Small 2015: great weather, terrific models, and exceptional people
Paul Bradley
What do you get when you mix four days of perfect flying weather with a vast assortment of glow, electric, and rubber-powered models, along with a terrific group of model airplane enthusiasts? Why, Small Model Airplane Lovers’ League (SMALL) 2015, of course.
As you can probably tell by my lead-in statement, SMALL 2015 was one fantastic event. Unlike recent years, where electric-powered aircraft had pretty much become the norm for this event, glow and diesel engines were seen in the noses of a large number of models filling the sky above SMALL 2015. The variety of models included RC, Control Line, and Free Flight (FF) aircraft that were flown by some of the best people one could want to meet.
I have to admit that I was having so much fun chasing my FF models or concentrating on flying one of the RC aircraft I had with me, that I did not take many photos of the event. One aircraft I did manage to capture with my camera was a neat Bob Selman creation.
The Doodle II is a simple, built-up stick-and-tissue structure that really performs when using a ParkZone Ultra Micro P-51 motor/gear box and a single 160 mAh LiPo cell. With a 14-inch wingspan and a flying weight of 39 grams, it is a perfect small-field aerobat. See the “Sources” listing for BSD Micro RC.
SMALL 2015 was great fun. I sure am looking forward to attending this event in 2016.
Scratch Builder Assembles a Kit
Column contributor John Krouse is a longtime scratch builder of model airplanes. He normally has a unique approach to his projects. With that in mind, what do you suppose would happen if he built a kit designed by someone else?
To answer that question, take a look at the photo he sent of his Frank Ehling-designed Dioxide Darling. That airplane appeared in 1948 as a CO₂-powered V-dihedral canard (tail first) FF aircraft. John was intrigued by a kit of that design from Retro RC (see the “Sources” listing).
Being a scratch builder who likes things to be different, John decided to build his Dioxide Darling kit as a conventional-tail model for RC. Power comes from a 6mm motor driven by a 60 mAh LiPo single-cell battery. The rudder and throttle control is handled by a Micro Invent 72 MHz receiver and a magnetic actuator. Flying weight is 14 grams.
John says his take on the Retro RC Dioxide Darling is a great, relaxed, small-field flier.
Pat Tritle’s New Models
Pat Tritle’s aircraft are certainly no strangers to these pages. Although Pat is quite a prolific designer and builder, we have not seen many new airplanes from him for some time. For Pat that
delivers the electrons to the motors and radio gear.
The Songbird will be available as a kit from Dare Design, a subsidiary of Brodak Manufacturing. Please see the “Sources” listing.
Camera-Toting Cutie
Model Aviation columnist Bob Aberle stays busy building new model airplanes. Fortunately for us, many of his creations are ideally suited to small-field sites.
Bob recently completed a model based on the full-scale Patchen Explorer. With a 36-inch wingspan and a corresponding area of 200 square inches, the aircraft is not only cute, but is set up to carry a 1.5-ounce Mobius camcorder.
While carrying the camera, the airplane has a flying weight of 22 ounces. The onboard three-cell 1,400 mAh LiPo pack and brushless motor deliver a power loading of 100 watts per pound, which is plenty of power to provide some nice in-flight video footage.
Bob notes that the aircraft is a smooth flier. A construction article appeared in the August 2015 issue of RC Micro World.
That’s it for this installment. Please let me know what you are up to in the world of small-field flying. My contact information is in the “Sources.”
Sources:
BSD Micro RC, LLC
(417) 358-9521
www.bsdmicrorc.com
Retro RC
(248) 212-9666
www.retrorc.us.com
Pat’s Custom Models
(505) 296-4511
www.patscustom-models.com
Brodak Manufacturing
(724) 966-2726
www.brodak.com/dare-design-products.html
RC Micro World
www.fullsizeplans.com
Paul Bradley
10201 Scarlteoak Dr.
Independence KY 41051
bradley@ix.netcom.com
www.parmodels.com
