Update on the Scale Cessna build
by Stan Alexander
onawing4602@att.net
Scale details, such as adding a lighting system to a model, have to be planned ahead of time. When I first considered building a Cessna Airmaster, I looked at features such as flaps, landing lights, navigation lights, cockpit interior, hatches, handles, control horns, and fuel caps. All of these little things can make a Scale aircraft stand out in a crowd.
Many of these details are added to the airframe during the build—not as an afterthought before the airplane is taken to the field for its maiden flight!
Before I began working on the Cessna’s fuselage, I built the right wing half and drilled holes into the ribs for the landing and navigation lights. I haven’t yet found a correct lens for the landing light.
The navigation lights need to be round, not square as they are in most of the available kits. I might have to scratch-build lens covers for the lights in the correct colors and install them.
All of the firewall parts and the box for the fuel tank will only fit one way to properly line up in the forward part of the airframe. The Zenoah G26 engine will be mounted inverted in the nose.
There is plenty of room to easily mount the Du-Bro 16-ounce fuel tank sideways between the firewall and the cabin. I can access the fuel tank by pulling it out of the back under the instrument panel. The area between the forward framing will be filled in with Sig Manufacturing ¼-inch contest-grade balsa sheet.
I’m reviewing options for covering, pinked tapes, and paint. There is a company called Pink-It that sells pinked tapes and straight tapes for fabric-covered aircraft. Pink-It offers tapes in ⅛, ⅙, ⅕, ¼, and ⅓ scales that are all cut from Solartex. For a free sample, contact the company at the telephone number listed in “Sources.”
Scale Nats
The Scale Nats will be held June 24-26 at the AMA flying site in Muncie, Indiana. On Wednesday, June 22, and Thursday, June 23, RC Scale will have the field for practice, and Friday, June 24, is the static judging at the field.
This would be a good time to break in a new airplane. Flight competition is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The RC Scale event will be held on Site 4 this year, which is the grass runway at the back of the property.
There is much going on that week regarding the 90th anniversary of the Nats. RC Scale Event Director John Boyko has the banquet planned, as well as some other interesting evening events,
including movies at the field. I look forward to seeing everyone there!
Scale Sources
I mentioned RCScalebuilder.com in my February 2016 “RC Scale” column. I visit the site often, and it has information about almost anything regarding Scale aircraft.
Another site that I’ve visited is the Facebook group page for the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA). There you can see daily updates—in some cases by expert builders such as Greg Hahn, Billy Thompson, and Mike Barbee. Others who belong to the site also share excellent advice about a variety of subjects.
It’s not just for RC. Once in a while, you’ll see Free Flight Scale models presented, too. I’m still waiting to see some Control Line (CL) Scale models included!
RCScalebuilder.com and the NASA Facebook page are two sites where you can learn about tricks or tools for building a Scale model. Members also help each other with problems and ideas about what to use, what works, and what doesn’t. You don’t have to build a 144-inch Scale model to post it on the Facebook page.
Places to Fly
Many of us don’t have flying sites where a 40- to 50-pound model can be flown, but I know that there were many sites from the 1960s through the 1980s that were set up for aircraft with 60-inch wingspans and .60 engines. Today,
you might not have enough room to set up for landing such large aircraft without ripping off the landing gear each time you touch down.
Smaller models, known as Schoolyard Scale, a term many might not have heard, are little foamies that are perfect for flying in a backyard or, with permission, at a football field.
Upcoming Events
The Oregon Scale Fly-In & U.S. Scale Masters Association (USSMA) Challenge, hosted by the Fly-A-Ways RC Club in North Plains, Oregon, will take place July 29-31. There are limited RV and tent sites. Contact the contest director (CD), Scott Enochs, for more information or check it out on the club’s website.
The NASA Scale Classic will take place September 23-25, in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, which is southwest of Pittsburgh. The Greene Country Airport features a full-scale paved runway, as well as a circle for CL Scale. There is covered storage for airplanes.
There is lodging across the street and plenty of space for camping. Dale Arvin will be the CD. The site is close to Brodak Manufacturing, where tours will be held.
The USSMA Championships will be held in Davis, California, from September 29 through October 2. There is lodging nearby and camping at the field. The event is hosted by the Woodland Davis Aeromodelers.
Fair skies and tailwinds.
SOURCES:
Pink-It
(540) 532-8811
www.pink-it.net
AMA Nats
www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats.aspx
Oregon Scale Fly-In & USSMA Challenge
Scott Enochs, CD
(503) 806-2262
www.flyaways.org
NASA Scale Classic
Dale Arvin, CD
(812) 284-0162
darvin@aol.com
USSMA Championships
www.usscalemasters.org
Woodland Davis Aeromodelers
www.wdarc.org
NASA Facebook group page
www.facebook.com/groups/410907139050612
RCScaleBuilder.com
www.rcscalebuilder.com
