Great Planes Super Chipmunk 1.20 ARF

For scale aerobatics, I decided on the Great Planes Super Chipmunk ( Almost Ready to Fly ).

For the history of this airplane, see the following link to the EAA website, where the real airplane now resides.

Super Chipmunk N1114V

The model is between 1/4 and 1/5 scale ( 21.5% ), with an 81 inch wingspan.  To power the model, a Laser 150 fits nicely in the cowl, turning an APC 16 x 8 propeller.  The "silencer" is completely enclosed.  It currently has 27 oz of lead right in the front of the cowl and it still needs a bit more to balance at the recommended center of gravity.

Showing the engine installation and the 27 oz of weight glued to the top of the cowl

The all up weight, ready to fly ( without fuel ) is 14 lbs 11 oz as follows,

Wing:  4 lbs 9 oz
Fuselage:  10 lbs 2 oz ( the propeller is 3.5 oz and the 6V, 2000 mAh NiMh battery is 5.3 oz )

The airplane is being flown with a Futaba 7C radio system, with 6 S3003 servos and 1 GWS S03TXF standard servo on the rudder ( 86 oz-in at 6V ).

Planned upgrades include replacing the foam main wheels ( 1.5 oz each ) with Robart scale wheels ( 3.3 oz each ), even though they're covered by wheel pants, and installing an adjustable pitch Solo propeller.  The real airplane had an Aeromatic constant speed prop and so the Solo prop with vintage spinner will complete the look and hopefully allow some weight to be removed from the cowl.

Art Scholl was not only an airshow pilot, but was the head of the aeronautics department at San Bernadino Valley College.  He was killed while filming for the movie, "Top Gun" in 1985.  Coincidentally, that was the same year I started flying radio control planes.

Wing walk material was added using 150 grit sandpaper

A video my friend Chris made

Top Flite P-39 ( Gold Edition )

I recently acquired a Gold Edition kit, with retracts, an offer which I couldn't refuse.  This kit has been discontinued for awhile now ( 2010? ).  The original was designed by Dave Platt for Top Flite, I'm going to guess around 1970-1972.  Dave left Top Flite to start his own business.

It had decals for an airplane that served in North Africa with the 93rd Fighter Squadron ( P-39L-1-BE serial 42-4558, "The Pantie Bandit" ).

Then, somewhere around 2000, the Gold Edition hit the market, designed by Ernest J LeClair.  He also did the Stinson, Bonanza and DC-3 for Top Flite.  Many scale improvements were made.  The control surfaces were ribbed, tail surfaces were airfoil shaped, split flaps and retracts were incorporated.  The wing used the new Selig airfoils, first introduced on the P-47, if I recall correctly.

This airplane has markings of a J model flown by Leslie Spoonts Jr. in the Aleutians ( Alaska ) with the 57th Fighter Squadron ( serial 41-7073 ).  As such, it didn't have the olive drab and tan paint scheme, as shown on the box.  Airplanes were painted that way for operations in the Med theatre.

I always thought it would be cool to put the engine behind the cockpit in the model.  Well, cooling might be a problem, but it could be done with some modifications.  Take the Thompson Trophy racers, for example.

They had an extra scoop under the center section of the wing, which would be ideal for cooling an inverted engine.  Likewise, the radiator exit flap was in the center wing trailing edge and so the model would have to be similarly constructed.  Then, there's the problem of an extension shaft and how to prevent it from loosening off the propeller shaft.  The model will be heavier, due to having to balance the airplane without an engine in the nose and so more power will be needed.  I'm thinking an RCV 130 CD might be ideal.  I also like that engine for the Sea Fury, being sleeve valved and all, just like the real thing!

