RC Airplanes | Gliders | Helicopters
MZ-18
Performance Tests, pg 76
JULY 2014
SI U L C X E
VE
N T E M E L P P U E D S D U L C N I SPECIAL REPORT
How a Paralyzed Pilot Uses FPV
BUILDING TIPS
PLUS
• • • •
• ASW-28 3-View • Van’s RV-4 Plan
Build Dynaflite™ Decathlon Wings Detail scale FMS Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Fabricate a retractable scale tailwheel Weather Your Foam Airplanes AND
• top Gun 2014
USA & CANADA $6.49
RC-SF.COM
TABLE OF CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS
LEARN HOW TO WEATHER A FOAM AIRPLANE.
10 LEADING EDGE 102 AD INDEX 103 MYSTERY PLANE
EVENT
HOW TO
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30
2014 TOP GUN COMPETITION 13 PAGES OF PHOTOS AND DETAILS ON THIS COMPETITION By Peter George
MAKING A TAILWHEEL GET THE STEP-BYSTEP PROCESS FOR MAKING A SCALE TAILWHEEL GEAR. By Tom Wolf
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SERVO WELL COVERS LEARN THESE SIMPLE TRICKS TO FASTENING SERVO COVERS IN PLACE. By Wil Byers
PG 40
40 WEATHERING TRICKS SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO ADD WEATHERING TO YOUR MODEL. By Derik Rinehart
GET AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE BEST SCALE AIRPLANES FLOWN AT TOP GUN 2014.
PG 14
PG 44
3-VIEW
44 6
ASW-28 18 DRAWINGS SCHLEICHER’S 18-METER CLASS SAILPLANE By Hans-Jürgen Fischer RC SPORT FLYER . JULY 2014
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JULY 2014
BUILD
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FMS FOCKEWULF FW-190 GET TIPS FROM AN EXPERT ON HOW TO MAKE IT SPOTON SCALE. By Rob Caso
COLUMN
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DECATHLON WINGS
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JEFF EXPLAINS HOW TO BUILD STRAIGHT WINGS EVERY TIME. By Jeff Troy
HELICOPTERS 101
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DAVID EXPLAINS THE AIRFLOW PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN FORWARD FLIGHT. By David Phelps
A PARALYZED RC PILOT PATRICK TELLS US WHY FPV TECHNOLOGY KNOWS NO BOUNDS. By Lucidity
REVIEWS
76
WE DETAIL WHY THIS NEW RC TRANSMITTER IS ONE OF THE EASIEST TO USE. By Wil Byers
PG 48 PLAN
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90 E-FLITE 96 MYSTIQUE 2.9M
96-IN. VAN’S RV-4 DESIGN
CHECK OUT THIS LMR GLIDER TO SEE HOW IT DELIVERS SUPERB ALL-DAY SOARING FUN. By Wil Byers
USE WENDELL’S PLAN TO BUILD A MODEL OF THIS FULL-SCALE PLANE. By Wendell Hosteller
PG 90
OUR BUILDER SHOWS YOU HOW TO MAKE STRAIGHT WINGS. facebook.com/rcsportflyer
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GRAUPNER HoTT mz-18
T-REX 700E PRO DFC A HELI THAT DELIVERS SUPER PERFORMANCE USING THE NEW 3GX GYRO. By James VanWinkle
PARKZONE MOSQUITO FLY THIS LITTLE PARK FLYER WWII WARBIRD TO DO HIGH-SPEED STRAFING RUNS. By Christian Belleau
SEE WHY THIS GLIDER IS MADE FOR LONG SOARING FLIGHTS.
