|
 While looking for the edition of TV Guide
that published the first airing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," I noticed that the
time period coincided with the launching of the
Gemini VII spacecraft.
In a stroke of good fortune, it indeed included an announcement that regularly scheduled
programming would be preempted as necessary to provide live coverage of the launch,
to give timely updates, and to coverage the splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. 2:30
Gemini Space Flight The 14-day Gemini VII space flight is scheduled for launching
from Cape Kennedy's Pad 19 at 2:30 P.M. Astronauts Frank Borman and James A. Lovell
will be making man's longest journey...
 "An aviation company pushing the boundaries
of
solar-powered flight has successfully finished the first in a series of tests
for its uncrewed airplane, taking off from Mississippi's Stennis International Airport
for six flights high over the Gulf of Mexico. The company, Skydweller Aero Inc.,
says its aircraft - essentially a giant drone with a wingspan greater than a 747
- had one flight lasting 22.5 hours and another lasting 16 hours during the initial
testing campaign. The company says it is developing technology to enable its airplanes
to eventually spend months cruising at 40,000 feet, guided by a team of techs on
the ground and using only the sun for fuel. The top of the plane is equipped with
17,000 solar cells..."
 A scheme I have considered for control line
models is one of the entries in the "Sketch Book" section of the February 1949 issue
of Air Trails magazine. Mr. Joseph Johnson shows how he used a moveable
rudder on his scale airplane to increase tension on the control lines when up elevator
is commanded. A similar system could be devised for stunt models which increases
right rudder (for CCW circles, left rudder for CW) as either up or down elevator
is fed in. Another option I have never tried is to have a
moveable
rudder controlled by a spring connected to a sliding bellcrank platform that
would increase outward rudder when line tension lessens, and decrease it when the
lines get tight. Such a system would be most useful for compensating for wind gusts
that slacken the control lines. Maybe some day I'll have the time to experiment
with that. A handful of other ideas are included...
 Website visitor Bob wrote to ask that I
scan and post the construction article and plans for the
F-84G Thunderjet control
line model. It appeared in the July 1970 issue of American Aircraft Modeler magazine.
The unique feature of this model is that the power is supplied by the pilot. A fishing
pole and line is used to drag the airplane around the flying circle and a separate,
standard two-line elevator control is used to maneuver the model. Construction is
sheet balsa. Author Joe Wagner (well-known in the modeling world) claims that with
a bit of practice just about any aerobatic maneuver can be accomplished except for
the overhead routines like the figure eight...
 "Drones
will be deployed for long distance inspection of infrastructure as well as site
security following new rule changes published by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
The aviation regulator's new rules will enable drones to fly beyond the visual line
of sight (BVLOS) of remote pilots in so-called 'atypical' operations through its
new policy for atypical air environments (AAE). BVLOS flights have been taking place
in the UK for several years, but these flights have occurred primarily in trials
under strict restrictions..."
 The 1956 Air Trails magazine Annual
Edition reported on the World Championships in Germany for the International Wakefield
Cup, F.A.I Free Flight, and Nordic A/2 Glider events. The three '55 World Championships
were held in September at the U.S. Air Force's Finthen Airfield, near Wiesbaden,
Germany. Competition was fierce amongst European and American contenders. It is
worthwhile to remember that 1955 was a mere eleven years after the end of World
War II, and that former foes were gathered together for a sporting contest.
There could easily have been men there who, without knowing it, were competing against
military adversaries they met on the battlefield or in occupied towns a decade earlier...
 This
rocket
boost glider called the Dyna-Soar was powered by American Telasco's version
of the Jetex 50 engine. Jetex rocket engines were quite popular with model airplane,
boat, and car builders through the early 1970s, at which point the fuel supplies
began to disappear. Most Internet sources posit that Imperial Chemicals Industries
(ICI) ceased making the fuel pellets due to a combination of liability and regulation
issues. ICI, based in Scotland, manufactured the Jetex fuel pellets* from a measured
blend of guanidine nitrate, 2,4-dinitroresorcinol, potassium nitrate...
 Leonardo da Vinci is usually credited with
producing the first illustration of a helicopter concept. It employed a rotating
helical corkscrew device at the top in order to enable the craft and occupant to
"screw his way aloft, in much the same manner as Archimedes designed his eponymous
helical screw device to lift water from a lower level to a higher level. Water,
being dense and cohesive with itself, was easily elevated, whilst air, not being
dense or cohesive, did not yield to the same technique. In fact, if the "aerial
screw" were able to spin rapidly enough and was of an efficient aerodynamic design,
it would work. Here is a 4-screw drone to prove it. These "Windmill
Planes" presented in the February 1939 issue of Popular Science magazine represent
the state of the art at the time. Surprisingly omitted is an example of Igor Sikorsky's
helicopter design, which he first flew successfully in September...
