Radio Control: Scale
SUPER-Efficient Airplanes: The annual Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in and Convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the ideal place to gather information and to seek inspiration for new modeling projects. In connection with the convention a contest is conducted with efficiency as the basis to determine winners. Originated by Ladislao Pazmany, designer of the PL-1, PL-2, PL-4, and Ryson Cloudster, the contest awards a K factor to each competing plane based on its maximum and minimum speeds, engine power, weight and wing area using the following formula: V = speed, P = engine horsepower, S = wing area, and W = weight. Flights are made through a 2000-foot speed trap. In order to minimize the effect of wind the flights are made at dawn. The planes are carefully weighed, with fuel, pilot and passengers. It is obvious from the Pazmany formula that a plane capable of lifting a large load has an advantage. It is permissible to enter twice, once with pilot alone and again loaded up to its legal gross weight. The contest is divided into two sections, one for factory-built planes, the other for custom-made homebuilt designs.
Radio Control: Scale
PRACTICE PLANES: Many scale modelers use training or pattern planes for practice flying. A Precision Scale plane that may take 2000 hours to build over a period of five years is too valuable to risk in every day or every weekend sport flying. We have used scale planes for this kind of flying, but inevitably they begin to show scuffs and nicks, "hangar rash" that means repairs, often not easily disguised. It is most important to use a practice plane that has flight characteristics similar to the scale model, not necessarily identical, so that the switch to the scale job will hold no great surprises. For a low-wing scale plane, the sport counterpart could be any of the popular pattern planes. Like many scale modelers, we find the lack of scale realism in pattern ships to be slightly offensive and therefore modify its appearance to suit our tastes. Possibly, the changes are drastic enough so that the pattern plane would no longer be competitive if flown in a pattern contest, but this is not our purpose in building the plane.
Radio Control: Scale
INSTABILITY Revisited: The model is a splendid example of scale beauty, the culmination of a year's earnest effort, and this is the moment the builder has awaited. The excitement builds as engine is started, needle valve is set to the optimum, and it is checked again to be certain all controls are functional. The plane is taxied to take-off position, the throttle opened, it accelerates down the runway, lifts off too early, flips on its back, and with a sickening sound returns to earth with parts scattering. Why? What happened? Was it pilot error or a hidden flaw in construction? Radio problems? Probably none of these was the real culprit here. Too often we hear of models that are difficult to handle whether they are kit or scratch built. The complaint most heard involves a tendency to snap-roll, usually during takeoff, landing, or turning maneuvers-and the kit designer or producer gets the blame. Numerous faults in construction or balance can result in the destructive snap-roll. Warped wings caused by working on a warped work bench or by too tight covering material can result in a condition known as wash-in, where the angle of incidence increases toward the wing tip. This error results in the tips stalling before the wing root. The cure is a flat working surface or the use of low shrink covering materials and dope.
Radio Control: Scale
DESIGN TECHNIQUE: Our most frequent correspondence is from modelers in search of information regarding model mechanical design. It is evident that enough has not been said on the subject of scratch-building scale models from drawings of prototype aircraft, such as those by Peter Westburg in Model Builder, Paul Matt in Historical Aviation Album, and the other specialists purveying graphic information. Usually, it is apparent that these modelers are in search of a plane that is different and not available in kit form, with preference for planes not frequently modeled. The availability of these excellent drawings serves to stimulate the desire for an airplane that is distinctively different, and desire is the necessary ingredient in the recipe for scratch-building. In other words, if you want the plane badly enough, patience, skill and knowledge will be acquired.
Radio Control: Scale
TRENDS in Scale: Now that the 1978 Tournament of Champions results have been published and word of the action has filtered back to us here in the Wisconsin boondocks, it is very evident that the best pattern fliers could easily take over the top places in the Scale event whenever they are willing to invest the time required to build scale planes. The results also tell us that the way to improve our Scale flight scores is by investing more of our time in building and flying pattern type planes, spending more time at the flying field and burning more fuel, which translates into dollars. You say you don't like pattern planes? Then build something scale-like with pattern-type flight potential, to aid in polishing those reflexes, and consider buying fuel by the drum.
