Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i Model Airplane News

TOP GUN: THE BATTLE RAGES ON! In this issue, we celebrate the 34th annual Top Gun Scale Invitational. Top pilots from around the world converged on Paradise Field in Lakeland, Florida to compete for over $25,000 in cash and prizes in eight categories, including the sought after title of “Mr. Top Gun.” Model Airplane News is proud to have been a part of this prestigious event since its inception. In this year’s expanded coverage, we get up close and personal with even more planes and pilots, from the winners to the details that set these scale machines apart. From World War I warbirds to modern turbine jets, these planes are the ultimate in scale realism and inspiration. After you’ve read this issue, set your online flight path to ModelAirplaneNews.com for…

One of the most basic uses of flight modes involves configuring elevator compensation for flaps on a fixed-wing aircraft. This applies to jets, scale, and other flap-equipped sport aircraft. You start by creating three flight modes, using the flap switch to control the flight mode. Then set your elevator trim from common to single flight mode. In flight, you can then adjust the elevator trim for the correct amount of up- or down-elevator as required to trim out each of the three flap positions. If your radio allows you set the transition time between flight modes, and most of them do, set the transition time to the match the speed of your servos. (Note: Spektrum radios use a slick flap menu that matches the flap speed to the elevator trim,…

Since 1989, Model Airplane News has been proud to sponsor—and cover!—the prestigious Top Gun Scale Invitational. Now in its 34th year, Top Gun continues to be a world-class celebration of craftsmanship and piloting skills. Many of the competitors battle for points from the static display judges with precision outlines, detailed cockpit displays, and museum-worthy graphics, but these aircraft are no hangar queens; all of them fly scale routines for the discerning flight judges and to the delight of the crowds. Hosted at Paradise Field in Lakeland, Florida, Top Gun boasts a well-maintained and expertly staffed venue, and the event runs like clockwork. This year, participants and spectators enjoyed nonstop flying with nine classes of competition, including a combined Sportsman class with jets and prop planes. Founded by Frank Tiano and…

1st // Mike Barbee (builder) & Frank Noll (pilot) // Beechcraft KingAir T-44A After earning the High Static score in its class (98.75 points), this ¼-scale twin earned a flight score of 196.875 points. Built from Bob Patton plans, the 138-inchspan model is powered by two Kontronik electric motors and weighs 55 pounds. 2nd // Trond Hammerstadt (builder) & Ali Machinchy (pilot) // Messerschmitt Me 262 Built from an Airworld kit, this ¼-scale twin turbine earned 95.25 points on the static judges’ table. Modeled after one of only two flight-worthy full-size replicas, the model is powered by two KingTech 140s and weighs 51 pounds. Ali flew it with a Spektrum radio to earn 193.167 flight points. 3rd // Henry Nguyen (builder) & Mike Fetyko (pilot) // SBD-5 Dauntless Built from…

1st // Jim Baker // P-47D Razorback Jim’s 110-inch-span CARF Models warbird is equipped with a full PowerBox Systems power distribution system and flown on a PowerBox Core radio. A Desert Aircraft 120cc engine provides power to this very realistic and good-flying model. Jim finished with a flight score of 121.917. 2nd // Chad Cotsamire // Ta 152 Chad’s model of the unique though short-lived Focke-Wulf high-altitude fighter-interceptor was built from a Meister Scale D9 kit by master builder Tim Sibley. It has a 135-inch wingspan and is powered by a 3W-85 2-stroke gas engine and guided by a JR radio system. Chad finished behind Jim Baker by only 0.084 of a point! 3rd // Dustin Beuscher // Pitts S-2 Flying in Pro Prop for the first time, Horizon Hobby’s…

