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Craig Matsuura’s (Glendora, California; email: crtsutomu@gmail.com) Henry Cole Jr. Asymmetrical Pusher (from the January 1947 Air Trails) spans 55 inches and is 36 inches long. He scratch-built it from plans on the Outerzone Vintage & Old-Timer Plans website (outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=5717). Power is by a GWS IDS electric motor powered by a two-cell 300 mAh LiPo battery. The model is covered with LamiFilm.
“My take on the original design was to simplify building (I got lazy on the outboard fuselage),” he said. “It flew perfectly on the maiden, with all left turns like a Free Flight airplane. On the second flight, I tried right turns and it needed a lot of attention! It’s a very unusual sight to see flying!”
Jim Henley’s (Omaha, Nebraska; email: jhandmehenley@cox.net) 1/5-scale Dynaflite PT-19 is powered by a Saito 1.80 glow engine and a McDaniel glow system. Controls are handled by an FrSky X20S transmitter and TDSR10 receiver.
Jim purchased the airplane many years ago from an estate and enjoyed flying it. Unfortunately, it crashed at his club’s Labor Day air show in 2024. “After three days of searching, the airplane was recovered from the crash site with an 8-inch section missing from the left wing and structural damage to the fuselage and tail,” he said. Repairs were completed after many months, and it was covered in Oratex with the cowling painted using catalyzed automotive enamel. Graphics were provided by Callie Graphics.
Jim said that he was looking forward to getting it back into the air.
Mark Snowden (Batavia, Ohio; email: msnowden@hotmail.com) sent in a photo of his triple conversion project: A Sportsman Aviation WACO .30 converted to electric, then to a WACO-UEC Cabin four-seater from a single-seater, and then from a barnstormer to the first airplane used in Christian missionary work.
The airplane was totally stripped, which revealed cracked internal landing gear supports and three metal straps holding the fuselage intact that were removed and reworked. The turtledeck was built over the fuselage up to the 40-inch-span wings. Mark contacted the Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) in Idaho, and together they researched the NC-Number (the confirmed pre-N-Number) that was used by Betty Greene, who ferried two female missionaries from Southern California to Mexico on February 23, 1946. She was a missionary for MAF from 1946 until her death in 1997.
The model was covered in True Red UltraCote, and decals were drawn up by Mark and printed by Callie Graphics. He used a SunnySky X-Series V3 X2212 980 Kv motor, two Hitec HS-425 BB 45.5-gram servos, two Emax E 53053 17-gram servos, a Spektrum AR410 receiver, and a Beatles 40-amp ESC.
Mark gladly displays the model as a reminder of missionary aviation.
Tom “Dutch” Merwarth (Escondido, California; email: truckrdutch@hotmail.com) submitted his latest project but stated that it is personal.
“My father-in-law, 1st Lt. Harry R. Lewis, flew a P-38 in the 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group of the Fifteenth Air Force out of Foggia, Italy, in 1944 to 1945,” he said. “This airplane is a replica of Capt. Thomas Maloney’s P-38, which also flew in that fighter squadron. Capt. Maloney was the top ace in the 27th with 18 victories, and they were squadron mates during World War II. This is as close as I can get to what my father-in-law’s airplane looked like. They were called the Red-Tailed Lightnings.”
Dutch’s P-38 is from Flightline through Motion RC. It has a 63-inch wingspan and flies on two 4S 3,300 mAh batteries. The nose art is Maloney’s Pony, number 23. Callie Graphics made the decals and has an extensive write-up on Capt. Maloney’s experience during his last mission in the Mediterranean theater (bit.ly/4kZy2T5).
“I’m dedicating this airplane to 1st Lt. Lewis, Capt. Maloney, and all of the brave pilots of the 27th Fighter Squadron who flew and fought for freedom in WW II.”
Carlos Reyes’ (Niceville, Florida; email: rc_pilot@hotmail.com) latest build is an Ugly Stick from a Eureka Aircraft short kit. “This was a conventional, straightforward build,” he said.
The covering is all MonoKote. The engine is a Magnum 61 XLS turning an APC 12 x 7 propeller, and the radio is a Futaba T7C. “I slightly enlarged the ailerons and elevator. It flies as well or better than the original.”
Mark McRiley (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; email: batjac1@reagan.com) wrote, “If you’re old enough, you might remember the Cox TD-4 RTF Control Line airplanes powered by Babe Bee .049 engines and produced from 1956 to 1959. I acquired an original, but I couldn’t bring myself to fly it. After almost 70 years, it has earned its retirement.”
Mark finally decided to build a balsa and plywood replica of the TD-4 to fly. His photo shows the replica in the foreground, with the original behind it. He states that he chose the wing and fuselage colors to match an original color scheme from 1956. “The replica flies great.”
Paul Anderson’s (Lake Mary, Florida; email: scalecraftminiatures@gmail.com) original-design, scratch-built Foam Goose’s name was inspired by the famed Spruce Goose. “With no experience, I joined this hobby a year ago by showing up at my local club, the Sanford Aero Modelers, where I was warmly welcomed, taught to fly, and met many talented model aviators,” he said. “As a retired engineer, I wanted to design, build, and fly my own airplane.” He built his own hot wire equipment and experimented with insulation-grade white foam, various adhesives, and coverings. After two failures, Paul successfully flew the Foam Goose after a maiden flight by a more experienced club member.
The 5-1/2-pound Goose has a 60-inch wingspan with a Clark Y airfoil cut from 2-inch foam and joined at the center to form 2° of dihedral. The fuselage is a 1-inch foam box with minimal thin plywood reinforcement, and the stabilizers are craft-store foam board that is covered in Kozo paper. The control surfaces are hinged with duct tape. The tail-dragger gear employs 4-inch main wheels that are mounted on a soldered music-wire suspension for ground clearance. Power is provided by a D3548 750 Kv motor, 60-amp ESC, and 4S 3,300 mAh battery driving a 12 x 8 propeller. Control is a four-channel Spektrum receiver and a DX6e transmitter. The entire powertrain, except the servos, is mounted in a tray that allows the heavy front components to be moved to achieve the correct center of gravity.
Jared Speer (Uniontown, Ohio; email: jspeer1130@gmail.com) is a member of the North Canton RC Club Inc. in Akron, Ohio. His Hangar 9 Van’s RV-4 is a classic rendition of a great-flying Scale aircraft. “I originally purchased this airplane at a swap meet with older servos and an RCGF 35cc engine. I flew it this way every chance I got and fell more in love with it each flight.”
As winter 2024 set in, Jared knew that he needed to perform some upgrades to clean the RV-4 up and make it his own, so he stripped off the covering and removed the engine and electronics. He recovered it with UltraCote light grey and true red, with a trim scheme of all-custom-cut Oracal 651 vinyl. The engine was replaced with an Ephil 40cc twin-cylinder two-stroke with an electric starter, and Hitec D645MW high-voltage servos were used throughout. The receiver is a Spektrum PowerSafe AR10400T 10-channel. Savage Shock Cub lighting from Dave’s R/C Electronics was also utilized.
Jared said that all flights after the remaiden have been very enjoyable and predictable with no issues, and that, with the proper use of throttle and flight controls, wheel landings are a dream come true!