PG 54 RC-SF.COM
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EVENT
TOP GUN 2014
WHERE THE WORLD’S BEST SCALE BUILDERS & PILOTS GO MODEL TO MODEL
BY PETER GEORGE
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rank Tiano’s Top Gun event just finished its 26th year. The event, which was first hosted in 1989, has become the premiere RC scale aircraft competition for pilots from around the world. It is quite simply the quintessential meet for worldclass RC scale modelers, especially in light of the fact that builders/pilots
compete for $25,000 in cash and prizes. Top Gun 2014 was held at Paradise Field from April 30th to May 4th. One hundred and thirty-six pilots entered. Even with the poor weather conditions that inundated the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport flying site for a couple of days, the
competition was noteworthy and challenging. As you’ll see in this photo spread, the caliber and quality of the aircraft entered in Top Gun 2014 were above and beyond those of previous years. Moreover, the exceptional piloting skills required to fly in the challenging weather and wind conditions were much more evident Dave Ribbe finished in first place, taking the Top Gun Trophy. He flew his 1/4.5-scale sized MiG15 jet. The Alclad covered model is controlled by a Spektrum DX18 radio and is powered by a JetCat 140 turbine.
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Dave Wigley flew to a second place finish with his enormous, torpedo-dropping Bristol Beaufighter. The 1/5-scale, 138-in. wingspan model is powered by a pair of BME 102-cc engines that swing 24-in. 3-blade, counter rotating propellers.The model weighs in at 82 lb. Due to the standing water at Top Gun’s site, he managed to drop its torpedo in the water!
Bob Violet streaked into third place flying his beautiful 1/7-scale Lockheed F-80. The model is flown with control coming from a JR 12X radio system. The model is impressively powered by one of Bob’s BVM electric ducted fan units.
Rich Feroldi captured the fourth place trophy at Top Gun, flying his colorful, 1/3-scale WWI Albatross. A Futaba radio system guides the Quadra-100-powered model. facebook.com/rcsportflyer
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HOW TO
MAKING A TAILWHEEL A LIGHTWEIGHT, SCALE, RETRACTABLE ASSEMBLY YOU CAN BUILD BY TOM WOLF
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RC SPORT FLYER . JULY 2014
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ne of the problems I faced when I built my 1/5-scale DeHavilland Mosquito was finding a scale, retractable tailwheel assembly that was also lightweight. The Mosquito has a very long tail moment and a very short nose moment, which means every additional ounce of weight in the tail is a big problem when it comes to achieving the correct center of gravity. After a long search of the marketplace, I could not find any that met my needs. As a result, I designed a unit specifically for my airplane. The approach I took was unconventional and resulted in a unit that weighs significantly less than any other
tailwheel unit I could find. The full-size Mosquito tailwheel has a rather beefy aluminum fork assembly that is cantilevered off of a shock absorbing strut arrangement. The usual approach taken to replicate this appearance involves either machining an aluminum fork or using a piano wire landing gear and covering it with wood elements to achieve the appearance of the cast fork. Either of these approaches results in unnecessary weight. Upon considering this problem, I thought that perhaps I could make a structurally adequate fork fabricated completely with wood. As it turned out, this approach was 100 percent
successful. I now have close to 50 flights on my 55-pound Mosquito and I am completely satisfied with the tail gear assembly. This article will provide an overview of the design for the retractable tail gear assembly on the Mosquito, including the retract mechanism and the wood fork assembly. In every step along the way, I was looking for weight reduction. To that end, I worked to minimize the amount of metal used in my model’s unit. While the design discussed in this article is specific to the Mosquito, the principles can be adapted to any airplane where a lightweight, scale tailwheel assembly is desired.
The full-size Mosquito sports a tall retractable tailwheel, mounted to a steerable cast aluminum fork.
A 3D CAD model was generated in Pro-Engineer to establish retract mechanism geometry and part arrangement to achieve proper operation and fit. Fabrication drawings were then generated. facebook.com/rcsportflyer
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HOW TO
COVER THEM CUTTING DRAG — DONE NEATLY AND EASILY
BY WIL BYERS
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’m a neat freak, I admit it! I can’t stand a messy house, a dirty car, a cluttered workshop, or an airplane that is thrown together as if nothing matters in terms of performance. I think this may be why I have a love of sailplanes and gliders. Their performance depends every bit on them being aerodynamically clean in design and well built. One of the areas I see overlooked
Scotch brand Satin™ Tape works wonders for holding the servo covers in place on most any model airplane, especially gliders and sailplanes.
