AeroModeller March 2015 PDF

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March 2015
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9 770001 923004
3D CAD
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experTEC
The Expert Forum for Active Scale Model Pilots
April 17 - 19, 2015

co-located with INTERMODELLBAU
www.messe-expertec.com
CONTENTS
AEROMODELLER 934 March 2015 Next issue published on 19th March 2015
22
37
Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe,

Bedfordshire LU6 1QX, England
4
7
8
10
51
14
56
Heard at the Hangar Doors

Editorial, News and Views.
Up and Coming
Calendar of Events for the next months.
Off the Shelf

A look at new and innovative products.
3D CAD for Aeromodellers

Laurence Marks on computer based 3D
drawing of scale parts.
Team Racing Rule Changes

Potential changes in F2C are examined
by Malcolm Ross.
48
How High Did That Go?

Mike Evatt on how to use altimeters in
FF models.
Rubber Motor Storage System
Dave Hipperson explains his tube
storage system.
52
Gran Canaria CL International

European combateers grab some winter
sun and competitive flying.
Pendulum Ailerons
Steve Glass shares his experience
with mechanical and avionics based
pendulum control.
Issue 934. March 2015

(ADH 016)
How to contact us:
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
01525 222573
01525 222574
enquiries@adhpublishing.com
Editorial:
Editor: Andrew Boddington

Email: editor@aeromodeller.com
Publisher: Alan Harman
Group Editor: Ken Sheppard
Administration Manager: Hannah McLaurie
Office Manager: Paula Gray
Advertisement Manager: Gareth Liddiatt
Advertisement Assistant: Joe Brown
Editorial Design: Peter Hutchinson,
Alex Hall & Colin Trundle
16
Advertisement and circulation:
18
Tel: 01525 222573 Fax: 01525 222574

E-mail: enquiries@adhpublishing.com
From the Armchair...

A relaxed look at aerodynamics through
the ages by Supercool.
ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,

Totternhoe, Bedfordshire LU6 1QX, England
Better Rules
John ODonnell considers the
development of FF Duration rules to meet
present needs.
Distribution:
Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue,

London, EC1A 9PT
Tel: 020 7429 4000
22
How to get started in Combat

Mick Lewis leads you through the steps
towards flying CL competitively.
32
64
66
FREE PLAN Spitfire Mk22

Rob Smiths delightful FF model
inspired by the FROG Senior Series.
37
Coupe de Birmingham
Report by Martin Dilly on this late
season F1G and Vintage duration contest.
40
Scale Rubber
Andrew Hewitt on choosing the right
subject for rubber powered outdoor scale.
Power Trip Redfin 049RV
Maris Dislers reviews this new reed
valve diesel engine.
Tail End Charlie

The thoughts of Chris Ottewell.
10
ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,

Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX.
Tel: 01525 222573 Fax: 01525 222574
Subscribe from 55 for 12 issues.
Website: www.aeromodeller.com
AeroModeller is published monthly
by ADH Publishing Ltd, Doolittle
Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe,
Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX. Entire Contents
2015 ADH Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in part
or whole of any text, photograph or illustration
without written permission from the publisher
is strictly prohibited. While due care is taken to
ensure the content of AeroModeller is accurate, the
publishers and printers cannot accept liability for
errors and omissions. Advertisements are accepted
for publication in AeroModeller only upon ADH
Publishings standard terms of acceptance of
advertising, copies of which are available from the
advertising sales department of AeroModeller.
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Aero Post
Readers letters by post and email.
Subscriptions:
March 2015
No. 934. 5.00
The Supermarine Spitfire

Mk22 Free Plan model
by Rob Smith.
SOLENT SKY
MUSEUM
p03 Contents 016.indd 1
1935
TECHIAL
EC
SP
FF Aileron
es
FF Altimeters,
Avionics, F2C
Chang
3D CAD
BEGINNERS GUIDE
HOW TO:
REED VALVE
SCALE PARTS
COMBAT
REDFIN 049RV
03
30
60
Solent Sky Museum

This Southampton aviation museum has
plenty to interest aeromodellers.
Melbourne CL Grand Prix

The absence of the Aus Nats after
Christmas resulted in this multi disciplined
CL event.
REVIEW:
9 770001 923004
56
Es
Inside Indoor
The skills and science of indoor duration
flying by Clive King.
Select Publisher Services, 3 East Avenue,

Bournemouth, BH3 7BW
Tel: 01202 586848 E-mail: tim@selectps.com
26
Newstrade:
28/01/2015 12:10
29/01/2015 11:20
News, Views and Editorial
THE
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Diminishing Flying Sites
any of the readers of AeroModeller take part in

our hobby/sport with models that require large
open spaces and/or have a high revving two
stroke engine. Up until the 1960s flying sites
meeting these requirements seemed to have
been easily found, with government, land-owners and members of
the public seeing our activities at best as a positive expression of
airmindedness and development of practical skills, and at worst
as a harmless pastime. Today we find ourselves struggling with a
handful of suitable sites for us to competitively fly FF duration or
some of the F2 events.
When Northern events have to be held in the middle of England,
we know we have a problem. Unfortunately things have got worse with
the suspension of Middle Wallop as a site for model aircraft events.
Roger Newman of SAM 1066 informs me that the Airfield
Manager at Middle Wallop has suspended the licence for events in
2015 until further notice, with a possible review in March. To quote:
As a result of the increased security that has been ordered on all MOD
establishments within the UK, all non-resident applications for licences
to use the Middle Wallop airfield are being held in suspension until
further notice.
Therefore we are unable to issue any licences for airfield use for the
foreseeable future, as the situation unfolds this decision will be reviewed. I
much regret any inconvenience caused by this decision.
I hope all is not lost at Middle Wallop for 2015, and that a way can
be found to let aeromodellers meet the MODs security requirements,
perhaps by pre-registering? To track the latest go to www.sam1066.org
There is no single fix that will improve our lot as traditional model
flyers. In this issue you will find Malcolm Ross discussing moves
to reduce the noise in F2C, and John ODonnell on the changes
required to keep FF duration competitive and affordable given the
spaces we fly in.
If the BMFA National Centre study can deliver us a suitable
multi-discipline flying site that would be a step in the right direction.
However, we need other suitable sites across the length of Great
Britain - we will all need to work together to make our voices heard
before it is too late.
Regards, Andrew Boddington
editor@aeromodeller.com
Battle of Britain Chapel saved

from closure
Thanks to Charlie Newman for

highlighting the story that the Ministry
of Defence had announced that it would
stop funding the Battle of Britain chapel
as it was not an appropriate use of its
funds. The chapel is the last surviving link
with RAF Biggin Hill which managed to
remain operational during the events of
summer 1940 despite it being the most
heavily attacked airfield.
Winston Churchill said that St
Georges Chapel of Remembrance on the
site of the former RAF station should be
a permanent shrine to the few who gave
their lives during the Battle of Britain,
so it was sad to think that the chapel
would close on the 50th anniversary of
Churchills death.
Thanks are therefore due to a
commercial organisation, Biggin Hill
Airport, which has stepped in to make up
the shortfall of 50,000 a year to keep it
open. The chapel is easily recognised by
the Gate Guardian Spitfire in its grounds,
so why not give it a visit?
4 AeroModeller - March 2015
p4-6 HANGAR DOORS 016.indd 1
29/01/2015 14:21
Running up Barton B racers in the pit area before the

only B race of the day getting short of light this year.
Next time we will run the B racing first!
Barton Cold Turkey
While many of us were in a post-Christmas torpor, the hearty

members of the Barton Club near Manchester were out flying
Control Line on 28th December. Report from Malcolm Ross and
David Measures provides the photographs.
A beautiful winters day at Barton - zero degrees but sunny and
no wind at all. Bit of ice on the pilots circle and pit segments but
this was soon sorted out with a dose of salt. Ray Lloyds Corn
Beef Hash at lunch, and Sue Needhams BBQ cooking all through
the day kept the hunger pangs and thoughts of real turkey at
bay. Winter flying is always a fun task, although mechanics keep
complaining about freezing fingers and no feeling! Thanks to all who
ventured forth and made the event a super day and great success.
British Goodyear flown first with 8 entries
Heaton/Hart
4.38.2 7.35.0
Eifflaender/Eifflaender
4.55.8 4.43.2
Daglish/Eifflaender
5.33.3 4.45.4
Ross/Court
4.45.6 5.04.6
Pinkerton/Lipowski
5.23.4 5.37.7
Pinkerton/Bellamy
5.38.1 5.27.6
Fry/Winstanley
7.53.5
Hill/Ridley
34Laps 49Laps
Final
Heaton/Hart
Eifflaender/Eifflaender
Ross/Court
9.50.3
10.01.7
10.07.7
Great final - Best of the day.
ERE Diesel Details
Tony Davies has contacted me about his obscure diesel

engine made by ERE; I certainly dont recognise it and
it doesnt appear in Mike Clanfords Pictorial A to Z
reference.
Right: A cold, icy, super calm

and clear day greeted all the
competitors. Here old timers (from left) Barry Pickles,
Mike Fitzgerald, Andrew
Watson and Oliver-re maker
Tom Ridley, look about ready
for racing at 10.00am.
Mini Goodyear
Heaton/Hart
Pinkerton/Lipowski
Pinkerton/Bellamy
Ross/Court
Fry/Winstanley
Nevis/Nevis
Final
Heaton/Hart
Ross/Bellamy
Pinkerton/Lipowski
4.34.7
4.58.5
6.45.9
7.21.7
7.59.6
9.47.9
9.29.0
12.10.2
111L
Even combat flier Mike Whillance was

tempted out on the day to test a few
models among the long shadows.
Mylar Temperatures
It is good to know that people are reading what I write! Mike Woodhouse of
Free Flight Supplies contacted me after seeing the piece on Tissue over Mylar.
He uses Mylar a lot and even with the iron at full chat has never blown a hole.
I think the small hole that occurred while I was covering was on a nib of glue
on a rib, rather than a hole melt so make sure you first sand the airframe
smooth before covering.
Mike goes on to say that Mylar should not melt at the temperatures we
work at, but there are some plastic films out there masquerading as Mylar
which arent - these melt!
Compressor for the TRN2 Airbrush
The original spray bar & needle valve are missing, and
he would like to make replacements to look as close as
possible to the original. Can anyone help him with photos
and dimensions? We would also be interested to hear of
any background on ERE as a manufacturer.
The engine is 0.500 inches diameter and stroke is
0.562 inches.
Following last issues review of the Neo Iwata TRN2 Airbrush from The
Airbrush Company, a reader wanted to know whether a small studio type air
brush compressor delivering about 1.5 cfm free air, would have enough puff
for the TRN2. This is reviewer Richard Crossleys reply;
I have used the TRN2 airbrush a number of times since the article, and I still
love it - the roundels I sprayed on a little Sopwith Strutter are the best I have
ever done.
I have an old SimAir studio type compressor. It has a small tank and a fairly
quiet motor. I found that it coped with
the TRN2 perfectly. I have noted some
statistics from the manufacturers plate
fixed to it:
HP 1/6th
Working pressure 0-80psi (max 100psi)
1.14cfm (32 litres/minute)
Looking at these figures I
am pretty sure your
compressor will be
fine. It does rather
depend on what
size of models
you are
spraying the airbrush
can be made
to spray at a
surprisingly
low pressure,
so that helps
save air.
5
29/01/2015 14:21
News, Views and Editorial

INTERMODELLBAU
15 to 19 April 2015, Dortmund,
Germany
INTERMODELLBAU, the leading

modelmakers exhibition in Germany, will
take place at the Messe Westfalenhallen
Dortmund Exhibition Centre from 15 to 19
April 2015 and show model aircraft, railways,
ships, vehicles and figures a wide spectrum of
modelling in eight exhibition halls.
The focus of the exhibition is very much on
scratchbuilding with some impressive flying

models including a 60kg Dornier DO X. The
twelve-engined DO X flying boat with 159
seats was the worlds largest passenger aircraft
in the 1930s. The classic aircraft has long since
secured its place in aviation history, especially
because only three DO X aircrafts were built.

With a wingspan of 4.8 metres, a length of 4
metres the model is powered by twelve fourstroke engines.
Admission for adults is 12 euros in
advance. The admission ticket for the
BMFA National Model Flying Centre Study
Thanks to Manny Williamson, BMFA Development Officer, for

answering AeroModellers request for an update on the study that
we first covered in AM 928.
The National Centre feasibility study is gradually gaining
momentum, and we are currently evaluating potential locations.
It is pleasing that there is broad support for the establishing of a
National facility, and members appear to appreciate the potential
benefits of an enduring location which provides a sustainable
national identity for the sport of model flying.
The aim of the study is to investigate the various aspects of
establishing a facility, and to provide a structured summary of
findings, perhaps the two primary areas of concern for the average
BMFA member are location and cost.
In terms of location we are focussing predominantly on the
middle of the country for fairly obvious reasons, it is of course clear
that wherever a centre was established it would be closer to some
people than others. The significant point is the establishing of
such a centre has wider benefits to the future of model flying, and
support for such a study shouldnt be considered on a will I visit
it? basis.
The Academy of Model Aeronautics (the American equivalent
to the BMFA) established a national facility with a flying site,
museum, archive and offices a number of years ago which has
been very successful, as well as regular flying activity and training
they also host national and international events each year, other
countries have also established significant centres for model flying.
The brief has always been that any facility should be considered on
a no direct cost to members basis; however it is clear that for such a
major project to succeed it will require significant financial resources.
We are currently exploring various funding options available
INTERMODELLBAU exhibition also covers

admission to the experTEC exhibition focused
on products for all types of aeromodelling,
which takes place at the same time on three
days (17 19 April).
Info and Tickets: www.intermodellbau.de
Meaningful proposition?
Idle dream?
B.M.F.A. NATIONAL CENTRE
through schemes such as National Lottery which need to be

explored further; however all of the schemes have the requirement
for matched funding as a primary requirement.
Clearly if we are to develop such a project then it could only
move forward with input from members and clubs, one of
the difficulties is establishing the level of likely support, both
financial and in general terms, there is no doubt that what we are
considering is very much a long term strategy, if a decision is
taken to proceed with this project then a significant area of activity
will be raising the required funds in order to move forward.
I am keen to hear ideas and views on this subject and also keen to
hear from anyone who feels they can help or have experience that
would be of value to such a project and a willingness to get involved.
For further information see www.bmfa.org
03/02/2015 11:04
Events
UP & COMING
AeroModeller Calendar of Events
Please note that the events
listed are compiled weeks in
advance of publication, and you
should check before travelling
in case of change. For future
inclusion of your events, please
send an email with date and
details of the event in a format
similar to those shown below to
editor@aeromodeller.com
FEBRUARY
21 February
BMFA North West Area Indoor
FF Gala, Manchester Velodrome
M11 4DQ. 9am to 6pm. Indoor
Duration F1D, F1L, F1M,
Limited Penny Plane, No-Cal,
Bostonian and Legal Eagle. Open
Scale Flying Only (Rubber, CO2/
Electric and Kit Scale), Pistachio
& Peanut. Cost 20 for any
number of classes.
Contact David Whitehouse
for Duration 01942 897816,
whitehousejdavid@googlemail.com
and John Minchell for Scale
07989 744251,
j.minchell@btinternet.com
22 February
Peterborough MFC Indoor
Flying, Bushfield Sports Centre,
PE2 5RQ. 10:00 to 13:00
www.peterboroughmfc.org
Rochester, Kent ME1 3QJ.

18:30 to 22:00. FF & light RC
timed slots.
Contact Steve 0208 942 5000
or Eric 01622 737814.
28 February
Richmond Upper School
Indoor Flying, Darlington Rd,
Richmond, N Yorks, DL10 7BQ.
12:00 to 15:00. Separate slots for
slow, aero, scale, FF & small Heli.
Cost 5 per pilot.
Mark Parsonage 07835895453
markparsonage@hotmail.co.uk
MARCH
1 March
Beverley and District MAC
Spring Swapmeet, Tickton
Village Hall, near Beverley,
HU17 9RZ. 9.00am till 12
noon. Entry 1.00, Tables 5.00.
Brian Jenkins
2bee.jays@live.com, 07970 959875,
www.badmac.btck.co.uk
1 March
BMFA FF 2nd Area
Centrallised at Area Venues.
F1H, P30, F1J, BMFA 1/2A,
C/E, HLG-CLG.
Contact 0116 2440028,
admin@bmfa.org
2 March
Westland & Yeovil Indoor
Flying, Crewkerne Sport Centre
TA18 7NT. Indoor flying in
a large (4 court) sports hall,
regular event twice a month. FF,
RC Fixed & Heli. Jack Mitchell
jack@home9999.plus.com
22 February
OFMAC Indoor Flying, Abbey
Sports Centre, Berinsfield OX10
7NR. 08:30 to 16:00. Free flight
Rubber, CO2, electric. Contact
Dave Dobson 01491 837789,
mac1@talktalk.net
24 February
Bournemouth MAS Indoor
Flying at the Allendale Centre,
Hanham Rd, Wimborne, BH21
1AS, 19.00 to 22.00. FF only.
Gyminnie Cricket League.
Flitehook normally in attendance.
Free parking Allendale Rd.
Contacts John Taylor
01202 232206 & Roy Tiller
roy.tiller@ntlworld.com
28 February
Tonbridge Gassers and Rubber
Fanciers Indoor Flying, Kings
Sports Centre, 601 Maidstone Rd,
7 March
Furzefield Indoor, Sports
Centre, Mutton Lane, Potters
Bar EN6 3BW. FF, RC Small
planes & helicopters only.
Flyers 8.00 Spectators 2.00
Mike Quille 020 8500 3549
mp.quille@live.co.uk
8 March
Flitehook Indoor FF Meeting,
Totton Community Centre,
Hazelfarm Rd, Southampton,
SO40 8WU. 10.00 to 16.00
Contact Flitehook
02380 861541
8 March
40th Crawley Indoor Meeting,
BMFA South Eastern Area, K2
Leisure Centre, Pease Pottage,
Crawley, RH11 9BQ, 11:00 to
18:00. Competitions : HLG/
CLG, Peanut & Open Scale,
EZB & Living Room Stick,
Gyminie Cricket, Hangar Rat
& Butter Fly Mass Launch and
Legal Eagle Class. Regret no
RC, plenty of FF Fun Flying
time. John Dart 01293 420830,
johndart17@aol.com
or cadmac.org.uk
8 March
BMFA South West Area Indoor
Flying. Saints Fitness Centre,
Tregorrick Park, St Austell,
PL26 7AG. 12:00 to 16:00 FF
and Micro RC. David Powis,
01579 362951,
dave_powis@hotmail.com
8 March
Redruth & District MFC model
swop/bring and buy, Threemile
Stone community Centre.
10:00hrs to 16:00, 6 Tables
pre booked, attendees 2. Steve
Polkinghorne 01209 313263,
Stevewings55@tiscali.co.uk,
www.rdmfc.co.uk
8 March
Shawbury Indoor Flying,
Shropshire. 13.00 to 16.00,
flying 10. Two separate areas
FF/Slow RC and 3D Foam/
Helis with slots.
Contact John Minchell
j.minchell@btinternet.com
14 March
Delyn MFC Swapmeet, St.
Winefrides RC Primary School,
Holywell CH8 7NJ. 09.00
to 13.00.
Mike Parry 01352 710167
15 March
Impington VCMAC Indoor
Meeting, Impington Village
College, Near Cambridge, CB24
9LX. 9.00am to 5.00pm. 6.00
to fly indoors all day. Main
hall FF, other hall RTP, small
helicopter and RC. Comps for
Ray Malmstroms Canard-Air
& Bostonians, rubber powered
Full details of BMFA events can be found at:
car race and Talk on Kit scale

competitions and building.
Chris Strachan 01223 860498,
chris.strachan@btinternet.com
21 March
Peterborough MFC Indoor
Flying, Bushfield Sports Centre,
PE2 5RQ. 10:00 to 13:00
24 March
Bournemouth MAS Indoor
Flying at the Allendale Centre,
Hanham Rd, Wimborne,
BH21 1AS, 19.00 to 22.00.
FF only. Gyminnie Cricket
League. Flitehook normally
in attendance. Free parking
Allendale Rd. Contacts John
Taylor 01202 232206 & Roy
Tiller roy.tiller@ntlworld.com
28 March
Scale Indoor Flying and
Trimming session before Scale
Nats, Bushfield Sports Centre,
PE2 5RQ. 10:00 to 18:00,
Flyers 15. Free flying but
priority given to Nats entries.
Organised by Andy Sephton
andrewjsephton@gmail.com
07872 625279
APRIL
3 April
BMFA FF Northern Gala,
Good Friday at North
Luffenham. CombGlider,
Comb Rubber, BMFA Power,
C/E, SLOP, F1H, P30, BMFA
1/2A, Mini Vintage, HLGCLG. G.Warburton
0113 2852947, www.bmfa.org
15-19 April
INTERMODELLBAU at
Westfalenhallen Dortmund
Exhibition Centre in Germany.
Model aircraft, railways, ships,
vehicles and figures in eight
exhibition halls. Includes
experTEC show on 15-19 April.
www.intermodellbau.de
www.bmfa.org
7
p07 calander 016.indd 1
29/01/2015 16:11
Off The Shelf

