49115 JANUARY 2000

radio control

ODE:LE:R E WORLD'S LEADING PUBLICATION FOR THE RADIO CONTROL ENTHUSIAST

NUMBER!

JAHUAAYai.xJ

radio control

ODE:LE:R

This Month's Cover - features Garrett Morrison's giant scale Sukho i doing a torque rol l "over the pond" at a fly-in held on Bob Hooks' property near Auburn, California. What makes this photo so impressive, besides the h)rq\1e roll being done low over the water and without the aid of any gyros, is that the pilot is 16 years old and has been flying for only three years! The aircraft Garrett is flying was designed and built for him by Mr. Wendell Bonner and is the 11th model of this type that he has built. Each prev ious model has been the recipient of small improvements in per formance and handling. Some specs on the model are as follows: wingspan I 16", length 97", engine 3W 140 ( 13 hp), weight 38 lbs . The beautiful act ion photo was ta.ken by Mr. Richard Voliva of Grass Valley, California.

FEATURES 12 JR GOLD CUP SERIES RACE

Quarter Midget Races At Merced, CA Vern Smith

48 I CAN USE THIS PIECE You've Just Got To Have The Right Attitude! Jerry K. Robbins

80 FIN FAIRINGS Covering Techniques DonSobbe

Launching In Restricted Areas John M. Likakis

CONSTRUCTION

100 NEWBEE .25 Powered Sport Flier With "Golden Era" Looks Adrian Page

COLUMNS 3 FROM THE SHOP

Industry Updates; New Items Dick Kidd

20 SUNDAY FUN Good Or Bad? Stu Richmond

29 ENGINE CLINIC 31 Years Of Engine Clinic; Q &A Clarence Lee

52 AIRPLANE STUFF Blue Angels; IMAC Comments; Pulse Charge Jim Oddino

74 BIG IS BEAUTIFUL Millennium; More.On The GTX Ken Runestrand

144 CUNNINGHAM ON RIC Club Meetings; Learning From A Crash Chuck Cunningham

148 RADIO SPECTRUM Letters From Readers Cal Orr

155 FLYING LOWE Thrust And Such Don Lowe

158 HOVER IRCHA Heh-Nationals John Benario

176 SOARING Handling Small Battery Packs Mike Lee

182 FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH Helpful Hints For Modelers Jerr Smith

38 SHUTTLE CHALLENGE Hirobo/ Altech Marketing Bob Wallace

60

90

AVIASTAR 150 Aviatrnnics, Ltd./Dave Gierke Flying Models Clarence Lee

CATALINA PBY Kyosho/Great Planes Model Dist. Walt Wilson

128 RADIO CONTROLLED MODEL AIRPLANE FREQUENCY BOARD Ackerware George Steiner

136 BOEING 747 ARF Hobby Flite, Inc. Mike Lee

170 JR'S lOX RIC SYSTEM JR/Horizon Hobby Dist., Inc. Eloy Marez

DEPARTMENTS 178 HOBBY SHOP BULLETIN

t isting Of Hobby Shops

184 SHOWCASE2000 New Product Announcements

192 RCM SNEAK PREVIEW Highlights From The Next Issue

194 READERS EXCHANGE Classified Ads

197 RCMANTHOLOGY BOOK CONTEST Win A Super Prize

200 RCM PLANS CONTEST Win A Super Prize

203 ADVERTISERS INDEX Advertiser Page Listing

203 FWIW CONTEST

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JANUARY 2000 VOLUME37

Publisher Don Dewey

Editor Patricia Crews

Technical Editor Dick Kidd

Assist. Editor Jim Pearson Art Editor

NUMBER I

Denise Baldwin Advertising Manager

Kathleen Acton Graphics Editor Mary Markley

Photographic Editor Andrea Bertollini Associate Editors

John Be•ario, Chuck Cunningham, Art Johnson, Clarence Lee, Mike Lee,

Don Lowe, Jim Oddino, Cal Orr, Stu Richmond, Ken Runestrand,

Jerry Smith, George Steiner Contributing Editors

Dick Barbosa, Jim Feldmann, Ed Hopkins, Ray Hostetler, Elaine Jackson, Laddie Mikulasko,