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all too often on gliders and sailplanes is the way the servo covers are attached to the wing once the servos are installed. It leaves me grinding my teeth in frustration because of how little effort it takes to attach them properly. Heck, doing so will increase the model’s performance at no cost to the builder. Those of us that care call the increase lift-over-drag performance. In the soaring world, better lift-over-drag means getting to the rising air before the model glides to the ground. A poorly done servo cover adds drag, which reduces liftover-drag performance. HOW TO The fix is easy! Here is how I do it. There may be a better way, but this is how I’ve learned to do it for the models that I build and fly. Start by buying a roll of Scotch® brand satin tape. You can use it right off the roll, but it will leave a big, wide tape area on the bottom of the wing. So what I do is cut the roll of tape in half. That is much easier than it sounds. All you need to do is score on a sanding drum from a hardware store such as The Home Depot. Take the roll of tape with you and pick one that just fits in the interior diameter of the tape’s roll. Once you’ve made your purchase and are back home, you’ll want to fit the roll of tape to the drum and tighten the drum so that the tape is fastened tightly to the drum. Then twitter.com/rcsportflyer
Cutting the roll into two halves is easy. You just apply light pressure to the blade while the roll is spinning in the drill press.
You’ll want to buy a sanding drum. Then you’ll secure a roll of tape in the drum and chuck the drum’s spindle up in a drill press.
You’ll use a hobby knife with a #11 blade in it to cut the tape. You MUST use the blade such that tape’s roll is spinning away from the blade!
you chuck the drum’s spindle up in either a drill press or a drill. Once you have it fastened securely in the drill press, you’ll need a new #11 blade in your hobby knife. Then turn on the drill, its rotation rpm set to a medium setting. Using the knife, you’ll apply its blade to the tape such that the roll’s surface is spinning away from the blade, definitely not into the blade! Pay close attention to the photos. This can be a dangerous step if done wrong. So be very, very careful — I’m not kidding here. Now just apply a light pressure to the blade. It will cut the tape roll in half in short order. The result will be strips that are about 3/8in. wide rather than the typical 3/4-in. width. This next step is quite important in that many servo covers do not fit the wings’ recesses properly. This means the covers often protrude above the surface of the wing, which facebook.com/rcsportflyer
adds drag. (This could even trip the airflow over the wing into turbulent flow, depending on the covers’ locations relative to the bottom of the wing). What I do is use the belt sander on my workshop’s belt and disc sander to sand the cover until it fits the recess in the wing. Alternatively, if the recesses are not deep enough, you may want to use a router bit in your Dremel tool to carefully cut the recesses deeper. Either method will work. Note that when you are sanding the covers’ thickness you must be careful not to sand too much material away. So do the sanding in steps, checking and double-checking their fit in the wing. Once you are satisfied with the fit of the covers, you’ll tape them into position as the next step. There is absolutely nothing difficult about taping them in position, with the exception that both the cover and
the bottom of the wing must be clean, and you do not want to get the tape dirtied with finger prints and such either. Use denatured alcohol to clean the wings’ and covers’ surfaces — do NOT drink the alcohol. Doing so will not make the job better. Next, position the cover in its respective recess. The trick to applying the tape is to use too much. Let me explain. What you’ll do is apply the tape well beyond the covers’ recesses. Then you will apply the tape the full length of the part line between the cover and the recess. You’ll then rub it down to get a good bond between the cover and wing’s surface. Once you’re satisfied with the bond, you will use a single-edge razor blade to trim the tape such that its end extends 3/16 of an inch onto the wing’s surface. You’ll repeat this process for all four corners. Once you’ve taped the covers RC-SF.COM
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HOW TO
You’ll want to pick a full-scale airplane to pattern your model’s color scheme after. You can often find a number of example aircraft on the internet.
FINISH IT
EASY WEATHERING TRICKS YOU CAN DO BY DERIK RINEHART
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The materials you’ll need include a hobby knife, charcoal sticks, a small tray or cup for charcoal powder, paint brush, aluminum silver colored paint (acrylic or enamel), and acrylic sealer.