 "On the occasion of the 50th anniversary
of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which began its operations
on October 1, 1958, we offer this list of the
50 most memorable images from NASA's history. We recognize that any such ranking
is inherently subjective. The rationale for why any one image ranked two slots higher
than any other combines several factors, including our attempt to balance the list
between human spaceflight, satellite imaging, and planetary exploration. Many wonderful
images did not make the final cut - we couldn't convince the editors to give us
20 pages instead of 10. The list omits significant events from space history that
were not NASA achievements..."
 This sort of cutting edge technology used
to be the domain of military operations, but nowadays it can be found in amusement
parks and even at backyard parties. The parachute training facility which appeared
in a 1937 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine was real whiz-bang stuff
at the time. Although Russia's system is featured here, I have to believe other
countries were doing the same sort of thing. Using a
high power fan to boost the paratrooper trainee in a simulated parachute descent
was an excellent method of introducing men to the sensations and reactions to control
inputs via shroud lines. The story noes not mention whether the fan was forceful
enough to simulate a free-fall experience. Just today a saw a news item showing
such recreational free-fall machine companies called Urban Air and iFall...
 Since first starting with control line model
sin the late 1960s, I always intended to build a multi-engine model of some sort,
but didn't get around to it until around 2016 when I began construction on a Douglas
DC-3 (maiden flight occurred in 2023). With the plethora of ready-to-fly (RTF) and
almost RTF (ARF) models on the market today at very reasonable prices, there is
no real good excuse for not doing it; so I'll have to stick with my bad excuses.
But I digress. This simple twin
"Wee-38" Lightning which
appeared in the December 1959 issue of American Modeler magazine, uses
a pair of Cox .020 or .049 engines and solid balsa components. You could electrify
the model with equivalent brushless motors, ESCs, and a LiPo battery pack. It would
be nice if a series of ESCs would be marketed for twin motors, since unlike with
brushed...
 The
Space Race was one of the most significant geopolitical and scientific competitions
of the 20th century, driven by the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet
Union during the Cold War. It spanned from the late 1940s through the 1970s, with
a focus on achieving superiority in space exploration, a domain viewed as critical
not only for scientific advancement but also for military and strategic dominance.
Rooted in rocket technology developed during World War II, the Space Race transformed
the world's understanding of science and technology, culminating in the most dramatic
achievement: the landing of humans on the Moon in 1969. This treatise explores the
key milestones, the countries and key players involved, technological developments,
the interplay between military...
 This article appeared in the November 2024
issue of Astronomy magazine - not sure why. "Brothers is a place that has
somehow slipped outside the passage of time. Located in a sea of sagebrush in central
Oregon, this former stagecoach stopover once serviced horse-drawn migrants bound
for the Willamette Valley. Thanks to the nonprofit organization
OregonRocketry, Brothers has outlasted the surrounding ghost towns to find new
purpose as one of the preeminent high-power rocket launch sites in America. The
group has purchased land and established a site out here in coyote country for the
advancement of amateur rocketry and education of future aerospace engineers. They
have a waiver from the FAA that currently allows them to blast the things nearly
four miles into the air..."
 "Japanese
operator SoftBank announced that the Sunglaider, its large-scale solar-powered uncrewed
aircraft system (UAS) designed for
High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric telecommunications, was
utilized in a field trial conducted by AeroVironment and the U.S. DoD in New Mexico,
the U.S. During the trial, carried out in early August, Sunglider succeeded in achieving
stratospheric flight, the Japanese operator said. With a wingspan of 78 meters and
the capability to carry payloads weighing up to 75kg, the Sunglider is larger than
other publicly announced HAPS UAS..."
 The
Cessna
Skymaster (336/337) has always been my favorite twin-engined civilian lightplane.
A military version of it is designated as the O-2 Skymaster. For as long as I can
remember, I have threatened to build a control-line model of one. Well, that time
has finally arrived, and I began by ordering these plans from the AMA Plans Service.
It will be powered by a pair of 480-sized brushless motors, and throttle will be
controlled by a hand-held car/boat format transmitter, the one I use on my control-line
Douglas DC-3. I am modifying the fuselage construction to accommodate the motors,
and am adding formers to simplify the building process. Mr. Welch's original omitted
formers in the cabin area...
