Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i Model Airplane News

GREAT GLIDERS A great way to expand your RC experience is with gliders. Powered and unpowered gliders and sailplanes are very efficient performers and a lot of fun to fly. From hand-launch and slope soaring, to winch launching and aerotowing, gliders cover the gambit in fun and functionality. In this month’s feature, “Great Gliders,” we highlight six of our favorite RC thermal hunters and include their specifications so you can quickly see what they have to off er. If you’ve been thinking of trying out gliders or sailplanes, this guide will help get you started. THE P LOOP RC and aerobatic expert Dave Scott shows how this “altitude changing” maneuver is performed and how best to use it. Though not a beginner move, his detailed illustrations show in detail how…

Launching a glider can be as simple as tossing it from the top of a hill or slope. If however, you want to launch for thermal flights, there are several ways of getting into the air. These include a high-start, a winch, an electric motor, aero-towing and special discus launch gliders (DLG). 1. A high-start is basically a length of surgical tubing, some strong nylon cord and an attachment ring that engages a tow hook under the model’s fuselage. 2. A winch is a loop of cable stretched between a powerful electric motor and a return pulley attached to the ground. A long launch cord is attached to the cable and is used to lift the glider into the air. 3. Adding an electric power system to a glider with…

It is called the Golden Age of Aviation: that period of time between World War One and Two where aviation technology was pushed not primarily by war but by private and commercial ventures. It was the era of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, barnstormers and racing—especially racing. Competition also promotes technical advances. And in the Golden Age, there were plenty of technical advances. Most notably was the Thompson Trophy series of air races, where money was to be made for designing, building, and flying the fastest airplanes. If you survived, that is. While the races continued all the way into to 1960s, the 1930s saw the most eclectic and distinctive mix of aircraft. One of those aircraft was the Wedell-Williams Model 44. Four were built, and several went on to…

FoxFury Lighting Solutions was again on hand for Commercial UAV Expo, showing its line of rugged drone lights and beacons, as well as a new product that literally brings them all together with your drone. The aptly named “Exolander” is an exoskeletal system that mounts to an existing aircraft, such as the Autel Robotics EVO series or the DJI Mavic series. Think of it like the MOLLE system worn by soldiers and tactical officers to customize their gear—except for your drone. In addition to mounting points for numerous lights of various sizes and capabilities, the Exolander provides landing skids that increase the height of the aircraft above the ground, reducing the possibility of obstacles interfering with its motors or camera gimbal. In addition, it integrates a manually operated drop mechanism,…

P-47D THUNDERBOLT Ricardo Mialdea, Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Spain This 1/5-scale, 85-inch-span warbird is built from a Top Flite Gold Edition kit. Ricardo and his building partner, 21-time Spanish champion Andrés Leoni, chose to replicate Major William Dunham’s “Bonnie” P-47D of the 348th Fighter Group. The model has fiberglass covering and is powered by a DLE-55 turning a Xoar 23x10 prop. Its scale details include a painted cockpit, dummy rotary engine, Warbird Pilots figure, and Robart pneumatic retracts. DIRTE BIRDE & HUMMINGBIRDE Mark Rittinger, Roseville, Michigan Mark scaled a Dirty Birdy 40 to a 45-inch span foam-wing model, DirtE BirdE, and a 32-inch-span foam-wing model, HummingbirdE. The DirtE BirdE is powered by an E-flite Power 15 motor and 4S LiPo and has E-flite electric retracts. The HummingbirdE is powered by a…

Electric power systems can be intimidating, and not everyone wants to understand watts, C ratings, charge rates, balancing etc. I love the tech, but some folks just want to fly. Wouldn’t it be great it we could just plug in a battery, and have it safely charged and balanced without worrying about burning down the garage? Sounds great? Keep reading. Spektrum Smart batteries, chargers, and speed controls are an evolution in technology. The onboard circuitry contained in the batteries brings us features not available on regular LiPos. The IC connectors feature a data cable that gives Smart devices access to a plethora of useful information as well as the ability to program certain features of the battery. When combined with a Smart charger and Avian speed control, the telemetry information…