PAL LOLA 0.020ci Diesel Engine
Not since the 1990s and the small diesel engines supplied by the likes of Arne Hende, David
Banks and Ian Russell has it been possible to obtain production run diesels of less than 0.5cc.
Im pleased to say that with the release of the PAL LOLA, small IC powered model enthusiasts
again have access to a jewel of a power plant.
Well known American modeller Bob Langelius is the man behind PAL Model Products and the
introduction of the 0.020ci (0.3cc) LOLA diesel engine after some 4 years of development. The
engine is manufactured in Europe, and to my eyes has some of the looks of the early Arden
engines LOLA is truly a cosmopolitan!
The engine has been thoroughly tested and flown, and has demonstrated substantial power. The
timing was developed for easy starting and throttle response. The under-slung fuel tank can be
removed and a remote tank used. The engine can be run with the fixed carburettor, or attach
the included RC throttle. We will be featuring a full test in a future issue of AeroModeller.
The engine is professionally boxed, complete with RC throttle, micro primer, propeller, serial
numbered, with an attached clear see-through tank, and unique compression lock.
The price is $192.00 US Dollars plus postage and packing.

bobbylang@earthlink.net
32 Clinton Street, White Plains, NY 10603, USA
www.palmodelproducts.com
Deluxe Materials Strip Magic

Stripping paint from plastic surfaces of a model can be a tricky process, specially if the model is precious or has fine
detail etc. Traditional stripper can also sometimes be hazardous to work with - enter Strip Magic from Deluxe Materials.
Strip Magic is a fast acting, spreadable, & controllable paint stripper that will soften and remove paints and
primers, typically 5-15mins according to paint type. It works on plastic, resin and metal, is safe to handle and has
little or no odour. It stays where it is applied, and is non-corrosive & non-flammable.
The 125ml bottle of Strip Magic (part number AC22) is priced at around 8.90.
All Deluxe Materials products are available from good model shops. www.deluxematerials.co.uk
BEFORE
AFTER
Strip Magic will also clean-up old engines.
Deluxe Materials Strip Magic has been developed

to remove paint from plastic models.
p08-09 OnTheShelf 016.indd 8
29/01/2015 11:23
A round up of new and innovative products for the discerning aeromodeller. Send your
product information along with high-resolution images to: editor@aeromodeller.com
ACE Electric CL Trainer from Dens Model Supplies

The ACE ECL (Electric Control Line) Trainer package consists of a laser cut balsa kit and hardware
plus a pre-wired plug and play electrical system - it is easy to build and fly, clean, quiet and great
fun. Only simple hand tools, finishing products and a battery are required to complete the model.
Motor speed and flight duration are adjustable with programmable flight times as low as 10
seconds for those all-important first flights. A start delay feature allows solo operation.
Video showing the model flying can be seen at youtu.be/9rK8JDQhftQ
Package contains: Laser cut balsa and ply parts
Complete hardware package
Electric Motor with prop and prop saver
Electronic Speed Controller
E Zee Control Line Timer
All Electrical items fitted with connectors
Control Line handle and lines
Illustrated building instructions & timer manual
Wing span 19 inches for flying on a line length of 25 feet - perfect for the local park
or garden.
Price is 85.00 + P&P from Dens Model Supplies (DMS), 01983 294182.
www.densmodelsupplies.co.uk
Parra Cut-Away Display Engine
Deluxe Materials Aerokote Make it Matt

A simple matting agent that blends readily with Aerokote gloss to give it a satin or matt nish. Just
measure & add Make it Matt to Aerokote Gloss in the prescribed quantity depending on wthere
you want Satin, Matt or a Dead Matt nish, and then add standard Aerokote catalyst to the mix in
ratio 10:1 as usual, and mix well
The 50ml bottle of Aerokote Make it Matt is priced at around 4.50.
Alberto Parra informs me that he has a limited supply of these intriguing cut-away
display versions of his Parra 2.5cc diesel. Ideal for teachers, clubs, to decorate a
workshop or office, or as a present for an aeromodelling friend (or to yourself!)
The engine comes on an aluminium stand, and it is possible to turn-over the shaft
to see how this diesel engine works.
For further details contact Alberto at clubtamaran@gmail.com
www.clubtamaran.com
All Deluxe Materials products are available from good model shops. www.deluxematerials.co.uk
9
p08-09 OnTheShelf 016.indd 9
29/01/2015 11:24
Model Technology
3D CAD
for Aeromodellers
Laurences approach to the 2D CAD airframe plans of a balsa flying model

of the Spirit of Saint Louis were described in a previous AeroModeller.
Laurence Marks on computer based 3D drawing, the precursor to 3D printing of original objects.
n my last article in AeroModeller

928, I looked at the art and science
of 2D CAD (Computer Aided
Drafting). This time Im looking at the
altogether more complicated subject
of working in 3 Dimensions. Whereas the
average aeromodeller can get into 2D CAD
with minimal outlay and effort, the same
cannot be said of 3D. So we could simply
leave it to Airbus, Boeing and the others.
Well no, because nobody can have missed
the incessant, much hyped, growth of 3D
printing. Without 3D CAD there can by
definition be no rapid 3D manufacturing. To
quote Oxford Model Flying Clubs oldest
member I understand the 3D printing
process but what I dont get is how the shapes
got into the computer in the first place. And
that essentially is what this article is about.
So the difference between 2D CAD and
3D CAD is more than depth. 2D CAD
is essentially about neater, faster, better

drawings. Computers making an existing
job easier. 3D CAD, or more generally
CAE, which stands for Computer Aided
Engineering, allows us to visualize what
a finished design will look like, try out
different ways of making it, and most
amazingly, try it out in a virtual world. We
can see how strong it is and how it will fail
when we push it too far; we can fly it and
see how the air flows around it; we can even
see how well it would fare if it ditched in the
water. Well, we can if we can describe the
physics adequately, and that in many cases
is far from a done deal. (One of the authors
other obsessions is modelling the Barnes
Wallis bouncing bomb in the virtual world
of multi-physics...)
But back to the more basic world of
geometry. The last technical step forward
as regards price/performance drove the
price of the cheapest professional 3D solid

modelling systems and software down to
several thousands of pounds. Which kind
of rules it out as an accessible technology
for aeromodellers, unless of course you work
in engineering, technical education, or have
a friend who does. (You may be able to
achieve something with Google SketchUp,
which has a free basic download; the
concepts are the same, however the author
didnt really have time to get to grips with
it, so the examples shown here were created
using the professional system SolidWorks.
There are limited time evaluations of some
3D systems available for download, however
the disadvantage of these is that you only
get to use the system for a short time. Do
contact editor@aeromodeller.com if you
are using a cost effective/cheap 3D system
that works for designing aeromodelling
related items.)
p10-13 Laurence Marks 3D CAD 016.indd 10
28/01/2015 12:12
A 3D CAD model used to find out what an aircraft actually looked like there are no photos
in existence of this glider (the Hill Pterodactly 1)
This ABC Robin featured a 3D printed dummy motor. It

didnt survive the impact after an optimistic attempt to fly it
in the usual gale at Barkston Heath.
The example Im using here is the Wright

Whirlwind for the Spirit of Saint Louis
which looms large in my building plans.
So the aim of this project is to generate
some geometry for 3D printing, and to use
3D CAD to visualize an appropriate level
of detail to include. And an additional
benefit may be to work out what shape the
aluminium cowling needs to be. Ive used the
old AeroModeller 3view and some of
the many pictures on the internet as my
source material.
How it Works
3D models are created using basic forms combined and filleted, and then arranged into patterns
called assemblies.
Visualising before Making
So if you can beg access to a 3D modelling

system, or can get a friend to do some
modelling for you after hours, youll at
least need to know the basic concepts. Just
like the last article this isnt meant to be a
step by step tutorial the internet is awash
with those.
Before as much as firing up the computer,
a CAE project needs a well defined
objective. This might simply be to prepare
a file for 3D printing, but even in that case
we need to have worked out how much
detail we need to include. Put simply, will
a simple dummy motor look good enough
in front of the judges? Another reason to
make a 3D model is to work out what shape
something actually is. This might sound
crazy, but it is often difficult to work out
what shape something actually is. Before 3D
CAD it was arguable that in many cases, the
person who defined the shape of something

was the one who actually made the casting
pattern, sank the die or whatever. Until 3D
CAD we couldnt define every point of the
part, and until we could do that we couldnt
say what it was exactly.
Ive built 3D CAD models of sections of
models, and in fact whole aircraft, to see
what shape they were and how each part
related to the others. And before anyone
else points this out Ill do it - People built
aircraft before they built computers. But
a feature of the prototyping process was
almost always to build a mock-up, generally
from wood. And that was the process used
to explore form, fit and to a very limited
degree, function. 3D CAD has replaced
and enhanced that process, and combined
with 3D printing, can even generate objects
we can hold and critically assess. Or use to
detail scale models.
3D CAD works by creating and combining

basic geometric forms, then adding features
such as holes, fillets and the like. More
complex shapes can be created by dragging
profiles along curves, and by generating
almost free form complex surfaces, to make
the sort of smooth aerodynamic forms we
see in cars and aeroplanes. Single parts so
created can be arranged in patterns, essential
for designs which feature many repeated
instances of identical parts, like a radial
engine. (In this project, however, the parts
only use the most basic of shape definitions.)
Because 3D printers take CAD models as
an input, once Im happy with it I can then
have it made, as the name implies, in pretty
short order.
A previous Marks project of this type was
to create the dummy motor for the ABC
Robin I flew (and wrecked) at the Barkston
Nationals some years ago. Id like to think
that this was the first time anyone competed
with 3D printed detail parts on a free flight
scale model Im sure Ill be put right on that
one. But the point of mentioning it was that
I tried to include too much detail, and the
results werent as neat as Id have liked. So
in this model I have deliberately kept things
simple. And as the model will be small the
completed motor will only be 60mm across
this shouldnt be too much of a problem.
3D printed parts often have a rough, layered,
finish - this could possibly be used to give the
impression of fins. Well see how that one
pans out.
11
28/01/2015 12:12
Model Technology
Not a Quick Fix to Scale Success
The model engine shown uses a central balsa

structure to support the cylinders, however
it has also been designed to provide accurate
location. When I built Bill Denniss Bristol
M1D getting the 3 cylinders aligned was
one hell of a job, and one which I never
really achieved to any satisfaction. With this
approach the alignment is all but guaranteed.
Once the central core was completed the
single cylinder was drawn using a series
of extruded simple sections. Getting this
anywhere near right was a reasonably big
job anyone who thinks that the scale
modelling game is over and has been reduced
to downloading models from the internet
should give this a try. Turns out its just like
any other aspect of scale modelling, requiring
an understand of the shapes involved,
measurement and repeated attempts at
creating a representation of what is almost
certainly a loosely defined shape anyway.
The central balsa core, used to self align the motor, and a
single cylinder, both created using basic geometric forms.
A single cylinder assembled on the core, with the associated push rods and inlet and
exhaust pipes. The parts are then copied 9 times to create the complete engine.
The CAD program can be used to determine the

flat pattern to make the cowling.
Once the cylinder and central core were

created multiple cylinders were copied around
the central axis creating the complete motor.
And simple representations of the push rods,
exhausts and inlet tubes were added.
3D CAD is also really useful for
determining what shape sections need to be
before they are formed to shape. So a cowling
has been added to provide the data necessary
to create the complex pattern, allowing all the
parts to be cleared neatly.
So the finished CAD model has done what
it should. It has answered the question will a
dummy motor made from simple forms look
OK? Yes - not a show stopper, but it should
look OK. And the approach of using a balsa
core, 3D printed cylinders and perhaps carbon
rod looks promising. But even in the age of
3D modelling we can only tell for sure when
we get on and make it
Laurence Marks will update us in a future
issue of AeroModeller on the 3D printed
fruits of his labours.
The finished CAD model of

the Wright Whirlwind. Ready
for production
The engine in the

system that was
used to create it
- SolidWorks from
Dassault Systemes.
28/01/2015 12:12
remaining sodium bicarbonate. Dry and oil

the cleaned parts.
Stuck contra pistons must be removed and
cleaned to restore proper function. Remove
can also be used. Use the same thickness as

the original. For back plates, this is not very
critical providing the gasket is thick enough
to ensure the crankshaft (when pushed all the
thin layer of RTV silicone when assembling,

to ensure a good seal.
17
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the Electronic
Electronic
Join
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Revolution
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13
31/01/2014 12:17
27/01/2015 09:35
CL Team Racing
Is this how we want our engines
to look if silencers return to F2C
racing in 2018? A brief flirtation
with them in 1965 for the SMAE
caused half of the racing teams
to give up the class. We cannot
afford for this to happen now.
Noise or Speed
- or Both?
Potential Rule Changes for International F2C

Team Racing are examined by Malcolm Ross.
I
I
t is a time for taking stock, in the

international arena for the event of
F2C Team Racing (formally F.A.I.
Team Race). The winds of change
have been building for some years, and
during 2014 they have uprooted several trees
in the process! What has been the catalyst
for this revolution and why has it had such a
dramatic effect on the world scene? The rules
the event is flown to have been in place since
1959, with no major changes since that date;
only a small reduction in fuel tank capacity in
1968, and an increase in flying wire thickness
during 2012. One could say very well tried
and tested for the competitors.
The important change actually stems from a

little noted document at the time (1984), from
a CIAM Plenary meeting, when it was stated
that all air activities (including model aircraft)
should make every effort to reduce the noise
of their disciplines significantly to a figure of
no more 96 decibels (dB). At present, our little
2.5cc compression ignition motors turn out
around 104-8 decibels. They run on 152.00
mm diameter carbon fibre propellers, at around
26,000 rpm on engines with 4.50 - 5.00 mm
diameter carburettor venturis. Why it was
not acted upon then, was because our engines
were below that limit, but have since climbed
dramatically in noise and power and therefore,
speed. Now the time for 10 laps rotation is

down to 16.3 seconds for ten laps (the way we
measure our speed), or about 140+ mph. These
airspeeds mean that three pilots in a race have
to be pretty nimble to compete the distance
unscathed. Something had to be done.
First Changes Already

Implemented
From January 2015, engines in the F2C

category will have to run on a fixed carburettor
of 3.00 mm diameter (as an interim measure),
for all competitions. How the rules were
defined is the subject of long and protracted
dialogue between competitors, engine
p14-15 F2C Rule Changes 016.indd 14
29/01/2015 15:45
What the fuss is about - F2C models plus

sound meter.
Sergie Andreevs (Russia) winning model at the

2014 World Championships in Poland shows the
silencer deflector system in use at present. Is
anything else needed or required?
The new chair of the racing subcommittee
is Rob Fitzgerald (on the left) from Australia,
seen here with Mark Ellins his pitman teammate for many years.
manufacturers, and FAI committee members.

The main work on these proposals began
in 2010 when Rob Metkemeyer from the
Netherlands produced a paper on noise and
speed control of the class.
This was followed by a conference in
England during February 2011 at which Rob
presented his findings, and a lively debate
ensued. At the end of International contests,
groups held open forums, primarily at the
World and European championships, to gauge
feelings on the areas of:1) silencers.
2) restrictions on specifications.
3) standard fuel.
4) easier participation.
Silencers on the engines was given a thumbs
down by the majority of competitors. Standard
fuel raised many eyebrows, suspicions and
arguments. Easier participation in the class was
welcomed, and restrictions on specifications a
luke warm reception.
Many will correctly say this seems to be a
tortuous job for such a small issue, and that
is where the main problem occurs. This is,
however, the only class of competition model
flying that has a fuel tank size restriction,
governing the output of the engine and results
- therefore any changes to specification has a
massive effect on everything!
All present were given a chance to have their
say, and a synthesis of the conclusions from
July 2014, was to ask Rob Fitzgerald from
Australia to head up a further subcommittee,
to look specifically at the requirements for the
class, to give a final, definitive, presentation to
CIAM in 2018.
The make- up of the subcommittee group is
as follows:
Rob Fitzgerald, Chairman - Australia.
Vova Macharenko - Ukraine
Derek Heaton - United Kingdom
Jean-Paul Perret - France

Bill Lee - United States of America
Nerijus Zukauskas - Ukraine
Bent-Olof Sameulsson - Sweden
Peter Halman (ex-officio) - United Kingdom.
So any one of them can be canvassed with
your views or talk with me and I will pass
them on.
F2C Model showing Old Diameter carburettor

placed on the wing, and the present aluminium
silencer Shroud over the exhaust exit from
the fuselage.
Time Line 2014 19

for Noise Reduction
The following time line lays out the dates for

implementation of the new formula for F2C:
2015
3.00mm venturi
2014 & 2015
Initial experimentation to reduce noise, with
noise tests at world events.
September 2015
Review noise limit with a view to setting
appropriate level for F2C.
2016 CIAM Plenary meeting
Present review results. Possible consideration
by Plenary of proposal regarding the
appropriate level of noise for F2C
2016- June 2017
Continuing experimentation followed by
review of results of the testing programs.
2017 Plenary Meeting
Possible consideration by Plenary of proposal
regarding the appropriate level of noise for
F2C (if not submitted at 2016 plenary)
Plenary 2018
Plenary consideration of noise reduction rule
or imposition of a Silencer rule.
Looking at this it first appears to give plenty
of time to get things formulated, but as you
will imagine there is a lot of work to do to get
F2C Model. You can just see the new 3.00 mm

carburettor attached to the engine, with the
old 4.50mm to the right of the motor. A large
% change in area makes the set up fly slower .
Also shown is the present 7.00cc tank allowed
in the rules.
a true consensus of opinion over matters!