1st // Ali Machinchy // BAE Hawk Horizon Hobby’s well-known ambassador of the hobby took the win in the EDF class this year. Ali was flying an 80mm FMS BAE Hawk in the livery of the Royal Air Force Red Arrows demonstration squadron, the RAF equivalent of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Ali used Spektrum Smart LiPo batteries and an iX20 radio system and finished with an final flight score of 88.375 2nd // Chad Cotsamire // MiG-17 Chad’s MiG-17 is made by Avios and available through Hobby King. The MiG is running a 90mm fan on a Gold Dot 6S 6000mAh LiPo. Flying with a JR Propo T44 Special Edition radio system, Chad earned a final flight score of 86.75. 3rd // Boli Muentes // Boeing 737 Boli’s Boeing…

1st U.S. R/C Flight School Training Manuals Item nos. vary ➙ $20 to $25 There has never been a better time to learn to fly or advance your RC flying skills. Each book in this series serves as a complete flight training system: Hundreds of detailed illustrations and matching control stick positions guide fliers step-by-step through each phase of becoming a better pilot with unparalleled efficiency—no doubt because these are the only flight programs on the market today developed directly from the experience of training pilots! rcflightschool.com Air Age Media Flight Journal Item no. N/A ➙ $39.95 Your ultimate scale resource, Flight Journal offers gripping accounts of flights and combat missions that put the reader in the cockpit with all involved: pilots, engineers, gunners, and eyewitnesses. The leader in the…

We caught up with our buddy Damon “Dag” Atwood of Fishers, Indiana at the Southeast Electric Flight Festival (SEFF) at Hodges Field in Americus, Georgia. Dag had this gorgeous plane that he designed, and scratch built. He named the model the “Emmaselle II.” The massive, 188-inch-span Emmaselle II weighs 60 pounds ready to fly with batteries, so it’s AMA LMA-1 certified. The power system consists of a Castle Creations 160-amp high-voltage speed control sending power to a Hacker A100 electric motor swinging a Vess 32-inch propeller. A total of four 5000mAh batteries are wired as 2S2P, meaning two sets of two batteries in series, and both 10S series sets run in parallel to double the capacity. The power system makes a whopping 6000 watts with fully charged batteries and gives…

EMAIL ENTRIES TO: MAN@AIRAGE.COM SPERRY MESSENGER Jeff Fiscus, Portsmouth, Rhode Island This scratch-built Sperry Messenger is ⅙.7 scale with a 35.5-inch wingspan. Jeff notes that it’s “a rather interesting plane as the full scale was designed to be hung from a hook on the bottom of a blimp and used to carry messages to the ground and back. But then radios came along!” The wood model is covered with Sig Koverall and Poly-fiber paint and is powered by a Rimfire 10 with a 35A speed control. Jeff adds, “Scale details were kept to a minimum; just a simple dummy engine made of cast resin. She hasn’t flown yet, just waiting better weather but looks like she will be fun to fly.” KAOS 90 Jim Halvorson, Camino, California Jim built this…

Glider pilots love flight modes because they allow us to configure the wing camber and elevator trim precisely for specific flying conditions. Picture a glider with flaps and ailerons on the wings. You can have a flight mode that sets the elevator trim a bit up, the flaps a bit down, and the ailerons neutral and call that “launch mode.” Flip the switch to launch and your settings are optimized for a winch or high-start launch. At the end of the launch, flip the switch and maximize lift with thermal mode, in which the elevator is centered, the flaps are down a few degrees, and the ailerons are both down a few degrees, changing the camber of the entire wing. This maximizes the ability of the glider to fly slowly…

Despite the relative simplicity of their aircraft, IMAC and competition aerobatic pilots make extensive use of flight modes. No offense of course to IMAC planes; I just mean that this type of plane normally has fixed landing gear, no flaps, and no gyro, they can otherwise be extremely complex machines! Once you get the multiple servos per surface working properly, you can start setting up your flight modes. Control rates, exponential, trim, and throttle curves can all be precisely optimized for the maneuver being performed, such as having max rates available for snap roll style maneuvers or more sedate rates for slow precision aerobatics. A throttle curve with a high idle and good low and mid-range throttle response can ensure you don’t have an in-flight dead stick, but when switched…

