Once again it is time to think about the upcoming flying season. I, for one, am hoping for an early flying season. It seems the last couple of years the weather has been less than ooperative. The Kansas City area tends to have a rainy season that lasts for what seems to be a full month. In that month there is flooding, light rains, and cloudy skies. Even on nice days, it is usually too wet to go to the flying field. So, this is generally a good time to finish my winter projects and make sure that my other airplanes are in good flying condition. It is also a good time to clean out the ol’ flight box. It is amazing at how dirty they really get over the course of the flying season. One last thought, don’t get too careless on the first few flights of the season. Granted, you never forget, but chances are you could be a bit rusty.

Pinking Tape

Charles Brooks of Berea, KY, wanted to use pinking tape on his J3 Cub ribs, but couldn’t find what he wanted. He ended up making his own pinking tape. From Jo-Anne Fabrics he purchased a pair of Fiskars Paper Edgers (#9206 in an orange package) that cut the mini pinked edge. After a bit of practice, he can easily cut pinking tape from 21st Century fabric but finds Super Coverite a bit harder.

Scale Model Research

Bob Banka's SCALE MODEL RESEARCH has added an additional 15 pages to the World's Largest Commercial Collection of aircraft documentation Foto-Paaks and 3-view drawings. The guide lists over 6,400 different Foto-Paaks (600 new), 35,000 3-view drawings, and 11 the much appreciated scale related articles written by some of the top competitors and authorities in the scale movement. I have enjoyed this catalog for many years. The price for this guide is still $8.00 (Canada/Mexico $10.00, Overseas $15.00 - includes Air Post).

Bob has been involved in building model aircraft since 1948. Becoming more involved in R/C in the early ‘70’s, he has made this his major interest since. The best times to call are 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., or 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PST. He accepts VISA and Master Card purchases with a $20.00 minimum order.

Larsen R/C Products

Larsen R/C Products is announcing the arrival of top-quality parts and supplies for R/C modelers. Larsen retracts are precision machined from quality materials such as 303 stainless steel and 6061-T6 aluminum. They also carry two large size step reamer for our large props. They feature a smooth ¼" pilot stepping up to 5/16-10mm-12mm and 5/16-3/8-7/16 inch steps. The nice addition is that the handle can be removed for drill press operation. They carry other products such as control horns and angle brackets which are perfect for giant scale applications.

Instructional Videos

Robin’s View Productions (headed by Bob Hunt, formerly of Flying magazine) is producing a series of instructional videos on different aspects of R/C. I watched the video "How To Paint Pilot Figures". This is the first of a planned series of instructional videotapes for model airplane builders. This is not a 20 minute refresher of methods you already know, but rather a two hour instructional video. Without going into much detail, paint, brushes, mediums, and techniques are all covered by master modeler Don Typond. I learned many methods of shading as well as explanations as to why this shade or tint to what sheen is and how to apply it to make a more realistic pilot figure. They even cover posture and having the pilot leaning forward and not leaning back looking at the sky. Three pilot figures were completely painted, each looking very realistic and professional. None of the techniques were beyond the average flyer’s skills. I am sure my pilots will be as noticed as much as my planes are in the future.

Tube Spars

Many airplanes now have aluminum tube spars. This type of spar is very effective and easy to install and set-up. I have never felt comfortable with the open area inside the fuselage. I feel that there may be some flexing of the tube where it is not supported. What you can end up with is a spar that is slightly bent in the middle. What can cause this is violent maneuvers or a hard landing. What I have done is purchase an additional support tube from the manufacturer and install this inside the fuselage. That way you have a spar that is supported from one end to the other. In addition, once this spar is glued in place this area of the fuselage is greatly stiffened.

To install this tube support I cut the tube support to fit snugly between the fuselage sides. I then slide the tube spar through the fuselage side, through the tube support, and then through the other side. I carefully tack glue the tube support to each fuselage side with thick C/A glue. I take great care that I do not get any glue in contact with the tube spar. I did get a drop of C/A on a tube spar once and I thought I would never get the tube spar out of the fuselage, so care is needed. After removing the tube spar, I run a bead of thin C/A around the tube support immediately followed with thick C/A. After the glue has dried, I sand the inside of the tube support to remove any glue that might have happened to seep inside the tube support. I can now fly my maneuvers with confidence that I will not harm the tube spar in anyway.

Manufacturers mentioned in article: Bob Banka's Scale Model Research, 3114 Yukon Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, (714) 979-8058. Larsen R/C Products, P.O. Box 935, Soulsbyville, CA 95372-0935, (209) 532-9370. Robin’s View Productions, L.L.C. P.O. Box 68, Stockertown, PA 18083, (610) 746-0106.

Contact Kirk Gullach #5004 with your tips at:
16367 138th Terrace
Olathe, KS 66062
(913) 764-1260
E-mail: geebees@sound.net