Dick Perry

Wing Loading Revisited: The reason our current airplanes are significantly larger than the ones we flew 25 years ago is that slow speed is important to obtaining a good score. Our airplanes are larger because a lighter wing loading produces a better low speed. I pointed out the performance differences which were evident at the Nats in my last column. Because slow speed has a predominant role in determining overall flight score, the majority of our models are now built to a 44-inch wingspan limit. Because wing loading is determined by dividing weight by wing area, there are basically two ways to decrease wing loading: You can build a model lighter, and you can build a model larger. Building lighter has its limitations, and experience has shown that the best improvement in performance comes from building larger models.

OOPS! I gave incorrect credit for the beautiful de Havilland Sea Hornet shown in the June issue. It doesn't belong to Bill Calkins at all; the Sea Hornet is the handiwork of Bill Melton of Las Cruces, New Mexico. I received notice from Bill Calkins just after the photo was published, and I was able to trace down the rightful owner through the AMA number on the wing. I'll bet the authors of the original rule requiring models to display owners' AMA numbers didn't envision that benefit. Bill's Sea Hornet is the second version of that particular prototype that he has produced. The first was built to the maximum-allowable 44-inch wingspan (345 square inches), and it ended up weighing more than the four-pound limit at that size.