Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2022 i Model Airplane News

For almost a century (93 years and counting!), Model Airplane News has supplied model builders and pilots with top-quality construction plans. Interested in building a museum-scale warbird or a sport aerobat? A lightweight electric jet or quick-build park flier? Sponsored by Du-Bro, this month’s special Plans Guide features our top construction plans to get you off the ground. Our Guide offers more than 130 Model Airplane News all-time favorites in categories that include scale, giant-scale, sport, and jets, and we highlight aircraft that are easier to build and fly. When you’ve finished reading this print magazine, set your online flightpath to AirAgeStore.com and click on “Plans” to access a complete and searchable database of more than 700 designs that have been featured in Model Airplane News over the years. If…

Intended for fixed-wing aircraft, the iGyro 3e featuring a sturdy, anodized aluminum case and offers amazing flight stabilization and is an excellent choice for any sport pilot wanting high-end flight stabilization. Providing true three-axis control, the response feels natural and well balanced. Priced at $249.39, the iGyro 3e is ready to install and comes with six male-to-male leads; instructions; and thin, double-sided foam mounting tape. It is easy to adjust the gain ranges using a laptop, a PC, or the new smartphone app. You can easily reverse response using the push button and LED indicators. The unit also features Delta and V-tail mixer functions. The iGyro has two modes: Heading and Normal. “Normal” mode (green LED) provides momentary corrective control deflections should the model be affected by wind. When “Heading”…

Let’s face it, there’s just something extra special about twin-engine RC aircraft. Most modelers stop what they’re doing when a twin fires up on the flightline. It’s has to be the sound of the engines syncing into and out of cadence, or maybe it’s the overall impression people have of airplanes with more than one powerplant. Whatever it is, twins remain at the very top of the popularity chart, especially at warbird events. As with any RC airplane, regardless of the number of engines or motors it has, there are some basic rules and dos and don’ts by which every twin-engine airplane pilot should abide. FUEL FOR THOUGHT The most important consideration for any twin airplane is engine reliability. Take the time to correctly set up your engines. Reliable engine…

The original design was certified in the early 1980's with a stretched Cargomaster version being introduced shortly into production. With a wingspan of 52 ft., 1 in, a range of 1,000 miles and a gross weight of 8,000 pounds, Caravans are in continual use around the world due to their ruggedness and ability to utilize short, unimproved airstrips. Plus its Pratt & Whitney turbo prop engine allows the use of more easily available jet (or even lesser refined fuels) often found in developing countries. Floats and even skis have been known to be fitted on them. With 675 shaft horsepower, the P&W turbo prop is the standard equipped engine.…

If you are getting into aerobatics and are starting to perform more advanced maneuvers, it is time to discuss ways you can not only become a better pilot, but how you can also improve the flight characteristics of your airplanes. To be more specific, let’s review how to find the correct Center of Gravity (CG) for your aircraft. In addition, we can look at a few balancing techniques, and how you can adjust the CG without adding additional weight. Over the years, I’ve seen a few airplanes almost crash on takeoff because they weren’t balanced properly. Ensuring that your airplane has the proper CG location plays a major role in the longitudinal stability of your aircraft. If your aircraft is tail heavy, it will be more unstable and can stall…

F6F-5 HELLCAT Ricardo Moreira & Francisco Reifschneider, Brasília, Brazil This building duo took the fiberglass body and balsa wing of an older Hellcat model and added a Tigre .61 glow engine and a Master Airscrew 13 x 8 wood prop. The new detailed paint job recreates the Hellcat F6F-5 from the Uruguayan Escuela de Aviación Naval in the 1950s. The 70 inch-span model has split flaps, electric retracts, and custom handmade decals from the original logos. They write that it has “Super-scale flight and smooth takeoffs in Brasilia’s beautiful blue sky.” J-3 CUB Soren Wolff, Truckee, California When Soren built this Carl Goldberg 76-inch-span model in 1994, he didn’t know how to fly RC. But with the help of an AMA instructor, the 20+ year old plane flew for the…

With today’s ultra-reliable electric power systems, e-twins are extremely popular. As with all types of airplanes, reliability is key and electric twins have this in spades! Here are some basic rules to keep your electric-powered twin happy. 1. Use one controller for each motor.2. When using one battery pack for all motors, be sure its capacity exceeds the requirements of the combined current of both motors. (If each motor draws 25 amps and there are two motors, the pack must be able to handle 50 amps).3. Use only one BEC unless the manufacturer says it’s okay to wire two in parallel at the receiver.4. Use a Y-harness for all receiver connections from the speed control to your throttle input on the receiver.5. Keep all wires as short as possible from…

For the first-time RC modeler, setting up your airplane is fun all by itself. But the real excitement begins at the flying field. The basics for success are your properly assembled airplane, a fully charged radio and flight battery, and a nice calm day at the flying field. Here are 10 tips to help you get started. 1. GET AN INSTRUCTOR It’s best to partner up with an experienced modeler who can teach you to fly. Together, you both can set some flight goals so that you can build on what you learn on previous flights. A good plan includes learning how to: taxi your model and takeoff, fly at a constant altitude, execute left and right turns, fly at lower airspeeds, and recover from stalls. Always concentrate on keeping…