The first major issue, that of speed, has been
initially addressed in that a 3.00mm choke
does slow things down. It also reduces noise by
up to 4 dB, because of the decrease in engine
RPM. Look at the photos of the carburettors
- there is a huge change in area. This small
choke also means an increase in range of the
racer - up to 50 + laps is available now, if you
could set the motor for that. This you may say
is fine, going in the right direction.
True it will make some even say What is all
the fuss about having to fit a silencer to your
engine. Both of these views have credence
in this situation, but only those who compete
in the class know the real problems faced
in engineering terms to make things work.
Where do we go from here will be the subject
of a further article.
15
p14-15 F2C Rule Changes 016.indd 15
03/02/2015 11:05
Aerodynamics
From the
Armchair... Part 1
by Stuart Supercool Sherlock
O
O
ne of the nice things about

being fully matured (read old
and decrepit) is that people
are slower to criticise when
one collapses into an armchair
to read a book. However, the kind of books
I read are scarcely relaxing. Indeed, I am
reminded on attending my local bookshop
to pick up Aerodynamics, circa 1943, by
Professor L.M.Milne Thomson, that the lady
at the desk could not put her hand on the
book. Looking at the mess her desk was in,
I politely suggested that perhaps a thief had
carried the book off. Without a pause and in
icy tones, she replied NOBODY WOULD
STEAL THAT BOOK. I was not quite
sure how to take that, but apparently she had
taken the time to leaf through the tome, and
the contents really dont leap out of the page
at one.
Take heart, dear reader, for there are
many other books that an aeromodeller can
enjoy. I find books published before 1940 are
an easy read: the further back in time one
travels, the more fun the books are to peruse.
So the purpose and challenge of From the
Armchair, is to enter the TARDIS, where
my library goes back to 1890, and recommend
some titles worth reading, and even better,
still available.
In this episode, the magic names of
Chanute and Maxim
Advertisement for Chauviere propeller (Helice

in French). The was placed in a 1909 work of S.
Drzewiecki, Des Helices Aeriennes. Regretably,
Drzewieckis works were in the French language,
which made them rather inaccessible. By the way,
Drzewiecki is pronounced Jay-vee-yet-ski.
This is Hiram Maxims own model of his test rig aircraft which was to have had two pilots! This is also
to be seen at the Science Museum in London - it is well worth a visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
are introduced to the unwary. Yet I cannot

escape from the fascination of propeller
design, so you will find my reviews biased in
that direction.
The design of propellers
requires just 2 aerodynamic
parameters. These are the lift
and drag of an aerofoil section.
The lift and drag arise as the
propeller aerofoil rotates under
the influence of engine torque.
Indeed, a propeller is just a
torque converter, changing
the engine torque into thrust
and drag. The thrust force
is directed perpendicular to
the direction of motion, and
the drag is directed directly
against the motion. We know
this now as being pretty obvious,
but in the early days of aerodynamics,
particularly in the 19th century, these
concepts were not at all clearly understood.
Finding Old Books on Aviation
Quite surprisingly, the literature of the early

days of aviation is still available. One can trace
the development of aerodynamics in these old
texts. One source of these texts is Kessinger
Publishings Rare Reprints, where the
original text has been effectively photocopied
and bound into a new volume. Also you can
prompt the local librarian to hunt down old
books by volume title, date and author.
By these means, I was able to obtain an
original 1894 volume of Octave Chanutes
splendid revue of aerodynamic knowledge
up to that date, entitled Progress in Flying
Machines. Also Hiram Maxims 1908 text
entitled Artificial And Natural Flight, which
covered his researches up to that date. Recalling
that the Wright Brothers first had a powered
flight in 1903, the era is clearly of inherent
interest to the Armchair Aerodynamicist.
Chanutes book is a paradise for model
builders who want something different. There
are 85 illustrations, many of which can be
reproduced as rubber-powered flying models.
p16-17 Supercool 1 Armchair prop Airflow 016.indd 16
28/01/2015 12:49
Phillips is best known for his Multiplane designs looking

like a flying window blind. This model at the Science
Museum is of the 1893 coal fired steam-engine powered
early experimental aircraft.
Penauds artificial bird is well illustrated,

as well as a number of other ornithopters,
including those by Jobert and Villeneuve.
Kites are well represented by Hargraves
designs, as well as by Jobert and Maillot.
A surprising number of man-powered
designs, which were never to leave the
ground, were actually patented! Rather more
seriously, the curved aerofoils of Horatio
Phillips, whose name is forever associated
with the Phillips entry (leading edge shape)
were also patented in 1884 and 1891. This
patent seems to me, with hindsight, to be
rather obnoxious, in terms of trying to capture
the whole field of curved-surface lifting foils.
Mind you, no more obnoxious than
the designer of the man powered aircraft
Gossamer Condor, who had the temerity,
in the modern era, to patent the use of the
tilted tailplane for turning purposes. This was
known and used by modellers long before
that designer came across the idea, hardly an
original notion.
Maxim the Experimentalist
Moving on to Maxims book, this is a wholly

different story to the work of Chanute. The
latter work was essentially a collection of
the work of others. Maxim, on the other
hand, was a first class experimentalist, whose
wealth allowed him to build aerodynamic test
apparatus on a massive scale. His whirlingarm test rig served the same purpose as a
wind tunnel. The arm, 31.8 long, could carry
propellers, as well as aerofoils, for test. When
last I looked, one of Maxims giant propellers
was mounted above a door in the London
Science Museum.
Like many before and since, Maxim studied
the flight of birds. His observations led him
to discover the air movements we know as
thermals, mainly as a means of explaining the
strange patterns he saw on the surface of sea.
He also tried to draw the streamlines around
various shaped aerofoils, without the benefit
of the mathematical theory of fluid dynamics.
In fact, the potential field around an aerofoil
can be obtained by guesswork (trial and
error), but it helps to know the answer before
you start!
In fact, Maxim scorned the mathematical
approach, preferring to make measurements
in the real world. It was to be Lanchester
who really understood fluid dynamics, being
among the first to identify the concept of
circulation as the source of the lift force.
Not to be outdone by Chanute, there are
No sign of Maxims giant propeller at the Science

Museum, but you can see this Phillips propeller
used on the second of his petrol engine powered
Multiplane aircraft in 1907.
95 illustrations and photographs. There

are chapters on air currents and the flight
of birds, kite flying, screw propellers, test
equipment, gyroscopic stability and the
efficiency of aircraft designs. Maxim, by
contrast with Lanchester, is perhaps better
remembered as the inventor of the machine
gun and the smokeless cartridge.
I have been unable to track down the
English translation of Otto Lilienthals work
Bird Flight as the Basis of Human Flight.
However, Chanute included, in an appendix,
Lilienthals work The carrying capacity of
arched surfaces in sailing flight. This alone
makes obtaining Chanutes book worthwhile.
Now I started this soliloquy with reference
to the aerodynamic properties of lift and drag.
You will note we got nowhere with them. So
next month we will move on to Lanchester and
a very early (1911) textbook on aerodynamics
by Hubbard, Ledeboer and Turner. This latter
has an illustration on the front cover of the
very latest monoplane, the Antionette.
I should mention that some of these
old works are starting to show their age.
Drzewieckis work mentioned above came
to me in perfect condition. Indeed I had to
cut the pages myself to permit opening the
treatise. However, the spine was brittle and
the pages yellowing, possibly because acidfree paper was not then in use. As I work
on the translation, the booklet is crumbling
before my eyes: very sad, but what a joy to
have handled this historical document.
Kessinger Publishings Rare Reprints to
locate rare, scarce, and out-of-print books,
in affordable reprint editions.
Go to www.kessinger.net
Below: Whirlingarm Maxims

whirling-arm test bed produced
useful real life results from
propellers and aerofoils.
Model by designed Lawrence Hargrave - piece

of cake for an aeromodeller.
Aerofoil sections patented by Horatio Phillips.
17
p16-17 Supercool 1 Armchair prop Airflow 016.indd 17
28/01/2015 12:50
Model Science
BETTER RULES?Part 10
John ODonnell considers
what should be the
guiding principles for FF
Duration Rules.
W
W
e live in a changing world

- whether we like it or not.
Nearly everything we do
is affected in some way or
another, and this includes
model aviation. The phenomenon is not
new in itself, but the rate of change seems
to be increasing.
Just to recap briefly - the model aeroplane
started out as a subject for the inventor
or experimenter before it became a more
widespread hobby. Then WWII came along
complete with a deliberately cultivated (by the
Government) interest in aviation. The end of
hostilities saw a boom in aeromodelling with
the emphasis shifting from solids to flying
models. Rubber models and gliders were soon
augmented by the unexpected but welcome
appearance of the small diesel from Europe.
This made for practical i.c. powered models not only for Free-flight but within 2 or 3 years
for American influenced Control-Line models
as well. Meanwhile the next development was
about to become a commercial proposition this was Radio Control. Once it advanced to the
Black Box (plug and forget) stage it dominated
the hobby. Nowadays RC is common at the Toy
level - not just RTF aircraft and helicopters but
also cars and boats. More advanced technically,
and with interesting implications, is the latest
camera carrying multicopter- or in media terms
the Drone. Public reaction to such devices
Simple hand-held (balsa) beam with equal

sides used to compare and check half-motor
and ballast.
JOD with Eager Beaver tossing grass to check wind direction prior to launch.
Photo by (the late) Rod Kenward.
could certainly affect all our activities.

Meanwhile the Model Aviation enthusiast
has had lots of choice, whether his interest
lies in FF, CL or RC. All have fragmented
into a multiplicity of sub-classes, usually with
size, weight or power limitations. Just how
much diversity exists is shown by there being
over 30 separate Official events at the FF
Nationals, plus those staged by the Vintage
and Space groups.
Consideration also needs to be given as to
whether a person is competitive, nostalgic, or
just a fun flier. Moreover is he or she a modeller
who likes construction for its own sake, one
who builds so they can fly, or an ARTF fan who
merely buys and flies?
Performance Improvements Drive Changes
Since this article will appear early in 2015
about the time contests are starting it is
appropriate to mention recent developments.
As these concern ideas that might bring about
real changes to models, the suggestions deserve
a wide audience.
All these have arisen because of the eventual
realisation that models (especially FF) and their
flying techniques have become too good for

their own good. In essence they have too much
performance and have become impractical
from many considerations. Some of these
difficulties have been apparent at recent FF
Championships.
In consequence there have been suggestions
put forward for discussion at and by CIAM.
This is the part of the FAI that deals with
Model Aviation - and hence determines how
Model Flying operates at the International level.
Almost all the suggestions are intended
to reduce the performance of the FAI
Championship FF classes (i.e. F1A, B, and C).
Some ideas could be implemented immediately,
whilst others are intended to form a gradual
process extending over a few years. The details
of these ideas are unlikely to interest most
AeroModeller readers so will not be spelt out
here. They are available, in part at least, online.
This whole scenario has not been well
received by past and present participants in
International Contests. There was disapproval
expressed at our recent Free Flight Forum
concerning the way our FFTC had submitted
p18-21 JOD Better Pt10 016.indd 18
28/01/2015 12:14
Past experiments with limiting performance. Mini Vintage Eager Beaver disassembled with half-motor and weighted spacer shown alongside normal motor. Alternative ballast is the rectangle of fibreglass board at right.
their own ideas - without input from regular

contestants. This was nothing compared with
the online comments that are currently on the
American SCAT web site and apparently also
on FaceBook.
Much of this criticism was directed at
their being possible rule changes that would
render models and motors obsolete, and hence
potentially reduce the numbers participating.
It was commonly considered that the flyers
should have been consulted early and their
opinions sought.
At this point I would point out that people
fly a class of model because they like it just as it
is - and hence will oppose any change, especially
those that will affect their models or devalue
their expertise.
It can be argued that a World Championship
event should be contested using the worlds best
The Bowden competition at the

2014 Nats was popular with both
flyers and spectators but is it right
to amend the rules on the day?
Dave Hambley with A/2 (F1A) at Newbigging, near Lanark in

Scotland. This is a huge stretch of moorland - now with restricted
access from some sides.
equipment and having the highest performance.

There is certainly merit in this viewpoint - but
trouble comes from trying to operate this
equipment elsewhere and under different
conditions. It is really too much to expect that
one set of rules and requirements will suit all (or
even most) situations.
What are Contests For?
Perhaps we should look at the situation from

the other end. I learnt a long time ago that you
should consider the problem first, and possible
solutions afterwards. Adopting this approach is
recommended - and should be used wherever
possible.
So, lets start by asking what are contests
supposed to determine? Is it the model with
most performance, reliability and practicality or the person with the most skill - or whatever?
Are there any other desirable considerations?

We also need to determine what constraints
and restrictions apply. Are they real, or can they
be overcome? Are costs or legality involved?
International Contests
Looking at the present International contest

scene from these angles would indicate that
it has been allowed to grow unchecked. It
is almost certainly far too late for major
changes, and very likely that minor ones would
accomplish little.
Personally I very much doubt that anything
drastic will happen in the way of simplifying
the specifications and hence necessitating new
or altered models. Following the dropping of
the BoM (Builder of the Model) requirement
there is far too much Vested Interest, both from
the Cottage Industry suppliers and from their
19
28/01/2015 12:14
Model Science
customers, for any major change to be approved.
In short the International contests can be
expected to continue in much the same way as
at present.
and National Contests
Nevertheless in this country we still have an

extensive National programme run to our own
domestic rules. Currently there are difficulties
in continuing to operate as we would like. We
have models with far too much performance
combined with a shortage of suitable contest
sites, unsettled and often unsuitable weather
and a clientele that is mostly old and tired. We
have also become a Nation of spectators rather
than of participants.
In these circumstances it should have been
unrealistic to expect our traditional Contest
Calendar to continue unaltered for yet another
year. Nevertheless this is what our FFTC
(BMFA Free Flight Technical Committee) has
published for 2015 - including eight Area Semi
Centralised (ASC) meetings to be run by the
Areas as and where they can. With the loss of
Church Fenton and Barkston (apart from the
Nationals) there is no longer any access to an
airfield North of the Midlands. Of course the
ASC meetings do not have to be flown on an
aerodrome, merely on a venue approved by the
Area. This includes moors, farmland or other
open spaces - but gaining permission (as and if
required) and retrieval can be hard work.
Scrapping the ASC concept and reverting to
the once common Decentralised alternative is
worth considering. This would allow entrants
to fly on small local sites (often unavailable for
more than a few club member) as and when the
weather permitted. They might consider it risky
but preferable to travelling across the country.
When contests were decentralised many years
ago it was thought that entrants might cheat or,
even worse, decline to submit (and pay for) poor
scores. Supervision by their Area was introduced
to prevent such malpractice. In recent years and
in several Areas such control is purely nominal the organisation is very much DIY.
The hopefully more organised end of
the spectrum is to be found in the various
Centralised Meetings run by, or on behalf
of, the FFTC. As well as the Nationals these

comprise half a dozen or so meetings (plus
some specialised F1E magnet events) spread
throughout the year.
There are also Two Open International
contests, plus two Trials (sorry, Team Selection
Meetings) intended to decide the British
F1A, B, and C Teams for the following years
Championships. For reasons that defy my logic,
the first Trials is again scheduled before this
Chris Chapman with open rubber model - at

Woodbury Common, near Exmouth. Plenty of
space, but arduous retrieving. Apparently still
available.
Eliot Horwich shows Denise Evans how to hold

his Keil Kraft Falcon for the camera. The Falcon
showed much American early FF influence but
was kitted as being ideal for RC - which it was.
years Championships have been held. This

arrangement neglects the obvious opportunity
for obtaining useful feedback - and hence
learning from experience and avoid repeating
mistakes. Why are we doing this?
Furthermore it would appear overkill to
spend two weekends picking three- man Teams
from the very small present-day entry. I have
said before (albeit somewhat facetiously) that it
would be easier to ask for volunteers, then run a
Means test and a Health check, ascertain whose
models are going well, before finally agreeing
on whose turn it is!!
This provides the opportunity for lobbying directly or otherwise. My advice for next time
is to arrive early!! I feel making decisions on
the day are dangerous - and should not be
accepted as the norm.
This casual attitude to change and
improvisation is spreading. It started at FAI
level with a wind speed limit of about 18 mph,
and was introduced at our Trials at the lower
value of 15 mph. Now it seems that our FFTC
will accept a predicted forecast as sufficient
grounds for postponement of a Trials.
It does seem overcautious. I can remember
a contest at Barkston some years ago when
Russell Peers and I were doing maxs with
comparatively fragile open rubber models whilst
the FAI events were held up as being too windy.
Changing Rules on the Day
On a wider front it has been noticeable that the

past two or three years have seen a disturbing
rise in instances of the contest organiser
deviating from the rules and procedures that
an entrant would normally expect. Fixing the
max on the day is understandable and often
acceptable, but requiring landing in the field
and the imposition of some form of DT Flyoff
can be too much. At very least such ideas (and
others) need advance warning. Without this, the
rule-book becomes meaningless.
Those attending the 2014 FF Nationals may
have witnessed the furore that arose when a
DT Flyoff was announced for Sundays events.
This, and the fact that it didnt happen, was
reported in AeroModeller and nowhere else.
Less obvious on the same day was the way that
the Bowden contest organisers simply ignored
the Rulebook together with its judging and
scoring system - and ran just a precision (target
time) event. This was justified on pragmatic
grounds and the risk to models being damaged
when trying to R.O.G. (Rise Off Ground). in
turbulent conditions. It was claimed that the
flyers were happy with this. I do wonder what
the Colonel would have thought!
What I find worrying is the way the FFTC
have responded to this situation. In effect they
have legalised what happened - as in their
2015 rule changes they have given the CD the
power to ad lib the requirements on the day.
Possible UK Rule Changes
All the attention given to FAI matters rather

obscures the state of our domestic scene.
We need to acknowledge the problems and
limitations that apply to FF and consider what
options are available, and acceptable. This is
surely a matter for the FFTC to address. After
all, they are writing the programme!
If airfield or farmer restrictions mean models
must not fly out of the site then we will have to
rethink what we do. Landing in the field needs
careful definition, as not all venues have a clearcut perimeter. Airfields usually have an obvious
boundary.
Rules to limit performance are an obvious
approach - and far from a new idea. Back in the
1950s the North West Area held experimental
events with rubber models having to carry
ballast equal to rubber weight or variations on
this theme. It worked, but the flyers complained
about having fragile models full of lead. There
was a cry of Cant we just put the weight into
the structure and have a nice strong model.
Well, that is how we got F1B.
Occasionally there have been contests run
to rules that specified restrictions such as half
rubber motors, glider towlines and power engine
28/01/2015 12:14
Hugh OD with 12 foot glider at local rally on farmland. Large-size gliders like this were rendered obsolete in the early 1950s when towlines changed from
100 to 50 metres, and maxs from 5 to 3 minutes. This meant that the large models lost their visibility advantage. Many subsequently changed hands with
their new owners fitting early (large and heavy) RC equipment.
runs. Indeed years ago the Northern Area ran

several meetings like this at Linton - when
foot-and-mouth problems meant we could not
go into the surrounding farmland. Very recently
the FFTC ran an experimental meeting at
Luffenham with similar ideas - except for
rubber where CdH and P30 performances were
considered appropriate for a two-minute max.
Unfortunately this approach only provides a
partial solution - and none at all for any flyoffs
that might be needed. Once in lift almost any
model can go a long way.
There are signs that staying in the field
is becoming ever more important in our
security-conscious times. Much of our flying
is on military property and subject to various
restrictions particularly as regards entering and
leaving the site. Indeed it is not that long ago
that we were merely told Dont climb over
the security fence - an oxymoron if there ever
was one.
If we really have to control how far our
free-flight models travel, whilst at the same
time wanting long duration flights, we have
a difficult problem to solve. Merely telling
competitors that flights must land in a defined
area (for scores to count) is insufficient. Aiming
at the boundary will certainly result in some
overshooting it.
Technology to the Rescue?
I have always worked on the belief that for
any problem there is always an answer - even if
it is one that you dont like. If it would solve the
problem what do you do? Making the best of it
regardless is good advice.
Applying this philosophy to our FF problems

soon leads to considering the use of, dare I say it,
Radio Control in some form. The very notion
is anathema to some purists who reject it out of
hand. But it might be what we have to have!
Radio DT (RDT) has appeared in a
commercially available and practical form - but
is hardly a complete answer. It is difficult to
judge from the launch point just how far a model
has flown, and hence when the RDT should be
activated. A retriever is better placed but really
needs to be underneath the model for accuracy.
Despite claims that RDT is not the thin
edge of the wedge it can hardly be otherwise.
The technology is available for not just RDT
but for real RC. If it is acceptable to the FF
purist to use RDT why not allow the model to
be steered back towards base? It would be even
better if its flying speed was enough to progress
back upwind.
Surprisingly and ironically it is the SAM
Vintage flyers who have tried out events that
indicate the way we all may have to go. They
have run a number of Tomboy contests
that are RC duration combined with a
spot-landing requirement. There is also
the example of S8E Rocket Glider flown
for duration with RC to a max and a spot
landing. These examples however use RC
throughout their flights - which eliminates
any FF component or contribution.
To retain the essence of FF it would only
seem necessary to restrict the use of the
Radio to the beginning and/or the end of
timed flight. What comes in between has the
model in free-flight.
This is not complicated to organise or
monitor. After (or before) launch the
flyer gives the Tx (Transmitter) to his
timekeeper, whence timing can commence
and continue until the flyer takes back the
Tx. Landing back in a specified area near
launch will then validate the score.
Putting anything like this approach into
practice will require careful planning and
rule making by the FFTC. The actual
wording of the required rules needs care in
compilation and more again in debugging.
There are ways of accomplishing this - but
explaining the process (as distinct from
writing the first draft) will have to wait till
my next article.
Such a big step should be done properly meaning once not twice.
Readers who know me might well be
surprised at my making these suggestions.
I must admit that I have NO experience or
interest in Radio Control, but this does not
leave me blind as to its possible applications
and advantages. With no axe to grind I can
at least claim to be impartial.
The suggested use of RC is really only
appropriate for Contest FF as distinct from
Sport or Fun flying. Not only do these
other activities usually only involve short
and low-level flights - but also are confined
to calm and pleasant weather. Flying too far
should not then be a problem. If it is, then
the solution should be quite obvious!!
21
28/01/2015 12:15
CL Combat
T
E
G
O
HOW T IN
D
E
T
R
STA
T
A
B
COM
Part 1
If you are a beginner or a returnee

to Combat CL flying, Mick Lewis
leads you through the steps
towards flying competitively.
T
T
here are presently five classes of combat flown in

this country but two of these (F2E and 1/2A) are
only flown at the Nationals. The International
class F2D usually has six competitions held over
a season, Vintage has eight and Oliver Tiger
Combat has just three.
Which Class to Choose?
It would certainly be possible to go directly into F2D as all

