L-4
Charles Brooks (email: cubmanky@yahoo.com) spent two years—from drawing to maiden flight—on this scale L-4.
The airplane is covered with Coverite fabric. The rib stitching is small sections of fishing line glued to the model. Scale pinking tape is from Pink-It (www.pink-it.net) and most of the graphics were from www.getstencils.com.
Charles used old, inflatable Du-Bro Cub wheels with a set of Robart main landing gear. Proctor turnbuckles are used on the ailerons and rudder with a pull-pull setup. An Evolution G26 engine with scale Continental cylinders underneath powers the model. Control comes from a Spektrum DX8 and AR7000 receiver.
The cockpit is complete with all of the details that are found on a full-scale L-4. When a control surface is moved, the controls in the cockpit move with it. Charles has plans and a lot of how-tos on his website: www.thecubden.org.
In the photo (L-R) are Dan Hall, Charles “Cub Man” Brooks, and Dick Hall. Dick owns the full-scale L-4 in the background.
Escapade
Larry Launstein Jr. (Flushing, Michigan; email: larry@cpcwebsite.com) built this version of the Great Planes Escapade.
Larry wrote: “I know it’s an ARF, but it’s my first RC plane build, and I’m very proud of it. I hope this is just the beginning for me, with more planes to come. Everyone has to start somewhere.
“Due to the grass at the Frankenmuth Aeromodelers field where I am a member, I elected to leave the wheel pants off (but I have them stored away), and leave the decals off.
“I believe this plane has such a clean, sleek, classic line that I just didn’t want to break it up with decals. This plane has a Futaba 2.4 GHz radio and a Thunder Tiger .46 engine.”
T-15
Bud Glass (email: budglass@comcast.net) built this new Tough Jets T-15.
Bud wrote: “What a great-looking plane. Very nice kit and the best feature: made in the USA and virtually indestructible. It flies great and actually performs some pretty wild aerobatics. Home run, Tough Jets!”
Super Decathlon
Reuben Demicoli (Malta; email: reubendemicoli@hotmail.com) sent in the following: “After receiving Model Aviation’s October build issue, I was inspired to build a model. After wanting a Super Decathlon, I found a basic Free Flight kit from Hacker Model Production, which I built and modified to RC using an electric GWS LPS system.
“I plan on putting it on floats later on if it flies well. I might have to enlarge the motor. Guidance is using a Turnigy 9XR and OrangeRx micro receiver.”
Bubble Dancers
Mark Haley (Goffstown, New Hampshire; email: mark@aviatorstudio.com) poses with his two 100% custom-built Bubble Dancers.
The 120-inch RES gliders—rudder, elevators, and spoilers—were designed by Dr. Mark Drela of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Free plans for the Bubble Dancers are available on the Charles River Radio Controllers website: www.charlesriverrc.org.
Mark maintains a comprehensive build log at www.aviatorstudio.com, where he shares the step-by-step procedures he used to build these gliders.
Rally-XP
Tony Karl Jr. (Congers, New York; email: tony_jr@optimum.net) shares a photo of his daughter, Natasha, holding his winter project, a modified Herr Engineering Rally-XP-powered model.
Tony extended his model’s wing to 58 inches (the original was 48 inches), added several lightening holes, and made it into a power glider. He installed a LazerToyz M1811 motor, powered by a 2S 280 mAh LiPo. The Rally-XP’s all-up weight is 6.7 ounces.
The model flies great and thermals nicely.
OV-10A Bronco
Bob Tigert (San Leandro, California; email: v.tigert@sbcglobal.net) took on this Rockwell OV-10A Bronco as his first serious scale effort.
The Bronco was built from a Hangar Hobby kit designed by Rich Uravitch. The unsheeted part of the wing is covered with Sig Koverall and finished with Nelson Hobby Paint. Bob used an E-flite Power 32s motor, Master Airscrew three-blade 10 x 7 propellers, a HobbyKing Tz85A ESC, and a Turnigy A-SPEC 4S 5,000 mAh battery.
Bob’s Bronco lands on spring-air retracts, has 10 servos, and has dummy 1/9-scale bomb and rockets. The model spans 52 inches and weighs 9 pounds, 9 ounces with battery. Bob trimmed it as a Marine VMO-6 Bronco as a tribute to the Marine pilots who flew them.
B-17
Jim Farned (Biloxi, Mississippi; email: jfarned1@yahoo.com) drew the plans and scratch-built this Stand-Off Scale B-17.
The 1/12-scale model spans 103.75 inches. It weighs 12.5 pounds and has a balsa fuselage and foam wings sheeted with 1/32-inch balsa. Jim covered the model with CoverLite and finished it with plastic model paints.
The B-17 is powered by four 450-size outrunner motors, has flaps, and carries 7-inch “pop-apart” bombs. The flaps and bomb drop are operated by a second radio controlled by the copilot/bombardier.
Jim wrote: “It is truly majestic in the air and is a fitting tribute to the real Betty Jane, a B-17G assigned to the 427th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, assigned to Station 107, Molesworth, England. Betty Jane completed 86 missions before being shot down over Eisenach, Germany, on September 13, 1944.”