 Fox model airplane engines had a reputation
for ruggedness and contest-winning performance, but were also notoriously difficult
to get started - at least without an electric starter. In 1961, when this full-page
advertisement appeared in American Modeler magazine, electric starters
were not in many modelers' field boxes, and particularly those owned by youngsters
whose modeling budget came from meager allowances and paper routes. Born in 1958,
I was 15 or 16 years old before being able to afford the luxury, and I remember
relentlessly flipping the propellers on my
Fox 15 and Fox 35 control line engines. Half the time when they...
 If you have ever wanted to try your hand
(thumbs, to be more specific) at a floatplane, then this
1/2A size Aeronca
Champion which appeared in the March 1957 issue of Model Airplane News magazine,
is just the ticket. Although designed by Walt Mooney as a free flight ROW (rise-off-water)
model that easily converts between wheels and floats, modifications to 3 or 4 channel
radio control would be a snap, especially since the plans show separate construction
for the control surfaces along the hinge line. With about a 46" wingspan and lightweight
but strong construction, this model could easily have been designed with modern
electric power...
 I did a quick Web search on how to
repair damaged book bindings, and as is typical, most of what is out there is
a rewritten regurgitation of other pages. Tape and glue are the order of the day
per those instructions, but that is really insufficient to effect a good repair
on books - particularly older volumes - which use string and fabric along the spine
to form a very rugged and durable binding for standing up to repeated use. When
you desire to restore a book to as close to its original condition as possible,
the more extensive method described in this 1965 Popular Mechanics magazine article
is needed. All the tools and materials required are described, as is instructions
for assembling a book...
 "Rohde &
Schwarz has been at the forefront of addressing the evolving threats posed by advanced
drone technology to security, public safety, and critical infrastructure. As drones
become more sophisticated and complex, malicious drones equipped with advanced capabilities
present significant challenges. To counter these threats, Rohde & Schwarz has
developed cutting-edge
Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS) designed to detect, neutralize, and mitigate
emerging drone risks effectively. In a recent interview, Martin Woywod, Product
Manager for Counter-UAS Systems at Rohde & Schwarz, explained the urgency of
counter-drone technology in today's world..."
 Airplanes and Rockets website visitor Lars
B. wrote from Sweden requesting that I scan this "Wind Flying" article
from the September 1972 edition of American Aircraft Modeler magazine.
It describes a method for replacing engines and motors with human power for preforming
some pretty impressive C/L aerobatics on windy days. Basically, you drag the model
airplane around on its control lines, which often required not just turning in a
circle while standing in one place, but walking around a small circle in order to
get more speed. If there is any wind, you need to put extra effort into the pulling
when moving into the wind. I can remember doing this as a teenager, only I did it
with the engine in place but not...
• FCC Rules for
5 GHz Band Drone Operations
•
EAA Weighs in on MOSAIC
• Smithsonian
Opens Hangar Doors to Pilots
• EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 July 22-28
• The Smallest
Air Force One
 Post World War II was a big time for
model building and operating. Veterans and their families helped relieve the stress
and anxieties of the era with both scale and original design
model boats, cars, trains,
submarines, motorcycles helicopters, airplanes, tanks, even oddities like bicycles,
farm equipment, carnival layouts, animals, and historic buildings (of which
many of those appeared in model train layouts). The level of artistry and craftsmanship
was impressive, particularly considering the sparsity of pre-made miniature accoutrements
like hardware fittings, mechanisms for operating control surfaces and mechanisms,
and even appropriate finishes. Radio control was in its infancy, being largely the
realm of modelers with knowledge...
 Website visitor Steve R. wrote requesting
that I scan and post this "Square Hare" article from the September 1962 issue of
American Modeler magazine. Says, Steve, "I built one of these back then
on Galloping ghost and it went great till servo failed (modified mighty Midget motor).
Later I built another for Class one Aerobatics fitted with OS 40 and Kraft Propo,
this was very successful. Nostalgia strikes and I'd like to build another as a sport
model." Square Hare from Delaware is a bit unique in that its wing has no spar and
is constructed from diagonally arranged ribs sandwiched between 3/32" balsa sheeting.
Looking at all the hardware required just for the elevator control really makes
you appreciate modern radio gear with servos. Hopefully, Steve will grace us with
a photo of his completed Square Hare.
|
 These half-dozen hand-dandy
model
building tips are as useful today as they were in they appeared in the 1960
Annual issue of Air Trails (Hobbies for Young Men) magazine. Readers submitted their
brilliant ideas to the editor, who then created drawings and brief descriptions.