the equipment is readily available to buy from various sources,
mainly from countries in Eastern Europe. However these
models fly seriously quickly approaching 20 seconds for 10
laps. They are also unbelievably manoeuvrable and turn on a
sixpence. Needless to say that in inexperienced hands carnage
rates are very high and new stocks of models must be purchased
regularly. It is not unusual for the top flyers to take twenty
models to a major competition and as two models are allowed
in each bout most of these could end up written off or at least
badly damaged. Of course anyone who has flown F2D in the
past would be welcomed back with open arms, as numbers
are only just beginning to recover after a very lean few years.
Anyone interested should contact John James who runs F2D
on behalf of the BMFA Control Line Technical Committee.
Rather than include reference information within the text I
have decided to include it all together at the end of the article,
so please be patient.
Both Oliver Tiger combat and Vintage combat are speed
limit classes, the aim of which is to create a level playing field
as far as engine performance is concerned - this rule alone
is usually quoted by newcomers as a major reason for them
flying in either one or both of these classes. Returners usually
remember the bad old days when the more you spent the
quicker you went. It was also useful if you were a mate of the
well known engine tuners of the time. Certainly in Vintage
combat engine tuning is a thing of the past as all the available
One of those days! If you are not prepared for this to happen from time to time
perhaps combat isnt for you?
A PAW 19 plain bearing
much modified by Dave
Harrison which was
the top motor for
many years.
p26-29 Start Combat 1.indd 22
28/01/2015 12:21
The Rothwell 320 from Australia. Limited production is to begin again soon.
motors come fully tuned. Having said that,

some experimentation with venturi size and
tank design may still be required to get the
best performance and reliability out of your
chosen power plant.
The speed limit in Oliver Tiger combat
is a sedate 30 seconds for 10 laps without
a streamer and most allowed motors will
approach that speed although some may need
a little tweaking. This is an ideal speed at
which to learn to fly combat however there
are two major drawbacks to entering combat
via this class. Firstly there are only three
contests each season as mentioned earlier, and
secondly the models are easily affected by the
strong winds we are prone to in this country.
Although Vintage combat models are a little
quicker at 26 seconds for 10 laps they will fly
properly in all but a raging gale. Hardly any
of the competitors have models which reach
the maximum allowed speed but virtually all
flyers are within two or three seconds of this.
Both the Vintage and Oliver classes have
seen significant increases in participation
over the last few years with no less than forty
entries in Vintage at the Nationals in 2014,
and fifty five pilots have flown in at least one
competition during last season. Many of these
flyers are now gearing up to also fly Oliver in
2015 as it makes sense to have a second string
to their bow.
So from what has been said so far, I think it
is clear that the class to fly must be Vintage as
it has many advantages.
Preparation and Practice
If you have never flown two up before the

place to begin would ideally be at your local
flying field with a mate. If your opponent
has some combat experience so much the
better but if not it does not really matter.
Any old gear can be used and it is not
necessary or desirable to have full blooded
Vintage equipment at this stage. You will of
course need an extra buddy to get you both
Tom Ridleys JSO 19 is clearly based on the Oliver Mk4 crankcase.
before joining. There are Vintage combat

into the air. On safety grounds both pilots
flyers all over the country who will be
and pit crew must wear crash helmets as
only too happy to help you out, but it may
this is included in all BMFA combat rules.
mean you having to travel some distance
When flying it is vital to talk to each
depending on where you live. You could
other; do not make any sudden changes of
also come along to a Vintage combat event
direction which could catch out the other
as a spectator and talk to the people there
pilot. Begin by both flying level and taking
some of our events are held in parallel with
it in terns approach each others rears (the
models I mean!) and
follow each other
for a few laps at a
time. Once you have
mastered this, one
of the pilots can
announce looping
while the other
continues in level
flight. Following on
from this try to follow
through the loop
but remember you
will tangle the lines
unless the following
pilot also moves his
body around the other
pilots body. Continue
this strategy until you
can successfully follow
each other through
eights. I know this
all sounds laborious
but the alternative
is just to get in the
air and do your own
The Parra T4 has outward similarities to the Rothwell but is manufactured
thing. I believe this is
in the Ukraine.
the reason that some
experienced pilots are
other aeromodelling at Old Warden and the
totally unpredictable whereas if you watch
Nationals.
the top guys you will see the discipline Im
referring to above.
If you do not have a mate to fly with
Which Engine?
down your local field, the way ahead would
Now let us assume you are ready willing
be to look for your nearest control line club. and eager to gear up to fly Vintage combat
Be aware that many RC clubs actually have
but have no idea on how to proceed. What
a no control line rule so check this out
will you need? I would suggest a minimum
23
28/01/2015 12:21
CL Combat
Above: I believe the

Ironmonger 69 is
the best model for
the Vintage combat
novice.
Left: You need to

be well equipped
to fly F2D these
days. Note that the
bearers and elevators just bolt on.
of two motors and six models which will

of course require repairing if they are to see
you through the season. Along with these
you will need lines, handles, fuel etc. The
motors regularly used are the Australian
Rothwell 320, the Parra T4, the JSO 19
and the PAW 19 (twin ball race). Some
clever people also use the PAW 19 plain
bearing motor but these require a lot of
modification to make them competitive.
At the moment the Rothwell motor is
not readily available, but having said that
odd ones have arrived on doorsteps after
being on order for a very long time. Steve is
certainly going to build more, so if you are
not in a rush add your name to his waiting
list. Happily the other three mentioned
are available to purchase. The Parra T4 is
manufactured in eastern Ukraine which
is seeing much unrest at the present time,
however supplies have not been interrupted
as yet. Manufactured for Alberto Parra
of Grand Canaria, these motors can be
ordered directly from Alberto with, Im
told, delivery time of a couple of weeks.
Delivery of the JSO 19 from Tom Ridley
(who took over the Oliver business) is
still several weeks so anyone interested
should give Tom a call and make their
order without delay. The PAW 19TBR
is advertised as available from Tony
Eifflaender of Progress Aero Works.
Which Model?
Having decided on your chosen power plant

your next decision must surely be on choice of
model. Own design models are not allowed
so it will be necessary to consult the official
rules which can be downloaded from the
BMFA website. There you will find a very
long list of eligible models most of which are
not in the least competitive in the twenty first
century. Also have a read through all of the
rules particularly about model construction
and covering. Help in your choice of suitable
weapons is readily available from the
Combat Flyers Association (CFA)
which oversees all non FAI combat in
the UK. A comprehensive plans bank
is ably run by
web master
Simon Miller.
If you are
inexperienced
go for a
reliable model
rather than
one considered
to be a top
dog as this would be a mistake. Ive
seen many newcomers go down this
route with the result that the model is
flying them rather than the other way
round! By that I mean that they are not
really in control and cannot fly different size
Stu Hollands Nationals winning design from 1964

would be useless against to-days top models.
manoeuvres as is vital for proper following

and cut taking. The good old Ironmonger
designed by my club mate Richard Evans
is often overlooked as a starting model.
The Ironmonger 69 is the slightly enlarged
version of the original and the one I would
recommend for the novice.
Now time is money, as they say, so your
next decision is whether to build from scratch
with all the work that this involves, or to go
for some of the laser cut part kits that are
available to buy. Obviously buying laser cut
parts will be more expensive than building
What you get in a laser

cut (part) kit. This one is
a Supermonger.
28/01/2015 12:21
from a plan, but the speed of getting your

squadron together will be considerably
reduced. If you are going to build from
scratch you must select quality balsa, as
weight is still important despite the increased
horse power of to-days motors. These days
with so few model shops around and even
fewer selling decent balsa, it is necessary for
the vast majority of us to purchase our wood
by mail order. I thoroughly recommend Balsa
Cabin who in my experience can be relied
upon to supply the wood as stipulated for
weight/grain etc at a very fair price.
Accessories and Finishing
The majority of flyers these days use fibre

glass fuel tanks. Long gone are the days of
mustard tin tanks feeding Oliver Tigers as
was always the case in the early seventies.
At least 70cc is required and if you fancy
making some tanks in fibre glass there are
easy to follow illustrated instructions on the
CFA web site. A much quicker solution to
this problem is to use snuff tins which are
round but work perfectly well if the feed and
vent pipes are positioned correctly. Ive seen
these tins for sale recently on eBay.
Vintage is now the only class which does
not allow film covered models although the
Steve Jones won the 1971

Nationals with his Orchrist
design and odd ones are
still seen at competitions
even to-day.
Contacts
Now for the contacts list as promised

earlier.
F2D Combat: john@jamesf2.co.uk
www.f2dcombat.co.uk
Alberto Parra: albparra2@gmail.com
or clubtamaran@gmail.com
Tom Ridley (Oliver Engines):
tom.ridley@clinthill.co.uk
07860 470811
PAW, Tony Eifflaender:
tony@paw.ac 01625 423891
PS Aeroproducts (lines,props etc):
paul@psautos.freeserve.co.uk
02089 586731
One of the advantages of the fibre glass tanks is

their light weight.
vote to allow this was only narrowly defeated

at the CFA AGM last August. (More about
how the CFA works in a later article.)
Doped on nylon is still very popular as it is
the strongest covering by far although dope
fumes are not for everyone. Because of the
health issues surrounding the use of cellulose
dope other coverings are also allowed.
Solartex and similar fabric type heat shrink
coverings are OK, as is ripstop kite material
although this needs to go over mylar as on
its own it cannot be tightened sufficiently.
Airspan/Litespan synthetic tissue over mylar
is also allowed.
Well thats about all for now. In the next
issue I will be covering, amongst other
things, the role of the CFA and interestingly
the experiences of a flyer who only joined
us very recently. I for one cant wait to hear
from him.
Steve Rothwell: steve@smrpl.com.au

Price of the 320 is now A$ 470 (about
245) inc p&p
Balsa Cabin: balsacabin@hotmail.com
01621 859711
Combat Flyers Association:
admin@combatflyers.co.uk
www.combatflyers.co.uk
Combat legend
Vernon Hunt with the
remains of a team
mates Shogun.
Mike Waller Laser cut Liquidator XL

kits @ 20, pods for T4 or JSO 19
@ 10, all plus p&p
m.j.waller81@gmail.com
Mick Lewis Various laser cut kits
from 10 to 14, leading edges
4, Lines 1000ft for 40, all plus
p&p. mick@combatflyers.co.uk
01453542367
25
28/01/2015 12:21
Indoor FF Duration
INSIDE INDOOR
Part 1
Diverse in design yet
similar in principal.
New columnist Clive King introduces us to the skills and science of indoor duration flying.
ifty years ago it was a Keil Kraft kit

that triggered my lifelong passion
for aeromodelling. It required a
repair after each flight attempt but
after achieving thirty seconds in the
air I was hooked!
Various kits together with the old
AeroModeller plans service offered many
opportunities to build new models. With the
bonus of a local model shop for materials
and a nearby club and airfield, I was able to
progress quickly into free flight competitions.
It was in 1995 when walking back from a long
retrieve, I met the late Laurie Barr on a similar
mission. He invited me to an indoor duration
meeting at Cardington Balloon Shed. It was an
awesome sight to see models flying so slowly
and for so long!
Without hesitation I built my first indoor
duration model from my stock of balsa and ultra
film and made the propeller blades by forming
on a cylinder. Upon taking it to the shed I wasnt

aware of the steep learning curve ahead just to
be airborne! With support from a community
of expert flyers I progressed through the indoor
classes and into the nine classes which make up
the British Indoor Duration Championships.
In 2014 I won the title of British Indoor
National Champion for the eighth time coupled
with many international successes.
Sports hall flying
The opportunity to fly in large venues is

diminishing, so clubs are rapidly relocating to
sports halls and schools with their indoor free
flight models. I belong to Impington MAC in
Cambridge. It provides modellers of all ages
and levels of experience with the chance to fly
for fun, network with fellow flyers and compete
in simple format competitions. A welcome
contrast to the intense competitiveness of the
national scene!
The changing landscape of indoor

aeromodelling has initiated this new column.
It will focus on the modelling community
flying within the club and sports hall scene. It
will initially explore best practise in building
and flying motor stick models and well take a
deeper dive into other classes, Bostonians, No
Cal etc in future features.
Flying rubber powered models

Outdoors vs Indoors
Whats the difference? A question Im asked

a lot!
When flying outdoors the motor is wound
to maximum turns propelling the model
high into the air. When the turns run out the
model will glide down often with its flight
pattern being aided by onboard devices, such
as auto rudder and elevation changes.
When flying indoors your model is
confined to a box. From launch the motor
p26-28 Clive King Intro Indoor 016.indd 26
29/01/2015 11:26
Clive King has 20 years experience as an indoor

flyer, and has won various British National
Championships.
Left: The Butterfly range provides an excellent
plastic propeller. Many flyers use them on their own
designs and other models; alas a heavy impact can
lead to damage at the blade root. Reinforcement
patches on the underside fixed with plastic
adhesive negates this problem.
On arrival at the flying hall models

very often are simply laid on
tables or their transport boxes
and thus very vulnerable to being
damaged. To protect your model,
especially the covering as well as
preparing it for loading the wound
motor, simple wooden parking
stands which each have a slotted
foam block to grip the motor stick,
work well.
Another modification is to replace

the propeller shaft and the rear
hook. The reverse S hook on the
propeller shaft and new rear hook
prevents bunching which can lead
to the motor winding off during
the let down. Note the addition of
thrust bearing.
27
29/01/2015 11:27
Indoor FF Duration
Left: Making up a motor

with rings enables easy
transfer of the wound
motor from winder
onto the model without
losing turns or torque.
The plastic rings are
cut from hard plastic
tubing of different sizes
to accommodate your
hook and rubber sizes.
Right: When loading

the wound motor
onto the model, lift
the motor to the front
hook first.
Left: The winding station consists of the

winder with digital display and a torque meter
graduated in gms/cms or ounces/inches. They
are fixed to a base which can be mounted onto
your table or a tripod. Numerous publications
have produced drawings for homje construction.
Commercial units are also available. The winder
is lifted off the base to stretch wind the motor.
When back into base the motor length should
match that of your model.
controls the rate of climb, cruise and final let

down to the floor. If the motor runs out of
turns in the air a quick descent follows simply
because these models do not glide. This
applies to all indoor designs from RTFs to
international class F1Ds.
Getting started
Complete loading by hooking up motor to rear hook. Note that the model is held at prop hub and front
bearing throughout loading.
Being confident with the basics of handling,

winding, trimming and launching your
model is key. In terms of flight, aim for the
model to climb in left hand circles to just
below ceiling height and land safely with a
few turns left on.
The following topics and tips may be
taken up in your own time, but I urge you
to consider them as I can assure you it will
soon become routine, not only improving
the performance of your model but your
own enjoyment!
In my next columns I will provide more
details to help you succeed at indoor flying:
More about stretch winding
Using data from winder display and torque
meter to select motor sizes to get the best
out of your model in any particular venue
How to form your own balsa propeller
blades in preparation for a plan feature
of an indoor duration model designed
specifically for sports hall flying
29/01/2015 11:27
www.adhpublishing.com
www.modelflyermagazine.com
www.flyingscalemodels.com
THE PLANS LIST
OVER 750 PLANS FROM THE WORLDS TOP DESIGNERS
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26/11/2014 14:41
Aviation Museum
THE
SOLENT SKY MUSEUM,
SOUTHAMPTON
Your editor visits this packed museum which should be high on your list of places to visit.
or too long I have been meaning

to visit the Solent Sky Museum,
and having made the journey
I wish Id done so sooner! The
transport history associated with
the Southampton and Isle of Wight area
goes back many hundreds of years with boats
and ship building, but that nucleus of skilled
craftsman and designers was exactly what was
needed at the start of the 20th Century as
man carrying flight developed.
The museum does an excellent job
highlighting the role of different individuals
and companies based in the area during
the last century. Supermarine,
the development of the
Schneider Trophy
winning
racers, followed by the Spitfire are very

well represented, but so too are other lesser
known companies such as Saunders-Roe
(Saro), Folland, and Britten Norman,
through to the most obscure such as J. S.
White & Co. of Cowes.
The Museum building is large and
packs in an astonishing number of historic
full-size aircraft, with a higher percentage
of floatplanes than you will probably find
anywhere else. The largest aircraft is
undoubtedly the Short Sandringham flying
boat the aircraft on show was originally
built during WWII as a Sunderland, and
earmarked to transport Chariot midget
submarines and their crews for use against
the Tirpitz German pocket battleship. This
mission didnt take place, and eventually after
the war the flying boat was converted
in to the civilian Sandringham with seating

for 30 passengers access to the interior gives
one a feel for what early air transport for the
masses was like in the 1950s.
Saunders-Roe is well represented with
a couple of early helicopters, the Skeeter,
from original development work by Cierva
(again locally based in Eastleigh). Perhaps
most impressive is the sole surviving SRA1
of the three made not only the first
jet-powered flying boat, but a fighter as
well! The SRA1 was capable of speeds
of over 500 mph, but was developed
for fighting from island to island
in the Pacific war which
had finished by the
time it flew.
p30-31 Solent Sky Museum 016.indd 30
28/01/2015 12:23
Almost worth the price of entry on its own is the

display of aeromodelling ephemera from the past.
What do you recognise?
Your chance to get close to the S6A and really understand what it would be like to fly the visibility
would be very restricted and the cockpit cramped and noisy. (N.B. Scale modellers beware - the flash
has artificially enhanced the green colour of the internal paint.)
The Supermarine
Spitfire Mk24 can be
seen side by side with
the Supermarine S6A
Schneider Trophy racer
This reproduction of a Quadraplane from 1916 by J. S. White & Co. of Cowes

would make an interesting scale model - a change from the usual Sopwiths
and Avros but with that much drag it would present a challenge.
The Mk24 Spitfire is very similar to the Mk22, and would make an ideal basis for this months Free Plan.
A Magnet to Modellers!
Scale modellers and aviation buffs will

obviously be interested in the contents of the
Solent Sky Museum, but there is something
else that sets it apart for any aeromodeller.
To take a step back, many modellers have
bemoaned the lack of a museum of the history
of aeromodelling and are eagerly awaiting the
outcome of the BMFAs feasibility study for
a National Centre. Whatever the outcome of
that study, the Solent Sky Museum already has
a new exhibit space just beyond the entrance
which represents the shelves of a traditional
Model Shop.
This wonderful display of aeromodelling
items, mostly from the 1940s to the 1960s, was
the brainchild of the museums director, Alan

Jones. Over the years, the museum had been
left various collections of kits and models by
deceased modellers. They have curated this in
to an exhibit which will take many an older
aeromodeller back to their youth with cries of
I used to have one of those!
The Solent Sky Museum is an
independent museum and a registered
charity - it does not receive any automatic
funding and relies on visitors to fund much
of its activities. Around of the staffing is
by a dedicated band of volunteers.
The museum is typically open from Tuesday
to Sunday. Full opening hours and entry
charges can be found on the website or by
phone on +44(0)2380 635 830. The website

has lots of useful information including a list
of the full-size exhibits, but the best way to
find out is to visit and support this worthwhile
keeper of our aviation heritage.
www.solentskymuseum.org
Solent Sky Museum
Albert Road South
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 3FR
United Kingdom
31
p30-31 Solent Sky Museum 016.indd 31
28/01/2015 12:23
Free Plan
Rob Smith designed
and built this Mk22
Spitfire in the style of
the of FROG Senior
Series models.
FROG SENIOR
INSPIRED SUPERMARINE
SPITFIRE MK22
Like many, Rob Smith was a fan of the classic range of rubber powered model
kits produced by FROG in the 1950s and 60s. He has retained the simplicity
of the Senior Series design in his version of this late mark Spitfire.
M
M
any years ago, when I was a

lad, there was a newsagents
shop in our village run by
an irascible old gent who
would stomp behind the
counter and shout at us kids! I dont know
if this was to stop us stealing sweets, just
for the hell of it, or to keep us in our place!
It was the 1950s. The attraction of this
emporium was that it sold model aircraft
kits; not Airfix plastic ones (they were
in the haberdashery shop next door) but

real build it yourself balsa kits that, as the
box said, Flew Right Of the Ground FROG!
For some reason he only ever had
FROG kits; they always had reasonable
wood and if built carefully would actually
fly in a fashion.
I started of with the FROG Junior
Series and as my pocket money increased
(subsidised by taking beer bottles back to
the pub!), I progressed to the Senior Series.

These were the first models I built that
would actually fly well and still do - you see
them all the time at Old Warden, built and
flown by nostalgic old men like me.
This got me thinking that if I used
the same dimensions and construction
techniques, it might be fun to build versions
of some of my favourite full-size aeroplanes.
The basic design of the FROG Senior
Series had sheet fuselage sides, block at the
32 AeroModeller -March 2015
p32-36 Rob Smith Spit Mk22 Free Plan.indd 32
28/01/2015 12:26
Geoff Woodward is one of those enthusiastic flyers of FROG Senior

series models at Old Warden. As well as the original sized rubber
powered versions, he has several twice sized models adapted for
diesel power.
Rob has produced quite a selection of different semi-scale designs based on the
straightforward Senior Series construction methods.
Build your Spitfire
Cutting out a set of parts first will make the

build quicker later on. The fin and tailplane
have yet to have the cut-outs made for the antiwarp inset strips.
The fuselage sides have thin ply reinforcing on the

inside where the rubber motor retaining dowel will
fit. Work has started on the formers - the nose formers have been laminated and the remaining F3 to F6
have had strengthening cross strips added.
The build is relatively straightforward,

particularly if you have already built an
original FROG Senior Series model, so I
wont go in to lots of detail. I know a Spitfire
is catnip to many a beginner, but I would
recommend cutting both your building and
flying teeth on a simpler high wing model
before attempting this Spitfire.
I suggest you may want to photocopy the
plan to save your copy of AeroModeller. If
you make a couple of copies you can cut parts
out and glue as you go along, or you can do
like I did and cut out a kit of parts first.
Wings then Fuselage
The wing panels are built over the plan do use thin clear plastic or rub wax where the joins are to prevent
the wing being glued to the plan. strips.
nose, sheet tail surfaces and a built up wing.