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et’s face it, nothing makes a warbird look better than having that “just got back from a rough mission” weathering finish. For us scale nuts, there’s a point of pride in making our airplane look like you ran the full-scale through your dryer, and it worked! Dirt, mud, soot, oil, exhaust, and paint chipping are just a few of the many things that add to the realism of any scale RC model. For some RC modelers it can be an intimidating undertaking. After all, not every modeler grew up building plastic models and spending countless hours on minor detailing — those of us that have use a variety of techniques from hand brushes to airbrushes. We will also add other twitter.com/rcsportflyer
Soften the charcoal stick against a hard surface before applying directly to the airplane’s surface. Then trace the panel lines onto the painted foam surfaces.
Smear the charcoal with either a dry brush, cotton ball, rag, or your finger, as I’m showing you here. It isn’t difficult and it’s actually fun to do to get the look you want.
The finished look should be noticeable, but not overly intrusive to the overall appearance the airplane. What you are after is getting the look of a weathered full-scale airplane.
scale features, such as detailed cockpits and gunsights that are built from scratch. For this discussion we’ll be talking only about weathering, and how to do it in less than an hour. My technique will cost you less than twenty dollars. HOW TO I was approached recently at a major RC event by someone asking how I did the weathering on my FMS Model’s 1400-mm wingspan P-51D Mustang. Here is what I told them. First, the P-51D’s size lends itself to adding extra detailing much more easily than the small plastic models I used to build as a kid. However, the techniques I used then and now are very simple and inexpensive. Even the most novice modeler can use my techniques to detail a scale model, even one done in foam. For starters, this model comes out of the kit box loaded with fantastic details. The FMS 1400-mm P-51D Mustang I detailed was named the This is the Petie 2nd, which is flown by 487th FS CO, Lt. Col. John C. Meyer of the 352nd Fighter Group. You’ll find many P-51 color schemes online that you can use for documentation. facebook.com/rcsportflyer
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3-VIEW
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ASW-28
IT GETS YOU TO THE NEXT THERMAL WITH ALTITUDE TO SPARE BY HANS-JÜRGEN FISCHER
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chleicher’s ASW 28-18E is an 18-meter sailplane that sports a 48-to-1 lift-over-drag ratio. It is a composite sailplane that’s built to the highest standards in Alexander Schleicher’s factory, which is located in Poppenhausen, Germany — very near the famous Wasserkuppe mountain in the state of Hessen. In its 18-meter version, the sailplane performs like one of Schleicher’s older version Open
Class machines. It does so because it uses state-of-the-art technology in airfoil design as well as blowhole technology to control the airfoil’s boundary layer. The ASW 28-18E has a maximum all-up weight of 575 kg (1268 lb), which makes for a wing loading of up to 48 kg/m² (9.8 lb/ft²). This wing loading lets the pilot take advantage of the best lift-over-drag ratio airspeed of 90 km/h (56 m/h). The 28-18E is designed to have docile
flight characteristics, all the way down to its stall and beyond. Assembly is quick and easy because the sailplane utilizes automatic control connections and an automatic hook up for ailerons on the outer wing panels. Additionally, the wings of the ASW 28-18 have their break at just over half span for reduced weight and rigging ease. The ASW 28-18E uses a SOLO 2350 engine. It is an 18 hp twocylinder sustainer engine that turns a
ASW 28
Alexander Schleicher Segelflugzeugbau
ASW 28-18 ER
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BUILD
FMS FOCKEWULF FW-190 A REFINISH TO MAKE IT SPOT ON BY ROBERT J. CASO
The FMS model comes with the markings and much of the service nomenclature already applied.
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y now I think everyone knows, or should know, that I am a sucker for Focke-Wulf 190’s. Mainly the “A” models, but just about any version of Kurt Tank’s diminutive fighter will do. If you have ever seen one of these things in person, it is surprising how small it is compared to a Mustang. It’s even more surprising what the Germans were able to hang on it for its many roles. But it’s the aircraft’s sinister outlines and the multiplicity of varied and interesting camouflages that always get me. This interest in FW-190’s, however, is somewhat of a double-edged
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sword, as I can spot an out of spec 190 model or one with a suspect camouflage from about three miles away. In their haste to market a new and exciting model, oftentimes ARF manufacturers get the canopy size and location on their 190’s a tiny bit wrong. Combine this with wheels that are too small or a nose that doesn’t quite have the correct shape, and it’s “game over” for me. Enter the FMS 190. It’s a decentlysized model with about 55 inches of wing, and I am happy to report that its outlines are pretty much spot on.