1st // Peter Goldsmith // BAE Hawk Built from the Tomahawk Aviation all-composite kit, the Hawk 100 earned 98 points from the static judges. It’s powered by a KingTech 210 turbine engine and weighs 50 pounds. Peter flew it using his Spektrum DX20 radio to earn 196.458 flight points, winning the Expert class and the coveted Mr. Top Gun title. 2nd // Rod Snyder // L-39 This CARF-Models ¼-scale jet is 119 inches long and weighs in at 45 pounds. It’s powered by a Schubeler DS-215 electric ducted fan unit powered by four 7S 10,900mAh LiPo packs. It earned 99.25 points from the static judges, and 195 points in the air. 3rd // Steven Ellzey // F-100D Built from the BVM Models kit, this Thunderbird jet earned 98.5 points on…

1st // Team Will Berninger // Beechcraft T-34B Mentor Designed by Robert Patton and built by Mike Barbee, the Mentor attained a 98.5 static score and a 195.667 flight score. The 139-inch-span model is powered by a DA 200cc four-cylinder engine swinging a Mejzlik 30-inch prop. The T-34 is flown using a Futaba 18MZ radio system and features pneumatic brakes and canopy, and full navigation and landing lights. The cowlings are functional and true-to-scale. 2nd // CJ&W Aviation // Fleet Model-2 The Fleet was built from an old set of Concept plans. The ⅓-scale masterpiece is powered by a DA-85 engine with guidance provided by a JR 28X DMSS radio system. The Fleet earned a 94.0 static score and Chad Cotsamire flew the model smoothly and realistically to earn 190.583…

To fly in this class, pilots must have twice placed in the top three spots of an Academy of Model Aeronautics competition or in the top 30 percent at a Top Gun. Each pilot is awarded 25 static points for showing scale documentation, and each pilot’s three highest flights are averaged for their flight score. This year nine pilots entered Pro Jet. 1st // Ali Machinchy // MiG-17 An outstanding pilot, Ali came out on top of the tightly contested Pro Jet class with his ⅓-scale MiG. It features scale landing gear based on the popular Electron retracts and is flown on a KingTech K210 turbine with an iX20 SE radio and a Spektrum PowerSafe receiver system. Ali earned a 123.042 final score with one flight round earning a nearly…

One of the things that make Top Gun different from other scale events is its Static judging, which is divided into four sections. Outline, Finish Color & Markings, and Craftsmanship categories each receive a maximum of 30 points for a total of 90 possible points. Up to an additional 10 points can be awarded for Realism and are a result of the judge’s impression of the model’s overall scale appearance. At an event as long enduring and popular as this, one expects to see a field of excellently executed replicas with many of them falling into the “outstanding” category. Four different classes are statically judged using detailed documentation packages submitted by the builders with the model. (The Pro and Sport classes require only a single image for documentation.) Each point…

Helicopters have four main flight modes: normal, idle-up 1, idle-up 2, and throttle hold. Each mode has a curve controlled by the throttle stick that sets the main blade pitch and throttle response to the stick position. Idle-up modes allow you to add throttle from half stick and below at the same time the blade pitch goes negative, so you can hover and do aerobatics inverted. Conversely when throttle hold is activated, the throttle is driven to idle while the main blade pitch is still controlled by the throttle stick allowing you to auto-rotate the model for fun or to remove torque so you can land safely if there’s a tail-rotor failure.…

As mentioned, flight modes can be nested or prioritized. An example of nesting is using a pair of three-position switches to activate your flight modes. Switch A in position 1 and 3 are different flight modes, but the middle position activates switch B, which has positions 1, 2, and 3 active for three different flight modes but none are active unless switch A is centered. A great example of priority is seen in helicopters where throttle hold mode overrides all other flight modes, so whether you’re in normal or one of the idle-up modes, when you hit hold the throttle always goes to idle (or motor off for electric) and the main blade pitch is controlled by the pitch curve set for hold mode. WRAP-UP Don’t be afraid to experiment…