The first type I built to my own design was
a Hurricane; this was a tad smaller than it
should have been. I then went a bit mad
and built a KYUSHU J7W1 SHINDEN
canard! This was a bit off the wall, so I then
moved on to the classic mark 22 Spitfire.

ONNAS. [Oh No! Not Another
Spitfire.]
Yes, but this is a late mark version, by far
the best looking to my eyes.
Construction starts by building the left and

right wing and centre section, leaving the
wing spars long at the centre so they can be
joined at the centre section. Chose a good
medium/hard straight grained piece of 1.5
x 1.5mm balsa strip for the main spar. The
leading edge should also be medium/hard,
but the trailing edge can be a bit softer as it
will be sanded down with wash-out towards
the tip.
Pack the wing panels up [30mm each tip]
and join at the centre section with appropriate
strengthening. These wings are really strong
but easy to construct. Another thing I do
is thin the trailing edge at the tip from the
bottom to build in washout, with 2.5mm balsa
you have quite a lot of wood to work with.
I used 1.2mm balsa [from SAMS Models]
for the tail surfaces, but you could use
1.5mm balsa if you sand it down nice and
thin to save weight.
But dont forget the anti-warp insert strips.
Fuselage sides, formers and ribs are all from
1.5mm balsa. The formers must have cross
bracing so they will not split when you put
the two sides together. Top and bottom nose
blocks are 6mm balsa, you can hollow these
out if you want but you will need weight at the
front for balance so its not really important.
Most of the Senior Series used card to
33
28/01/2015 12:27
28/01/2015 12:27
PLAN No. 502
AeroModeller 934 March 2015
28/01/2015 12:27
Free Plan
The wing panels are joined to the centre section. An inset piece of 1.5mm balsa to the
full height of the centre ribs acts as a joiner and brace. Ensure you have the two main
spars aligned by using a ruler edge. When everything is aligned and glued, add the
triangular fillets.
finish the top of the fuselage at the nose,

but I chose to use 0.8mm balsa. This is pre
shaped by wetting it with water and strapping
it around a suitable sized former [a broom
handle] with elastic bands until it dries with
the curve formed ready for gluing. The rear
fuselage is formed with 1.5mm stringers. You
will notice on the plan that I have only shown
a cut-out position for the top and bottom
centre stringers. This is because I mark the
stringer positions with a ruler and etch the
slots out with a Dremel tool when the fuselage
is built up. This is a far better and simpler way
of doing this and is more accurate. Use card to
cover the centre section and also the rear part
of the lower wing so that you can mount the
very distinctive radiators.
Finishing
All my Senior Series type models are tissue

covered and finished with EZE-DOPE this must be thinned down to about 75%
water, 25% EZE-DOPE. I usually use about
3 coats to get a really nice finish then spray
with a car paint aerosol. Markings were
Once the glue is set your wing should look like this and be ready for shaping the trailing edge (ideally use a razor plane initially, and dont forget the
wash-out towards the tip i.e. the trailing edge is shaped down towards the
centre, and up towards the tip.) Finally everything is finished by sanding.
created on the computer, printed, cut-out

and stuck on you can find them for the
aircraft I modelled at www.aeromodeller.com
in the issue 934 bonus content.
You can make a mould for the canopy or
buy one - SAMS Models do one for small
jets which will do fine.
The model should balance just behind
the main spar. You will probably have to add
some ballast to achieve this, so its a good idea
to make some provision for adding weight
at the nose. I made the spinner from balsa to
help with this.
I used an IKARA plastic prop available
from FLIGHT HOOK. Please note the built
in down thrust, and you will need about 2
degrees right side thrust, maybe a little more,
for trimming. This is very important. As ever,
get the glide right over long grass, before
putting a few turns on the rubber to try low
powered trimming flights. Good flying!
Right: Rob has used his CAD capabilities to produce a PDF file of the markings of his Spitfire. We
will make this available at www.aeromodeller.com
in the bonus content for this issue.
The underneath of the Spitfire. If you look carefully at the wing trailing edge towards
each wing tip, you will see the washout had been sanded in to help prevent tipstalling at low speed.
Everyone loves a Spitfire, so why not have a go? There are plenty of
different colour schemes, and the mk22 is very similar to the mk24 that
is featured at the Solent Sky Museum elsewhere in this issue.
28/01/2015 12:27
FF Event
Kriss Best the CD sits it

out patiently at control with
everything she needs including
the most essential commodity of
all a sense of humour!
Photo by Sue Hipperson.
La Grande Coupe
de Birmingham
Martin Dilly reports on this late season duration
event with a touch of pre-Christmas bonhomme.
With additional contributions by Dave and Sue Hipperson.
n the absence of Middle Wallop for

the traditional early December date
for the Coupe Europa, the Croydon
Club who usually run the event were
grateful when Gavin Manion of the
Birmingham Club offered to organise it at
North Luffenham on December 7th. The
forecast was for 12 kts, gusting to 30 and
thats pretty much what the competitors
found, with some rain in the morning to
ensure that dust wasnt a problem, but this
kept the entries lower than usual. The max
was set at 1:30 and a line of trees a few
hundred yards upwind made turbulence a
difficulty, with several flights that looked
promising for the first few seconds of the
climb soon succumbing to its effects.
The events were F1G for the AeroModeller
Trophy and Vintage Coupe dHiver for the
Bernard Boutillier Cup. The latter saw the

ever-popular Etienvre predominate, with a
Fuit or two in the mix, but F1G attracted
the most entries with many deciding that a
blustery day in Rutland was preferable to a
nice snug day at home, building next years
winning model.
The central venue allowed more from the
North to attend and apart from a couple
of notable exceptions such as Peter Hall (5
times winner), most of the usual protagonists
were on hand to do battle. F1G also saw a
welcome French entrant, Didier Chevenard,
who looked in a strong position till the
penultimate round, when an energetic launch
removed the outer panel of his six-panel wing.
He had used some Gorban parts, including
the motor tube, but when building the wing
he had used a 1mm fibreglass dihedral brace
Phil Ball with his F1G winning model. When the

class was new in the UK most models were not
much bigger than the tail plane on Phils model!
Photo by Sue Hipperson.
37
p37-39 Coupe Birm Event 016.indd 37
29/01/2015 11:33
FF Event
Right: Pete Brown was
flying this very modern
model. Note spectacular
carbon blades - the fine
bent wire is the tracker
aerial. Carbon boom
fitted to motor tube by
very neat aluminium
turning.
Far right: Later in

the day Pete Brown
was brave enough to
expose his knees as
the weather improved
slightly. Conjecture was
that they were thermal
detecting aids! Photo by
Dave Hipperson.
Dennis Davitt flew his Jump in Vintage, and made sure it was well protected from the weather with his stooge
set up in the back of the car.
which couldnt take the strain. His winding

technique was interesting - he used a fitting
that located on the tailgate latch, with a pin to
hold the tubular rear motor peg to it; he then
wound the motor in mid air, before locating
it in a Stefanchuk-type half tube and loading
it into the model, via the bayonet rear fixing.
F1G winner Phil Ball did well to score four
maxes in the tricky conditions, after dropping
his first flight; he used a Mylar-covered
carbon structure model of his own design,
made more visible by a light dusting of orange

Dayglo. In third place was Peter Brown, flying
a model with extensive Textreme spreadtow carbon in the structure and on the prop
blades. For once Peters trademark knees
were covered, at least for the first part of the
day, but later appeared as normal, maybe as a
thermal detection aid?
In the Vintage event for the Boutillier
Cup, Michel Etienvres design was a popular
choice, Don Thomson, Ray Elliott and
Didier Chevenard made the trip to North

Luffenham from France.
Gordon Warburton making good flights with

it. Dennis Davitt used a Jump which due to
its nice tight spiral climb handled the very
tricky turbulence near the launch ploint very
well up until his last flight. On that occasion
it appeared the tail was up on a key and
the model was ever tighter and more over
elevated than it could handle and despite
being in reasonable air failed to max by
quite a margin. Gerry Ferer with a Bagatelle
plugged away very consistently, just losing a
29/01/2015 11:33
Michael Marshall has a fine model but was not picking the right air on the day.
Scale columnist Bill Dennis had

a good day in F1G and narrowly
missed the top 3 placings.
Pete Brown was cheerful whether winning or losing!
Phil Ball receives the AeroModeller Trophy from

your editor Andrew Boddington.
Gerry Ferer flew his Bagatelle to the top spot in Vintage

Coupe dHiver.
David Hipperson presented the Boutillier Cup to

Gerry Ferer.
little time on his second flight. The Boutillier

Cup which had lain dormant for some years
was originally being awarded to the winner of
the 100 gram ROG class (now defunct) and
more recently was awarded for Vintage. As it
all turned out, Gerrys efforts were rewarded
by being able to take the trophy back home
with him as his total including two maxes
comfortably topped the Vintage list.
It should be pointed out that throughout
the day a strong contingent of the
Birmingham Club were on standby to assist
CD Kriss Best and generally disseminate
information and often amusement midafternoon there was plenty of amiable joshing
around the rules, trying to find something to
protest over just for the hell of it but failing!
The day was made more worthwhile by the
excellently organised prize presentation in the
club house where the two main trophies were
awarded the editor himself being on hand
to give away the famous Perspex one. There
were a number of other small touches like the
bottle of Champagne given to the contestant
with the highest aggregate score from both
Vintage and 80gram - in this case Pete

Tolhurst. All very much in the spirit of those
early days of this contest Ron Moulton
would have very much approved. Next year
is its 40th anniversary and we were pleased
to learn that the Birmingham Club have
volunteered to do the same again and keep
the tradition of this December date alive. We
will look forward to it.
(If you fancy a go at Vintage Coupe dHiver,
Michel Etienvres design will be a free plan in a
future issue of AeroModeller Editor)
Results
F1G for AeroModeller Trophy
1st Phil Ball 1.14, 1.30, 1.30, 1.30, 1.30. 7.14

2nd Ian Davitt 1.30, 1.30, 0.51, 1.30, 1.30. 6.51
3rd Pete Brown 1.25, 1.30, 0.57, 1.27, 1.30. 6.49
Vintage Coupe dHiver for The

Boutillier Trophy
1st Gerry Ferer

1.30, 1.10, 1.30. 4.10
2nd Don Thomson 1.11, 1.07, 1.30. 3.48
3rd Pete Tolhurst 0.59, 1.30, 1.01. 3.30
39
29/01/2015 11:34
FF Scale
Flying my ABC
Robin at the May
2014 FF Nats.
Plenty of knock-off
components ensure
crash-resistance.
SCALE RUBBER POWERED

FLYING MODELS PART 2
Drawing and designing your subject.
Andrew Hewitt describes his approach to the cleanest part of aeromodelling.
p40-43 SCALE RUBBER 016.indd 40
28/01/2015 12:37
The enlarged Fokker D VIII is further enhanced

by the choice of a vivid colour scheme.
I
I
am lucky; I have a big drawing board

at home on which to dream. I enjoy
drawing designs and plans. I obtained
it from work when they were being
thrown away in favour of Computer
Systems. It was free apart from the white
knuckle ride home in a car with a huge
drawing
drawing board strapped to the roof! I would
guess
guess that many readers now would use
the
the computer rather than the pencil, but I
prefer the old method. In all reality you need
neither; I have had several designs drawn by
hand on graph paper, just as good. If you are
not confident in your drawing plans from
scratch, then the simplest way to produce a
design is to modify and improve an existing
plan or by enlarging or reducing a design
that you fancy. This can be quickly achieved
using a photocopier and lots of sticky tape to
assemble the sheets.
Before you commence on your journey,
decide what you intend using your model
for, competitions and /or sport flying. We
have a good selection of Scale competitions
in the United Kingdom, to a variety of
different rules; so if you intend having a go
then please read the rules to your intended
event. For example there are flying only
events (so not much detail required for
these or the justification for it i.e. little or
no documentation). We also now have the
new kit scale event, which is suited to the
beginner, all you have to do is build a design
from a kit (to any size),then fly it trying to hit
the set target time, which will usually be 30
seconds, more or less flight time and you will
be penalised. No scale points are awarded, but
My pieced together enlarged photocopy plans, and

the final model. You dont need larger than an A4
copy/enlarger as long as you take the time and care
to assemble the separate sheets.
embellishments are what we are about and

there would be enormous street credibility for
winning with a twice size Veron Swordfish
or the like the dafter the better! Finally we
have the full blown BMFA Scale outdoor
rubber powered class, which is very searching
of your abilities, being statically judged (to the
same degree as the Radio Scale classes)and
also having the flights judged. All very nerve
racking, but rewarding if you like a challenge.
Of course you could build from a good kit,
make a good job of it, get it flying then

enter it in all competitions. I keep banging
on about competitions, because they are the
best place to break your model, surrounded
by likeminded sufferers trying to build and
fly the impossible. At competitions there
are the most experienced flyers to welcome
and help you, the feelings of surviving a
competition and tacking part are what it is
all about for me.
Enlargement of the Veron Fokker D VIII plan you can just see the modifications that I made
to the outline and wing section.
41
28/01/2015 12:37
FF Scale
Underside view of the Fokker D VII, showing where the rear undercart legs
disappear into the fuselage on heavy landing, and the removable wing
panel with retaining rubber band.
Detail sketch of my typical wheel construction
Get your documentation first or

wish you had?
So having decided on a subject and what

you want to achieve with it, you will now
need to do some research, especially if you
intend to fly it in BMFA scale competitions.
Finding information and pictures on your
chosen subject is now only a Google click
away. You only need a minimum of three
good pictures showing good all round views,
something saying what the colour is (if you
Example of how to set out your documentation for BMFA scale competitions.
do not have colour pictures) and a three view

to enter competitions. Obviously the more
detail information you can find, will allow
a finer model to be built, but at the expense
of weight and time and will power. Please,
please, please, do not get hung up on the
accuracy or not of the scale drawing, they
are all incorrect in some way anyway. Your
job and the best part of Scale modelling is to
make your design look as similar as you can to
your photographs. Even in International Scale
RC events, the judges use the photographs as
the primary method of comparing the victim
to the evidence, the scale drawing not being
used much at all, just for reference.
To be a good high scoring model, you
need to try and capture the character of the
full size, the way it sits, the way it looks, the
finesse, the dirt and the grime. I have seen
many well-built models score poor marks
since they were just like the scale drawings,
but not like the photographs of the real
thing. As a little hint to those entering a
competition; do not turn up with folders of
information and books with notes in and
copious drawings. Judges get ten minutes
to score a model (if they are lucky) and will
be unable to reward your efforts if they
tire of looking for the evidence. Put your
information stuck on a piece of card (photo
copies will do), the drawing and some photos
plus some fine details (engine information
etc.). Do not include information that you
have not included on the model, (a criminal
does not go to court offering information
that will convict him!) make sure that your
evidence portrays your model in the best
possible light; remembering always that
judges are looking for faults!
Back to your plan
If you are looking for a kit scale or flying only

entry, then ignore all that advice and just have
a look around for an attractive colour scheme
to wet your appetite. However the drawing of
the subject still remains a problem. So if you
have a desire to build a subject, the simplest
route to get a plan is to hunt down an existing
design, it does not matter how big it is, you
just want the outline and basic structure.
You may enlarge a P-nut by 300% to get
a good sized model. (One of the Andrew
Moorhouse P-nut designs, Comper Swift
or Luton Minor would be ideal and at that
size even I could read the hand writing!).
Alternately you could reduce an RC Scale
design to the span you require. We are
almost overwhelmed by the number of plans
available on the internet, from copyright
holders such as Colin Smith with the old
Veron plans (csmithbmth@gmail.com) or
www.myhobbystore.co.uk and others from
The Outer Zone - spend the rest of the
week searching for whatever you want, if you
cant find something this way then perhaps
you may need a different hobby!
Veron Fokker D VIII Enlarged
With the first running of the Kit Scale event

at the 2014 FF Nationals, I elected to build a
twice size Veron Tru-Flight Fokker DVIII.
I had already built a normal size one for
fun, which flew well without fuss. I thought
a big one would be suitably outrageous,
especially if full of lozenges. The rules
permit enlargement of any kit designs and
any modifications to make it more scale
and detailed (I.e. not as flyable, but we like
a challenge anyway). I cut up the plan into
28/01/2015 12:37
cross-grain assembly of two 1/8th sheet discs,

with 1/64th ply reinforcement at the hub and
rim. The ply at the rim overlaps the edge by
1mm to retain the tyre. A card cone embossed
with detail covers it all up. The tyre is formed
from a neoprene sponge rubber chord super
glued together to form a tight fit around the
rim. I obtain the tyre material from my local
rubber stockist, look one up near you. The
central hub is drilled for a brass tube bearing.
All this design work was sketched out on
the enlarged plan and took no more than
a couple of hours to work out, the same
principles can be applied to any plan for
any model, use your photographs to correct
outlines and off you go. There are hundreds
of suitable plans and kits that this method
could be applied to, enlarging one of the
Keil Kraft or Veron scale series makes a
good introduction to Scale Rubber, even the
structures remain proportionally workable
minimising your modifications to outline only
(not forgetting the wheels).
There were plenty of rubber powered

FF Scale models entered at the August
2014 Nats. Here Pete Fardell prepares
his unusual inline engine version of the
Bristol Monoplane the extra nose length
helps with the balance.
manageable sections, such as wing tail body,

components etc. and enlarged them on a
photocopier at 200% linear (or A4 to A3
twice). The sections were taped carefully
together to look like a Fokker. My next job
was to compare the outline with my scale
information on the full sized aircraft. I did
not have to do this, since the accuracy is not
judged in this class, but I wanted a Fokker
and I was going to have a Fokker, a scale one
at that. The wing tip shapes were corrected,
bigger wheels, smaller tail outlines and get
rid of the dihedral. Not frightened of that.
These things can be done in minutes, simple
to do, you only need a pencil and calculator
to enlarge sizes from scale drawings and
compare them to the photographs. The
only tricky bit I elected to do was to have
a scale wing section, a Fokker wing. The
sections were sketched out by hand and since
I was not adding more ribs it was quickly
done. Putting the thick wing on this design
transformed its appearance into something
much more scale and to my liking. I also
included more wing spars, since one would
never be enough for an English summer!
Being now much bigger the wing was built in
3 sections, the tips being removable on 1.5mm
carbon dowels located in aluminium tubes
(my only concession to modernity). The centre
section was permanently fixed to the body via
16 SWG cabane wires. These were assembled
on a card jig to control the wing incidence,
after all if the wing moves you are stuffed!
The fuselage was good enough for me,
just requiring extra bracing, I added diagonal
bracing between each bay. The original kit
was 1/16th square balsa which enlarged to
1/8th square and looked OK. The rubber
anchorage position was under the tail so I
moved this two bays forward to give better

access and also a huge saving in nose weight,
since Fokkers are short nosed. The cowl area
was sheeted (added some useful weight here
and improved the appearance) and room
made for a lower bank of dummy cylinders
from the hardest dowel that I could find, no
point saving any weight at the front, pile it
on. The front undercart legs were made very
strong from 14 SWG wire, the rear legs for
show disappearing into plywood holes in the
fuselage underside. The nose block was made
to fit within the cowl front flat face, with lots
of laminated balsa and mm plywood to make
it as near bomb proof as possible.
Fabricating Wheels
Wheels can be a problem on large rubber

models, since they are potentially a weight
penalty, but being low down and forward on
the Fokker, they would help the blighter stay
the right way up. Each wheel is designed as a
Be Realistic (in both senses!)
If you are starting from scratch and want to

draw your own design (well done from me),
then the correct way of doing this is to first
try your hardest to correct your scale drawings
to look like your photographs, then enlarge
them to your desired size. I do this with a
pencil and ruler which gives me an intimate
look at the design and photographs, down to
the nuts and bolts level. I f you enlarge stuff
with computers via scanners or photocopiers
you can miss obvious errors. When applying
your structure to the outline, you could refer
to similar designs for wood sections and
former spacing etc. If you intend it for the
BMFA Scale rubber class then you will need
all the ribs and stringers if you want the
points, but they are pointless if you cannot
make it fly. So build to your abilities and
make it fly.
More details on the structures, materials
and methods that I use will be included in the
next article on building the beast.
My Avro Type G, 51 rubber model which suffered from twisting wings under flight loads - Ironic since the
full size was a wing warper! Make sure you put strong spars in your wings!
43
28/01/2015 12:37
Power Trip
A Close Look Into
Redn Retro Engines

049RV diesel
Maris Dislers tests Redfins alternative

to their side-port engine
R
R
height of the piston. Exhaust duration is

160 degrees.
The RV engine has a bore of 8.79mm
(0.346in)and 12.64mm (0.498in)
stroke, giving swept volume of 0.767cc
(0.047cuin). The RV weighs 68g (2.4oz)
which is 5g more than the SP model.
egular readers will recall our

earlier report on the Redfin
049 and 030 side-port (SP)
engines in AeroModeller
No. 923. Recapping briefly,
the Redfin engines are designed and
marketed by Alex (Red) Phin, with
current production by the CS Company.
Intended for sport flying of free flight or
RC assist models, they follow a design
pattern of long bore to stroke ratio and
piston-port induction that would not have
looked out of place on a model shop shelf
in the late 1940s. We found the Redfins
to be easy starters, with good
lugging ability and moderate
power output. Since that
time, the promised larger
SP 061 (1cc) and 09 (1.5cc)
Redfins have joined the range,
following the same design
formula. However, having
scaled the basic concept within
reasonable bounds, it was time
to diversify. The latest offering
is a rear valve version of the
049 engine, the subject of this
test report.
On the test bench
We gave the Redfin our usual running

in procedure for engines with a cast iron
piston. It settled down quite quickly and
feels little different after all our tests than
it did after the first 15 minutes running.
Hand starting was straightforward both
hot and cold, providing the compression
screw was set close to the full power
position. It is less prone to flooding than
the SP engines. For starting, wetting the
reed by finger choking (to help the seal)
and a deliberate flicking action effectively
pumps mixture into the combustion
chamber. Particularly for cold starts,
Construction
As this new engine it is

basically similar to the earlier
SP (side-port) engine, readers
should also refer to our earlier
report on that engine. The Redfin 049RV
uses a reed valve induction system with an
X-shaped copper shim reed retained by a
G-shaped wire circlip in the back plate,
along the lines of the well known Cox
engines. In fact, reeds for Cox engines will
fit this engine, if you dont happen to have
a genuine Redfin replacement at hand.
The hang-tank carburettor assembly
screws into the back plate and can be
positioned for upright or inverted cylinder
positions. It is not practical to mount
the RV engine with side facing cylinder,
because the needle/tank would clash with
the mounting bearers. However, you could
remove the tank bowl and with the needle
Bearing a clear family resemblance to the other Redfin engines, the 049RV offers extra power the
RV engines could be interesting alternatives for Scale Modellers to consider.
set at an angle, use an external tank.