Ok, you can still see the foam texture if you’re really up close to the model, but from normal viewing distance this disappears. As an extra special bonus, the model comes equipped with a scale, spinning cooling fan mounted to the prop spinner, thereby hiding the foam innards of the cowl. As we have come to expect with an ARF, just about everything is preinstalled — retracts, servos, motor — and overall it is a wonderfully executed model. So much so, that I chided my buddy Vince Nigrelli into finally buying one at the 2014 WRAM show this year. The other side of the deal was that he twitter.com/rcsportflyer
We were careful not to get too much paint on the markings, but any that did migrate added to the effect we were wanting.
would come directly over to my place for a few days for us to do my typical ARF “fluff up”. Perfect — I love painting FW’s. REDO As the model comes out of the box, it is very convincing — the camouflage job is decent, and the colors are reasonably correct. Many will be happy with just slapping in a battery and taking it off. For us, we wanted somewhat more, and it’s a great modeling experience having two good friends work on a model together, although sometimes it seemed more like outtakes from The Bickersons. PREPARING THE CANVAS As good as it is, this and many other ARFs have to make concessions for manufacturing efficiencies and therefore unit cost. FMS uses colored appliqué’s to hide the wing’s servo runs, and there
were what appeared to be mold release indentations all over the undersides of the wings. Additionally, the plastic injection molded landing gear doors, along with a number of other added-on details, were presented in a slightly different color than the rest of the undersides. Fixing this facebook.com/rcsportflyer
Filler was applied not only to the molding indentations, but also to installations that resulted in a non-scale panel line.
The molded parts under the wings were a different color than the rest, so the entire undersides were repainted.
The control surfaces were carefully routed for bases of the control horns, which were later painted along with the undersides.
A look at the finished undersides of the model. Subtle weathering is always more convincing than too much. RC-SF.COM
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BUILD
DYNAFLITE DECATHLON WINGS ®
STRAIGHT FRAMES ARE EASY — SEE HOW! BY JEFF TROY
Here are the completed upper surfaces of the Dynaflite Super Decathlon wing panels. The present installment will walk you through a collection of helpful building tips for this and future projects.
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1
When working with cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesives, use parchment paper to protect plans from spilled glue. For most other adhesives, Great Planes Plans Protector, wax paper, and backing sheets from iron-on coverings are excellent choices.
2
To help prevent the cracking and splitting of parts, make pop-out easier, and reduce weight, try sanding the backs of die-cut parts sheets with coarse sandpaper on a bar sander. This will remove any burrs that could capture the part.
3
The Super Decathlon’s wing spars and caps are joined with BSI Insta-Cure + medium CA. Use coarse sandpaper on a bar sander to smooth the seams and remove excess adhesive.
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Want a quick trick for fitting spars into rib notches and stringers into bulkheads? Simply sand a slight radius onto the edges of the notch-facing wood. Nothing could be easier.
