Why Not Model... Fairchild PT-19
It seems as though we have more trainer-type aircraft
than almost any other. In the 1930s, a variety of biplanes were
used for training military and civil pilots. During the late
1930s, Fairchild Aircraft Division realized there was a need for a
low-wing monoplane trainer.
At that time, biplanes such as the Stearman PT-13-17 and
the British de Havilland D.H. Tiger Moth were the standard.
Trainers have evolved along with other aircraft during the last
65 years.
In the 1930s, the US Army Air Force (USAAF) had the
primary trainer (PT)—the basic beginner’s aircraft. Then the
student was transferred to the basic trainer (BT) series, which
included aircraft such as the Vultee BT-13. The last series a
student saw time in was the advanced trainer (AT) series,
including the AT-6.
The next stop was usually the combat aircraft or further
training for multiengine airplanes.
RADIO CONTROL SCALE - 2001/03
SPriNG iS aPProachiNG in most
areas of the country, and it’s time to start
finishing up that winter building project—or
in some cases, last year’s building project.
Scale events are starting across the
country. There are contests and fly-ins.
You must qualify for some events before
you attend, and some you just show up at
and enjoy the different aspects of the
experience.
Try a contest or fly-in, let everyone
know you are a beginner, and I bet you’ll
receive all the help you need to get started
in Scale modeling.
The AMA National Championships is
one event in which anyone can show up and
compete in Radio Control (RC) or Control
Line (CL) Scale, or any of the other classes.
The competitors seem to help each other,
and everyone has a good time.
This year’s Scale Nationals is starting a
new program; Expert modelers will be
teamed with Sportsman modelers, to help
the less-experienced learn the basics of RC
Scale competition.
This will be a voluntary program, and
hopes are high that a new generation of
Scale modelers will fly from these
sessions and events.
Scale Masters
Dayton, Ohio became the cradle of
aviation 97 years ago; that is where
the Wright Brothers designed the first
powered aircraft that eventually flew
at Kitty Hawk NC.
This year, the Scale Masters
Association landed at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base on the US
Air Force Museum grounds in
Dayton, which is the oldest and
largest military aviation museum in
the world. It officially became the US
Air Force Museum in 1956, although
it was originally located at McCook
Field in 1923.
Many aircraft in the museum are
presented in dioramas, which depict
the time and era of the airplane type.
The history of aviation is represented,
from the Wright 1909 Military Flyer
to the latest F-117 Stealth Fighters
and the YF-22. The aircraft range in
size from the B-52 and the B-36 to
the J-3 Cub.
Besides aircraft, missiles,
hardware, uniforms, art prints,
engines, models, and a host of other
artifacts fill the museum.
RADIO CONTROL SCALE - 2001/01
hoLIdayS? Christmas shopping?
Everyone should receive this magazine
sometime near the end of November, so we
still have time to check the catalogs for
books, parts, and maybe even an engine that
you have put off buying all year for that new
Scale model.
It might help to leave a list, or maybe a
catalog or two, laying around with certain areas
highlighted. It usually works around here.
have you started your new Scale model for
the next flying season? Or you may be able to
fly all year where you live.
I hope to pique your interest in building
for the next few months. One idea I’ve
adopted is to do something on my current
project each day. This helps to keep me
focused on the project at hand, rather than
having thoughts of building another model
with one still on the workbench.
There aren’t those of you out there who start
two or three models at the same time, are there?
Why Not Model... Aeronca Champ
fter World War II, the civil aviation
market experienced the largest
growth it had ever had. With
returning military pilots, increased airline
service, and people who were eager to learn
to fly, the business opportunities seemed
endless.
However, manufacturers quickly learned
that new designs weren’t as easy to sell as they
had hoped—largely because of ex-military
aircraft that were sold for less than $1,000.
First built in 1944 by the Aeronca Aircraft
Corporation, the Champion was used in a
variety of roles—much as Piper’s J-3 Cub.
Aeronca built more than 10,000
Champions during the six-year span that it
sold the little two-seater.
Most Champions were powered by 65-
horsepower Continental engines, and the
first models didn’t have electrical systems or
lights. Later models of the aircraft could be
purchased with additional upgrades.
