PHOTOS: JOHN KROUSE
John Krouse has come up with another tiny unique creation for indoor flying (above left). Instead of his usual electric power, John has opted to use this
An electric R/C from Bill Schmidt Prolific master-modeler, Bill Schmidt, be- came intrigued with the possibilities of con- verting several of the beautifully rendered rubber powered scale light planes he has de- signed to electric power. In addition, since the micro technology is readily available, Bill decided to use the innards of a Vapor park flyer and make it radio controlled for good measure.
He chose the Piper PA-16 Clipper that he published in FMin April of 1998 (CD051) as the test bed. It not only is a great flying freeflight model, it is also a favorite of his because it was based on “the wonderful [full- scale] airplane I restored and flew for 27 years.”
Bill goes on to relate that the process was a bit like building a ship in a bottle as he made the necessary changes in the airframe to access and support the electric motor, bat- tery and radio equipment. He notes, “Build- ing a model of a plane that one has restored is a semi-emotional event due to the detailed knowledge one has of every little nook and cranny and feature of the full scale aircraft.” The completed transition is shown in the included photo as the two planes are placed side by side, with only the pushrods giving a clue as to which is which. Bill covered both models with tissue and non-tautening ni- trate dope. The R/C version weighs in at 46.7 grams supported by a 23-inch wing span, which is a very acceptable wing loading for the plane. For those who might like to emu- late Bill’s experience, the Piper PA-16 Clip- per, originally kitted by Dare Designs, has been acquired by Brodak Manufacturing, one of FM’s fine advertisers, and can be found on their web site at
www.Brodak.com. Its stock number is SKU#DA-113.
A non-electric from John Krouse Tiny electric original designs from micro- modeler, John Krouse, have been featured in this column many times, but this one is a little different. John has gone a little retro- grade in foregoing his usual electric power systems and opted for a Gasparin G10 CO2 motor as the propulsion unit for his latest indoor creation.
In doing so, John touched a soft spot in my heart developed at the beginning in the late ’70s as I designed many planes around CO2
FLYING MODELS
Gasparin G10 CO2 motor (above right) as the power source for his 10-inch wing span ship with Reynolds Plastic Wrap covering.
motors that were just coming into their own at that time. In fact, my LWF Butterfly (plan #CF511), published in this magazine in July of 1979 was the first CO2 powered model to win Power Scale at the AMA Nationals. Sad- ly, many of the manufacturers of these in- triguing little powerplants have gone away and the motors have been supplanted by the today’s superior micro-electric units. John’s little carbon dioxide banger turns a 90–90mm wooden propeller. The .5mm De- pron foam tail surfaces are bonded directly to the spruce stick fuselage. The oblong shaped wing was built with carbon fiber rods and tubes and covered with grocery store Reynolds Plastic Wrap. Interestingly enough, the Gasparin’s 2cc motor tank was quickly filled with a nine- ounce paintball canister. Ironically, at the time CO2 motors were flourishing, finding a reliable source of pressurized CO2 was a problem. Now that CO2 canisters can rou- tinely be purchased at paintball supply stores, there are very few motors that re- quire the fuel source. Timing is everything. As John notes, “The 10-inch span model weighs 10 grams and has a really neat sound.” That neat sound, and the fact that the motor’s rpm can be adjusted for test flights, were two plus factors for the motors in their heyday.
Cardboard catapults
Learning to fold and fly a paper airplane continues to be almost a rite of passage for elementary school students. Whether the airplane was launched for pleasure or as part of a stealthy attack on another student when the teacher’s back was turned, few if any of us have escaped growing up without the paper airplane.
In other cultures, paper airplanes have gone beyond the first rudimentary efforts to get a sheet of paper to fly and have become a sport unto themselves. Reader Andrew DeWar is an aficionado of the sport and presents us with some interesting new pos- sibilities in terms of both materials and new flying challenges this month.
Andrew say, “I have been building planes of this type for more than twenty years, mostly in Japan, where I lived for two decades up to last year’s earthquakes. Paper airplanes are very popular in Japan, largely
because of the space restrictions. There are very few places available for...flying, but most large cities have a space large enough for rubber models, kites, and the ubiquitous paper airplanes.”
Based on his experience, Andrew has de- veloped a collection of “high-performance paper airplanes that will be out in the spring” entitled (as one might guess), “High Performance Paper Airplanes” from Tuttle Publishing. These are catapult gliders built from printed and die-cut card stock, roughly Pistachio-size (nine-inch wing spans) but “quite sturdy and surprisingly peppy. Most of the planes in the kit are capable of catch- ing thermals and going out of sight.” Andrew relays that most are very simple to construct, and even the most complex can be completed in an evening. Surprisingly, two of the designs are scale models of the Chance-Vought Corsair and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Flights can be from 30 seconds duration up to a minute in good morning air. He sent along a photo of a design included in the kit called the Jetstream, intended to look a bit like a turboprop airliner, but opti- mized for ease of construction and flight. The multiple appeals of a paper catapult glider are the rapid construction, no pre-flight preparation, and no clean-up on the field. Look for the kit shortly on
Amazon.com. With that, we’ll now all have something to throw into the air as winter leaves and spring approaches next month!
PHOTO: ANDREW DEWAR
This cardstock catapult glider called the Jetstream is one of several Pistachio-sized flying models that will be featured in a new collection by Andrew DeWar set to come out this spring. Two of the models in the collection are replicas of the Chance- Vought Corsairand the Japanese A6M Zero.
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