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our sets of wings have already been built for this series. I’ve explained different techniques with each set, starting with basic construction and strip ailerons on the Great Planes® Super Sportster 60, inset ailerons and dual aileron servo bays on the Sig Spacewalker II, building and covering an undercamber wing on the Shive Dallaire Sportster, and a multiple wing setup on the Ziroli Fokker Dr.1 triplane. The fifth set of wings is for the Dynaflite Super Decathlon, and what I’ll be demonstrating here are wing strut mounting areas, an aluminumtube joining system, carved wooden wingtips, and generous areas of balsa sheeting. Basic framing of the Decathlon wings begins now. FRAMING I used Bob Smith Industries (BSI) Insta-Cure + medium cyanoacrylate facebook.com/rcsportflyer
(CA) glue for most of the Decathlon’s wing construction, switching to Insta-Cure thin CA and Quik-Set fiveminute epoxy for a couple of special procedures. Plans should always be covered with a protective barrier to prevent the parts from sticking to them. When working with traditional adhesives such as white and yellow glues (aliphatic resin) or epoxy and cellulose adhesives (Ambroid, Duco Cement, Sig-Ment), Great Planes Plans Protector, common wax paper, or even a MonoKote backing sheet work well as a protective barrier. However, when using CA as the primary adhesive, I prefer parchment paper, which is found in the baking aisle of nearly every grocery store. Lay out the plans and protective covering and prepare the ribs and plywood doubling parts as explained in the Dynaflite manual, taking a few minutes to sand the back of each
sheet of die-cut parts with coarse sandpaper on a Great Planes EasyTouch bar sander or an ADC Tee-Bar. This simple pre-assembly procedure helps the parts separate from the sheets more easily, and cuts down on the number of cracked, split, or broken parts from sheets that are not as cleanly cut as we want. I must mention the Decathlon parts were very nicely cut, so they separated with hardly any effort required. The upper and lower main spars are strengthened by laminating a 1/8 x 3/8 x 24-in. spruce cap over each of the four 1/4 x 3/8 x 42-in. spruce spars. I used a disk/belt sander to make quick work of the suggested 2-in. bevel on the spruce caps, then secured them to the spars with medium CA. The easiest way of getting the caps aligned correctly is to turn the spars and caps on their sides, then press them together alongside a RC-SF.COM
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PLAN
VAN’S RV-4 A WILDLY SUCCESSFUL TWO-PLACE SPORT AIRPLANE CAN BE YOURS BY WENDELL HOSTETLER
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he Van’s company designed and built the original RV-4 airplane about 27 years ago. It is one of the most popular kit aircraft in the world. Thousands have been built and flown. After Van’s introduced the RV-3, they realized pilots wanted a twoseater version of their airplane kit. The RV-4 was therefore created as a new design from the ground up. Van’s tells us that a poll of prospective customers was taken in the early 1970s. It showed a strong preference for a tandem seating configuration in a new design. This type of design puts the pilot (weight) on the aircraft’s centerline and keeps frontal area low, reducing drag. The first RV-4 subsequently flew in August 1979. It had a top speed of about 180 mph, and the handling qualities were almost identical to the RV-3, so it became pretty much an instant success with homebuilders. The RV-4 holds two people and a moderate amount of baggage. The seating is compact. It is flown from the front seat only. The kit includes a stick for the rear-seater though, so the builder has the option of providing control for them. RV-4s are designed for 150- to 160-horsepower engines, although some builders have installed
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engines as large as 180 hp. RV-4s are good for sport flying, while some are even used for backcountry adventures. The RV-4 is also an excellent crosscountry machine because of its 725 mile range and good cruise speed. The RV-4 lets pilots fly it into small and large airports, so it is used by many as a way to get between destinations without the expense of a commercially available airplane. As Van tells it, the RV-4 is capable of crossing half of North America in a day when it is flying at cruise speed and at altitude. It is not only a great looking and flying full-scale airplane, but it is now also able to be built as a 35%-scale model thanks to Wendell Hostetler’s plans, which
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COLUMN
HELICOPTERS 101 MOVING FORWARD INTO FORWARD FLIGHT
BY DAVID PHELPS
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akeoffs are optional, landings are mandatory. I’ve come to learn this isn’t just an old saw concerning aircraft safety; it’s a metaphor for life. I would like to start this installment by apologizing to the readers and staff of RC Sport Flyer for my absence over the last few weeks. As most everyone that has been at this model aircraft thing for more than a few years knows, life can sometimes interfere with our favorite pursuit. A couple of My dad, Bill Phelps, with his 85%-completed T-Bird built from RCM plans. My brother and I each built one of these in 1995, and mine is still one of my all-time favorite airplanes. It’s a real fun-fly hot rod that refuses to stall or snap. Equipped with wing-mounted air brakes, its speed range is unbelievable.
The “kit” is all cut out and assembly is ready to begin. I like using a big walk-around table whenever possible for the initial layout, planning, and pre-glue mock-up. It’s possible to see and correct things you might otherwise miss when you can view it from any angle without having to move anything prior to gluing.
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This is the business end of the electric conversion firewall and battery mount. It will accept a 4S 3600-mAh battery. At 3.5 pounds and somewhere around 650 watts, this airplane should be a real rocket. Mine sure is with a hot two-stroke .45 on it.