Let’s face it: Accidents happen, and when it comes to flying RC airplanes, the chances are that you’re going to suffer some damage to your airplane. There’s no reason, however, to trash that crash. With today’s beautifully molded foam fliers, you can get them back into the air with very little effort. You also can save a few bucks by repairing your bent bird instead of buying new replacement parts or an entirely new airplane. WHAT’S NEEDED The supplies needed for any model repair are a hobby knife with sharp replacement blades, some masking tape, a sanding bar with medium sandpaper (100- to 150-grit), and some fine 220-grit sandpaper. The glue needed is 15-minute two-part epoxy, foam-safe CA adhesive and foam-safe accelerator (kicker). Denatured alcohol is good for cleaning and…

Representatives from French drone-maker Parrot were on hand for the Expo, showing off the new Anafi Ai. The sleek, all-white aircraft has been described as resembling either a praying mantis or the starship Enterprise—or perhaps a praying mantis eating the starship Enterprise. It’s a very peculiar design. To learn more about it, I spoke with François-Xavier “FX” Charbonnel, the company’s regional sales manager for the Americas. Like many of Parrot’s other designs, the Ai challenges some long-held assumptions about how small commercial drones are designed and operated. Unlike all of Parrot’s previous entries in the market, the Ai incorporates a collision-avoidance system, but it employs a completely novel approach that sets it apart from aircraft built by DJI, Autel Robotics and other manufacturers. Like those other manufacturers, Parrot uses a…

Editor’s note: This construction article is from the Model Airplane News classic series and it was first published in July 2004 issue of Backyard Flyer. Some of the original hardware may not be available but similar hardware and power systems are available online. Designed by Clayton Stephens, the full-size Stephens Akro was an aerobatic aircraft that dates back to the late 1960s. One of the first aerobatic pilots to compete with the Akro was Leo Loudenslager. He eventually modified his Akro and developed the now famous Laser. I had always liked the appearance of the Stephens Akro, and it’s been a popular modeling subject for a long time. Thin foam sheet has been a great building material for years making it easy to build lightweight electric aircraft. Low cost and…

With a wingspan of some 19 feet, you would expect a 1/9-scale cargo plane to be a real RC heavyweight. But not for German modeler Thomas Maier! Thomas built his amazing C-124 Globemaster with an all-up weight of just 10.8 pounds! Power comes from four Scorpion M-3011-760kv electric motors with 6.7/1 prop reductions turning modified Aeronaut 18.5x15 3-blade propellers. The motors are fed by four 6S 4000mAh LiPo battery packs. Construction is very lightweight balsa with some plywood reinforcement, and the model is covered with Oracover’s Oralight series, AirLight (very thin covering film without iron-on adhesive). Thomas applies adhesive only to the airframe parts that contact the covering film. Control comes from eight KST 08 coreless servos, and the main landing gear are driven by Hacker Ditex TD0606M servos. The…

WING PLACEMENT MARKS For sport models that have wings attached with rubberbands, you can quickly determine the center position for the wing with matching marks on the wing and the fuselage. Use a Sharpie and mark the centers of the fuselage at the front and rear of the wing saddle. Place the wing in position and measure to make sure the wing is centered and the left and right wing panels are of equal length. Now make matching marks on the leading and trailing edges. Now you can be sure the wing is properly positioned when you add the rubberbands. George Lewis, Cherry Hill, New Jersey PULL-TAB MAGNETIC HATCH A great way to secure a hatch cover is to use rare-earth magnets. One end has a tab or pin to…

