C/LStunt I
met Bob Whitney at the St. Louis Lafayette Esquadrille Broken Arrow event in September of 2010. We were there to get in the first flights of the Do-
335 twin profile semi-scale ¹⁄₂A model. Those were successful, and Bob took the time to show me three items of possible use for Stunt pilots. SUDCO sells a Mikuni pres- sure tester, which you can use to test your fuel tank of choice. I’ve included a picture of the pressure tester as it is in use. One of the shots shows him putting pres-
sure on the inside tank of his Jamison. He caps off the overflow and pinches off the fuel tubing with surgical forceps. Bob could keep a constant pressure of 5 pounds per square inch to see if the tank was leaking. The tank shown in the shot was in good shape and ready to use again. Look for this item on the SUDCO website
www.sudco. com/tool, or call 323-728-5407 for the purchase of one of these tools. The price runs just under $60.00. Bob also showed me a Dynamic Model En-
gine compression tester from Horizon Hob- by. This compression gauge is useful for checking the viability of your engine or to compare two different engines or setups. The tester threads into the regular glow plug hole and seals the head. Put a large prop on the engine and turn it over and see what the gauge registers. A psi measure- ment of 85 to 95 is a very viable number to have.
Anything over 100 psi might give you an
engine that would have a tendency to run away. You could also compare the modifica- tions of the same engine and note the com- pression measurements. If you happen to know what compression setting is success- ful, you can then test other powerplants of the same brand to find the ones that suit your needs. The price is around $36.00 and can be purchased at any hobby store using Horizon Hobby as their source of parts or go to either
www.horizonhobby.com or call 800- 338-4639.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALLEN BRICKHAUS
Bob Whitney showed up with Allen’s re-engined Do-335 at the Lafayette Esquadrille, St. Louis based contest in September of 2010. His work allowed the Do-335 to have a very successful first flight.
The third Bob Whitney item is a control
line handle manufactured by Dave Mark. Although the handle pictured in the column is made for speed, Bob feels that the product can be modified with little work to have a practical use in Stunt flying. Contact Dave Mark at
speedtimes@chartermi.net for pric- ing and availability information.
Magna Cart I was working behind the desk at the Bro-
dak Fly-In when a fellow modeler was bring- ing his plane and equipment to the correct circle. He carried his model in one hand and was pulling his equipment strapped to a two-wheel cart. I scurried over and got the name of the product and began an Internet
search for the cart. Northern Tool manufac- tures three sizes of foldable hand trucks in three price ranges. I purchased the one I chose on
e-bay.com, but I have since found that they are available at Harbor Freight and similar tool stores. You will note from the pictures how I
strap my flight box to the bottom of the Magna Cart with a strong bungee cord then set a lightweight and inexpensive milk car- ton copy to the top of the flight box. This is also strapped to the Magna Cart. Prices are all under $50.00 and can be found on sale for much less. If you do not have a local tool store in your area, check out
www.northern
tool.com for the foldable hand truck of your choice or call 800-221-0516.
by allen brickhaus You can reach Allen Brickhausat PO Box 206, Golconda, Illinois 62938, or via e-mail at
abkb801@shawneelink.net
Bob Whitney’s pressure checker is shown in a demonstration at the St. Louis contest. This simple device (above) helps a flyer know if fuel tanks are holding the pressure they were designed to hold. Bob’s compression tester fills another need and niche as a tool for the average model builder and flyer (at right). More information on this convenient tool is covered in the text.
24 JANUARY 2012
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