BIG LESSONS FROM LITTLE AIRPLANES
New Products That Are Worth a Closer Look
IT IS ALWAYS EXCITING to hear about AMA members who write a book, and even more so when it involves our hobby. Such is the case with Big Lessons From Little Airplanes, by Tex Newman, who has been an AMA member since 1954!
The synopsis of the book, from the back cover, gives a great overview of what you can expect to find inside:
“Whether piloting a plane and enjoying the panorama below or watching a model you built soar into the blue among the clouds above, flying is always an adventure.
“Tex Newman looks back at his love affair with airplanes in this book, starting as a boy growing up in West Texas during and after World War II.
“After the war was won, the military began to get rid of the old fighters and bombers that had fought so valiantly. The author’s hometown airport was a refueling place for these old veterans as they made their way from the East Coast to the graveyards out in the Arizona desert. While the pilots were gone, the old planes would sit and wait patiently for the author and his friends to crawl through them.
“But when the author lost his eye as a boy, all hopes of being a fighter pilot were lost, and he was in danger of becoming depressed. With the help of the Lord, however, he pressed on and even became a pilot later in life.
“Join the author as he celebrates his faith, his blessings, and his love of flying in Big Lessons from Little Airplanes.”
Reading the book is almost like sitting in Tex’s workshop as he shares the impact aviation has had on his life. He shares several stories about the help he has received with the hobby, such as this one when he visited Reginald Denny’s Hobby Shop:
“I would look at all the models hanging from the ceiling and at the stacks of kits on the shelves and pepper them with many questions. Each question was patiently answered. When the model was finished, I needed to buy some control lines, fuel, and a battery to use in starting the tiny engine [Anderson Baby Spitfire]. One of the men there took me and the airplane to the workroom, removed the engine from my plane, and mounted it on a test stand. He started it several times and taught me how to flip it properly so it would start and how to adjust the fuel mixture for peak performance.”
I found the book quite enjoyable to read, and Tex mentions several things that have appeared in Model Aviation, such as Reginald Denny’s hobby shop and the Control Line circles at Disneyland. The book is broken out into 36 chapters, each one covering a few pages and focusing on a specific story or memory. This makes the book easy to read and easy to find a stopping point.
Tex has had a lot of help learning about our hobby and it is clear that he has been eager throughout his lifetime to share his knowledge. His enthusiasm both for flying and building model aircraft is quite apparent.
The price of admission to read all of Tex Newman’s stories is $47.95 for a 126-page softcover edition. If you don’t mind reading this book digitally, it is available from Amazon for Kindle for $3.99.
New Products from the Modeler’s Mall
If you are an RC, railway, or plastics modeler, you will be interested to know that the Deluxe Materials 2022 catalog is now available.
Along with the company’s established brands (many with attractive new packaging), you can discover 20 brand-new products within the 32 pages of the catalog, including adhesives, adhesive accessories, model finishing, building and scenery, and lubricants—all specially developed for modelers around the world.
The Deluxe Materials library of more than 50 articles and 60 videos about products and techniques can also be accessed by scanning QR codes in the catalog with your cellphone.
This catalog is the best one yet and celebrates the company’s 50 years of trading. It’s a must-have for any modeling enthusiast.
The E-flite F4U-4 Corsair 1.2m BNF Basic aircraft has been updated and upgraded into the smartest, most powerful, and easiest to fly scale World War II model yet. It’s now even more capable of scale-like and higher-speed flying, as well as high-energy aerobatics!
Featuring a factory-installed 3S and 4S LiPo battery-compatible power system with an exclusive 70-amp Smart Lite ESC to deliver more capabilities and performance, this BNF Basic version also includes a telemetry-capable AR631 receiver with both AS3X and optional-use SAFE Select technologies to make flying even easier than before. Factory-installed rotating retracts with strut covers plus operational flaps, take the scale warbird experience to another level. The airframe is finished in the iconic all-blue trim scheme and includes separate decal sheets to customize it in United States Marines, Navy, and other markings.
The F4U-4 Corsair 1.2m BNF Basic is compatible with the Spektrum DXS transmitter that is included with many of the popular E-flite and HobbyZone trainer airplanes or a full-range six- to seven-channel Spektrum DSMX/DSM2-compatible transmitter. A 3S or 4S battery with EC3 or IC3 connector and a compatible LiPo battery charger are also required.
Sharing design DNA with the Boomerang Elan V2, the larger Super Elan spans an impressive 116 inches tip-to-tip and is ready to light up the sky with 180- to 230-class turbine power. Powerful, fast, and well behaved in all regimes of flight, the Super Elan is the perfect choice for pilots who are searching for stability and speed that is punctuated with aerobatic flair.
This twin-boom design is fully composite and offers a generous hatch for both the engine and equipment sections for easy accessibility. Thanks to the generous wing area and large, barndoor flaps, low-speed control is unparalleled. A complete set of electronic retracts are included. Further this with electronic braking capability and landings are even easier, allowing for shorter distances on touchdown. The Super Elan also comes equipped with a composite fuel tank—fully fueled, it is a short-field performer.
Despite its size, the Super Elan breaks down easily, allowing for transport in smaller vehicles, as well as compact storage. Quick to assemble, it can be ready in short order to provide epic levels of flying!
The Super Elan is currently available in a Fly Navy or Blue Angels scheme or as an unpainted version. A nine-plus-channel transmitter, nine-plus-channel receiver, and the turbine engine are required for completion.
