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, Dot Schmidt 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, Phyl- lis 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. Copyright 2012 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, $69.99 for two years, $99.95 for three years. Sin- gle copies $5.95. Canada/Foreign: $50.00 per year, $94.00 for two years, $136.00 for three years. Single copies $5.95. GST (BN #12472 5060RT). All communi- cations regarding subscriptions and changes of address should be sent to Circulation Manager, FLYING MOD- ELS, 108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton, NJ 07860. Please allow six weeks for change of address.


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 writ- ten 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 I


Contact Flying Modelsat (973) 383-3355 Voice, (973) 383-4064 FAX, or e-mail us at frankf@flying-models.com


f you mention Model Builder magazine it should automatically bring up the name of Bill Northrop. He was the founder of the magazine that had a


good 25-year run and inspired fierce loyalty for its good, all-around content. But there was a lot more to know about


Bill, who died late this last May. He was a long time modeler’s modeler and came from the time when Old Time models were state of the art. Perhaps that’s why he managed to set a fantastic altitude record of 16,610 feet with an R/C plane in 1965. He and I would cross paths at various


model shows and he was always friendly, knowledgeable, and was perfectly willing to share that knowledge. He also served on various boards that dealt with the growth of modeling where that knowledge helped con- tribute to the major growth of R/C modeling in the ’80s and ’90s. He also grew with the various trends of modeling. Back in the early ’70s giant scale still hadn’t really established itself and a .60 size 2-stroke plane was about the largest you’d see on any field. Then one day a club member showed up with this big 77-inch span biplane, the Big John. It was the biggest model I had ever seen. At 1500 square inches its .60 size—at least


I think it was a .60, but could have been the Fox .75—was challenged to get this plane in the air but sure enough it did, probably be- cause of all that experience that Bill put into designing it. Not too many years after that the famed Quadra engine helped securely launch what was the first quarter scale, but has now morphed into almost any size. And with him, through it all, was his wife,


Anita, who was his partner who enabled him to accomplish all that he did. To her and to his family I say thank you for what you gave so many of us, and hope that your legacy will always be an inspiration. David Fortuna has plenty of left seat time


in a variety of general aviation airplanes. One that he’s completely acquainted with is the illustrious Piper J-3 Cub. It and the P- 51 have to be among the most modeled air- craft in America. I bet that at least 75% of modelers—and that includes R/C, C/L, and F/F—have had or still do have one or both of those planes. Well David wanted anything but the usu-


al yellow Cub, so he turned to the history books and found the plane that made the J- 3, its forefather, the E-2 Cub. And it wasn’t yellow.


David’s R/C version is a nice size, and in keeping with the times turned to electric power to spin the prop. He has a nice intro- duction that sorts out how the E-2 came to be and how it went on to eventually become the J-3. So if you just happen to decide to build it, then bring it to the field, be pre- pared if someone asks: “Hey, ain’t that a funny looking J-3?” Not too very long ago Guillow’s contacted


the FMoffice. They had a new R/C product and had a press release for it. After they


sent it in it looked like something you should know a lot more about because it is a com- plete approach to micro R/C. Their new Snap&Fly planes get their


names from the power/radio module that can snap into place on the three planes that comprise the package. Four little magnets clasp the module to the planes and a clever pushrod arrangement with small magnets engages the module pushrods with the fuse- lage pushrods. To keep things light, magnetic actuators


are used instead of servos. They work pret- ty good, and all it takes is a single Li-Po bat- tery to power the plane and radio. Almost forgot to mention the 6-channel transmitter on 900 MHz which has eight mixes, and eight selectable frequencies. Sounds pretty good, but how well does all


this work? Read the review and see. Henry G. Frautschy knows planes. He


works for the EAA and has been a lifelong modeler. So it’s worth listening when he tells you about a neat model that marries two AMA Cubs and turns that couple into a—well, Sorta P-38. Henry gives the credit to Pres Bruning for


the idea of the Sorta P-38, but it was Henry who did all the leg work to pull the article together so you could enjoy it, and maybe even build one. It certainly is an economical model but it is also certainly different and a lot of fun. Read all about it and use the cen- terfold to build one yourself. And speaking of centerfold, I’ve got to apologize about the centerfold in the July is- sue. It missed the actual center of the mag- azine by only a few pages and in this case close doesn’t count. Because of a glitch when we “blocked” the magazine we put it in the wrong place and since the buck stops with me, I have to accept the blame for not catch- ing it before publication. To make amends, we’ll send you a file of


the July Baby Biwinger centerfold that you can print on 11 × 17 paper. Send an e-mail to me at my work address listed above and I’ll reply with the file. Sorry for that incon- venience, but at least the Sorta P-38 this month is right where it should be, the centerfold. It’s always a pleasure to publish the


gallery of all the great and interesting mod- els we see at the WRAM and Toledo Shows. It’s our way of recognizing the talented builders and craftsmen who keep the artistry of modeling alive. It’s also our way of hopefully stirring your creative muse to maybe bring a model there yourself. Finally, our parting look at this issue


leaves us with former FMAssociate Editor Chris Susiscke’s review of a very unique model, the E-flite Scimitar. It has vectored thrust, a big thing in the latest generation of military aircraft. Sleek is not enough of a word to describe


the plane’s looks, nor wild enough of a word to describe its performance. And the plane offers the option of exploring its mild side, sans vectoring. Go look. –FRANK FANELLI


AUGUST 2012


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