Sm Tall alk C
oming out of the holiday season al- ways requires a bit of re-grouping from the standard hustle and bus- tle of holiday activities. But, after finishing up with a couple of projects, clean- ing the shop from top to bottom, and just generally getting “re-organized” I’m ready for a terrific 2013 modeling season. This has also been an unusually cold winter so far, so we’re getting even more quality shop time this year than we usually get around these parts, too.
And as a builder, picking something to build can sometimes be a bit challenging, es- pecially those of us who have been at it for awhile and have built so much of what’s available in the marketplace. But here’s the fun part: with all of these RTF R/C micro models cropping up lately, the pickings are perfect for robbing the equipment from the worn out airframes and building something that in the past was not even possible. Now, it’s not only possible, it’s downright practi- cal. And up-scaling some of the old freeflight gliders and converting to e-powered R/C can really be fun. One example of old meeting new is the AJ
404 Interceptor folding wing catapult launched glider. The original model has a 16-inch span and was catapult launched. As I recall, the AJ flew great, but didn’t always come back. Well, Kelly Reagan remembered them too, and came up with a terrific idea to bring the AJ 404 to life, not as a freeflight glider, but as an R/C park fkyer. Kelly’s model was enlarged to a 30-inch span and converted to 3-channel R/C using the servos, ESC, and Rx from the little F-86, and the outrunner motor from The Beast. The whole idea was to stay true to scale in outline, yet go with a built-up wing and tail section to keep the weight down. A Clark-Y airfoil was used since it has proven itself so well over the years for these type models. The result was a hollow core profile fuselage with the servos, Rx, and ESC tucked away inside and out of sight. The motor was fitted PHOTO: KELLY REAGAN
by pat tritle You can reach Pat Tritle at 10313 Snowheights NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112 or via e-mail at
patscustommodels@aol.com
PHOTO: KELLY REAGAN
The AJ-404 Interceptoris probably one of the hobby’s most recognizable offerings over the years, and made a great subject for an enlarged 3-channel R/C model.
into a cutout in the nose, which turned out to be just barely visible at a distance. The 250 mAh 2S Li-Po battery was slipped into a cutout in the right hand fuselage side. Unfor- tunately it was too thick to put a cover over, but in flight it’s not even noticeable. And then with the handiwork from Callie Graph- ics, the whole thing came to life as one of my most recognizable childhood memories. In the end the Interceptor came in at 3.3 ounces with a wing loading of around 4.25 ounces. As it turns out, power from the E- flite Park 180 Outrunner is more than ade- quate power to fly the model, and as one might expect, the AJ is a terrific slow flyer that looks just like its original freeflight counterpart in the air. And also as expected,
it’s a very docile and gentle flyer, which proves once again that a good freeflight de- sign makes for a great R/C conversion.
On the subject of freeflight Dave Wagner from up north in Santa Fe,
NM is one of our regular contributors, and a very prolific and accomplished builder to boot. He checked in again with his Stinson Voyager (FM Sept. 2010) built using the PCM wood pack. The 26-inch span model finished at 37 grams, and somehow bal- anced without additional nose weight—very unusual for a model of this type, but does prove that keeping the tail light will have its advantages. And once the weather breaks, we’ll find out how she flew, but knowing
PHOTO: DAVID WAGNER
The original 16-inch span Interceptornext to the 30-inch R/C enlargement (at left) shows what can be done with some of these older designs. Trimmed with vinyl “Art Work” from Callie Graphics, it looks just like its earlier counterpart. David Wagner built his freeflight Stinson Voyager (above) from the 26-inch design featured in the September 2010 issue of FMmagazine using the wood pack available from PCM. At 37 grams it’s bound to be a terrific flyer.
48 FEBRUARY 2013
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