The other significant difference is the
cylinder, which of course does not have the
SPs intake port and carburettor mounting
stub. In their place are additional transfer
flutes, located at the back of the cylinder
in addition to the forward placed transfers.
Interestingly, the RV retains the original
piston design with its baffle notch aligned
with the front transfers. This arrangement
leads to the asymmetric transfer duration
of 120 degrees for the front transfer ports,
but a shorter 80 degrees for the rear
transfers, which are governed by the full
exhaust priming (with piston closing the

exhaust port) gave a strident burst that
usually got things going smartly. Unless
restarting immediately after refilling the
fuel tank, it was necessary to open the
needle by half a turn, to ensure the engine
caught on. The needle could then be
quickly returned to its normal position.
Initially, we had to open the needle
so that it was almost lifted out of the
carburettor jet hole for the engine to run.
Adjustment was then very critical and
inconsistent. On examination, the fault
lay in how the needle tapered. Actually,
p44-47 POWER TRIP 016.indd 44
28/01/2015 12:41
of adjustment to suit a given application.

This engine has a tendency to sag if
compression adjustment is pushed over
a reasonable limit, with fuels containing
ignition improver. Thats no problem if
the setting is comfortably backed-off,
but adequate time should be allowed
after adjustment, for the Redfin to reach
stable operating temperature before
trying for a bit more. Greedy or impatient
screwing down will likely lead to an over
compressed engine that could grind to a
halt. Its best to keep a slight safety margin
with a hint of misfire when settling on the
compression setting.
With rear induction and

onboard tank, the 049RV
is reminiscent of American
engine design trends of
the late 1940s. Traditional
compression screw with
tommy bar also comes with the
engine, if that is preferred to
the Allen key type.
Best Fuel Mix
When it comes to fuel mix, this engine is

not particularly bothered by differing oil
or ether contents, but is like Goldilocks
as regards ignition improver, such as IPN
or EHN. It runs fine on a straight fuel
it hardly tapered at all for the last few

millimetres, where it really matters. This
production fault was quite easily put right.
A piece of 600 wet/dry paper was wrapped
over a steel ruler. Then with thumb pressure
on the needle and a twisting motion, the
intended taper was made all the way to
the tip of the needle. The aim was getting

the taper right, not so much keeping the
needles cross-section exactly round.
After that modification, needle
response was predictable, with around
turn between clearly rich and misfiring
lean settings. The Redfin balks at rich
mixtures, so needle adjustment should
be towards the optimum setting, leaving
compression adjustments to determine
running speed.
The Redfin 049RV is not one to run at
tick-over with compression backed well
off. It will stop if backed off very far below
peak, but allows for a reasonable amount
Close-up of back plate showing o-ring gasket.

This allows for easy cleaning with alcohol after
a days flying, to remove oil residue that could
stick the reed against its sealing surface (the
raised ring of metal around the central intake
tube. This simple maintenance procedure
ensures trouble free operation.
Crankcase and other bottom end

components. Reed valve system is
very similar to Cox engines. Cox reeds
will fit if original part is not available.
45
28/01/2015 12:41
Power Trip
Measurements; height 46.5mm

(lug mounting face to cylinder top),
length 40mm (prop driver face to
back plate) or 65mm (to rear of
carburettor), width 32.7mm (across
lugs), bearer spacing 20.2mm.
Milled transfers can be clearly seen in this view. RV engine

has two pairs of transfers, while the SP engine has one
pair. Although piston design limits the duration of the extra
pair of transfers, this arrangement boosts power output.
Redfin 049RV on different Propellers.

Propeller
APC 10x4
Graupner 9x5
APC 9x4
Graupner 8x5
APC 8x4
APC 7x6
APC 7x5
APC 7x4
APC 7x4 trimmed
APC 7x3
APC 7x3 trimmed
Cox 6x3
RPM
4,600
5,100
6,200
6,600
7,600
7,600
7,800
9,400
10,100
10,700
11,600
11,900
mix, but with some loss of RPM potential,

especially at higher speeds. Our regular
1.5% test fuel was OK for performance
tests, but not the best for fuel economy
work, where compression setting gradually
crept up throughout the full tank run.
With 2% fuel, it was difficult to find a
stable peak setting that would not go
over. These trials led us to a mix containing
1% ignition improver, being just right for
this engine. It gave full power potential, but
without bother when setting compression.

This might seem like a lot of work, but
arriving at the correct ignition improver level
for each engine and its intended purpose
is time well spent -particularly for Tomboy
duration, where consistency is crucial. Its
not difficult to run some tests. Cut back a
commercial diesel fuel (if that makes the
engine boil over) with varying proportions
of a straight fuel mix until you get the
optimum. Thereafter, youll probably find
your mix in your engine will work well over
a wide range of weather conditions.
Analysis and conclusions
Even with the larger test propellers, the

Redfin 049RV was turning them faster than
its SP cousin. This became more apparent
at higher running speeds. While it was fine
at lower speeds, the RV sounded positively
chirpy when given a freer run. Starts
remained easy with small propellers, with
no tendency to bite. The resulting power
curve has a broad peak exceeding 0.05BHP
between 8,500 and 11,000 RPM. Peak
power of 0.053BHP at 10,000 RPM is 25%
higher than the Redfin 049SP.
Interestingly, the RV has a 2.5mm
carburettor choke diameter, versus the SPs
3mm. After allowing for the mixture needle,
effective choke area is reduced by a third to
2 square mm. Alex tells us this significantly
improves general handling characteristics,
but with little or no effect on power output.
We checked that by trying the SPs larger
venturi and recorded only 100-200 RPM
increase at peak power RPM, nothing more
at lower speeds.
Alex Phin, the man behind Redfin engines, seen with his range of production diesels and
development models at the 2014 Power Nationals.
28/01/2015 12:41
For comparison, this is the standard

Redfin 049SP Side Port induction
engine, reviewed in AeroModeller 923.
Externally almost identical to the RV
except for the carburettor position.
10.0
0.06
9.0
0.05
8.0
0.04
7.0
0.03
6.0
BHP
Torque oz-in
Red Fin 049 RV
0.02
5.0
4.0
0.01
3.0
5000
0
7000
9000
11000
RPM
As expected, the RVs cylinder porting
increases fuel consumption when compared
with the 049SP. For a full tank of fuel, we
got 3:45 4:05 minutes with 9x4 propeller
at about 6,000 RPM and 2:35 2:50
minutes with 8x4 propeller at 7,000-7,400
RPM. For duration events, Id say a slightly
trimmed 9x4 propeller would allow the RV

engine to give that bit more power than the
SP engine, for an acceptable run time on the
allotted fuel.
Our tests indicate that a 7x4 propeller
is about the optimum size for maximum
performance in flight, while an 8x4 would be
fine for general sport FF or RC assisted flying.

Alex Phin has given us a racier alternative
to the side-port Redfin 049 engine. The
049RV is significantly more powerful, but
not quite as flexible or economical. The
Redfin Retro Engines 049RV costs 85
(including a really neat multi-tool that fits all
current Redfin engine nuts and back plates).
The first batch of 100 engines is selling now.
Alex tells us that an RV version of the 061
engine is also in the works and should be
available shortly. The Redfin engine range is
available direct from www.redfinengines.com
or contact
Mr. Alex (Red) Phin
The Management Suite
Dinnington Business Centre
Outgang Lane
Dinnington
South Yorkshire
S25 3QX
Tel: 07859 275942
Fax: 01909 518100
e-mail: alex.phin@talktalk.net
Australian customers can contact
Ian Dixon
Perth Art Glass
311 Stock Road
OConnor
West Australia 6163
e-mail: ian@perthartglass.com.au
47
28/01/2015 12:41
Model Technology
How High Did That Go?

Well now you dont need to guess!
Mike Evatt explores the use of

altimeters as an aid to trimming
Free Flight duration models.
I
I
was struck by a statement attributed

to Alex Andruikov that he had stayed
ahead of the opposition by using
information from an on-board altimeter
to optimise his climb and glide. (Alex
has won numerous World and European
Championships and is the newly crowned
World Cup F1B Champion.) This started me
on the route of better performance monitoring.
Although electronic altimeters have been
around for some years and found uses in
model rocketry and some RC classes, the
Free Flight fraternity have been relatively
late adopters. It was not until F1A glider
flyers became rather obsessive with regards
to their bunt launch height that their use
became more widespread. This became

more relevant with the investigation of
LDA wings (Low Drag Airfoil) where
although the bunt launch height was
improved the glide sinking speed was
compromised. Altimeters played a key role
in improving the overall performance.
One of the other problems associated
with the trim optimisation of the FAI senior
class models, is that the performance is
now so high that it is difficult to let models
fly to the ground to obtain a measure of
overall performance. It is also difficult to
optimise the launch/climb phases, as the
models height and attitude make it almost
impossible to fully understand the flight
profile from the ground.
The use an altimeter not only allows the
flyer to more accurately assess the flight
profile in order to fine tune the trim, but
also to gauge whether the model is flying in
helpful air.
How high did that go?
p48-50 Mike Evatt Altimeter 016.indd 48
28/01/2015 12:45
How do altimeters work?
Essentially they consist of a pressure

sensitive transducer linked to some
electronics which performs a data logging
function and stores this data in on-board
memory for subsequent interrogation. Some
have an LCD display for instant readout of
maximum height achieved but this adds to
the weight. For our purposes we need a unit
which can record the altitude profile of a
model, be used as a stand-alone device, and
be relatively easily interrogated.
flight data data is downloaded. This is

manipulated by software to produce an
Altitude/Temperature/time graph for each
flight. HobbyKing also sell an Altimeter
Bluetooth Adapter for Wireless Android
devices to facilitate data viewing on
Smartphones and Tablets on the flying field.
The necessary software is available from
the HobbyKing and Fly Dream websites. In
spite of what has been stated on some blogs
the device and software does work with
Windows 7/8.
The altimeter module as it arrives.
What is available?
Currently there are several altimeters on

the market which could be used for our
purpose but many are rather heavy and
quite expensive. Some will only record
or display maximum altitude. With the
advent of electronic timers the way is clear
to have an altimeter added with no extra
battery payload. This is typified by Alex
Andruikovs Simplicity timer. However
many still have mechanical timers in
their models and so there is a need for a
lightweight stand-alone solution.
The Altimax timer designed and
produced by American Ken Bauer was a
useful device, used by many, but sadly is
now out of production.
Then along came the HobbyKing
version. This is small, lightweight and
relatively cheap and retails at under 20 in
the UK.
It is manufactured by Xuzhou FlyDream Electronic & Technology Co., Ltd
and is sold by HobbyKing.
Altimeter and Supporting

Components
This Altimeter is a stand-alone, small, light

and convenient unit for recording altitude
and temperature changes throughout the
models flight. Once the flight is over, the
device is connected to a computer via the
supplied USB interface and all the recorded
power the altimeter all day.

The original lead was cut down and was
soldered to the new socket lead which also
had been shortened. Lengths of heat-shrink
sleeving were located on the wires and
subsequently shrunk over the soldered joints.
Dont be tempted to cut the white coloured
wire loop off completely or the device wont
work. Just cut it short, solder the ends
together and insulate with shrink sleeving.
My finished connector weighed in at 0.4gm.
making the total weight just 3.2gm.
The altimeter USB interface.
Specification (Basic Device

without leads or battery)
Dimensions:
Weight:
Connector:
Operating Voltage:
Working Current:
Sampling Frequency:
Upload Interface:
Storage Capacity:
Height Range:
Height Precision:
Temperature Range:
Temperature Precision:
Preparing for use
21135mm
1.3g
1.25mm pin x 4
3.7V~8.4V
<7 mA
1Hz/2Hz/4Hz/8Hz
USB
>63h(1Hz)
-500m~9000m
0.3m
-20oC~65oC
1oC
The altimeter is designed to be powered

by connecting to a spare servo socket on
an RC receiver, however for a stand-alone
application the connecting lead must be
modified to provide a socket to accept
the chosen LiPo cell plug and also to be
shortened to save a little weight.
After a bit of web searching I decided
that the most suitable battery for my
purposes was a 30mAh 3.7volt single
cell, configured for use with an E-Flite
Nanostick model. These cells weigh 1.4gm
and I obtained mine from BRC Hobbies
but there are many suppliers. This battery
requires a two pin JST-SH (1.25mm
spacing) socket, again obtained from BRC
Hobbies. I found that one 30mAh cell will
The assembled device is ready to go when

the charged battery is connected and may
be taped to the model close to the CG or
concealed within the structure.
It is important to mount the device out
of the airflow as pressure fluctuations will
cause false readings. This is of particular
importance with fast climbing power
models and ballisticly launched gliders.
Using the device
I found it best to connect the altimeter to

the PC via the provided USB interface and
change the sampling rate before doing a
flight test.
When the software runs, the start-up
screen offers two choices, either FD-A to
PC or Curve.
The FD-A to PC button accesses the
screen where data is downloaded and saved
and settings are changed. The Curve button
allows access to saved data files and flight
profile plotting.
The sampling rate may be set at 1,2,4
or 8 samples per second. The higher the
rate the fewer flights that are able to be
recorded. I found that a rate of 2 or 4
samples per second was fine with my F1Bs.
You will of course need to load the software
on your computer before attempting this.
When trying to access your device from the
software you will need to make sure that
the software is addressing the correct COM
49
28/01/2015 12:46
Model Technology
port. It is a matter of trying the options
from the drop-down menu until you find
the one that works.
On switch-on the altimeters LED will
light up and after about 20 seconds will
start to flash to indicate that recording has
started. When the on-board memory is 75%
full the LED flashes red and 95% it will just
glow red.
With the altimeter/battery assembly
installed in the model you are ready to go.
After a flight, or series of flights, remove
the device, plug it into the USB adaptor
and insert that into a spare socket in your
Now switch to the Curve screen by

pressing back.
There are fifteen icons at the top of the
screen which perform the following functions:
Open, Mark, Screen-Shot, Peak Search,
Four buttons to scroll plot, Four buttons to
zoom plot and finally three buttons to Set
Zero, and annotate start and finish time of
the flight.
All these are fairly intuitive to use, so use
Open to load the saved data file, left click
the requisite file on the flight record list and
have a play.
The initial plot will show absolute altitude
the climb of my F1Bs. It has also meant

an improved appreciation of the vagaries
of the air in which we fly. I now tend to
use an altimeter for completion flights
and it is surprising how variable a models
sinking speed can be even in what appears
to be quite benign conditions. I dont just
mean slightly worse! I mean a doubling of
sinking speed! It is then when an excess of
performance over and above the maximum
can save the day!
The typical flight profile of an F1B
shows the model climbing to a height of
104 metres, experiencing 90 seconds of
The final components Battery, modified lead and altimeter.
The USB interface connected to a computer.
The FD-A download screen.
A typical flight profile of an F1B on the FD-A Curve screen.
laptop to check your data on the field. If

you have a PC then you will have to curb
your enthusiasm until you get home. I have
found that this is not really a hardship as
some plots may require careful analysis.
Using the software
Start the software, press the FD-A to

PC button. The screen now shows the
download window and the top left icon
should show a green area indicating the
percentage of the device memory used.
Press the download button to start the
download. When complete a dialogue
box will open prompting a filename and
allowing it to be saved.
so it is important to set the launch point

height to zero before doing anything else.
If you want to save the annotated plot
then use the screen-shot button as the
programme will not save the changes on
shut down.
For those of you who would like to
import the data into a spreadsheet like
Excel, that is also possible. Right click the
requisite file on the flight record list and it
will be possible to save it as a .csv file.
Advantages to using an Altimeter
I have been surprised at just how useful the

altimeter has been. It has certainly enabled
me to better understand and fine tune
buoyant air before entering sink at 0.7 m/s

for 60 seconds before dethermalising at
195seconds. The typical sinking speed on
the glide is circa 0.3m/s!!!
The use of altimeters gives the opportunity
to put actual numbers on some parameters
of our models flight. This can feed in to the
design process and help improve the breed.
I hope that many more flyers will use these
devices and share their findings.
Useful Websites
Hobby King www.hobbyking.com

Alex Andruikov www.andriukov.com
BCR Hobbies www.brchobbies.co.uk
Fly Dream www.fd-rc.com
28/01/2015 12:46
Model Science
The box open. In front a

CdH loading stick (more in
the lid) a Kevlar cartridge/
winding tube for F1B, the
rod necessary to remove the
tube (something eliminated
in a great many modern
systems that use a U section loading tube but thats
another article). The plug for
12volt power is seen on the
right (standard car cigarette
lighter unit).
RUBBER MOTOR WINDING

TUBE & STORAGE SYSTEM
Further to John ODonnells earlier articles on rubber motors
and storage, Dave Hipperson explains the cartridge system he
developed when flying competitively.
I
I
realised back in the 70s when flying FAI

rubber (F1B now), in the event of motors
blowing the discipline of rounds often
meant time becoming very tight to get a
flight in. Of course we all used winding
tube protection even back then (an R J North
invention from the 50s). However the fiddling
about with a blown motor and re-loading a
new one took time - sometimes too much time.
(Alex Andrukov lost what might have been his
first win in the 1985 World Champs at Livno
for this very reason. Lothar Doring and Hofsass
(1st and 2nd) had a system like mine by then.
I think they may have been influenced by mine
not sure.)
However in those early days I carried no
less than a dozen, numbered and pre-loaded
plastic winding tubes in a great big white box.
(I am told pictures of it exist in the June 1979
AeroModeller!) This way I was always ready
and in fact my hands rarely touched rubber
or the lube through an entire seven flight
contest. Each motor, when used, found its way
naturally back into its tube and the next one in
line taken out.
Be Prepared!
Rather slick but it had another clever feature.

