CL Stunt FAI Team Finals
STUNT FLIERS take note. You can fly backwards and still win the contest. Clockwise-flying Gene Schaffer, who has had an abundance of second-place finishes in national meets, won his first big title as he piled up 1880.67 points at the August 31 FAI tryouts in Dayton, Ohio. He will lead the United States team to Holland for the 1976 World Championships. Gene had a new airplane, a 47-ounce version of his time-tested Stunt Machine called the Statesman, with power by a Supertigre .46. His plane has a very slim silhouette but the judges seemed to be able to spot it often enough as they awarded the most points to the "New York style" of hard corners and small figures.
Control Line: Aerobatics
THERE ARE FOUR popular systems for fuel delivery in precision aerobatics. These are: suction, uni-flow, muffler pressure, and clunk. Tank capacity seems pretty standard at 3.5 to 4.0 ounces for a .35 engine and 5.0 to 5.5 ounces for a .46; these tank sizes should allow for either AMA or FAI patterns. Unfortunately, no manufacturer makes a 5.0 ounce tank for Stunt yet, although Randy's Model Aeronautics (formerly Don's Tanks), 515 Coleman Blvd., Mt. Pleasant, S.C., 29464, may have one available by the time this article is published. As a reminder, the old Veco tank (now known as Clary) had a height of one in. and a width of two in. With this sizing, the length of the tank in inches equals the capacity in ounces. Therefore a five-in. long tank has a capacity of five ounces.
Control Line: Aerobatics
If you have waited this long to start building for next season then why not take a look at some of the airplanes that have been winning over the past five or six years and for which plans are available. These are .35- or .46-size ships, although some have been used successfully in both sizes. Most of these planes have been flown to high placings in Nationals or FAI competition and have had more than one version built. Unfortunately, many excellent planes appeared in American Aircraft Modeler and the plans are not available. The Stunt Machine has been used by Gene Schaffer for a long time with success. It uses .35 power; remember to convert it to counter-clockwise flying. This is a dependable plane that will give you "emergency corners" and tight figures. This has a very slim fuselage and a small canopy, 530 sq. in. wing with a 52 in. span. Plans are available from Carstens Pub, Inc., PO Drawer 700, Newton, N.J., 07860, ask for plan CF-246 at $3.50.
Control Line: Aerobatics
LOOK FOR A noticeable growth in Half-A stunt competition in the near future. W.A.M. has had Half-A stunt since 1953 in their contests and periodically there have been some Half-A contests at the local level, but the interest generated by the L.M. Cox Co. sponsored Half-A championships at the last two Nationals will produce a bonafide, though unofficial, Half-A precision aerobatics event at the 1976 Nationals. PAMPA president Keith Trostle has appointed a committee consisting of Arlie Preszler, Tom Dixon, and Bill Fitzgerald to draw up guidelines for the event. The previous two events at Lake Charles were quite informal and had very little organization. Hey! Maybe this would be the best way to keep it! Anyhow, here are the guidelines approved by the committee:
Control Line: Aerobatics
LAST MONTH we looked at some current designs of stunt planes that are available through reader services. If, however, you are just stubborn enough to want to try your own hand, the writer will take you through a crash (that's not really a good word for this hobby) course in stunt design. It appears to this writer that most stunt plane design is based on empirical reasoning rather than actual research; the only pure research this writer has seen has been Al Rabe's experiments with airfoils; the series that Bill Netzeband published (July, 1969 through January, 1971 in MAN) did not seem practical, nor was much of it substantiated. Seems we rely on what worked in the last plane and try a couple of changes for the new one; this has produced some excellent flying stunt planes, however. Hold on, here we go.
