This and That
IT HAS OFTEN BEEN said: "Airplanes with two wings are twice the fun." This model certainly supports that concept. The genealogy of this bipe has been the source of much amusement for me. Invariably the kibitzers take a look at her and become embroiled in a comedy routine we laughingly refer to as the "whatzit." Her empennage is Smith Miniplane, her fuselage shows a touch of Balsa U.S.A. Pantheon, her cowl appears Waco-like, the wings could be from a Stearman, etc. Truly, she shows a little of this and a little of that. That's where the name comes from. My design approach was to combine simple yet sturdy structures into a 40-sized bipe that would be easy to fly. Relatively simple to build, exceptionally stable due to
Radio Control: Old-Timer
THREE facts have been running around in my head lately: 1) The West Coast SAM Champs will award all low-wing planes a 50% increase in flight times, up to the limit for a max; 2) Bill Winter beat Doc to the punch in featuring Sadler's low-wing Pacemaker design; 3) A thermal has no idea where a model's wing is located. What does all this lead to? This month's Old-Timer was published in the March 1938 issue of Flying Aces. Although the construction article is credited to Charles Williams, a piercing look at this model makes me suspect that the genius of Ben Shereshaw lurks in the background, as the model's construction methods and its dynamics are very reminiscent of other Shereshaw designs.
Radio Control: Old-Timers
SON of a gun! Our March 1984 column asked: "Who will be the first to send us a photo of a Peerless Blackhawk? Since we had never seen one or even heard it mentioned in other columns, we presumed the best we could hope for would be to stimulate someone to build the Blackhawk. Several modelers responded with fond memories of the design and a desire to build one. But, Albert Counsellor of Turnersville, NJ is actually flying one. This is Albert's second Blackhawk: the first was built from a kit he bought in 1939 at the Aviation Building of the New York World's Fair.
1/2A Miss America
It's an old-timer model, and it's an old-timer setting, but the model is displayed by Sandy Skelton, 15, of today's generation. The place is Fort Larned in Kansas, a completely restored cavalry post from the Santa Fe Trail era (the 1870s).
Radio Control: Old-Timers
CORRECTION. The January 1984 column gave a source for plans of those immortal deBolt Live Wire kits. Unfortunately, I gave the wrong address, and several modelers have had their letters returned. The correct source is: Fran Ptaszkiewicz, 23 Marlee Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150. Cleveland Cloudster Mk I and Mk II. One of the more popular kits in the old Cleveland line was the Cloudster. Graceful lines, combined with scalelike appearance, made the Cloudster most attractive to kit buyers. Excellent aerodynamics also added to the appeal, since they always seemed to fly well.
