This takeoff shot shows the plane (above left) easily lifting off the ground. It looks good when flying. The gas/ignition engine provided plenty of power for
haust mess to wipe off the airframe. And with that spark plug firing every revolution, the engine running at idle should be a lot more reliable. The engine started very easi- ly; I did use an electric starter, and didn’t even try to start it by hand, pretty standard these days. Even on the first flight, with no break-in (they recommend breaking-in while flying) the engine ran reliably, with loads of power.
windy conditions and the plane (above right), while not a Pattern model, is aerobatically capable.
I like the recommendation of the engine instruction manual—use a smaller prop, run the engine at full throttle, and fly the plane through a series of Cuban 8 maneu- vers to break in the engine. That maneuver will vary the load on the engine, enabling the proper break-in temperature cycling of its parts. So that’s what I did, and it works. The engine manual is full of detailed, good advice.
What Was Old Is New Again
This plane flies like it looks it should—a capable aerobatic sport model, an easy fly- ing low wing aircraft that will slow down enough for easy landings, with or without the flaps down. It’s not a full blown Pattern aircraft, but hey, us Sunday fliers don’t need that for relaxing, fun time in the air. That big barn door wing works. This thing is fun, and you don’t have to make wood chips and sawdust to get to the fun!
This display setup exhibits a GHQ .53 (above left), made in the 1930s and ’40s, it ran on gasoline. Not much power and a lot more trouble than today’s
F
or you guys who aren’t Old Timers, gas/ignition engines in the small model airplane size aren’t at all a new thing. Sitting in my workshop, for nostalgia and memories of days long gone by, is an engine display with a GHQ .56 gas/ignition engine and the ig- nition components necessary for it to run. I enjoy having shop vis- itors put their fingers on the spark plug while I flip the prop, for a “shocking” experience. Everything on the display, the two flash- light batteries, the condenser, the switch, and the ignition coil, all had to be carried in the model airplane so the engine could run, and the plane could fly. The ignition points on the GHQ happen to be from a Ford flathead V-8 car engine. The GHQ ran on a mixture of gasoline and heavy oil.
The GHQ engine was produced and sold from the late 1930s to the late 1940s. It sold at various prices, from $20.00 to $4.95. I had one when I was a kid in the 1950s, I ran it in my workshop, but I never put it in an airplane to fly it. Even a kid could tell it was too large and heavy for the airplanes I was building at the time.
FLYING MODELS
technology. One of the first glow engines, this Baby Spitfire (above right) was a .045, it ran well but did not have that much power.
Also on a display stand in my workshop is another model air- plane engine, the Baby Spitfire .045. This engine was one of the first glow plug engines to be produced and sold, I believe it came out in 1949, selling for $5.45. One like it was the first glow plug engine I ever had. It ran fine, but when I put it in an airplane, it could only pull the plane around on the ground; it lacked enough power and/or the plane was too heavy, for it to take off. An OK Cub .099 engine solved that problem.
On a lighter model, the little Spitfire performed just fine, the plane flew great. The propeller I used was made of flat soft alu- minum, stamped into a prop shape, with the blades twisted at an angle for the pitch. After most crashes, it could be bent back into shape for more flying. The numerous pretty minor cuts I got on my fingers and hands while dealing with this engine all healed up fine. I never complained, and none of us knew at the time that met- al propellers were much too dangerous to be used on model airplanes.
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