One of the cartridges had a motor already fully
wound! This was in case time really got short.
It would of course have suffered slightly being
wound all day (not as much as we thought at

the time though), but it would at least give
me a flight where the alternative was a zero.
It was used a couple of times, if I remember
correctly, and the slightly tired motor was quite
sufficient as long as the air picking was as well!
Of course this is not allowed anymore, at least
not in international F1B, as the motor has to
be wound during the round and observed being
wound by the timekeeper, although that part of
the rule is rarely enforced.
With the advent of the slimmed modern
models of the 80s the system was modified to
what you see here. However, the box was built
in the period when we were allowed to use
heated jackets around the models, so the box
here has some unusual features. It has a very
powerful electric blanket (nicrome wire stitched
into blanket material) run from the same 12 volt
system that powered the heater jackets. In this
way the motors could be warm already easier
to wind.
You will see that I have reduced the number
of tubes from a dozen; this was as much due
to the complexity of making them as anything
else. I reckoned that the old plastic tube was
cumbersome and heavy, so I made some
winding tube/cartidges from Kevlar, just like
we were using for fuselages in the models but
with a bit more resin as weight was not such an
issue. The beautiful aluminium end pieces were
End view of the storage box. Note small cut-out

window through which a digital thermometer
showed internal temp. The tubes have been
pulled out a little along with the heated blanket.
turned for me by Trevor Grey; they are crucial

to the integrity of the design as the ends take a
lot of punishment.
The lid was used to house the jacket for the
model and when they were outlawed (shame,
it was such fun!) I used the box when flying
CdH. Those wooden things are loading sticks.
Each one would have a motor on it and they
all could be kept warm in the box until needed.
The CdH system used a single plastic winding
tube protector but the loading sticks were again
a great boon to rapid replacement of blown
motors when time was tight.
Other Use for Heater
The heater box had a further trick it could

play. When I was building F1B fuselages
from Kevlar/Epoxy resin, cure temperatures
and times were quite critical to get the best
stiffness. So all the winding apparatus was
removed from the box, and the fuselage on
its single mould protected by polythene,
was slipped into the blanket and the whole
device left on over night. Temperature
stabilised out as something which would
have equated to a low setting on your oven!
Twenty four hours at that level cured the
resin beautifully. Needless to say the 12 volt
car battery supply was trickle charged during
this time.
51
p51 Rubber Storage Cartridge.indd 51
28/01/2015 16:27
International CL
EURO COMBAT
INTERNATIONAL
12-14 December 2014 LAS PALMAS GRAN CANARIA
For the 14th consecutive year, the Canary Federation of Air Sports (FECDA) and Club
Tamaran organised this event offering Combat and Stunt pilots from all over Europe a taste
of winter sun and the chance to fly CL. Text by Vernon Hunt, photos by Alberto Parra.
I
I
n the last couple of years there has

been discussion in the UK concerning
slow combat as flown in Europe; 35
seconds for 10 laps model including
the streamer, flown in level flight. This
could be an F2E or F2D model or even an
own design, but with a large wing area. These
models perform well in manoeuvres making it
a very competitive event.
The Basic Rules
Any 2.5cc engine, diesel or glow, to include

silencer (limited to around 85dB)
One model per match
Suction or pressure fuel feed
Model speed checked before every flight
Scoring can be Vintage or F2D (in Gran
Canaria they used Vintage scoring, but with
the F2D 2 life system. This is a fairer system
than 1st Round and 1st Round losers, but
with Vintage Combat numbers as high as
they are, it would be very hard to complete
the event in one day.)
Prior to flights, models are pull tested and
line lengths checked and they go into a model
rack stacking system. This means, as one
match finishes the next is ready to go.
Club Tamaran Flying Facilities
The site is owned by the City Council and is

shared with a football club. It is purpose built
with a concrete centre circle and perimeter,
which will accommodate both combat and
stunt and is surrounded by a 2 metre safety
fence. Under the main football stand there
are two rooms for the exclusive use of the

Tamaran Club, one for storing models
and fuel and the other is a fully equipped
building room for the fliers. Two modified
porta-cabins provide an admin block and
catering facilities, operated by partners. This
is a family orientated club and juniors are
strongly encouraged.
The UK Team
Martin Kiszel had gone out on Tuesday 9th

for a weeks holiday with his wife, and the
rest of us arrived on Thursday 11th, within
one hour of each other, for this four day
experience. Alberto Parra provided us with a
mini bus, and accommodation was a choice
of a converted Convent at 5 Euros a night, or
the central Parque Hotel, with B & B at 25
Euros. On Thursday we had a social afternoon
at a Seafood Restaurant in Las Palmas and the
evening was spent in the Old Town.
Martin and Richard Herbert had taken their
own F2E equipment, with Simon Miller using
equipment from Sion Burns who is based in
Menorca. John Leggot, Bruce Dobson and
myself each acquired from Alberto, 2 Parra
AAC diesels on 8 x 4 Taipan Props.
Friday morning was practice time; Simon
used a Parra diesel 2.5 with steel liner,
Richard elected to use a Star diesel over a
Nelson, whilst Sion chose a Device by Steve
Malone with a MK3 Oliver Tiger.
Combat practice finished around 3pm, with
the Stunt competition being run over the rest
of the afternoon and into Saturday morning.
Round One
There were 21 entries including 6 from the

UK, keeping nationalities separate was not
difficult for at least 4 rounds. John lost his first
match to Nicholas Antunez Senior through a
bad motor run; Martin had a strange match
against Alberto, with the score at one each and
ground time against Martin. However, Alberto
was penalised for stepping on and breaking his
own streamer and not landing and replacing a
new one. Martin went through.
Simon had a good match with Francisco
Mons, the tactic of following in vintage
proving to be a match winner at 2 - 1. Bruce
flew Kevin Lopez, winning by 1 - 0 and
ground time after a reflight was given when
the streamer string in the first match had
broken for no reason. Sion lost his first round
match to Manuel Mateo and yours truly lost
to Paco Jimenez, flying most of the match
with half a model! Richard completed the
round with a 2 - 1 win against Javier Aguiar.
Round Two
In the second round Simon beat one of the

Spanish juniors, Lorenzo Pinna, meanwhile
John lost his second match to Javier Aguiar.
I beat Nicholas Antunez Senior, who had
motor problems. Bruce beat Pepe Lopez from
the Madrid club, Sion lost his second match
to Paco Jimenez, whilst Richard lost to Nico
Antunez Junior, losing the biggest part of his
elevator early on, with the model losing all
manoeuvrability. Martin was the last to fly
against Javier Aragunde, with Javiers model
p52-53 Parra Gran Canaria 016.indd 52
28/01/2015 12:51
The fight between Javier Aguiar and

Bruce Dobson. This photo sums up
what a great sport combat is.
Richard Herbert launches a broken model,

post-crash.
Nico (Nico Jrs Dad.) against Jose

Luis Lpez who was 3rd in F2D at
World Champs 2010.
Nico Jr. (11 yr old) fights hard

with Manuel Mateo several
times Spanish F2D Champ.
Far Left: As well as Combat, there was an OTS

(Old Time Stunt) competition. Here Nicolas
Antunez prepares to monitor the flight of a junior.
Left: Old Time Stunt podium; 1st. Alberto Parra,
2nd Javier and 3rd Francisco Jimenez. The
young girl at the left is the granddaugther of
Alberto Parra who is of course learning to fly CL!
being cut off the lines during the match and

hitting the car park wall. Needless to say he
had a very broken model!
Round Three
The first match was myself flying 9 year

old junior Raul Hernandez in his first
competition; thank goodness for no
embarrassment! Simon put out Javier Aguiar,
but the best match of the round was between
Alberto and Richard, Richard winning 2 - 1
with plenty of following. Martin beat one of
the Spanish juniors, Lorenzo Pinna. There
was an odd number in the round, so Bruce
got the Bye.
messy bout - half a model to fly and a take off

with a loop, lead to a disqualification.
Round Five
Bruce finally lost a life to Richard, Martin

beat Manuel, destroying his model inside a
minute! and Simon beat the last Spanish flyer,
Paco Jimenez.
Round Six
Only 4 flyers remained. At this point its all

about wins and losses, with Bruce effectively
a round behind. So we had a match between
Simon and Bruce, Simon the winner with Bruce
on catch up, then flying Martin who won yet
Paco Mons and Manuel Mateo travelled from

Barcelona
Raul, Nico Jr. and Lorenzo were on the podium for

the Junior clasification Combat. Javier Aguiar
(glasses) was the coach and is an excellent F2D pilot.
Round Four
Bruce was first to fly Javier Aguiar, winning

by a single cut and ground time. Simon
eliminated the highest placed junior, Nicolas
Antunez Junior, who at 11 years old has the
potential to become a future Spanish F2D
team member. This kid can fly!!
Best match of the round was Richard
beating Paco Jimenez 5 - 2 and Martin
winning over Jose Luis Lopez, with lots of
carnage..... I flew Manuel Mateo - a very
This year an all British podium; 1st Martin Kiszel,

2nd Richard Herbert, 3rd Simon Miller.
again, the only pilot with no losses. Simon lost

to his club mate Richard, meaning that there
was a final between Martin and Richard. The
fly off for 3rd place was between Bruce, Simon
and Manuel.
Two flights later it was - Simon 3rd, Bruce
4th and Manuel 5th. So we had a final. Richard
had to beat Martin twice. At the end of the first
match we believed that Richard had won. But
wait a minute! Close inspection with a camera
shows Simon pitting inside the circle whilst there
are uncleared lines in a tangle. A disqualification

for Richard left Martin the winner!
All was done with good spirit and
the correct application of the rules by
the Spanish organisers. I think it is fair
to say that this was the first time some
of our pilots have flown abroad and
certainly, besides myself, in this Euro
event. At the Airport heading for home,
the overwhelming opinion was that it was
a great success. Whilst out on the final
evening with Alberto and friends we came
across a Finnish Karaoke Club closing
its doors, which was actually a blessing,
as Bruce was in the mood to give us all a
rendition of Lola by Barry Manilow!!
Finally, a huge Thank You to Alberto and all
the Spanish organisers for a wonderful weekend
of sporting and social activities.
For news of future events and Alberto Parras
engines go to www.clubtamaran.com
53
p52-53 Parra Gran Canaria 016.indd 53
28/01/2015 12:51
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AERO DPS SUBS.indd 32
28/01/2015 14:25
Model Technology
Steve Glass with his
FF Hurricane at the
Nationals. Photo by
Laurence Marks.
Pendulum Ailerons
Y
Steve Glass shares his experiences with both mechanical and electronic pendulums on FF models.
our editor Andrew, asked me

to write a piece about my
experiences using pendulum
ailerons as a cure to spiral
instability. The story is
incomplete and I cant prove one way or
another whether they actually work or not,
but here goes anyway. Im not a full-size pilot
or an aerodynamics expert, also some of the
assertions made here are based on insufficient
data or maybe are just plain wrong? So if you
disagree with anything or maybe you have
something to add, please share your thoughts
with me or the editor.
Building on the Work of Others
We had the privilege of meeting US

modeller Fernando Ramos at the 2003 (I
think) August Nationals; Fernando had
made the trip across the pond to compete
in FF scale. He described, to all who
were interested, his experiments with
a pendulum system to help FF models

with marginal spiral stability. Namely, the
pendulum is connected to the ailerons and,
unusually, it is set 10 to 15 degrees down
from the horizontal.
Now lets hope Ive got this right? It
seems that a test rig was taken up in a fullsized aeroplane and subjected to various
manoeuvres to show that a pendulum, set
at 10 degrees down from the horizontal was
the most effective for our purposes. At the
time I was flying scale FF EDF jets and
thought that some additional spiral stability
might make these models a little more
forgiving to fly?
Fury FJ-4 with Mechanical

Pendulum
My own personal experience with

pendulum ailerons started with a scale jet,
namely, a North American FJ-4 Fury.
The Fury was finished (just) in time to
enter the 2006 Nationals and, true-toform, the model was taken to Barkston
completely untested apart from a few testglides and a powered-glide. Nevertheless,
this little testing showed immense promise
and the maiden was indeed a scoring
competition flight! Check out the BMFA
website for the 2006 Nats results, it is
interesting to note that the Fury had three
good flights on the Saturday night. More
importantly, the Fury was the only model to
post a scoring flight on the Sunday in CO2/
Electric, when conditions grew quite bad
(read normal for Barkston!)
However, it shouldnt be too difficult
to make a free-flight FJ-4 fly well without
the complication and extra weight of a
pendulum system. Nevertheless, I firmly
believe that the pendulum control made
the model exceptionally easy to fly and
combined with being overpowered helped
the model cope with both windy conditions
p56-59 Pendulum Ailerons 016.indd 56
28/01/2015 12:54
Pendulum set at 10 degrees

down from horizontal.
Fury pendulum from the top.
Fury pendulum from the bottom.
and ham-fisted launches. Unfortunately,

the Fury was lost next year during the 2007
nationals in a flyaway.
Heres a link to some video of the Fury in
flight (courtesy of Russ Lister)
https://vimeo.com/24019743
of the stabilising system to do anything

worthwhile (more on balanced turns later).
The Fury wing was a one-piece bandedon item, the mechanical system was quite
easy to install. A one-piece wing is fine on
an EDF jet, however, it does not work so
well on a prop driven model as the wing
will certainly skew on landing, resulting
in damage to the LE as it strikes the prop.
Therefore on a prop driven model it is
best to have two separate wing panels and
that unfortunately makes a mechanical
pendulum system much harder to
implement.
far? It did show promise and it did indeed

manage to grab 4th place at the 2012 Nats,
flown in challenging conditions. However,
flying was hit-and-miss with the model
sometimes settling into a balanced turn that
resulted in no aileron correction.
Heres some video that shows just what
I mean. The flight starts out ok with
noticeable aileron corrections and then they
just stop happening?
https://vimeo.com/69974661
The Hurricane had an electronic
pendulum system to ease the problem of
implementing separate detachable wing
panels. On this electronic version, the
pendulum bob-weight was a magnet and
at either end of the throw was a hall-effect
sensor. The hall-effect sensor is sensitive to
magnetism with a voltage output dependent
on the proximity of the magnet. This
voltage is read by an Analogue to Digital
(AtoD) convertor and appropriate signals
generated and sent to a pair of RC servos,
one on each aileron. All the processing
was done on a tiny micro-controller that
kept the size and weight to within reason.
At each wing joint was simple electrical
connector, namely, a Futaba type servo-
FF Hurricane with Avionics
The next pendulum model was a 1:11

scale Hurricane for diesel power - A
Hurricane was perhaps a bridge too
ry.
ican FJ-4 Fu
North Amer
The wing cutout on the EDF Fury.
Fury mechanical
pendulum arrangement.
The Fury had a fully mechanical pendulum

system set at the suggested 10 degrees
from the horizontal. The pendulum used
a 7g (1/4oz) bob-weight driving four
bell-cranks, two bell-cranks per aileron.
Each bell-crank decreased the travel and
increased the mechanical advantage of the
pendulum. It was attempted to achieve
some sort of aileron differential (i.e. more
up than down), however, my befuddled
brain got things wrong and the end result
was more down than up! With hindsight
(and future failures in mind) I suspect that
this was a blessing as aileron differential
might well have caused the model to settle
into a balanced turn with subsequent failure
57
28/01/2015 12:54
Model Technology
Hurricane pendulum position.
connector, that parted easily when a wing

was knocked off.
The avionics suite consisted of a battery,
a small 2s Lipo encased in a fuel-proofed
box as it lived next to the diesel engine. The
pendulum has a magnet for its bob-weight
which excites the hall sensors situated at each
end of the circuit board and a 5Volt regulator
is needed the drop the battery voltage.
The microcontroller (PIC12F683) is very
powerful for its size; indeed, it has about
the same processing power as an early PC.
It reads the voltages from the hall sensors
and drives the aileron servos.
Co-ordinated Turns
Pilots of full-sized aircraft are taught to

fly co-ordinated or balanced turns; this
is for their own comfort and that of their
passengers. In a balanced turn the occupants
feel their weight to be acting straight
downwards into their seat, the same must
be true for a pendulum bob in a model?
For this type of horizontal pendulum used
Avionics used in the FF Hurricane.
Knock-off wing arrangement
here to be effective perhaps the

model should be encouraged
fly in uncoordinated slipping
turns. In slipping turns the
pendulum bob will always fall
in the direction of the turn/
bank and hopefully correct
spiral instability. Perhaps if a
modeller was experimenting
with pendulum ailerons,
it could be as well to
encourage adverse yaw and
uncoordinated turns by not
using aileron differential or
Frise type ailerons?
Did it work?
Diesel pow
ered FF Hur
The pendulum aileron system on the Fury

worked like a charm and it made the model
the easiest and best flying scale model
I have known. The Fury would make a
reasonably stable FF model without this
extra spiral stability. However, similar
models Ive flown, without a pendulum,
ricane to 1:
11 scale
would always spiral-in if the turn was too

tight or if the launch was not spot-on; the
Fury never did! The one-piece wing with a
mechanical pendulum system worked very
well indeed.
Circuit board top and bottom.
28/01/2015 12:54
The Hurricane, on the other hand, could

be described as a near miss. Sometimes
there was adequate stability throughout
the whole flight, however, during most
flights the ailerons stopped correcting after
a period of time? Now, the Hurricane had
a lot of aileron differential implemented
at the programming stage, there was
about twice as much up aileron compared
to down. Maybe, this amount of aileron
differential was a mistake and it encouraged
the Hurricane to settle into a balanced turn
and the stabilisation stopped? Remember,
as previously mentioned, the Fury had more
down than up! The electronic pendulum
seemed to work OK, as did the knock-off
wings. The Hurricane was always going to
be tricky to handle as the real aeroplane was
so unstable. Whether or not taking away
the aileron differential would have made
any difference to the flying performance we
shall never know, as it was struck off charge
after a bad crash at the 2012 Nats.
Contact Steve Glass, stegla@fsmail.net
ELECTRONIC PENDULUM CIRCUIT DETAILS
Due to the power and versatility of the microcontroller the component count of the electronic
pendulum circuit is very low and anyone with electronics experience should be able to knock
one up in short order for under 10. Im afraid that I no longer have the means to make printed
circuit boards; the PCB artwork has not survived. Nevertheless, if you have the wherewithal to
program the PIC, I can share the .HEX file by email (free of charge), or if not I can supply a
pre-programmed item for say 2.50 inc. P&P.
The components are readily available from many sources. At the time of writing several
suppliers were selling on ebay, also Farnell Electronics http://uk.farnell.com/ had stock.
ELECTRONIC PENDULUM CIRCUIT DETAILS
Steve Glass prepares and successfully

ROGs (Rise Off Ground) the Hurricane at
Barkston Heath. Photos by Laurence Marks.
59
28/01/2015 12:54
CL Event Australia
Peter Koch flew his Larakin MK 3 replica in Classic
Aerobatics. Brian Horrocks
flew the original Larakin
which won the British Gold
Trophy in 1961.
CONTROL LINE GRAND

PRIX IN MELBOURNE
A
M
AUS 30210 reports from Down Under on this multi-discipline Control Line competition.
t this time of the year it is

common practice for the MAAA
to hold the Australian Nationals
Championships and many
modellers use the occasion to
coincide with their annual holidays. However,
his years Nationals are to be flown in
Queensland in April and this meant that there
was not an event during the holiday period.
The Control Line Aircraft Modellers
Club in Melbourne decided to organise a
competition to fill the gap and proceeded
to prepare for a competition to take place
at Albury NSW between January 2nd and
January 5th. Everything was set for the event
but the Australian weather predictions for
the planned dates threw up some challenges
that would have made flying impossible. The
forecast of hot weather and strong winds
made it likely that there could be a total fire
ban imposed by the Country Fire Authority
and in this situation the host club (Twin
Cities) would not permit flying at their site.
Under those circumstances it was decided to
switch the venue to the CLAMF home field
in Melbourne.
With Aerobatics, Speed, Combat and
Team Racing on the four day schedule,
competitors and spectators had plenty of
events to choose from.
Day 1 Saturday
As things turned out the weather on the

first day of competition in Melbourne was
horrendous. With temperatures approaching
40 degrees Celsius and winds up to 50
km/h any flying at all was impossible and
the day was spent talking in the club barn
and exchanging points of view, which is
something modellers can do very well.
Day 2 Sunday
F2C Team Race.

A cool change had happened over night and
the weather looked to be more settled for the
next three days.
First event on the concrete circle was F2C
Team Race, round 1 & 2. Most teams were
complying with the new F2C rules using a
3mm venturi and the fuels used were without
the addition of Tetra Ethyl Lead (TEL).