Fred Reese, Don Sobbc, Darrel Stebbins, Ben Strasser, Bob Wallace, Randy Wrisley

Office Staff Greg Acton, Beverly Calhoun, Diana Calhoun,

Marianne Ericksen, Bridget Hayes, Margaret Hayes, Tillie Jimenez, Laura Nicholson, Yvonne Osti,

Barbara Richardson, Kathy Rodriguez, Luis Rios, Louise Stark, Susan Steele

R/C MODELER (ISSN 0033-6866) USPS 509- 190, is published monthly by RIC Modeler Corp. Editorial and Advertising offices at 144 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, California 91024. Te lephone (626) 355- 1476: (800) 523-1736 : FAX 626-355-6415: E-mail : ACMCorp@aol.com. Periodicals postage paid at Sierra Madre, CA and additional mailing offices. Contents copyright 2000 by A/C Modeler COrporation. All rights reserved. Reproductions in whole or part, without wriUen permission of the publisher, is prohibiled. All prices appearing in this magazine are subject to change without no1;ce. All subscriptions wi ll be taken at the prevailing rate. Postmaster: send address changes to R/C Modeler. P.O. Sox 487. Sierra Madre, CA 91025. EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS are welcomed by R/C Modeler, but cannot be considered unless guaranteed exclusive. Manuscript must be accompanied by return postage and any material accepted for publication is subject to such editorial revision as is necessary, in our d iscrelion, to meet the requirements o f this magazine. Material is selected on lhe basis of general interest 10 the radio control enthusiast and the publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of content The opinions stated in published maierial are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those o f the publisher. A/C Modeler Corp. assumes no responsibility for loss or damage of editOfial con trib utions. Upon acceptance, payment wi ll be made after pub licalion at our existing current rate, which covers all authOfs rights , title to, and interest in. the material mailed including, but no1 limited to, photos, drawings, and art work which shall be considered as text These rights include the use by R/C Modeler Corp. to reprint the material in books, pamphlets, electronic pub lishing, and any other means. Submission of the manuscript to A/C Modeler expresses a warranty by the author that the material is in no way an infringement upon the rights of o thers. Note: The review or discussion of any product by ACM does not constilute an endorsement of !hat product nor any assurance as to its safety Of performance by ACM. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: The United States $25.00 per year, S49.00 two years. Foreign subscription including Canada and Mexico $35.00 !or one year (no two year foreign). For further information. see subscrip tion ad. Change of address notices, undelivered copies, and orders for subscriptions are to be sen! to: P.O. Box 487, Sierra Madre, California 91025. Allow 6 weeks for new subscriptions and changes of address. Back issues available: $5 00 U.S., $6.00 Foreign. ADVERTISING: Send advertising copy and comple:e instructions to Advertising Department. RIC r-.Aodeler, P.O. Box 487, Sierra Madre, Calilornia 91025. Telephone(626) 355-1476, (800) 523-1736: FAX 626-355-<l415. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertis·ng copy.

Printed By American Press, LLC., Gordonsville, VA U.S.A.

From The Shop I have a few announcements that

will be of interest to some of our readers. I just found out that Michael Jones is the man who has the fluted cardboard available for those who are building a Ford Tri-motor or other models that require a corrugated surface. Michael's new address is: 11119 E. 56th Street, Tulsa, OK 74146, (918) 294-3533.

* This next item is not related to

model aircraft directly; however, it does involve our younger generation. This is the group that we need to get involved in the model airplane hobby, whether it be with rubber powered, control line, or RIC.

