SAFETY COMES FIRST
Take a crack at this mystery airplane and win plans for the Grumman Gulfstream I No-Cal model. Email your guess to the author’s address at the beginning of the column.
GOT IT MADE
IN THE SHADE!
By Dave Gee | safetycolumn@cs.com
YOU MIGHT BE READING this issue of Model Aviation in the winter, but some places have year-round, hot, sunny weather. Prepping an RC aircraft for flight operations sometimes puts a pilot and helper under bright sunlight. Why is this a big deal? We need to be aware of things such as skin cancer and heat illness. Avoiding these ailments is far better than treating them.
An example is my own bald head, which is always covered by a lightweight, broad-brimmed hat when I take it outdoors. It’s bad enough to deal with male pattern baldness without adding melanoma to the mix!
Heat illness (whether mild or severe) can be a serious hazard for modelers, and it can sneak up on us while we’re concentrating on adjusting or flying our aircraft. Is this yet another good reason to check out indoor flying?
Tom Vacula, of the Lake Murray Regional Flyers in Columbia, South Carolina, sent me a photo of his club’s solution to aviation under the blazing sun. Club members collect second-hand beach umbrellas and mount them in special sockets on the field’s wooden starting stands. There is no interference with propellers or airplanes.
When not in use, the bumbershoots hang from hooks beneath the tables. Members don’t care that the umbrellas are faded or old—only that they block the sun. Tom flies with some clever pilots!
Scammers on the Loose Again
Modelers must look like easy marks for con artists. We have a friendly online community and trustworthy suppliers from global retailers down to cottage-industry level. Crooks love that kind of thing.
Some low-down email scammers are trying the old “list of stuff for sale” con again. These emails always start with some sob story about a pilot with cancer or a widow trying to raise money, but, of course, it’s all made up.
The crooks copy a legitimate list of hobby or aviation items, add cheap prices, and then send it to modelers from stolen email addresses. There isn’t really any merchandise. They have no idea what the stuff really is, so if you ask any questions about particular items, the response is, “Sorry, that one’s been sold. Hurry before it’s all gone.” If you send money, you’ll never hear from them again.
Last year, the scam was a long and detailed list of RC stuff at great prices. A more recent wave of emails has a list of full-scale flying equipment, such as navigation systems, headsets, and aviation tools.
These emails are “spoofed,” so they seem to come from a familiar email or name—perhaps one of your friends who got hacked. It’s just a dirty trick, so don’t ever send money to a setup like that. These aren’t the friendly, dependable people at your hobby shop or on an RC website.
Jet-On-A-Stick
Burbank, California, is home to this month’s mystery airplane. Locals call it the Jet-On-A-Stick. It was installed in a municipal park to honor all of the famous aircraft that were designed and built at the local Lockheed plant. This sleek jet fighter was the smallest airplane that could be wrapped around the most powerful engine available. It was known as “the missile with a man in it” because of the nearly nonexistent wing.
With all of those clues, it should be a cinch to find the actual designation and email it to me! Use the email address at the beginning of this column. Correct or not, I’ll respond with plans for the No-Cal model of Walt Disney’s Gulfstream.
Walt’s Plane
The prize for mystery airplane entries is a set of plans for a Grumman Gulfstream I profile No-Cal model. It’s actually a super-No-Cal because it’s slightly larger than the usual 16-inch wingspan limit for that event. The Gulfstream was a very popular business airplane. The most famous example was used by Walt Disney as a luxury
corporate transport. I got to see this beautiful flying machine when it was transported from Florida to California to go on permanent display at the Palm Springs Air Museum. If you’re ever in the area, be sure to visit this museum! The collection is magnificent, and the docents are friendly and knowledgeable.
Twin-engine, rubber-powered models can be a challenge, but this lightweight No-Cal version flies nicely. It even has “retractable” landing gear (you can unplug them and stick the wheels in your pocket). The airframe comes apart for transportation and storage. I repurposed a tequila gift box as a carrying case. The disassembled model is visible through transparent panels.
RC enthusiasts might consider installing electric motors and a micro radio system in Walt’s airplane, but that’s cheating.
SOURCES:
Palm Springs Air Museum
(760) 778-6262
www.palmspringsairmuseum.org