It’s framed up, half sheeted, and ready for the radio installation. Building over a set of plans is just plain fun. I recommend you protect the plan sheets from glue and such with a clear barrier such as plastic, or even Saran Wrap will work just fine.
The radio is installed and everything looks like it’s going to line up just fine. Time to sheet the wing’s bottom.
This shows the bottom with radio hatch in place, all sanded and ready to cover except for the wing tips.
life’s curveballs were thrown at me in the last several weeks. They made me take stock of what really is important. I learned that building and flying model aircraft and the relationships that develop as a result are some of the things at the very top of my list. Please bear with me as I blow off Wil’s word count limitation and try to explain why. I know a lot of you old-school guys will relate; your experiences are probably not all that different from mine. I got my first model in the summer of 1966 as a “reward” for selling three cases of greeting cards to my neighbors. It was a bright yellow control-line Cox T-28 Trainer, and I’m sure that more than one of our neighbors later questioned the wisdom of buying Christmas cards in July in exchange for helping the neighbor’s kid get something that makes so darned much noise. facebook.com/rcsportflyer
That combined experience would guide (haunt?) me for the rest of my life, from both an entrepreneurial standpoint as well as in sowing the seed of flying. I’ve not been happy unless I was doing both ever since, even if at times they seem to be priorities that are completely at odds. My Dad helped me get the T-28 set up, started, and tweaked. He explained to me how to use my whole arm to control the airplane, rather than using my wrist and elbow. Darned if it didn’t work. I got pretty good at flying it in just a few tanks of fuel. Well, I got so that I could make landings with a roll-out anyway. I had no idea about such things at the time, but it turned out that Dad had been in one of those life-induced model airplane comas for some time. Shortly after I got my T-28, he came home with a Midwest Magician 15 kit — a control line stunt airplane. Then
he disappeared into his closet for a few minutes and emerged holding what looked like a wadded up rag. When he unfolded it, he was holding a Fox .15 engine and a Jim Walker U-Reely handle (how did I miss finding that last Christmas?). He told me that he had been waiting for the right time, and it seemed like now was as good a time as any. We spent the next couple of weeks building and covering the Magician. Dad showed me how to keep everything straight and how to use dope and silkspan for covering. Then we (he) put a really sharp paint job on it. He also made his own fuel tank and bellcrank from sheet brass and steel. He taught me skills I use to this day, some of which I hope to share with you in these pages. Mostly he taught me about the joys and the feeling of accomplishment that come from building an airplane from a pile of RC-SF.COM
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REVIEW
mz-18
A NEW 2.4-GHZ RADIO SYSTEM THAT REALLY IS HOT! BY WIL BYERS
The mz-18 has a very ergonomic case, with switches, knobs, and sliders that are well placed, plus high-quality gimbals and a TFT LCD display.
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ANTENNA DV2 DV1 S5 SWITCH
S3 SWITCH
S2 SWITCH S1 SWITCH
S4 SWITCH
The mz-18’s control sticks, switches, trimmers, knobs, and sliders are well placed on the transmitter for easy access and use.
POWER SWITCH NECKSTRAP LUG THRO/AILE STICK
ELEV/RUDD STICK
THRO TRIM
ELEV TRIM POWER SWITCH RUDD TRIM
AILE TRIM
DIRECTION BUTTON
DIRECTION BUTTON
ENT BUTTON
ENT BUTTON
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raupner is not yet a wellrecognized name in the RC community in the USA. Graupner is, however, one of the companies that pioneered RC. Graupner was formerly a German company. They were known for producing some of the best radio systems money could buy — even pioneering in the early days of computerized transmitter systems with their MC-24, which had an open programming architecture that was easy to use. The Graupner company was sold a couple of years ago. Its products are now distributed in the U.S. by OpenHobby.com. OpenHobby introduced the Graupner mz-18 HoTT (Hopping Telemetry Transmission) in early 2014 as an alternative to the brand name transmitters commonly used by RCers in the U.S. The Graupner mz-18 offers RC pilots some functions and features that are typically found on more expensive radio systems, plus the mz-18 includes an easy-to-use user interface via a 3.5-in. thin-film-transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD). The mz-18 HoTT 2.4-GHz 9-channel transmitter implements facebook.com/rcsportflyer
The engineers created a transmitter such that you will not be searching for a switch, trimmer, lever, etc. It is lightweight too.
