FanFacts H
ello again! This is the issue when I perennially bless my lucky stars about attending the Arizona Jet Rally in Mesa. But life intruded
and I couldn’t make the trek. Fortunately, with the web, and several folks being prodi- gious posters, I was able to get a feel for what went on, and Mike Warren shared a bunch of photos. Why the interest in this event, you ask? It
always has a huge edf presence, frequently being 50% of the registered pilots, and short of going to a large edf-only event, like E-Jets in Ohio, it is the best E-representation I can get to. Additionally, there are not just sim- ple “shake the box and out comes a foamy jet ready to fly” planes, but also some large and complex models and everything in between. Just slightly larger than the foamies is
the F-100 produced by the folks at Jet Hangar Hobbies. Designed around the ven- erable WeMoTec Minifan, a fiberglass fuse- lage allows longevity, ding-resistance and strength. This small jet scoots, and looks fantastic in the air all while using small bat- tery packs and lightweight gear. Other planes that Mike found interesting
(me too!) are the edf conversions Mike Pope and Bob Ruff did. The two of them teamed up to convert an ancient Byron MiG-15 to an XPS-Dynamax fan system using a 12S bat- tery. Static photos are gorgeous, and it is re- ported to be a very good flyer. Also getting Mike’s conversion is the Fei Bao ¹⁄₇ scale F- 5E Tiger II. At 80 inches long, this is not a small airplane, however a Stumax 110/45 fan on 12S pushes it around with authority, even with the very small (and scale) intakes. Bob Ruff first flew his PST F9F Panther
in the Spring of 2010, and once again, he took to the skies with it at this year’s event. Designed for a 26-30 pound thrust turbine, this is not a light lay-up designed for edf, yet you would never know it seeing how well the XPS/Dynamax fan system pushes it around. Having seen (and photographed) Chris
PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE WARREN
Chris Wolfe poses for the camera with his JHH F-100 for 70mm edf. The plane has full house controls with both retracts and flaps.
Wolfe’s Mirage (the dark grey one) with its afterburner ring and other scale niceties, I love the photos showing Larry Wolfe’s Mi- rage, Mike Warren’s smaller version and Steve Haynes/Mike Warren’s Tazor at the right. The two JHH Mirages use the e-Tur- bax fan system from JHH on 12S and the smaller Mirage uses a Stumax on 8 cells (I think …). The Tazor, in spite of its size, re- ally scoots on a Stumax 110/52 fan and 12S. It is so interesting seeing two 20-plus year
old kits, with electric conversions of the fan system they were designed around, and hav- ing far better performance than the glow- powered versions ever had, sitting next to two airplanes with a new design, smaller di- ameter fan system with similar power. What a long way edf has come! Leaving the AJR, but not Arizona; Mike
Neff e-mailed me photos of his newest de- sign, a 747 made of Depron® carrying (and releasing) the Space Shuttle Enterprise. I
met Mike several years ago (and wrote about him in this column) with his fleet of airliners—all made from Depron®, and de- signed from paper—glider templates. The fans are E-flite airliner units, and with a light airframe, work perfectly! Mike usually flies at a city park kind of field: The Chan- dler Bowl. Given the trees on the periphery, and the roads—with traffic—this airframe needs to be able to turn, and it sure does! It’s so darn kool to watch the shuttle release in the video, with a glide ratio like a brick, and land at the pilot’s feet. Give yourself a treat and go to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNV 89R0duFo&feature=youtube_gdata_player. Additionally, more information on his pro- jects (want to make a thrust reverser on an airliner) with tips, and videos can be found at:
Neffwaffe.com. (Note: there is not an http://, nor is there a www.) Hopefully, I’ll have more data on the airliner and shuttle for the next issue … because I am intrigued!
by greg moore You can reach Greg Moore via e-mail at
jetflyr@comcast.net
Some of the smaller and less complicated “foamies” in the pit area at the Arizona Jet Rally (above). Using economical 3S (and occasionally 4S) batteries, these smaller jets don’t require large facilities to fly. Mike Pope (at right) shares the photo with his ancient Byron MiG-15 and recent vintage Fei Bao F-5E. The MiG is shoved along by an XPS/Dynamax fan system and a Stumax 110/45 fan motivates the F5. Both jets use a 12S battery for fuel.
26 FEBRUARY 2012
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