C/LStunt T
he 2011 summer has come and gone, and several models stick in my personal memory as ones that I have paid particular attention to
during my travels. These may not be the same choices you would have made, but I wanted to share information gleaned from interviews and brief e-mails sent to me by each pilot. My first in the queue is the cur- rent AMA U. S. Nationals C.L.P.A. Open Be- ginner winner Jeff Traxler. “Here is the information you were asking
about. The aircraft was scratchbuilt from an article/plans published in the December 1994 issue of FLYINGMODELS. The plan num- ber is CF 952. It has a 52-inch span and 530 square inches of wing area. The gear was changed from bent aluminum to a wire gear to look more like the original. The color scheme is a reproduction of the original All American Sr. box top photo. I converted it from glow-powered to electric by carefully removing the motor mounts and adding a firewall in the proper location. I added a cut- off plastic spoon scoop to the inboard side for a cooling inlet and put an air outlet in the bottom by the landing gear. “The motor is mounted directly to the new firewall, and the other components inside the battery compartment are secured by hook and loop fastener. The motor is a Turnigy 3542-1100 KV outrunner around $20.00. The ESC is a 40-amp Hobby King around $23.00. The battery is a Turnigy 2200 mAh 4S, 20C around $18.00. The timer is a simple and easy-to-use Hubin FM-0c that lets you adjust the percentage of power and duration of flight via trim pots around
by allen brickhaus You can reach Allen Brickhausat PO Box 206, Golconda, Illinois 62938, or via e-mail at
abkb801@shawneelink.net
PHOTO: WILL MOORE Will Moore discusses his electric propulsion system for his Sharkin this column.
$15.00. The prop is an APC 11–5.5 EP around $5.00. The reverse rotation of the pusher prop greatly improves line tension in the overhead maneuvers. I have used this setup in several models, and it will fly simi- lar size models if they are kept light during building. It is a simple inexpensive plug- and-play system if you have any electric model experience. I figured it out so it can’t be too hard! If you need any more info just let me know, and I will get it to you right away.”
Kaz Minato’s Hellcat Kaz Minato, from Japan, is always a won-
derful addition to the AMA Nationals. You will find him in the U.S. in the summers that the FAI F2B World Championships are not held. This year he brought an F6F Hell- cat Stunt model to the 2011 Nats. The pow- er unit for his Hellcat is a Randy Smith PA .75 and pipe. Kaz utilized a Bolly 11.5–5.5 four-blade carbon fiber prop. An Enya #3 plug fires the Merlin block .75 and Sig 10% Champion fuel runs through its veins. Kaz did not reveal his line length but did note the use of .018 braided lines. He does not use a ball link system and
uses his own controls. The MNT handle is his own design and is readily available on his website. Randy Smith, a U.S. cottage indus- try provider, offers the handle for sale. Look for Kaz’s website at http://homepage3.
nifty.com/bluemax while contacting Randy Smith at
http://www.aeroproduct.net.
Will Moore’s electric Shark “Allen, you asked for and here are the
PHOTO: ALLEN BRICKHAUS
Jeff Traxler is a very happy man after winning Open Beginner at the 2011 Nats in Muncie. His model and power of choice are noted in the column.
60
stats on my Gilnaki electric Shark. This model was received by me as an ARC Shark from the Yatsenko brothers. It is the first Shark on the planet to be purposely built as an electric variant, at my request and with my specifications. Currently, I am using an APC thin electric 13 by 6.5-inch pitch, push- er prop. It is powered by a Plettenberg Or-
bit 20-18 brushless outrunner motor, radial- ly mounted in lieu of engine mounts. The electronic speed control of choice is the F2B Shultze. Hubin’s FM-9 sequencer/timer with remote start button, keeps everything timed. “It is all fired up with a Thunder Power G6
2700 mAh 5-cell Pro Lite lithium polymer battery, which can draw 68 amps constant and 135 amps momentary. I think the sys- tem draws less than 30 amps for most of the flight, so there is a lot of battery headroom and little stress. I use a cut-off safety plug that separates the battery from the electron- ics until I am ready to fly. That eliminates any possibility of an accidental run away mo- tor activation due to human error or elec- tronic failure when the battery is hooked up and the hatch closed, ready for flight. No one gets hurt. All of the electronics fit inside what would normally be the gas tank/muf- fler area. The access hatch is topside, in front of the canopy for easy servicing. “I fly 5.2 to 5.3 seconds level lap times, on
64-foot eye-to-eye .018 nine-strand SS lines. The flight is timed at 5 minutes, 50 seconds and most flights draw about 1875 mAh out of the battery. All-up ready-to-fly weight is 67 ounces. All components are lukewarm or cold to the touch after each flight. There are no heat issues with this bird. Gilnaki flies effortlessly and goes where you ask it. It tracks like it is on tracks. Corners are crisp and line tension is constant everywhere in the hemisphere. The airplane is limited only by my flying it. I am still working at flying the airframe to its potential. So far, it can do far more than I have asked of it.”
Bob Hunt’s Crossfire “The actual ‘numbers’ for the Crossfire
were taken from my 1980 Genesis design. It featured a swept forward trailing edge for- mat. The TE sweep was 1¾ inches per side. The Crossfire was originally designed in 1986 as the very first dedicated tuned pipe
APRIL 2012
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