USB SD CARD EARPHONE
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TELEMETRY
RS LS
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Graupner’s telemetry, which provides for bi-directional communications between transmitter and receiver. That means the user now gets realtime sensor data from their aircraft via the transmitter’s LCD display. It can provide telemetry data for
Charge Socket
rpm, voltage, current, temperature, altitude, etc. The mz-18 also utilizes 75 channels in the 2.4-GHz band for its spread spectrum protocol, which ensures the signal is unique to the transmitter and immune to radio interference. Plus, the mz-18 provides RC-SF.COM
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REVIEW
T-REX 700E PRO DFC IT DELIVERS 3GX PERFORMANCE AND SO MUCH MORE BY JAMES VANWINKLE
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ecently, I was able to pick up an Align® T-REX 700e. I like this new machine beyond words, so I want to share my experiences with such an amazing piece of machinery. This is not my first Align® helicopter, nor even my second, but it is by far the best I’ve seen. From the design, to the engineering of the components, and to the quality of the hardware, the T-REX 700e offers as much mindblowing performance as any pilot could ever want. This helicopter offers plenty of stability so even a beginner helicopter pilot can enjoy it. In the hands of the most demanding pilots it delivers unlimited capability, which can put you in the winner’s circle.
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RC SPORT FLYER . JULY 2014
Servos, motor, ESC, and gyro are all included in the kit. These components are top-ofthe-line, making the 700e a cut above many other RC helicopters on the market. twitter.com/rcsportflyer
With the model parked, it exhibits incredible stability in hover. The tail rotor provided locked-in flight, even from the first flight. It required no additional adjustments no matter how I flew it.
The 3GX is the “brains� of the system. Helicopter setup is done via this unit, and although it can be programmed with a PC and software, all settings can be made in the 3GX without special hardware. facebook.com/rcsportflyer
Looking towards the back of the frame reveals the rudder servo, which has direct linkage to the tail group via a straight carbon fiber rod. It replaces the typical flimsy piano wire linkage. RC-SF.COM
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REVIEW
MYSTIQUE RES 2.9M
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THIS GLIDER LETS YOU POWER UP FOR ALL-DAY SOARING
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RC SPORT FLYER . JULY 2014
BY WIL BYERS
twitter.com/rcsportflyer
You’ll like the way this glider handles. It is a RES machine, but it responds well to rudder control so you can stand it on a wingtip.
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-flite as been turning out electric-powered airplanes for umpteen years. Their motors, speed controllers, and battery packs are second to none. They’ve also produced some very good sailplanes. Lately, E-flite has brought some limited-motor-run (LMR) gliders to the market. They are well engineered and designed, have good hardware, climb exceedingly well, and are affordable. When the Mystique rudder, elevator, and spoiler (RES) machine arrived at the office, I was on it like a bird on a worm. I wanted to see how
this model would fly as compared to their previous offerings. Also, it was nice to see it designed as an RES machine because it would be good for so many different pilot levels. The Power 25 motor promised to give it excellent rate of climb, which meant multiple motor runs to soaring altitude. Furthermore, because it was a LMR RES glider, pilots would be able to fly it with an inexpensive transmitter. All around, this model looked to be an excellent pick for beginner to advanced pilots whenever they want to experience relaxed soaring.
NEEDED TO COMPLETE • Receiver Spektrum® AR 7610 2.4-GHz 7-channel DSMX • Servos (2) Spektrum® A4030 (2) A7020 Digital • Motor E-flite® Power 25E 1000 Kv outrunner • Speed Controller E-flite® 60-Amp Pro SwichMode BEC • Battery E-flite® 3S 11.1-volt 3200-mAh 30C LiPo pack
An easy straightforward throw will have this glider flying right out of your hand. Hit the throttle and it’s headed for the sky! facebook.com/rcsportflyer
RC-SF.COM
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