Small-Field Flying
By Pat Tritle | [email protected]
As seen in the February 2024 issue of Model Aviation.
COMING INTO BUILDING SEASON is always an exciting time, and getting the shop cleaned and straightened is always refreshing after the typical flying season’s repairs and maintenance, which are musts before new projects get underway. With the less exciting dirty work done, we can then begin planning the year’s new projects, which are exciting. Building season is always a fun time to get going on projects that have often been on the back burner for far too long.
For those of us who love to build, especially Free Flight aircraft and park flyers, one of the primary tools of the trade is the pins used to hold parts in place during construction. Pins hold all sorts of things in place, and a variety of sizes is a must.
Magic T-Pins from Peck-Polymers are a terrific way to hold parts in place on plans during construction.
For years, I used dressmaker pins and they worked great, but pressing them into harder balsa without poking holes in your thumb can be challenging. The good folks at Peck-Polymers, however, have come up with a terrific solution. They now offer Magic T-Pins in four sizes.
For projects incorporating smaller wood sizes, the company offers .07mm diameter in 1- and 1.25-inch lengths. For larger projects, there are two lengths of 1.0mm diameter at 1.5 and 1.75 inches. For smaller wood sizes that you might not want to pierce with a pin, the Peck-Polymers Pin Clamps work well with the Magic T-Pins. For those of us with aging fingers, the large, plastic T at the top is easy to grip, not only for pushing the pins into the building board but also for removal.
Handy Trick
If you’re in the realm of fixing and maintaining, here’s a trick that might come in handy. Now and again, I’ll run into a situation where a brushless motor won’t start. It’ll jitter, but it won’t run, which might indicate an open winding. Before you condemn the motor, here’s a simple test.
Using an ohmmeter, check for continuity across all three connectors. There should be continuity in any combination of the three. If you find an open pair, make a second check by piercing the wires above the connector. If all is good, that means that the motor is good, but one of the connectors is probably bad and will need to be replaced.
If you find this situation with a new motor, it could simply be a cold solder joint and can be easily fixed. Sadly, I’ve encountered cold solder joints frequently in recent months, so it’s something you’ll want to keep an eye out for.
This might also save you the trouble of either returning or trashing a perfectly good motor. You can check continuity on your ESC connectors for cold solder joints should the motor check out okay.
Reader Submissions
Flying RC airplanes is a learned skill, and if we go about it right, the learning never ends. To get started, a good trainer is essential.
In that realm, George Ash sent a photo of a couple of RC trainers. Doug Smith designed a Guppy approximately three years ago that’s not only well-suited for flight training but is also a simple introduction into building. With its Hershey Bar wing, simple box fuselage, sheet tail surfaces, and no landing gear, the design is the height of simplicity. Even better, the plans and building instructions are available as a free download from the Outerzone website.
Doug Smith designed the Guppy as a simple yet robust primary RC flight trainer.
George, Doug, and a couple of their club members gathered and worked with a group of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadets to build Guppys. Homewood Toy & Hobby furnished the radio. George and the crew provided everything else that was needed to complete the models. So far, approximately 15 Guppys have been completed and a few fledgling pilots have soloed. In George’s words, "You haven’t lived until you get together with the CAP, with amazing cooperation by the CAP, families, and cadets."
George Ash, Doug Smith, and other club members gathered a group of CAP cadets together to build and fly Doug’s Guppy.
Well done, guys. It’s efforts such as this that will keep the hobby alive for years to come.
Stepping back in time, Len Rozamus dropped in with an old photo of his Bridi T-10. The original model was powered by an O.S. 10 FSR engine. A couple of years later, the model was converted to the optional high-wing version with tricycle landing gear. This time, power came from a Cox Medallion .15 engine that ultimately proved to be a bit too much. Sadly, on the first takeoff, the wing collapsed and the T-10 met its demise. I hate when that happens, and I’d bet that many of us have been there.
Len Rozamus sent a photo of his 1970s-era Bridi T-10 powered by an O. S. 10FSR engine. The model was later converted to a less successful high-wing version.
Finally, Michael Myers has stepped up with a terrific conversion project. This time, he’s converting the Easy Built Models 50-inch wingspan Spitfire. The plan is to set up the model with electric power using a Speed 400 motor with a 2S LiPo, simple retracts, and covering it with Polyspan and dope. Michael describes the retracts as a "plastic hinge with a 1/16 wire strut."
Michael Myers is converting the Easy Built Models 50-inch wingspan Spitfire to electric RC. The model will be powered with a Speed 400 motor and set up using simple retractable landing gear.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this goes, and I’ll definitely bring updates when the model is finished. This looks to me to be "old-school modeling" at its best.
For now, I’m going to wrap this up. Thanks to everyone who dropped in with some really interesting projects, both old and new, and especially to George and the crew for their efforts in introducing newcomers to the hobby. Thanks as well to Doug for a terrific RC trainer and to everyone for their work with the CAP cadets.
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