery pack, which is more than sufficient. Carl wrote that flights are realistic and that now he is hooked on large scale airplanes. Best of luck on your future projects, Carl!
#### Ted Stickler Ted Stickler of Bokeelia, Florida, sent a photo of his latest project: a 1/4-scale Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter. Ted was inspired by the full-scale aircraft at the US Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Specifications and construction
- Built from Don Smith plans
- Wingspan: 99 inches
- Weight: 30 pounds
- Power: twin Webra .120 glow engines
- Radio: Airtronics Vanguard with two receivers, two battery packs, and 13 servos
- Features: retracts, flaps, operating gear doors, finished interior detail
- Construction: entirely balsa sheeted and covered with fiberglass cloth and resin
- Paint: PPG automotive acrylic lacquer; invasion stripes painted with Chevron preferred paint for a scale look
- Finishing details: rivets, panel lines, rib detailing on elevator and rudders
The Black Widow's first flight was on April 18 at the Cape Coral R/C Seahawks club field in Cape Coral, Florida. It flew well and was a thrill to see in the air. One club member, a World War II veteran, said that seeing the model fly made his annual membership fee worth every penny. Congratulations, Ted.
#### Alan Yendel Superb modeler Alan Yendel of Atlanta, Georgia, completed a 1/4-scale Gloster Gladiator.
Specifications and construction
- Wingspan: 72 inches
- Power: Quadra 75XL engine turning a 24 x 10 propeller
- Weight: 33 pounds
- Finish: Norwegian markings (full-scale aircraft is at the Shuttleworth Collection, England); paint samples provided by Shuttleworth
- Materials: metal parts of the fuselage fiberglassed; fabric parts covered with silver Solartex
- Exterior finish: sprayed with Rust-Oleum Brite Coat Metallic Finish, then hand-rubbed with a copper-wool pad to add texture and remove shine (copper pads used to avoid rust residue from steel wool)
- Panel lines added with chart tape; rivets are ZAP Hinge Glue
- Navigation lights on wings and rudder are transmitter-controlled
According to Alan, the model slows down really well with engine idling on final approach.
Background note: the full-scale Gladiator was the first RAF fighter with an enclosed cockpit and the last RAF biplane fighter. It is associated with the "fight against odds" during early World War II operations in Greece, North and East Africa, and the Mediterranean.
Great job, Alan!
#### Harry Botkowsky About a year ago I featured Emil Casanello's Giant Eindecker of his own design to show that anyone could build a successful RC giant without spending a fortune. Several modelers expressed interest and a few contacted Emil for his plans.
I present Harry Botkowsky and his newly completed "Emil" Eindecker. The model spans 104 inches and is powered by a 25 cc converted Homelite blower engine. Harry uses a Futaba 1024 radio with pull-pull controls for the elevator and rudder. From the photos it looks as though Harry did a wonderful job with his Eindecker.
Harry wrote that he hopes I can use the photos he sent "at some future date," adding, "don't make it too far in the future as I am 83 years old and every day is a bonus!" Harry, thank you very much for reading the RC Giants column.
That's all for this month. As another summer season comes to a close, start looking for that great RC giant winter project. As always, send me your comments, concerns, and photos of your RC giant.
Cheers! MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
