Sm Tall alk B
ack in the day when mainstream electric models were in their infancy ... okay, let me clarify a bit; electrics have been flown success- fully since at least the late ’60s, early ’70s, but really didn’t enter the mainstream until the early to mid ’90s. Before that, smaller models were being flown with Cox engines, and “micro” radio gear that by today’s stan- dards was huge. And before electric Park Flyers came into their own I had converted several Free Flight models to RC using Cox Babe Bees and Queen Bees, ¾-ounce RCD Apollo 10 servos, and by removing the plas- tic case from the receiver, shaved nearly an ounce from the flying weight. Small NiCd batteries would run the radio and we were in business.
However, even after taking all the avail- able steps toward lightness, models like Al Lidberg’s 40-inch Monocoupe or the 54-inch Comet Taylorcraft were still tipping the scales at nearly two pounds. They were not always flyable at those weights with the power provided by those anemic engines, es- pecially up here at 5600 feet.
Then when we got started dabbling in electrics, the RC gear was still relatively big and heavy, and the motor, gear drive, and NiCd batteries far outweighed comparable wet fuel power, but did provide the extra punch needed to carry the weight. Then once we learned how to lighten the airframe and eliminate the extra beef required to support the engine, success became the rule rather than the exception.
All things considered, one of the major fac- tors in “off the shelf” weight reduction was covering material. At the time, MonoKote and UltraCote were the front line iron-on films, but were too bulky for the light struc- tures. As luck would have it that was right about the time that Litespan appeared, soon to be followed by Airspan. Both were a syn- thetic tissue that shrunk with heat, and when sealed with dope or water-based var- nish they looked just like doped Silkspan. And at .85 ounces per square yard, they PHOTO: WILL MATHEWS
by pat tritle You can reach Pat Tritle at 10313 Snowheights NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112 or via e-mail at
patscustommodels@aol.com
PHOTO: WILL MATHEWS Will Mathews recently returned to modeling with the DeHavilland DH-4 built from the Dumas kit.
were significantly lighter than anything else available at the time.
The point of all this historical musing is in response to a note from Bill Hanshaw asking for tips on how to remove wrinkles from Coverite Coverlite (
www.coverite.com) which is the old Litespan in a new package. Let me say going in that Coverlite is not the easiest material there is to work with, but once you get the hang of it, it works great. It’s not self- adhesive, so glue must be applied to the struc- ture prior to covering. After trying several dif- ferent adhesives, the only thing I found that works well is Balsaloc (
www.bphobbies.com) a water-based adhesive that you first brush onto the surface everywhere you want the covering to stick. You then apply the covering and shrink it with heat, as with any iron-on type film.
When applying Coverlite you must pull it tight and remove as many wrinkles as possi- ble as you iron it on. Now, here is the catch. Coverlite shrinks very little, so to remove the wrinkles, they have to be pulled out dur- ing the application and shrinking process. Balsaloc is also the only adhesive I tried that will allow the edge to be heated and tugged successfully to remove the wrinkles. It’s a slow tedious process, but once you figure out
how to pull it around the compound curves, you’ll be very happy with the finish Cover- lite provides. And as an added bonus, it’s a very durable material. Even if it does get punctured, it won’t tear like the mylar films do. So if it’s a more traditional look that you’re after, try Coverlite, it is great stuff.
One of our modeling icons One of the most inspirational modelers of all time, at least to me, was Earl Stahl. There was something about his elegantly simple style that really attracted me, and as a result, my design style is patterned largely after his.
I found out in a series of e-mails with Len Rozamus this week that he knew Mr. Stahl. Len was kind enough to send over a photo of his Guillow’s Hellcat, in Earl’s hands! For various reasons I don’t do much Free Flight these days, but one thing you could count on was that a Stahl design would fly well. They also enlarge and convert beautifully to RC. Being an avid U-Control aficionado, Len
also sent over a photo of his highly modified Brodak F-82 Twin Mustang (
www.brodak. com). The model is set up with a pair of Cox TD .049s with high compression heads. This model was built 12 years ago but because of
PHOTO: PHILLIP AGNOLETTO
Will’s DH-4 was built basically straight from the kit, but he also added a few finer details (at left) like the Lewis gun in the rear cockpit. Phillip Agnoletto built his PCM Super Cub (above) with a few modifications to improve on the original design including plug-in wings with separate servos and magnets to secure the cowl.
54 MAY 2014
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