pair of timed and spot landing events the fol- lowing two weeks. As a bonus to the kids, Wes Eakin (another modeling friend) pro- vided two whip control line models. I am building one right now and will have this simple kit unpainted but utilizing a regular bellcrank, pushrod, and elevator control sys- tem. To this model I will attach a pair of string lines about 6 to 8 feet long and strung through a tongue depressor or Popsicle stick for a control method.
Their challenge this coming week is to have the whip model on the ground, to pull it into the air, and then land one exact lap later on the spot from which they began the flight. I will demonstrate the flight first and allow each one to have four attempts to achieve the goal and add the distance from the spot for each flight. That young pilot with the shortest total distance from the take-off and landing spot will be the winner. A major penalty will happen if one pilot damages the model since they are all using the same plane. We will then have a timed event for the new hand launch gliders they built.
The first winner is Brandt Garrison with a total time of 8.94 seconds in four throws with the Patton Street Pirate Pilots competition.
tance of about 10 feet from the launch line. They had to fly their folded paper hand launch glider and get it to land as close as they could to the yellow painted dot. We measured the distances and the winner was the young pilot with the shortest accumulat- ed distance from the yellow dot goal. I picked up a half dozen 99-cent gliders from the AMA Museum in Muncie, and the kids purchased the gliders from me.
I taught them how to assemble these sim- ple gliders and instructed them on how to balance them by moving the wing forward or aft to achieve the proper point. I also showed them how to wet and warp the elevators as well as the vertical rudder and aft wing tip ends (ailerons) to make the model turn and go farther with each trim setting. I showed them how one glider would turn to the left, and then with some trim changes, I could make it go straight. Then I changed the trim to make the same glider go and turn right. This thrilled them, and they spent the next 30 minutes working on their own hand launch glider.
The following week, we turned back to the timed challenge, and they again had four throws each to gain a combined timed flight score. The winner was not the same as the previous two and a new kid took home a First Place Certificate to pin up on his/her wall. Yes, we have one young lady, not just all guys. The next week we continued with the spot landing competition, and one kid re- ceived a second First Place Certificate. Doug Vasseur, a fellow member of the Pa- ducah Aero Modelers, helped me by cutting out six new hand launch glider kits for the club and used an old plan I had from a col- lection of plans. I would suggest copying any good hand launch glider but one with no more than a 12-inch span. We substituted a two-piece (left and right) 1⁄8-inch balsa fuse- lage instead of a single 1⁄8-inch basswood piece. The single-dihedral kit was complete with full size plans, six T-pins, and a section of wax paper. Everything was there except water-based glue.
The fifth meeting was spent talking about gluing the kit together and using them in a
The next week, I will give them a map and a time schedule to meet me at what I call my Golconda International Airport just west of Golconda. I am asking that their parents bring them to the location, and I will demon- strate two control line flights to show them what can be done with a control line model. Then we will fly a spot landing contest on the site with their hand launch gliders and a winner will be determined. I asked for help in securing Cox/Estes .049 engines, and many friends have come to the rescue. My goal is to ask the Patton Street Pirate Pilots to build a simple 1⁄2A balsa model, paint it with polyurethane and perhaps some gloss bright colors with Rust-Oleum paint. When the model is built and the controls are installed, I will give them an engine and help them bolt it on their model. Then I will begin a weekly training program with the Barker/Grasser Grassroots trainer and teach them how to fly.
This systematic approach is a bit slower than my original method from many years ago, but I wanted to increase their knowl- edge of flight and keep the costs down. To be continued…
Allen took a new old, stock Carl Goldberg handle (at left) and painted the top yellow and added a safety thong to help the PSPP club get used to using a handle thong and attach it to a whip model. Of the choices for a demo plane Allen settled on a Sig 1⁄2A Skyraykit (above right) with a clear base coat on the bare wood and a Cox .049 engine and prop bolted to the nose. Allen doesn’t intend to fly this with power; it’s just to get the students used to seeing a small model with an engine on the front as they use it for whip flying training.
FLYING MODELS 27
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