Hangar 9 PT-19 1.20

After the Cap 232 crashed and the crankshaft was straightened on the G-23, the engine was installed in a Hangar9 PT-19 ( now discontinued, surprise! ).  This model was sold to a club member who had recently earned his wings.  One day, it veered to the left on takeoff due to a crosswind and proceeded to the edge of the field.  It was pulled off the ground on the ragged edge of a stall.  Shortly after, it dropped a wing and cartwheeled into the ground.  Being an ARF, it did not use scale airfoils, at least not at the wingtip, which I was sure contributed to the tip stall.  I offered to rebuild the wing ( redesign it really ), with correct airfoils and washout.  The original model did not have any visible washout, that I could see.

This is where I go off about ARFs and "scale" wing design.  Without plans, you don't know how the airplane was designed or constructed.  There's a general consensus among modelers that scale airfoils don't work well on models.  This is a myth.  The real airplane in this case, not only had a higher camber wing section at the tip ( NACA 4409 ), but also had a good 2.7 degrees of washout, from just outside the fairing near the fuselage to the end of the aileron, both of which were not present on the model and would surely make it fly better, not worse!  

With some information about the real airplane in hand, the wing was re-designed with 4 degrees of washout and a +1 degree average incidence, so +3 at root centerline to -1 at the theoretical tip.  I had the wing ribs laser cut by Martin Rousseau of MR Aerodesign.

It was decided to convert it into a PT-26 Cornell, with enclosed cockpit.  My dad was bored and wanted a winter project, so he constructed the wing and canopy.  The engine needs to be test run and then hopefully the airplane will fly again this summer, better than before!

Sig Mustang 450

My dad had taught himself to fly using a Goldberg Eaglet 50 and the Top Flite Freshman.  The Eaglet was rebuilt so many times, we gave it a new name, " The Epoxy ".  Anyway, it served its purpose and dad moved on to more adventurous models, like the Blue Max II and this one.

Photos taken probably spring 1986

The kit ( RC-28 ) was designed by Hank Pohlmann around 1971 as a replacement for Maxey Hester's Midget 450 ( RC-6 ).  It was powered by a Picco 45 with a Perry carb.  As my dad tells the story, he built the plane on the ship he was working on and flew it as a guest at Sault Ste Marie.  He didn't like the control throws on the aileron, so he doubled them.  The plane had never flown and this was to be the test flight.  As the plane took off, a wing started to drop, as they always do when they're slightly out of trim.  The roll rate was so fast that the plane did a complete 360 degree roll before anyone knew what was happening.  Dad pulled up on the elevator and was lucky the plane was right side up.  Everyone thought he was some hot shot pilot when really it was the luck of the Irish!

Hank and the Mustang were on the cover of Model Airplane News

After I got my wings, and was flying the Blue Max, dad would let me fly the Mustang a little bit.  It scared the hell out of me.  It was snappy and I was afraid of stalling it on landing, which was way too fast for my liking at the time.  It did crash a few times, but that foam wing never broke!  Many years later, I've aquired a kit and will finish building it.  I'm undecided on an engine, since the Picco 45 is no longer available.  Maybe I'll put a period K&B in it or something ( Oh, the horror! ).

Plans are available on the Outerzone

Carl Goldberg Extra 300, Hangar9 Cap 232, Great Planes Giles 202

When I got back from University and started working to pay back the loan, one of the first things I bought was an Extra 300 model that a club member was selling, with an OS 1.20 FS.

I had first flown one of these the previous summer for another member and I really liked how it flew.  Back then, 3D flying was only just starting and wasn't really a thing yet.  So, with this model, I did alot of inverted flight and outside maneuvers as well as learning rolling circles and knife-edge circuits.  I developed one maneuver that freaked people out that you don't see much.  In the middle of a turn from base onto final, at low altitude and with some speed, I would roll 180 degrees and continue the turn inverted, followed by a low inverted pass.  That was my favorite.  Everybody thinks the airplane is going to crash!

The 1.20 was eventually exchanged for the 0.90 in the Corsair and both airplanes were then more "scale like" in their vertical performance.  The Corsair was better, while the Extra was worse ( the real airplane doesn't have unlimited vertical ).

