Small 2016—muddy, but still great fun!
Paul Bradley
bradley@ix.netcom.com
One of my favorite times of the year is the annual gathering of the Small Model Aircraft Lovers’ League (SMALL), held near Little Rock, Arkansas, in early June. This year, the event saw enough rain to create a rather muddy field. Despite the rain showers and mud, the attendees still managed plenty of flying.
Each year, an award is presented to the person who best exemplifies the spirit of SMALL. The person selected this year could not have been a better example of someone who fully embraces the spirit.
Tony Accurso, from California, was selected for the award. Tony and his RC-flying daughter, Evelyn, flew to Little Rock for the event. They shipped a rather large fleet of 1/2A glow-powered RC and Control Line models. Tony had models in the air throughout the four-day gathering. He always had a big smile on his face and enjoyed every minute, whether it was raining or the sun was out.
SMALL is a special event that oozes (no mud pun intended) model airplane enjoyment. It’s an event to consider if you can be in the Little Rock area during the first weekend of June.
Carl Hock and His Sort-A-Sukhoi
Carl Hock, who hails from the Houston area, has developed a design called the Sort-A-Sukhoi. It started life as an 18-inch, foam-based model that has proven to be a great small-space acrobat. Given the success of the 18-inch design, Carl decided to develop two larger versions.
At SMALL 2016, I had the opportunity to see Carl’s 24-inch and 42-inch Sort-A-Sukhoi models. The 24-inch aircraft is made from 2mm and 3mm foam. The 42-inch model is balsa with film covering. Both are terrific fliers.
The 24-inch model has a flying weight of 2.7 ounces and is powered with a HobbyKing AP05 3,000 Kv brushless micro motor driven by a two-cell 180 mAh LiPo battery pack. The 42-inch model has a flying weight of 28 ounces. Its power comes from an E-flite Park 450 brushless outrunner motor and a three-cell 2,200 mAh LiPo battery pack. The larger model is especially good for sport pattern flying.
Nice models, Carl. They sure do fly well.
A Pat Tritle Double Feature
Pat Tritle is a great friend to the small-field community, and a busy man when it comes to designing and building model airplanes. When time permits between building projects for customers,
Pat manages to crank out a new design or two. He recently completed two nice ones. The first is a 60-inch wingspan Lockheed Super Constellation. Many consider the full-scale Connie to be one of the best-looking aircraft ever made.
With a 60-inch wingspan, you might think that the model is too large to be considered for small-field flying, but when it comes to a Tritle design, this size is perfect for a small-field venue. Pat’s designs are lightweight, meaning that they can fly at much slower speeds. A slower speed, combined with a larger wingspan, yields a nice-handling model that is easy to see in the sky.
Pat’s rendition of the Connie has a 47.2-ounce flying weight. I would call that lightweight for a 60-inch, four-motor model. Power comes from four Suppo 2212/15T motors turning APC 8 x 6 electric propellers that are set up for counter rotation. Energy is supplied by a 2,200 mAh, three-cell LiPo battery pack. Flying times of 12 to 14 minutes are achieved with this motor and battery pack setup. Control functions include rudder, elevator, ailerons, flaps, and throttle.
As far as flying qualities go, Pat said, “Overall, she’s a very stable and docile flier. As multiengine airplanes go, this is absolutely the best I’ve flown.”
Kits for the Tritle-designed Constellation will be available from Brodak Manufacturing. See the “Sources” listing.
In addition to the Lockheed Connie, Pat has also released a design for a Cessna C-150. That model also has a 60-inch wingspan. The C-150 sports a flying weight of 26.6 ounces. Another featherweight with a large wingspan, this small-field model is powered with a Suppo 2217/9T motor turning an APC 11 x 5.5 propeller, and has a 2,200 mAh two-cell LiPo battery pack onboard. The Cessna’s flight time is 20 minutes.
Regarding the model’s design, Pat commented, “The model was set up with scale outline Fowler flaps using small Robart hinges. Deflection is scalelike at 20° and 40°. With half flaps, the takeoff roll is short, but manageable, and at full flaps, landing speeds are nice and slow. “The lift struts clip on and the wings plug in, making them easy to remove for transport with no tools needed. The cabin doors open on both sides, so [that] the battery is accessible.”
Pat elected to build his prototype model in the Texas Taildragger configuration. Control functions include rudder, elevator, ailerons, flaps, and throttle. Kits for this model will also be available from Brodak Manufacturing. The kits include instructions for the Texas Taildragger configuration or the factory-equipped tricycle landing gear layout.
That is it for this installment. Now it is time to head to the modeling workshop.
SOURCES:
Brodak Manufacturing Company, Inc.
(724) 966-2726
www.brodak.com
Paul Bradley
10201 Scarl e otak Dr.
Independence KY 41051
bradley p@ix.netcom.com
www.parmodels.com