In Seattle, Washington, the Museum of Flight had what they called "Out of This World for Kids" auction fund-raising, and reported

fro,n'lfte

-Pu6fisfteri 'Eiitcrs, anaStaff of f./C9Joider9'agazine ·

that for the second time in a row $2 million was raised for childrens' interactive exhibits and educational programs, making it the # 1 charity auction in the Northwest. The Museum's internationally known charity auctioneer, Dick Friel, surmised that the event was the largest fund-raiser to benefit air and space education In the world. "One of our primary goals at the Museum of Flight is to prepare young people for careers in the 21st century;" states Executive Director, Ralph Bufano, "the astounding generosity of our patrons at the Museum's second-year gala brings us ever closer to meeting that goal."

The interesting highest bid for a single item, -- $250,000 for the U.S. flag that accompanied Pete Conrad and the crew of Apollo 12 to the moon and back -- came from an anonymous donor. The flag will be placed in a future space exhibit to be dedicated to the memory of Pete Conrad, who served as Honorary Chair of the auction until his untimely death this last July.

* A short time ago, I had

mentioned that Wing Manufacturing had sold their foam wing cutting part or their business to Dynamic Balsa and Hobby Supply. I didn't follow through with just what was happening to Ralph Andrae and his company. Wing Mfg. Co. has some very innovative Foam Cutting Tools and

RCM January 2000 3

FREE SNIPP/N(}/ Thousands of very happy modelers are using our stands all over the world. Join

them today and order one of our Quality Hardwood Maple Flight

Stands.

Fits all sizes of planes including Quarter Scale models (padded cradles open to 14") Two trays, the lower holds your favorite flight box, the upper tray keeps your starter. transmitter, etc .. within easy reach. Stable enough to hold your plane securely, and the Best Part, it folds to a compact 4"x 24"x 36" for transport or storage. Shipped fully assembled and ready for your favorite finish.

Only s 134•~~inenra/ USA on;y

New Table Top Model Tray is 11" x 22" and works for all those small parts that seem to disappear. Padded Cradles fold for storage

$36.00 includes shipping

Crusader Toys 1-800-255-2563

1-530-436-2563 www.crusadertoys.com P.O. Box 297 , Grenada, CA 96038

4 RCM January 2000

supplies for the modele rs. This Hobby Wand is a tool for

cutting and shaping foam blocks. It takes the place of having to use a handsaw and knives. It has a self­conta ined battery holder which accepts three "C" size batteries for long-lasting use.

Ralph has several more foam cutting tools for hot-wire cutting. One is labe led a Hot Wire Cutting Table, which w ill handle foam 14" with an 11-1/2" throat-cutting capacity. He a lso sells a Pro Bow Foam Cutter for cutting foam wing cores (up to 40" in length) and other unique designs. Check in with Wing Mfg. Co. for any of your foam cutting tools at: 306 E Simmons, Galesburg, IL 61401, phone (309) 342-3009, fax (309) 342-3014. Visit their Web Site at:

http://www.wingmfg.com/ *

Scale Modelmg s

Black flrt Building & Fiberglassing Techniques

By ·'Mr Scale" Dave Platt ·1owme 3

t a:c.n Dtwe~.CC(:ipett>'"!:~:~uct'°"1K'1' t.e,g ,.SS-"J•' ~onQ1ria1 si:..,e1~ ,.xisi;nofmeM~Ah,202 .. ~a..t.,;i..

:., ,)fl V/c•,rj \fyijl !: l•gt-!;:· Jt.nqn

00h a-~· .... ,hec ~ \.')Ol,ll1cf ,v:, Mj ha ,,,_v~s ,.,,.,')' ;;,i~•• , ,c;,,...,. 1 I ,nt-+.~ ~"';{ ber•:r~r:) us-->, ut "le!!'~v .:::' t -,1"1:'.'~t'W f(''?M ~ CO.,hng. fl"-1 'JJe .>,:..-rf""ct ';tJ,lil,l <:!,; I"

wr(} :(~ iu~1i)(N?; ','1C!S )f(~ ~''f il I•"',\, <}! '.l"flt lf•,)lfe''

"l(;'t,,d,rj l)('t'°'