It came as no surprise that the ex-World
Champions team of Rob Fitzgerald and Mark
Ellins posted the days fastest times of 3:20.22
and 3:23.78. Murray Wilson and Andrew
Nugent were not far behind and recorded two
times of 3:30.75 and 3:31.78
F2A Speed
The pylon was placed in the centre of the

circle and a couple of F2A Speed flyers flew
four rounds of speed.
F2A best times were:Murray Wilson
12.87secs - 279.72 kph.
Richard Justic
13.51secs - 266.46 kph.
Classic Aerobatics.
Whilst the above events were taking place,

Classic Aerobatics were being flown on the
grass surface. Some of the models were made
from Brodak War Birds kits and although
not from the Classic era they flew the same
Classic stunt pattern. Mark Ellins was the
contest winner. His model was a P40 profile
model powered by a ST46.
p60-63 HB Aus CL comp.indd 60
28/01/2015 12:55
The F2C final teams. Left to Right: R. Lacey/C. Ray (3rd), A. Nugent/M. Wilson (1st), M. Ellins/R. Fitzgerald (2nd).
Classic Aerobatics results
Rd 1 Rd 2 Best Model/Engine
1 Mark Ellins
986 1019 1019 P40 Warbird
/ST46
2 Paul Stein
964 922 964 Nobler/
Brodak40
3 Peter Koch
871 911 911 Larakin
/Enya 61
4 Andrew Nugent 859 744 859 Nobler/
OS46LA
5 Gavan Opperman 679 679 Oriental
/Veco 35
6 John Hallowell
483 483 Thunderbird
/ST46
three seconds short of the next fastest time.

In the final the Justic/Stein Dimpled
Dumpling and Hallowell/Justic Pluto had
very little airspeed difference but the Bailey/
Roberts Dimpled Dumpling was slightly
off the pace and marginally short on range
meaning an extra pit stop was needed.
Final times were:Justic/Stein
6:43.90
Ha llowell/Nugent
6:56.57
Bailey/Roberts
7:34.13
and recorded 3:32.06 and 3:37.81. The newly

formed team of Colin Ray and Ron Lacey
showed their potential with a creditable time
of 3:34.05. Leknys/Reichardt best time for
the event was 3:35.93 and Justic/Stein not far
behind with 3:42.72. The remaining team of
Bailey/Hunting did not record a time.
The final was a close result. The Ray/Lacey
team only managed to complete 36 laps but
from then on it was touch and go between
Wilson/Nugent and Fitzgerald/Ellins as to
who would be first to make the 200 laps.
The victors were Wilson/Nugent. Their
During the lunch-break, the helpers in the

canteen provided refreshments of hot dogs,
Dim Sims and plenty of cold drinks and ice
creams were on hand to combat any rise in
the temperatures.
Half A Combat
Talking of combat, the Half A variety was

the next event. With a mixture of Ukrainian
made state of the art models with Cyclon
JAK or Fora 1.5cc engines and homemade
models built from an old AeroModeller Half
A Russian plan and powered by vintage
Taipan engines, it made for some cat and
mouse tactics.
In the final bout Tony Casselli beat Murray
Wilson by 3 cuts to 1. It was JAK against
Taipan and the JAK conquered.
Vintage A Team Race.
Last event of the day was Vintage A Team

Race. Due partly to the venue change entry
numbers were smaller than might have been
expected but the four entrants had fun with
some close racing. Models used were two
Dimpled Dumplings, a Pluto and a Voodoo.
All engines used were the Australian made
R250 Oliver Tiger replica.
Wilson/Lacey were the team that missed
out on the final as their 3:40.31 time was
F2A Speed flyers. Left to Right. Murray Wilson,

Richard Justic.
Day 3 Monday
F2C Team Race.

Rounds 3 and 4 of F2C were the first event
of the day.
Fitzgerald/Ellins improved their times
to 3:14.06 and 3:13.78. Wilson/Nugent
continued with their consistent performance
Tony Casselli warms up his engine ready for Half

A Combat.
time of 7:00.72 being a close call in front

of Fitzgerald/Ellins 7:01.74. The top three
teams all used Lerner engines.
Combined Speed
At the conclusion of team racing it was

the turn of the speed flyers to occupy
61
28/01/2015 12:55
CL Event Australia
Ric Justic takes a catch during the 27 Goodyear race.
the concrete. The event here is known as

Combined Speed but it might be better
recognised elsewhere as Percentage Speed.
There are multiple classes which can be
entered and each has an Australian record
which entrants try to beat or get as close as
they can.
The biggest model flown on the day was
the Class 3 monoline model powered by a
Rossi .61 by Richard Justic at 279.89 kph.
Richard won the competition with the flight
of his Nelson .29 powered Pink Lady. The
recorded speed of 292.9 kph was 100.10%.
Local speed man Robin Hiern claimed
second and third place with Class 1 and Class
5 models, both of which were slightly greater
than 97% of the record.
Maier and Murray Wilson. Both of them

were using ST G20/15 diesel engines. Murray
was the eventual winner with two cuts and
Ken had no cuts and less air time.
Classic FAI Team Race
Last event of the day was another team race.

The aim of Australian Classic FAI team race
is to re-create FAI team racing as it was before
1970, when in the eyes of many people, models
were more beautiful, less expensive, and flew over
grass at speeds most people can cope with.
The engines used must be one that is
included in an approved engine list.
The Barton club in Manchester has a similar
event but they are more restrictive regarding
which modern engines can be used.
A view underneath the cowl of a modern F2C racer with a Lerner engine.
Vintage Combat
Over on the grass circle Vintage Combat took

place. The Australian rules vary slightly from
the British version. The main differences
being that our maximum engine capacity is
2.5cc and we allow modern covering materials
and have a list of approved engines that
include some that are in current production
and readily available. It was a well-run contest
that moved along at a brisk pace.
The fly off for first place was between Ken
Murray Wilson has flown at C/L World Championships in F2A, F2C, F2D, and he has now started
flying F2B. Maybe he will one day claim a place in
the Australian F2B World Championships team.
He is seen here holding his Vintage Combat Anduril after defeating Ken Maier in the final bout.
built racing engines but with a small amount of

fettling they can be made to suit our purpose.
It is worthwhile to note that whilst most of the
models are reproductions of the originals of the
period, some of our race times are equal to those
Robin Hiern and Richard Justic placed second and first in

Combined Speed.
There were probably as many as twelve models

in the pitting area but as there were only six
teams present not all of those were flown. Most
models have been built in recent years but Ron
Lacey was using an original model that he raced
back in the seventies. The engines that are most
commonly used are the Parra 2.5 or the Fora 2.5.
Both engines can give similar performance. The
Parra is a little bit more expensive but appears to
have better quality control in the manufacturing
process. These two engines are not purpose
of the 60s when specialist racing engines such as

the Bugl were in use.
All teams managed to record a time during the
two heats of racing.
Fastest qualifiers were:Leknys/Lacey
4:12.68
Nugent/Ellins
4:16.00
Bailey/Roberts
4:23.03
In the 200 lap final race all models were
away quickly and pilots were on their best
28/01/2015 12:56
behaviour. Most pit-stops were slick affairs

and racing was very close. On lap 189 the
Klotznoruski model flown by Bailey/
Roberts came in for a pit stop that the pilot
was expecting to be caught but the pitman
was expecting another glided lap and the
model ran into the circle ending their race.
Andrew Nugent pressed on with his Orion
and world class pitman Mark Ellins made no
mistakes for them to record a final time of
8:43.34. The Leknys/Lacey team completed
the race in a time of 8:57.5.
Day 4 Tuesday
Two more team race events today.

27 Goodyear is a speed limited racing event
that is popular in Australia.
The class caters for the use of Goodyear
models with any diesel engines up to 2.5cc.
The main racing restriction is that the model
must not travel faster than 27 seconds for
ten laps. Thats not racing I hear you cry.
Well maybe not for the purist but as far as
being an event that can be entered by both
novice and experienced flyers, it has many
Classic FAI racing is increasing in popularity in Australia. Here are the top three teams from the final race.
The winning team with their Dimpled Dumpling

Vintage A team race model.
challenges to get it right but can still be a

bundle of fun. There is no advantage to use
a top of the range expensive racing engine
because of the speed limit. A sports engine
that has good re-starting qualities can be just
as effective. Settings and team work are the
hard part.
In the event of exceeding the speed limit the
speed police will make you have a penalty
pit stop every time the offence occurs.
27 seconds + = OK
26.9 seconds - = Penalty stop
A selection of engines including Nelson,
MVVS, Oliver Tiger, Goodyear tuned PAW
and Super Tigers were used. After getting a
good engine setting, constant monitoring of
speed is needed by the pitman and messages
of pull your arm in or stick your arm out
were often relayed to the pilots in an effort
to keep their speeds as close to the limit as
possible. Pitman Andrew Nugent and pilot
Murray Wilson did this to good effect to
record a 100 lap heat time of 5:05.78.
The Classic B finalists. Left to Right. Lacy/Hunting, Wilson/Stein, Bailey/Roberts.
The final times were:Wilson/Nugent

10:10.53
Stein/Justic
10.52.69
Lacey/Hunting
13:54.47
Classic B Team Race.
The last remaining event in the schedule was

Classic B Team Race for models using engines
on an approved list up to 5cc.
With only three teams remaining at the field
we went straight in to a 160 lap final. Three
different engine types were used, Irvine25,
OSFX25 and a GMS 25. It was the OSFX25
that had the speed edge by a large margin and
Paul Stein flew his grey racer to a victory with

a ballistic time of 5:48.03.
Success
That brought to an end a very enjoyable four

days of control line activity. Mixed in with the
flying we also managed to have a swap meet
where quite a few bargains changed hands and
the evenings featured some enjoyable times
at various eating venues so that our interstate
visitors never went hungry.
Our thanks go to all the officials, timekeepers,
judges and background people, without whom
the event would not have been possible.
63
28/01/2015 12:56
Readers Letters
AeroPost
Mylar Covering and Mercury Kits
Hi Andrew.
Just read the latest offering from
AeroModeller (933) and am very pleased.
Lots to interest me.
In response to your article on Mylar covering
and the one on Mercury models I thought
Id send you these pictures. All built some
time ago, but all still flying they are:
* OD Jasco Trojan XL published in Model
Flyer a few years a ago with PAW 06
* KK Skystreak 26 with PAW 1.0cc
*Mercury Wasp with PAW 0.5cc
They are covered with 1/A combat Mylar
followed by, like you, tissue in stock -a bit
like Modelspan.
I use thinned Evo-Stick (can you still get
it?) as adhesive and just normal nitrate dope
to fix the DRY tissue in place, overlapping
on all edges. Water shrinking afterwards
seems to do the job before several coats of
dope. No apparent problems with wrinkles
but the models are not very demanding.
All the models have the balsa parts covered
in very thin fibre glass cloth before tissue
again stuck on with dope. They are pretty
bombproof. The small amount of painted
Every issue will contain a selection of readers letters. Were happy to receive
post to the ADH office address, or emails to editor@aeromodeller.com.
Letters may be edited to fit the space we have available.
Regards, Andrew Boddington
decoration is in Humbrol enamel. The

models are light and with those motors
certainly not short of power. The Wasp is in
fact quite ridiculously quick.
Thanks, Richard Evans
Hi Richard,
Glad to hear you are enjoying AM. The longevity
of your models certainly supports the idea that
tissue on Mylar is very durable. Your models look
very smart and the tissue covering with tissue trim
is a classic finish. And yes, you can still get EvoStick Impact, contact adhesive.
Regards, Andrew
Resurrection!!
National Treasure Status!
Hello Andrew,
I recently visited my daughter Jill and son-in-law Peter in Calgary,
Alberta. Whilst searching through Peters magazines I found a copy
of a recent AeroModeller. The format and subject matter appealed to
me instantly, what a refreshing change from the current vogue of filling
pages with endless over-lengthy reports of events, exhibitions and banal
editorials leaving no space for articles and projects - I believe that you
have got a very good format, please stick with it.
I have subsequently taken out a subscription and started un-earthing my
well preserved old aeromodelling assets. The oldest is a Mercury Picador
with AM15, and a Mercury Toreador with McCoy 19. The youngest is
a Graupner Mosquito with folding prop and OS Cougar radio.
The November 2014 issue of Aeromodeller is the first of my
subscription - is it pure coincidence that this issue has an article dealing
with battery upgrade for retro-radio sets? On page 42 of the December
issue is a photograph of guess what? an OS Cougar 4ch radio. This is
beginning to have the appearance of a conspiracy! I have purchased
new Solarfilm and started to cover the skeletal frame of the Graupner
Mosquito completed 18 to 20 odd years ago.
On the control line front, the AM15 following a strip down and clean,
started easily after being laid up properly for 40 odd years, I hope to run
a few laps again. Oh by the way, I will be 70 years young in March 2015!
Regards, Tony Davies.
Dear Mr Editor,
I must say first that John ODonnell is a national treasure. I have on my
desk a 1966 AeroModeller, and in it an article written by John on the
North Western Area Woodford Rally (sadly now a housing development).
Yet in the new AeroModeller series which I have been so delighted to see
you begin, John is still writing. This is a career of almost 50 years.
In fact, I believe John has been writing even longer, because I am sure I
have secreted a 1956 AeroModeller somewhere (away from the wife who
simply does not understand) in which he appears. Please ask him.
Just as important, can we have more on trimming from John? Since he is so
good, and the subject is so large, a way to start would be to give the secrets
of his Coupe dHivers trim. I know that letting out all these techniques will
be agony, since it will help the opposition, but John says he has given up
competitive flying.
As it is, Johns current article on whether to trim left or right only whets the
appetite. For example, he mentions wing warp. We know that wing warp
is important, but why and which wing? We also know about asymmetrical
wings - for example, the wing is sometimes set at an angle to the fuselage
so that the leading wing provides more lift, but why and how does this
compare with the wing warp method? Then tailplanes are angled so as to
provide turn - what are the advantages? Johns detailed discussions of these
and related issues are needed.
Aeromodeller is a joy. Best wishes, Stan Siebert ,Birmingham
Hi Tony,
Im pleased to hear that you like the format of AeroModeller and that you
have taken out a subscription - there appears to be a growing number of
modellers who have been spurred out of inaction by reading AeroModeller.
Ill certainly try to keep the format diverse to appeal as many builders and
flyers as I can. Good luck with your resurrection of various models.
Regards, Andrew
Hi Stan,
Yours is one of several emails Ive received praising JOD and his Better
series of articles. All get passed on to John, and Im sure he will consider
incorporating answers in future columns. To my knowledge John has been
appearing in AeroModeller for well over 60 years; according to Colin Ushers
AeroModeller index his first article was on a Giro Glider in June 1952.
Regards, Andrew
p64 - letters 016 41
28/01/2015 16:27
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28/01/2015
Tail End Charlie

The Mysterious Mr Sheppard
fter I wrote about

the influence that
Mr Sheppard
had on me as a very
young aeromodeller,
readers supplied loads of eminent
candidates! Even with an obvious
clue in the Horfield Boys roll of
honour no one identified the right
one. No, it wasnt Ken Sheppard,
the recently retired Editor of RC
Model Flyer (he is several weeks
younger than I am anyway) it was
his Dad!
Wandering home from infants or

junior school with Ken, calling in at
the Sheppards and being allowed to
look in their front room was always a
treat for me. Here were kept a couple
of enormous gliders (in hindsight I
would be surprised if they were as big
as 48 inch wingspan) stored with their
noses down, each in the top of a vase
on the mantelpiece with their tails
upwards. The models impressed me,
as did the fact that they were obviously
considered so special that they were
allowed into the finest room in the
house (you have to understand the
notion of the front room in the early
1950s to appreciate why this was so).
You would also have to understand
that same culture to understand why
Ive only just found out that his name
was Bill!
The fact that Mr Sheppard would
enquire about my model building was
a great encouragement in itself, but he
also passed on little tips on building
and flying, such as advising me not to
pin though strip wood whilst building
from a Keil-Kraft kit as that would
weaken the model, and to always
make sure I had a flat building board.
He also told me just to glue the joint
fillets of glue add only weight not
strength he said.
Sideshow Bob
Has written to me a few times

and recently asked When are us
4-Channel designers, builders and
flyers going to get our own magazine.
One untainted by ARTFs we dont
want to read about.? Well, I think
this is something that AeroModeller
should be embracing dont you? Its
where the magazine has excelled in the
past and perhaps an area we should
quietly reoccupy whilst the other
magazines continue to ignore it. In
addition its a logical extension of his
earlier questions about Old Timer RC
assist models with ailerons and even
gyros! What do you think? Please let
me know so I have some evidence one
way or the other.
Mini Goodyear
From Peterborough Model Flying

Club, Bryan Lea wrote to tell me of his
first entry into Mini Goodyear racing
at the 2014 Nats with his friend Steve
Turner. Heres an extract:
Eventually it was our turn to get
in the circle with another team. Steve
got the engine going and we did 3 laps
before the engine sagged and died.
No amount of flicking would bring
it back to life and that was that - our
first race was over. . My Nats was
over but I hadnt reckoned on Bernie
Nicholls delving into his toolbox and
saying take your pick from these
3 PAWs. Arent PMFC members
wonderful? We were back in business.
Next day, Sunday . Back at the Mini
Goodyear circle we were down to fly
against none other than Messrs Lever
and Waterland. Well at least there
would be no need for me to do any
overtaking, just fly low and keep out
of the way which is what I did. When
my own engine had been running
it had done 45 laps per tankful, you
need 2 pit stops per 100 lap race in
Mini Goodyear. Bernies was more

thirsty only doing about 23-24 laps,
so we had more stops, probably about
7 in the end but we finished the 100
laps. Many thanks to Steve who did
a great job on the pit stops and I even
began to get the hang of whipping
the model to him after the engine cut.
I didnt crash and more importantly
didnt cause BML/BVW to crash
either. When it was all over there was
much laughter and congratulatory
handshakes all round. A brilliant day.
I thought that really captured the
essence of control line competition
I might even accept a long standing
invitation to have a go at Mini
Goodyear myself in 2015. As it
happens I have my own PAW 1.49
in a borrowed model somewhere in
the darkest corner of my shed just
awaiting the wakeup call
The mysterious Mr Sheppard is

revealed as Kens father Bill.
Old Warden 2015
Even though Im writing on the

last day of 2014, by the time
you read this you should have
your 2015 Ebenezer build well
underway to take to the Mayfly
meeting on 16-17 May at Old
Warden. There will be loads of low
key competitions there as well as
general sport flying of all types.
For more information keep reading
AeroModeller and check out the
new Modelair web-site www.
modelair.info
Well thats it for this month,
but dont forget to send all
your comments, pictures and
suggestions to me at
chrisottewell@anworld.com
and I look forward to seeing
everyone at Old Warden
in May and then
throughout 2015.
Bryan Lea with his Mini

Goodyear model.
Many modellers of a certain age will

have cut their building teeth on a
Keil-Kraft model like this.
Left: Senior Mini Goodyear nalists

at the Nats 2014. Mini Goodyear is
a great entry level class for ying
Team Race, and includes a Juniors
only event. (Photo Tim Andrews)
p66 TEC 016.indd 1
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O
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29/01/2015 17:03
Untitled-1 1
23/01/2014 14:33
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TOMBOY, CARDINAL, KK FALCON, JUNIOR 60, POPSIE, EROS,
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FREE PLAN - 18 SPITFIRE Mk22

P01 COVER 016.indd 1

FREE FLIGHT CONTROL LINE RADIO-ASSISTED

April 17 - 19, 2015

Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe,

Heard at the Hangar Doors

Off the Shelf

3D CAD for Aeromodellers

Team Racing Rule Changes

How High Did That Go?

Gran Canaria CL International

Issue 934. March 2015

Editor: Andrew Boddington

Advertisement and circulation:

Tel: 01525 222573 Fax: 01525 222574

From the Armchair...

ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,

Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue,

How to get started in Combat

FREE PLAN Spitfire Mk22

Tail End Charlie

ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,

The Supermarine Spitfire

P01 COVER 016.indd 1

p03 Contents 016.indd 1

FREE PLAN - 18 SPITFIRE Mk22

Solent Sky Museum

Melbourne CL Grand Prix

Select Publisher Services, 3 East Avenue,

FREE FLIGHT CONTROL LINE RADIO-ASSISTED

News, Views and Editorial

Diminishing Flying Sites

any of the readers of AeroModeller take part in

Battle of Britain Chapel saved

Thanks to Charlie Newman for

p4-6 HANGAR DOORS 016.indd 1

Running up Barton B racers in the pit area before the

Barton Cold Turkey

While many of us were in a post-Christmas torpor, the hearty

Great final - Best of the day.

ERE Diesel Details

Tony Davies has contacted me about his obscure diesel

Right: A cold, icy, super calm

Even combat flier Mike Whillance was

Compressor for the TRN2 Airbrush

p4-6 HANGAR DOORS 016.indd 2

News, Views and Editorial

INTERMODELLBAU, the leading

scratchbuilding with some impressive flying

because only three DO X aircrafts were built.

BMFA National Model Flying Centre Study

Thanks to Manny Williamson, BMFA Development Officer, for

INTERMODELLBAU exhibition also covers

B.M.F.A. NATIONAL CENTRE

through schemes such as National Lottery which need to be

6 AeroModeller - March 2015

p4-6 HANGAR DOORS 016.indd 3

Rochester, Kent ME1 3QJ.

Full details of BMFA events can be found at:

car race and Talk on Kit scale

p07 calander 016.indd 1