1. Find the Mean Aerodynamic chord (MAC) for the wing. You can draw an accurate scale wing panel with a CAD program or simply trace out the wing on some graph paper. Measure the root and tip chord lengths and then transfer these measurements. Extend lines from the leading edge and trailing edge of the root chord by the chord length of from the tip. Then, extend the leading and trailing edges of the wingtip, with the length of root chord length. It’s important to extend the wing panel outline so you can measure the root chord length at the fuselage’s centerline. 2. Now draw reference lines forming an X to connect the ends (extreme points) of the extended lines. Where they cross is the location of the wing panel’s…

Regardless of whether your building a warbird of an unlimited aerobatic plane, balancing a big 40% aircraft is awkward unless you use a stand that’s up to the task. Frank Tiano Enterprises (franktiano.com) offers the Southwest System’s EZ Balancer and an EZ Balancer Lite. The “Lite” version is used to balance airplanes up to 20 pounds, and the larger size is designed to handle airplanes of up to 100 pounds. Believe me, using the typical “two fingers on the CG point” approach, just doesn’t hack it for giant planes.…

CHARGE INDICATOR Often people use clothespins or removable labels to indicate whether a battery pack is new (charged) or used (discharged). I find all this too bothersome. After I charge a battery pack, I simply slip the main power lead through the balance lead pigtail. When I install the pack in my airplane, I remove the main lead from the balance pigtail and fly the plane. When I replace the pack for another flight, it goes into the battery box and I know it has been used. Michael Radcliff, Springfield, Massachusetts MIXING: THINK SMALL Mixing custom-colored paint can be a challenge. The best way to figure out a formula for a specific color you want is to use small amounts and then scale up from there. I find that using…

This famous multi-mission single engine observation aircraft served from 1950-1974. From calling out target locations to providing intel/recon information, the Bird Dog was a valued asset in both the Korean War and Vietnam. Priced at $1,895.95, the Legend Hobby 156-inch span Bird Dog is an exciting, yet easy to fly giant scale ARF. With its two-piece plug-in wing panels, the model can be transported in most large vehicles. Though not intended for novice pilots, experienced modelers will find this large L-19 easy to assemble and versatile enough to handle gas, glow, and large electric power systems. Features include plywood and balsa all-wood construction with fiberglass engine cowl and clear plastic windscreen and windows. The Bird Dog has a factory-covered airframe (available in olive/orange, white/red and solid gray). The L-19 is…

I’m a sucker for shop stuff. I buy tools I will probably never use just because they are cool, or I might need to use them someday. When Glen from RC Plane Stands reached out about a review, however, I knew as soon as I browsed their website that I would be receiving something I would use a lot, maybe even daily. RC Plane Stands picked up the manufacturing void left when my good buddy Gene Levine stopped making his floor stands. Glen took his basic design and added a few personal improvements and now offers the original floor stand as well as the benchtop stand. I already have a floor stand, but I’ve been dying for a quality benchtop stand to do minor projects in the house as well…

For everything in RC you need a good starting off point to be successful. If you’re already an experienced sport pilot, the Legend Hobby/Seagull B-25 Mitchell Bomber ARF is just about an ideal first serious twin warbird. It is very nicely designed and looks great. And being an Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) scale warbird, you’ll be at the flying field ready to go in a lot less time that building a kit. Made famous by Jimmie Doolittle’s WW II raid on Tokyo, this B-25 is intended for intermediate to advanced modelers. It features balsa and plywood construction throughout and it has plug-in wing panels for easy assembly and transport. It comes with a flat Oracover film finish, and all the formed parts to make it look like a serious wartime bomber. An…

The Cessna Grand Caravan 208 is a legend in aviation circles. A single engine utility aircraft that punches up with capabilities that rival many twin engine aircraft in its class. Its seemingly simple configuration belies its near extreme utility. It's a plane almost never modeled, but now Seagull Models brings us a large scale version for 35cc gas engines (or equivalent size electric) with some surprising features. It's an impressive, 85-inch-span model that features lights, cockpit details, and a multitude of working doors. The ARF kit is available in military camouflage and colorful “sporty” motifs. Both versions include the optional but distinctive underside cargo module. UNIQUE FEATURES The all wood kit features a three piece wing where the outer panels are easily removable with screws on each side. That feature…

Every year at the WW I RC Jamboree held by the Mid-Hudson RC Society club at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, the ultimate award everyone hopes to earn is called the “Spirit of Rhinebeck” and it is a tradition that was started decades earlier by the Aerodrome’s founder Cole Palen. The “Spirit of Rhinebeck” award is meant to highlight the model that shows the utmost in craftsmanship and fidelity to scale. In 2021, Norman Malinowski of Millstone Township, New Jersey received the coveted award. After a wonderful sunny weekend at the 2021 WW I Jamboree, we caught up with this year’s recipient and learned the back story for Norman’s award-winning Albatros. Model Airplane News: Congrats Norman, please tell us about your aircraft. Norman Malinowski: Walther Huth started the Albatros Werke in…