OldtimerTopics I
’ve included a photo of the cover of the most recent SAM 35 Yearbook No. 15 which is now available for purchase at the SAM 35 website
www.sam35.
org.uk. If, like me, you’ve managed to collect each of the previous 14 yearbooks, you’ll want to get this one to complete your collection. SAM 35 started to publish these year-
books back in 1982. David Baker, who com- piled much of the material for the early yearbooks, wanted to emulate Frank Zaic, the compiler and editor of our beloved or- ange Zaic Yearbooks. Baker’s friend, Peter Michel, did yeoman service editing the first 14 yearbooks. Volume No. 14 appeared in 2006.
Peter, who’d carried the editing burden for
24 years, confessed that it was difficult to keep going. A new editorial team of Brian Lever and Brian Waterland stepped in to do No. 15. As the Brits might say, “It’s a cracker.” They’ve added color photos. Just as in all
the earlier SAM 35 Yearbooks, there are plans, articles about engines and “how to build” and some discussion of contest results and how to win. That’s exactly the same sort of material that appears in the Zaic Year- books! My first Zaic Yearbook is dated 1934, and the last 1964–65. Both David Baker and Frank Zaic have
passed on, but I can look at the results and say, “Mission Accomplished”. They each pro- duced valuable material for modelers who like to “build their own” and each did it for more than 30 years. Buy No. 15 while you can—they’re printed in limited numbers. Older SAM 35 Yearbooks and the orange Zaic Yearbooks appear from time to time on eBay and they’re worth buying if you can find them. The new compressed air motors designed
by John Morrill and produced by Jim Sprenger have an interesting problem. They’re very efficient with close tolerances.
PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE MYERS
SAM Treasurer Ron Boots launches his Interstate Cadet at the Grassy Knoll. Bootsie loves his Interstate Cadets,having built them in several sizes for both rubber and power freeflight competition.
When the tank is exhausted, the propeller may continue to freewheel. That means the motor is now acting as a vacuum pump. Both John Morrill and Hal Cover have had air tanks collapse during the glide due to this vacuum pump effect. Cover has come up with a solution of sorts.
He uses a bamboo skewer or small dowel with a spring around it. When the DT pops, a catch is released and the skewer moves forward to stop the propeller. I think the op- timum solution would be a timer mechanism of some sort that releases the prop stop at the end of the motor run. Weight is an issue on these ships, so a prop stop at DT may be what works for now. I enjoy hearing from readers either through e-mails or through letters sent to FLYING MODELS and forwarded to me. I recently heard from Mr. Robert Spink, of South Dako- ta, on the vexed question of CyA and other
glues sticking to plans while you’re building. I’d recommended parchment paper since waxed paper doesn’t seem very “stick free” these days. Mr. Spink countered with Great Planes “Plan Protector” a plastic film much like the protective backing on MonoKote and other covering films. Plan Protector certainly works, although there are times when even Plan Protector won’t stop sticking. Bob Holman out in San Bernardino may
have come up with the ultimate answer. He’s now marketing laser-cut “Strip Clips” that hold the longerons and uprights up off the plan. Each clip is held in place by two pins, so it’s not going to move anywhere. The clip gives you several advantages. You can carefully position the clip above the plan. You can take your time setting up the up- rights and longerons and gluing them, so if your manual dexterity is like nostalgia, “It ain’t what it used to be”, these help.
by mike myers You can reach Mike Myersat 911 Kilmary Lane, Glendale, CA 91207, or via e-mail at
mikemyersgin@charter.net
The cover of SAM 35 Year Book No. 15(at left). This series is close to the old orange Zaic books in terms of being a record of its time. Bill Schmidt, a veritable Wizard of Wichita, always builds a “tasty” model. Here’s his Bantam 19 powered Comet Mercury(above).
58 SEPTEMBER 2012
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