Luton Minor Prototype
SOMEHOW, this designer is attracted to ugly full-scale subjects. Perhaps the nearly always phenomenon of ugly aircraft having good flying qualities is the reason. Whatever the motivation, our modeling friends are often heard to say, "He'll never pick that for a subject; it isn't ugly enough." Admittedly, our attraction to such less-than-svelte aircraft as Stitts Junior, Farman David, Baby Bomber, Wittman Big X, etc., may be perverse. Nonetheless, we certainly enjoy seeing such ungainly and ugly creatures fly so beautifully. The Luton Minor prototype is a near-perfect example of our perversity; she may be ugly as sin, but she flies like an angel.
Radio Control: Old-Timer
REMINDER: SAM membership is due for renewal, if you haven't done it yet or wish to join for the first time, send $10 to Society of Antique Modelers, 4269 Syoko Circle, San Jose, CA 95136. Plecan Simplex. Our model of the month is one of the most popular Old-Timers in Australia, yet one that is rarely seen in its home country. Airborne, the excellent Australian magazine, ran a construction article several years ago, and the Simplex has been built and flown both as a Free Flight and as an RC by a large number of Australians and New Zealanders.
Sam Champs
A SAM CHAMPS is so much more than just a national contest for models of the pre-WW II era that it boggles the mind. To report on only the flying portion of the "LaJunta experience" would be to leave the more important and lasting aspects unchronicled. Competition may well be the lifeblood of the SAM movement, but its heart and soul are its people. As the 1983 SAM champs unfolded, we were struck repeatedly by the extraordinary interplay between and among the participants: wives help-
Radio Control: Old-Timer
HISTORY. This month's column will be the final chapter in our brief overview of RC development. A question: has a bipe ever won an Outdoor Nats event, other than Scale? We ask, since our model of the month may well have come as close as any bipe to accomplishing that feat. Hal deBolt and his Live Wire Custom Bipe finished second to Bob Dunham's Smog Hog by 1/2 point! Hal deBolt's Bipe: Anyone who ever built a Live Wire (and many of us did) will quickly recognize the deBolt touch on our model of the month. The tried and true engineering Hal developed on the Live Wire Trainer was carried into all the subsequent designs and kits, and, for that matter, is still evident in his contemporary work.
Radio Control: Old-Timer
RESURGENCE. One of the more satisfying aspects of my activities as the RC Old-Timers Contributing Editor has been to see many long-forgotten model designs reappear in the hands of O-T enthusiasts and prove themselves to be superior fliers. Many of these planes have a great deal of elegance-especially when they're in flight. Once someone rediscovers one of these ancient goodies, builds it, and flies it in a few SAM contests (and, especially if they win with it!), we see more and more of them appear at the flying fields. I can only hope that my efforts in this direction have enabled others to find greater enjoyment in this fine hobby.