An excellent way to expand your RC envelope is gliders and sailplanes. Unpowered gliders are the least expensive having no power system. Powered sailplanes equipped with electric motors and folding propellers to minimize drag are very popular. Gliders and sailplanes can be as simple or as sophisticated as you like and are very efficient performers. Available as kits, ARFs and radio-ready versions, gliders and sailplanes are available for all budget levels. This guide highlights six of our favorites. FMS FOX The FMS 3000mm (118 inch) Fox is an eye-catching sailplane. It features FMS’s advanced screw-free snap design (except for prop assembly), which allows quick and easy assembly and breakdown for storage and transport. Powering the Fox is a Predator 4258-KV460 motor and a 60A speed control intended for a 6S…

With our hobby, there are a lot of tasks involved to get our aircraft from the workbench to the flying field and then, there’s special support equipment needed to get our models airborne. This guide includes 20 of our favorite field and bench tools and gadgets that make the hobby that much more fun and enjoyable. We’re sure you’ll find something that will become one of your new favorites! FTE RESIN CAST DUMMY RADIAL ENGINES There’s nothing worse than an empty engine cowl on a scale airplane. These resin-cast dummy radial engines are molded in rugged grey resin and easy to add details to. Instructions showing how to easily produce a great looking scale engines are included. The engines come in five diameters: 1/8 scale 5.75 in., ($33); 1/6 scale…

Legend Hobby has now introduced Seagull Models version of the Model-44 with the Gilmore Oil Company sponsorship livery. The model is an all-wood ARF covered in Oracover with a 75-inch wingspan. It can be powered with a gas engine or electric motor. UNIQUE FEATURES The cowl is huge! Made of gel-coated fiberglass, it is quite prominent with simulated valve rocker blisters and pre-painted striping. A fiberglass dummy radial engine is provided, and you need to open the slots between the cylinders for cooling. The manual shows cutting out a section of the cowl for the engine’s cylinder head, but there was plenty of room for my RCGF Stinger Engines 35cc RE (rear exhaust) without cutting that big beautiful cowl. The wheel pants are also gel-coated fiberglass. Somehow the screw mounting…

The Extra NG or “Next Generation” is the latest offering from Extra Aircraft Corporation in their legendary 30-year-old Extra aircraft series. The first aerobatic aircraft with an all-carbon based airframe, the NG features a new sleek design and an ergonomic cockpit with advanced avionics. Oh, and it’s capable of a whopping positive and negative 10Gs! Yikes!! I’ve been a fan of Extreme Flight aircraft for a long time and have owned several because Chris Hinson and his team design models that flat out fly awesome. At any 3D event they can be seen up and down the flightline being absolutely hammered by extreme aerobatic pilots and coming back for more. The one flaw with models of the Extra though, to me, is many don’t have a true scale outline. The…

Teledyne-FLIR took advantage of the Commercial UAV Expo to introduce its latest product for the commercial UAS market: the VUE TZ20-R, which incorporates a pair of Boson camera cores delivering 640x512-pixel thermal images up to a maximum of 25 frames per second. Each of the two cameras mounts a different lens, providing both a wide and narrower field of view. Combined with an integrated digital zoom capability, this provides up to 20x magnification with four times as many pixels on target than a comparable single-camera system. Built in compliance with DJI’s Skyport 2.0 standard for third-party payloads, the TZ20-R is fully compatible with the company’s M200 and M300 series aircraft, making it ideally suited for professional emergency response and industrial-inspection missions. Radiometric calibration allows the system to return accurate surface-temperature…

Flying model helicopters is exciting and fun and looks very easy, that is, until you try it. Unlike model airplanes, helicopters lack stability and must constantly be controlled in all the flight axis. The pilot must develop the reflexes to control it, and this takes practice and commitment. By following these 10 steps, you will be up in the air in no time. 1 PRACTICE ON THE SIMULATOR A good computer flight sim is the best place to practice before you fly your heli. They are great for teaching basic orientation and getting the feel of the control sticks. If you can hover on a flight sim, you most likely will be able to hover the real heli very quickly and with a minimum of crashes. Try to fly the sim…