Panther II
HAVE you ever noticed most model airplane "freaks" tend to doodle drawings of fanciful aircraft whenever they are listening to boring lectures? They tend to drive their teachers insane by drawing instead of taking notes, marking the edges of church programs with far-out designs, and generally filling any blank piece of paper with whimsical dream designs. Back in 1938 Walter Schutz was also inclined towards doodling, the important difference being that he followed up by building a model of one of his dream designs. As kitted by Peerless of Cleveland, the Panther was so unlike the usual slab-sided high-winged designs of that era that it stood out like a man in a tuxedo at a nudist convention. That it flew as a free-flight is testimony to his excellent understanding of aerodynamics. Combined with a heavy undercarriage and sub-rudder, the poly-dihedral wing places the center of lift close to the center of mass and provides surprisingly good stability-particularly for a model that looks so much like a "pursuit plane" of that era.
Radio Control: Old Timers
S.A.M. RULES as printed in the AMA rule book require a minimum of 225 sq. in. of area for each .10 cu. in. of engine displacement. This is an effort to strike a balance between "screamers" and "floaters." The majority of pre- 1942 designs must be either scaled up or down to reach the required 900 sq. in. for use with the popular 40-size engines. This month's feature model is an exception. The Riser Rider has slightly over the minimum area and handles the power very well. Joe Percy of Fort Worth has powered his with a K&B 6.5 cc to create a model possessed of an astounding climb and a slow lazy glide. I had the privilege of observing Joe's creation at the Southwestern Regionals in Ft. Worth, and am highly impressed. The glide is dead flat and the sink rate almost negligible. The model seemingly will stop in mid-air, hanging like a parachute. It rides lift very well, showing little tendency to tighten up or fall out of the thermal.
Radio Control: Old Timers
THE Streamlined Cyclone was designed and developed by Bob Jeffery, of Findlay, OH and was published in three-view in the 1938 Zaic Yearbook. Powered with a Baby Cyclone, swinging a hand-made walnut prop of Jeffery's design, the model weighed only three pounds for a wing loading of .6 lbs. per sq. ft. Between 1935 and 1939, Bob Jeffery supported himself and his hobby by producing over 15,000 hand carved props (sold for 25¢ each at the Toledo Hobby Supply). Encouraged by the prop sales, Bob opened his own Hobby Shop in Findlay and, in 1937, moved it to Cleveland where he operated it until 1943.
Radio Control: Old Timers
IN the very early days of engine-powered free flight, such pioneers as Frank Ehling, Maxwell Bassett, and Joe Koval actually entered and competed in rubber endurance events with gas-engine-powered models. The rules were, of course, quickly changed to place those Brown and Loutrel- (later became GHQ) powered models in their own special category. The earliest rules involved little more than an unlimited motor run and flights timed until the model was out of sight (OOS). Ehling reported a flight last sighted by a Douglas mail plane over Lake Erie 4 hours and 35 minutes after it was launched. The inevitable lost model problem quickly led those pioneers to recognize a need for some limitation on engine runs. The earliest limited-run rules used a fuel allotment based on model weight.
Radio Control: Old Timers
HAMMER'S Flamingo. We had intended to use the "Flamingo" as our model of the month, completing the three-view one day before learning that R/C Model Builder had used it in the March '80 issue. Rather than use precious space for the drawing, we have elected to present the material and add a second design in three-view as a bonus. The pictured model was built by Dr. Dan Schneider of Philadelphia, PA. Building from a Schmidt semi-kit, Dan has covered his model in white MonoKote with custom-mixed Perfect urethane "Flamingo Pink" trim. Power is currently a Super Cyclone set up by Mark Fechner, and an Anderson Spitfire .65 will be installed this winter.
