Henry R. Carstens
president and publisher
carstens@carstens-publications.com
Frank Fanelli editor
Jim Wiggin associate editor
Maureen Frazer production editor John A. Earley
vice-president and director of advertising
Pieter W. Uptegrove advertising manager George Riley
director of marketing Larry Deitch
advertising production manager
Tammy Havens advertising production
Phyllis M. Carstens assistant to the publisher
Otto Vondrak webmaster Chris Lane
book acquisitions manager Lynn Good
customer service
Cathy Streeter dealer service
FLYING MODELS (ISSN 0015-4849) Incorporating FLYING ACES and R/C Model Boating, is published monthly by Carstens Publications, Inc., 108 Phil Hardin Road, Fredon Township, Newton, New Jersey 07860. Phone: 973-383-3355. FAX: 973-383-4064. Visit our web site at
www.flying-models.com, or e-mail us at:
carstens@carstens-publications.com. Henry R. Car- stens, President; John A. Earley, Vice President, Phyllis Carstens, Secretary / Treasurer. Periodicals Postage paid at Newton, NJ 07860 and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FLYING MODELS, 108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton NJ 07860. Copy- right 2013 by Carstens Publications, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40957020: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6
SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.A. and possessions: $37.95 per year, $69.95 for two years, $99.95 for three years. Single copies are $5.95. Canada: $50.00 per year, $94.00 for two years, $136.00 for three years. Overseas: $58.00 per year, $110.00 for two years, $160.00 for three years. Pay- ment must be in U.S. funds. All communications regard- ing subscriptions and changes of address should be sent to Circulation Manager, FLYING MODELS, 108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton, NJ 07860. Please allow six weeks for change of address. Postmaster send Form 3579 to FLYING MODELS, 108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton, NJ 07860. Periodicals class postage paid at Newton, NJ and other mailing offices.
CONTRIBUTIONS: Articles and photographs are wel- come. Contributors are advised to keep a copy of man- uscripts and illustrations. When requested we will en- deavor to return all material in good condition if accompanied by return postage. FLYING MODELS as- sumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Pay- ment is normally made upon publication. The contents of this magazine may not be reprinted without the written permission of the publisher.
ADVERTISING: Main advertising offices: FLYING MODELS, 108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton, NJ 07860. Phone: 973-383-3355; FAX: 973-383-4064.
4
LeftSeat E
Contact Flying Modelsat (973) 383-3355 Voice, (973) 383-4064 FAX, or e-mail us at
frankf@flying-models.com
ver since I’ve been a part of the FM staff and even before that, the DC Maxecuters were easily recognized as one of the premier freeflight clubs in the country, and I suspect, in the world. With members like Allan Schanzle, Don Srull, Tom Schmitt, Bill Winter, John Hunton, Stew Meyers and a host of their il- lustrious modelers how could they not be? So it is a pleasure to introduce one of the younger members of the Maxecuters, and someone who is a rising star among an al- ready stellar group. He’s Dave Mitchell who graciously assumed the distinguished man- tle of Larry Kruse as the new monthly columnist for the F/F Sport column. So you want to know more about him? Here it is: “Dave Mitchell has been modeling since he was an infant. He arrived wrapped in swaddling Esaki tissue, is pretty sure his first word was ‘balsa’, and is certain his first
fly for unusually long periods on the going power systems (7 Ni-Cds and an Astro 05) of the day. He did not mind the snickering and whispering of the wet flyers as he celebrated yet another 5-minute flight, oh no, because he knew the future was with him. “By chance one day he again heard the freeflight siren’s call, he answered and has rarely left that island since, turning out a steady stream of mostly scale models and delighting in the Black Arts of freeflight rubber power. He is a proud member and Secretary of the DC Maxecuters, the dread- ed Potomac Pursuit Squadron #6 of the Fly- ing Aces Club, and a member of the Flying Aces Club Council.”
From the tenor of that bit of bio I think we’re all in for a very enjoyable ride, just as Larry Kruse gave us for all those years. Hope Dave enjoys his gig for many years. Now for something out of the ordinary, Jose German Tapia’s paper glider Birdy. Paper gliders have always seemed to be a breed unto themselves but nowadays the plethora of ma- terials used to build flying models has bur- geoned. So why not paper. Jose’s Birdy sure ain’t what you flew in elementary school. Turning to more complex fare we have the annual showcase of the static display mod- els at the WRAM Show. There was a very healthy display and it reflected the chang- ing trends of the hobby/sport. The long cen- ter aisle table where the planes were dis- played had a lot of people around them during the entire weekend.
toy was an X-Acto knife. Being of a certain generation, he was weaned by his father, an outstanding R/C modeler, on a steady diet of Guillows, Sterling and Sig freeflight kits, all of which were powered either by short, brutish rubber motors or screaming Cox .020 engines, and all of which had very short lives. “He graduated to Ace pulse radio systems married to small Old-Timer kits in the early ’70s, and began to enjoy a marginally better success rate. With the arrival of Flyline Models Inc. around the same time, he was exposed to the joys of well-designed and pro- duced scale kits, and continued his love af- fair with simple, rudder-only ‘schoolyard scale’ R/C flying until such time as he went to college to study graphic arts, at which point girls and schoolwork took over his in- terests for a spell.
“He survived, however, with his aeromod- eling instincts intact, and soon found him- self involved with electric power in the early days of its rise to respectability. Having nev- er really embraced full-house R/C and all that that entailed at the time (large models robustly constructed, stinking gas soaked clothing, etc.) he was well-positioned to make the most of electric power as all his airplanes were basically lightweight free- flights in construction, and thus were able to
It sure looks supersonic, but the Tough Jets T-14 that Tim Stephens reviewed is far from it. It’s not sedate but really an all- around fun flyer. In the past years that’s certainly evident at the NEAT Fair where a number of them have shown up. If you try one, you’ll come back grinning as Tim says in the review.
For those who enjoy the bigger planes, es- pecially those that aren’t 3D oriented, Hangar 9 recently introduced a ¹⁄₄-scale ver- sion of the Piper PA-18 Super Cub. Yeah, it’s called an ARF but there are a load of scale features that are part of the plane or can be added to it. Once you get into it as I did you’ll find that it’s a little bit like assembling a real plane.
If you’re looking for sprightly perform- ance, then I’d suggest a look at Chris Susicke’s report on the Great Planes Proud Bird. It’s a toss up whether Chris likes scale or speed better. In this instance speed won out. There are two power options for the plane and Chris got the milder one. He says that it will pull the Proud Bird close to a 3- figure speed, if not more.
If you’re looking for something in between
the Cub and the Proud Bird, I’d suggest the Flyzone Acro Wot Mk II. Jim Wiggin got the job of reviewing this “transplant” from the British Isles. For many years it was a wildly popular sport design. As Jim relates in his review, there was plenty of justification for that reputation so take a look at what he says. –FRANK FANELLI
APRIL 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68