•· )de; Oli1'' •·: "'-:-:. n f-1, ottP -•~'"JS- :,•:Jl:91 orr.t-;~•r, i:~')lvOO rar-tfl'IQ {~al 110<:,rs.iet 1,1yrx'l11J;;,, go;)~< ro• tit• i!r1:'l1t~ (),11 !Ill+. !a(P ,,, i;,>r;;rf~()r< ,. 'e fiN1 Cf'1' c/ rnre'>(~(

r.•""r.a:: n.i ry t"'..,,;: .,•~ pir' f:r.•a •nq :~.--"In -·~

I have just received another very interesting videotape from Dave Platt. In the past two tapes, the time passes so fast and they are so interesting that you don't (at least I didn't) want the tape to end. Dave is st ill working on his Macchi C.202 and gets started in showing the viewers just how he does the laying-up of the fiberglass cloth and applying the resin. This video shows the viewer some very important steps to take that Dave has learned over many years of scale modeling, and how to do it properly. He has a great way of transferring the information in his voice along w ith some excellent camera work by Frank Anderson. If you have had an opportunity to v iew Volume 1 and 2, th is Vol. 3 is a must for you to see. Dave takes you through

many quite unique tricks in doing light-weight fiberglassing on your model. There are many tricks I had never thought of. This tape runs close to 2 hours and sells for $34.95, available from: Dave Platt Models Inc., 1308 Havre N.W, Palm Bay, Florida 32907, (407) 724-2144.

* Sometime back, we advertised a

set of p lans from Vacuum Form called Proto-Form. The plan package was a very complete instruction manual (106 pages) with many drawings and parts list included. To build the Proto­Form machine, the basic model would be approximately $1100.00 for the small size which would handle plastic sheets 24" x 24". For the large machine, which would take 24" x 48" plastic sheets, the price to bui ld it would be estimated at $ 1800.00. This plan packet, which comes in a three­ring binder, also includes three full­size cut-away drawings of an assembled machine with 36 actual color photos on photographic paper. This package sells for $125.00 and is available through RCM.

I HOBBY-VAC 12X1B I Construction Plans

Build it Yourself

end Save I

Construction Plans for a 12 x 18 inch. Vacuum Forming Machine with 110 volt Oven

Vacuum Form's newest product is labeled Hobby-Vac 12 x 18. A vacuum­forming machine with 110-volt oven, and you can build it yourself for an estimated cost of$225.00 with an air­powered venturi pump, and about $350.00 with two stages and a 3/4 HP electric pump. This one is perfect for the serious hobbyist or small business. This complete building package is available for $40.00 plus $3.20 postage for Priority Mail. RIC Modeler has the package avai lable at this time. We will also be doing a review on this Hobby­Vac machine in the very near future. Doug Walsh, owner ofVacuum Form, is the man behind these machines. If you have any questions or want more information regarding these two units,

The front corner of the new Hitec/RCD building.

Chun and Hong Parl< looking over the crowd.

Some of the guests under the huge canopy. Weather was perfect.

Mr. Park, backbone o( Hitec, father of Chun and Hong.

you can contact Doug at: Vacuum Form, 272 Morgan Hill Drive, Lake Orion, MI 48360, phone (248) 391-2974, fax (248) 391-8290. You can also check this out at Doug's Web site

http://www.proto-form.com For RCM's orders, caH (800)

523-1756 toll free. *

On August 20th, my wife and I traveled south to Poway, which is just north of San Diego, to attend Hitec/RCD's grand opening of their new corporate headquarters. We were very impressed, to say the least, with their new fac ilities. It was a very beautiful building located in a new industrial area of Poway. The view looking toward the south is unobstructed, as it is the north boundary of the Marine Air Base so there will be no buildings to spo il the view. Also, whenever there is an air show, they have a first class seat for viewing.

After a nice tour through the plant, we went outside to the parking lot where a huge canopy was set up and the party was already in progress. As near as I could find out from Chun Park, there were about 170 people attending the invitational affair, and what an affair it was! I saw many familiar faces including George Steiner and our Sailplane columnist, Mike Lee. I'm including several photos of the gala event just to give you an idea of what we experienced. Hitec/RCD's new address is: 12115 Paine Street, Poway, California 92064, phone (858) 748-6948, fax (858) 748-1767.