My dad crashed the Extra one day and decided to replace it with the Hangar 9 Cap 232, designed by Dave Patrick ( who also designed the Goldberg Extra 300 ), powered by a Zenoah G-23.

It weighed about 14 lbs and was decidedly underpowered.  Well, one day while dad was flying it, the battery became disconnected in a loop and the plane crashed, bending the crankshaft!  A club member straightened it at which point it was installed into a Hangar 9 PT-19.  So, I had no aerobatic airplane.

I had previously test flown a Midwest Giles 202 ( designed by Mike McConville ) for a club member and it was the most "true" airplane I had ever flown.  I loved it.

Great Planes had an ARF version and I decided to go with that.

I installed the Saito 1.80 and flew it for about two months before suffering an engine exhaust fire and then problems with the cowl fasteners.  Other problems with the Saito included the muffler pressure nipple coming loose and a broken valve spring ( right after takeoff! I was lucky to get the airplane back ).  It didn't fly as well as the Midwest version.  By this time, everybody was flying these scale aerobatic types and 3D style flying was taking over.  I decided to sell the Giles along with the engine ( the valve spring was replaced ) and a new replacement cowl.

Sterling Spitfire

The year was 1993.  I was finished high school and going to university ( aerospace engineering ) in the fall.  A club member had brought out this 30 year old Sterling Spitfire and I was to be the test pilot.  I was nervous as hell, because this was an old kit and had never flown.  It had a Super Tiger 56 engine with two glow plugs, if I recall correctly.  Well, it flew and quite nicely at that.  I remember how graceful and smooth it was.  The elevator fluttered such that it was invisible in flight, but control was not affected.  Upon landing, there was no evidence of any damage and the hinges were very strong!  So, we just flew it like that!  It was eventually modified with flaps and retracts, some right thrust was put into it and then it truly looked the part.  It made the most beautiful 3 point landings.  I went to university dreaming about Spitfires!

This airplane was designed by George Harris and was featured in the February 1962 issue of American Modeler.  To this day ( Feb 19, 2015 ), this airplane probably still has the most accurate outline and the best flying qualities of any other 60 size Spitfire ( I have flown both the Pica and Top Flite Gold Edition models ).  It need only be modified for flaps and retracts, if you can find a kit!  It had the same markings as the Monogram 1/48 plastic kit of the same vintage, which makes me wonder if George didn't use that kit to help him design the R/C version.

Plans are available from The Outerzone.

Blue Max and Midwest Hots

It must have been 1985 and my dad decided to build a plane that was featured in the February issue of Model Aviation, called the Blue Max II.

It was basically a 40 size version of Chuck Cunningham's Hooker design ( Oct 1981 RCM, plan 851 ) only it was designed by Jim Allen Jr.  I used it in a fun fly contest in the summer of 1986, I guess.  It was an easy plane to fly, quite aerobatic, but could also fly slow.  Even though I had only just got my wings a few months previous, I didn't have a problem flying this airplane and it was my first introduction to aerobatics.  Anyway, the event in question was the fastest circuit, where the airplane had to cross both boundaries of the field.  I won the event and the prize was a Midwest Hots kit ( designed by Dan Santich )!

It was built during the winter and the following summer, I was asked to fly a demonstration at the Thompson Products company picnic day.  This, I did, using the Hots.  There were pony rides and all kinds of people around.  Something like this wouldn't be considered safe today, I'm sure!  In any case, I flew out of the parking lot, avoiding the light standards on landing.  After about 8 flights, I finally hit the light standard on final approach and it couldn't have been more centered!  It sheared the muffler off the engine and damaged the wing root.  At this point, I remember saying, "Now you've seen all aspects of the hobby!".  Whenever I drive by that parking lot today, I wonder how I ever did such a thing!

Plans for the Blue Max II are available from the AMA plans service ( 00465 ).
The Hots is featured in Model Airplane News ( April 1984 )