The completed 37-inch wing span plane
(230 square inches of wing area!) came in at 81.25 grams without rubber and will be pulled aloft toward max flights by twin 10.75-inch props. It also features a pop-up tail D/T system to release it from Hung’s grip when the max is achieved. I’m betting Tom’s pilot, Boris Glydonov, will need to pull that dethermalizer lever every flight.
A floater from Ireland Mentioning Vance Gilbert brings us to his unusual FAC Nats entry of a couple of years ago, his Shorts S.26 “Golden Hind” four-en- gined flying boat. Vance consistently seeks out unusual designs and makes them per- form well. In the instance of this Irish plane, however, he cleverly employed a “fudge fac- tor” in order to gain bonus points for a twin- engined model, while at the same time avoiding the agony of trying to get four rub- ber motors wound and performing in sync. Note that only the two inside nacelles ac-
tually have wide-bladed flying props at- tached, while the two outside nacelles on each wing have a scale low-drag prop left to free-wheel on its own during flight. Since the nacelles of the “Golden Hind” aren’t par- ticularly long, Vance chose to place the mo- tor pegs under the trailing edge of the wing with the motors extending through the na- celles to give the motor an acceptable length for longer duration runs. Vance was re- warded with consistent flight times just un- der a minute each time this impressive mod- el took to the air.
A pioneering effort The piece de resistance in this month’s presentation of multi-engined models comes from a modeler who is well-known for his very successful twin and multi-engined de- signs, several of which have appeared in this magazine. This Chris Starleaf Boeing B-47 Stratojet is a ground-breaking effort in an arena where no one else had even dared to tread before—a six-engined Rapier powered model of the swept-wing bomber from the Cold War era! After completing the Stratojet, Chris ap-
proached the un- knowns of multi-mo- tored Rapier flight very methodically. He said of the effort, “I had extensively test-glided the model with four burnt mo- tors in my back yard, and I ended up need- ing a few grams of weight on the right wing tip.... The first powered flight was actually with just two L2 motors and this was a slow, la- boring powered glide.” When next he ramped up to four motors, he found “I couldn’t be any hap- pier with its first 4- motor flight. The sun was nearly down and the air was heavy and still, yet the model had plenty of power and climbed out nice and stable.” The ignition sequence of light- ing four, then ultimately six motors proved to be one of the largest challenges from a technical stance once the plane was flying in a stable manner. For some period of time, the B-47’s suc-
PHOTO: CHRIS STARLEAF
Chris Starleaf’s iconic Boeing B-47 Stratojet intended to be powered by six Rapier motors raised the bar in multi-engined freeflight models. Its successful flight using four motors was inspirational. It, like all Starleaf models, was not only functional, but as this photo shows, a work of art in its own right.
and plans that would (and in some cases had) faded into the past with the inevitable loss of earlier generations of modelers. One of these goldmines of models and plans is “Hip Pocket Aeronautics” www.hippocket
aeronautics.com which I mentioned briefly last month. It is worthy of a closer look. If you haven’t yet arrived at its doorsteps,
cessful flight was a star video on YouTube, but unfortunately has since been taken down. As most will already know, the plane was ultimately destroyed while trying to reach its full complement of six Rapier mo- tors firing at the same time. And, although the development and short life of the Star- leaf B-47 Stratojet began and ended almost four years ago, it was a monumental under- taking and speaks to the majesty of multi- engine airplanes referenced in our opening quotation.
Plans a-plenty The Internet seems to be an inexhaustible
source of modeling history, allowing us to capture and in some cases retrieve designs
you need to do so. To be sure, the site fea- tures more than freeflight resources and delves into control line and radio control plans, forums, and links, making it even more invaluable, if for nothing more than browsing and recapturing the beginnings of your own fascination with flight, wherever it might have begun or now resides. Hip Pocket Aeronautics’ webmaster is
Bruce Feaver, who says of his extensive ef- forts and collections, “Building airplanes brings with it an attention to detail and pro- cedure, and a sense of being connected to the project through forming your own parts in order to get a finished product. Over a number of airplane projects you become a craftsman, with ever-expanding skills in creating more elaborate and higher perfor- mance flying
machines....It is this discovery that makes the activity of model airplane building and flying a life-long endeavor as you build relationships with your creations and other people you meet along the way. One thing is for
sure...there’s nothing more satisfying than flying a model you’ve built yourself.”
Ending on a high note In this case, we will not only end on a high
PHOTO: VANCE GILBERT
Vance Gilbert made clever use of the motor configurations with his Short S.6 “Golden Hind” flying boat by choosing to power two of the nacelles with wide-bladed flying props and to use scale windmilling props to reduce drag on the other two.
FLYING MODELS
note, but a “Rocky Mountain High” note as word has just been received that Colorado’s Magnificent Mountain Men Club, one of the largest and best F/F clubs in the country, has successfully negotiated a ten-year ex- tension of the lease of their 27,000-acre field just southeast of the greater Denver metro- plex! In addition to that good news in an era of constantly diminishing flying sites, the MMM Club has been awarded a World Cup sanction for its annual 14-Round FAI Annu- al meet. Congratulations to the leadership of the MMM Club and its partner the SAM- 1 Club. Well
done...and as they are fond of saying, “Nothing is better than watching your model fly under the bright Colorado sky”—and for at least another ten years!
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