1st // Jack Buckley // Fairchild 24-3 This 36%-scale aircraft earned 96.5 static points and 190.042 flight points. Powered by a Desert Aircraft DA-85 gas engine, the 156-inch-span model is covered in Scale Stits Polyfiber. It has stainless-steel-tube landing gear with internal coil springs and a retractable landing light. 2nd // Rich Feroldi // Albatros After scoring 95.5 static points, Rich used a Futaba radio to fly his ⅓-scale WW I fighter to earn 183.888 flight points. The 120-inch-span model is powered by a Kawasaki 3.2ci gas engine and weighs 35 pounds. 3rd // Ron Schwarzkopf // Su-17 M4 Fitter Ron’s one-of-a-kind model of the Soviet “Fitter” has functional sweep wings that move in flight! It earned 94.5 points from the static judges, and Ron flew it to earn 124.542…

1st // Andreas Gietz // MiG-17F The owner of CARF Models, Andreas flew one of their ⅓-scale jets. The MiG has a tremendous presence in the air due to its beefy fuselage and 104-inch wingspan. The model has CARF/Electron scale landing gear and is powered by a KingTech K235 turbine. Its functional airbrakes and bright lighting system take up the realism several notches! The MiG achieved the highest static score in X Class—9.58—and Andreas’s consistently high flight scores of over 95 propelled him to the win. 2nd // Chris Gleason // Yak-130 In another photo finish, Chris flew consistently high scores and came in second place by less than half a point. His BVM ¼-scale Yak-130 is flown with a Spektrum iX20 radio system and PowerSafe receiver. A KingTech K160…

1st // Henry Castellanos // PC-21 The turboprop powered Pilatus Aircraft PC-21 is one of the most distinctive sounding models at Top Gun. Built from a Wind RC XXL kit, the PC-21 has a 107-inch wingspan and is powered by a KingTech K100-G4TP turbo prop engine. It uses MKS 599 servos, a Powerbox Royal SR2 power distribution system, and a Powerbox Core radio. 2nd // Gabriel Pellegrini // T-33 Finishing strong in another close race was Gabriel Pellegrini with a gorgeous Fei Bao Jets Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the USAF Thunderbirds scheme. The T-33 has a 108-inch wingspan and is flown using a KingTech K210 turbine and Jeti DS-24 radio system. The big T-33 had an average flight score of 121.208 and an amazing single flight score of 99.125!…

Best Military & Engineering Performance Ron Schwarzkopf/Su-17 Fitter Sponsored by Warbirds West and KingTech, respectively Team High Static & Best Multi Performance Mike Barbee/King Air Sponsored by Horizon Hobby & Desert Aircraft, respectively Masters High Static Jack Buckley/Fairchild 24 Sponsored by CARF Models Outstanding Craftsmanship & Critics’ Choice Henry Castellanos/PC-21 Sponsored by BVM Jets and Frank Tiano Enterprises, respectively Unlimited High Static Jerry Moore/JAS 39G Gripen Sponsored by Ray & Robin’s Hobby Best Sportsman, Critics’ Choice Runner-up, & Best of the Best Sal Becherano/L-39 Sponsored by PowerBox Americas & Zap Glue, respectively Best Pro Jet Ali Machinchy/MiG 17 Sponsored by Dr. Jet Expert High Static Rod Snyder/L-39 Sponsored by Your Pal Sal Best Pro Prop Matt Balazs/Fw 190 Sponsored by Aeropanda X-Class High Static Ralph Esposito/Tucano T-27 Sponsored by Dreamworks…

It isn’t every year that an entirely new mode of flight is developed—but when it is, it seems that uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) are the preferred venue, likely because new concepts can be tested at significantly less cost and risk than the alternative. One such example was on display at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Xponential show in Orlando, Florida earlier this year: the Aergility Atlis. At first glance, the Atlis appears to be one among a seemingly endless parade of embedded multirotor, hybrid gas/electric VTOLs developed for cargo delivery on display at the show every year. Look more closely, however, and there are clues that something special is happening here: the wings are too thin and stubby to provide enough lift for an aircraft of this…