* Just recently, I had a nice letter from

Louis N. Buffardi, editor of THE KAPA Chun Park was kind enough to show my wife, Mary, and me around the beautiful KOLLECTOR newsletter. The KAPA new facilities. All the above photos by George Steiner. stands for Kits And Plans Antiquitous

6 RCM January 2000

Jiifl LESS HASSLE~ MORE FUN! Dieselize with Davis Diesel, It'sAwsome!

Davis Diesel Heads Over 100 models from .049 - 3.6 cu. in.

\ f'v-1 \ World's L

pr~:~~:~tof -;7 Mo'!:~e~~~sol \

* 50% More Power

Transforms Your: .25 to a .40 cu. in. .40 to a .60

* No Glow Plugs * Easy Starting

.60 to a .90

.90 to a 1.20

* Doubles Flight Time

* Low Noise

DAVIS $5.00 for Catalog (credited to first order). Visa/MasterCard MODEL PRODUClS P.O. Box 141 • Milford, CT 06460 • 203-877-1670 • Fax 203-876-2731

Wing Span ....... .48" Length .............. 84" Kit Pricc ....... $795.

www.rcaviation.com/fiorenze Or Send $3.00 For Product Catalog

Bob Fiorenze 3107 Ash Park Loop Winter Park, Fl 32792

( 407) 673-9080

which is a newsletter published quarterly. They attempt to incorporate into each of their issues a wide spectrum of model aviation topics stemming from sol ids to radio control, albeit of the old days.

Three issues each year contain 22 pages with a bonus December issue of approximately 32 pages. Each issue contains an article on the major theme, plans, and ads relating to the personality or manufacturer, and additional plans to round out ai rcraft from pre-WWI to jets, solids, rubber, free-flight gas, radio control, and control-line. There is also a · classified ad section that is free to the members. This operation started back in 1993 as a joint venture by Jack Al aback and Lou Buffardi. They-have since been joined by Morrie Leventhal and John Pothier who handle Memberships and the DTP publishing of the journal respectively. The annual subscription is

• 7,800 different full color photo studies 1899-1999 • 35,000 3-view line drawings

Year2000 Catalog/Guide

Only $8 00 Canodo/Mexica $1 0.00 I All O!her Counlies $18.00

Bob l/a11k11's

AIRCRAFT DOCUMENTATION Scale Model Research

(714) 979-8058

8 RCM January 2000

only $8.00 in the U.S., the small sum covering the cost of paper, printing, and postage. To order, send S8.00 to Morris Leventhal, 1788 Niobe Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92804.

Almost forgot to mention that they are now up to over 800 members, which gives them the feeling that they are doing something right. From the copy I received, it looks like a real bargain!

*

Cleveland Model & Supply Company, P.O. Box 55692, Indianapolis, IN 46205-0962, has just released the new edition of their catalog. This 99-page catalog is full ofall the plans that are available from them in I /32, 1/24, 1/ 16, 1/12, 1/8 1/6, and 1/4 scale. There are over 400 airplane illustrations that are shown with the description and wingspan of each scale size. There has been a great deal of time and thought put into this catalog by John Jacox and the end results have paid off. It is spiral bound with a heavy glossy card stock cover (front and back). This catalog is a must for the scale modeler and a nice wish book for the newcomer in the hobby. Avai lable for $5.00 (U.S., Canada, and Mexico); $8.00 (Foreign). Phone (317) 257-7878, fax (317) 257-7877, or email:

clvmod@iquest.net *

Here's A Good One To Finish Up With:

Seems that a year ago, some Boeing employees decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home. When they took it for a float on the River, they were quite surprised by a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator that is activated when the raft is inflated. They are no longer employed at Boeing.

This appeared in the Flightlines' newsletter of the Yakima Valley Aero Modelers located in Washington State. Newsletter Editor is Bill Heinson.

* That's all for now!

+