I find myself doing many of the things that appear in this and of editions of the
vintage modeling magazines - of course that might have something to do with my being
"vintage" at this point in life (born in 1958). Back when these items were published,
availability of most tools and material was nowhere near as abundant as today. It's
hard to imagine anyone nowadays making a drill bit out of a nail, but in a pinch
you never know...
 Dave Platt - aka "Mr. Scale" - is one
of the world's most accomplished scale model airplane builders and flyers. He
somehow manages to turn out magnificently detailed scale models year after year.
If you haven't seen his "Platt's Laws of Scale Modeling," derived from his decades
of experience, you'll want to do so. He has built and flown his scale models in
the realms of free flight, control line, and radio control, using internal combustion
engines with propellers, ducted fans, and turbine jets for propulsion. There might
be someone somewhere equally qualified to comment on scale airplane modeling, but
none more qualified. When this "Find the Scale Wingspan &
Area" article appeared in a 1969 issue of American Aircraft Modeler
magazine, slide rules were the de rigueur...
 Each
autumn I used to anxiously await the appearance of the newest edition of The
Old Farmer's Almanac on the store shelf. It is not that I was/am an avid farmer,
just that I enjoy reading the anecdotes, tales, and interesting historical tidbits
included amongst the pages along with tables of high and low tides, moon and sun
rising and setting times, astronomical events, and weather patterns expected for
the year that lay ahead. Most of all, I liked working the
puzzles and riddles. Over the years the difficulty levels gradually got lower
and lower (aka dumbed down), to the point where for the last decade or so I have
not even bothered buying the OFA. Now it is full of numbnut stuff. Because
quite a few of the Mathematical Puzzles from the older editions are worthy of an
engineer's cerebration, contemplation, and deliberation, I am posting the ones I
own here on RF Cafe. Answers to numbers 1 through 11...
 The cost of balsa, like everything else,
has been rising significantly since the COVID-19 "plandemic" hit the world a couple
years ago. Along with it the price of manufactured kits has gone up as well. A simple
1/16" x 3" sheet of balsa now costs around $2.00 (Sig price). In 2019, you could
get it for $1.13 per the stored page at Archive.org. That's a 77% increase. Being
a scratch builder of model airplanes, I frequently watch e-Bay, RC Universe,
RC Groups, etc., for bargains on balsa, but they're getting harder to come
by. If you have to order a balsa block online, there is a good chance it will end
up being more dense (i.e., harder and heavier) than desired. Since local hobby shops
(LHS's) are very rare these days, there is seldom an opportunity to go in and look
for a suitable block prior to purchasing...
 If you became involved with the Academy
of Model Aeronautics (AMA) and its annual Nationals Aeromodeling Championships (Nats)
contest anytime after 1995, then you never were part of the crowd that chased the
venues around the country from year to year. Although AMA headquarters had been
located in Washington, D.C., and then Reston, Virginia, prior to then the Nats organizers
attempted to hold the contest in East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast areas. Doing
so helped to spread out the hassle involved in packing up models and equipment and
traveling all the way across the country every year. The current Muncie, Indiana,
location was chosen specifically to provide a centralized spot with easy access,
relatively decent weather, and with real estate cheap enough to procure a very large
parcel of land. The
1974 Nats was held in Lake Charles, Louisiana...
 Call me a hopeless nostalgist when it comes
to favored institutions I grew up with. I miss Pontiac dealerships, Montgomery Ward,
and Radio Shack stores. I miss Uncle Ben on the converted rice package, and the
Indian squaw on the Land O'Lakes margarine package. I miss trips to Blockbuster
Video stores on Saturday to pick up a movie on VHS tape, and walking through Toys
R Us during the Christmas season. General Foods, Woolworth, Eastern Airlines, Circuit
City, Western Auto, Drug Fair, Read's Drug, Britt's Department Stores, Lafayette
Radio, A&P Grocery, Northern Reflections, Hechinger Home Improvement, and Babbage's
Software. All those and more were part of my growing up in the Annapolis, Maryland
area (with Parole Plaza being the prime shopping complex in the era). One of the
things I miss the most is the old
Sear,
Roebuck and Co. stores - particularly the Craftsman tools and lawn and garden
sections. My parents bought just about everything from Sears, from us kids' (five
of us) school clothing, to household appliances, to lawn mowers, to furniture. Sears'
Open Hearth sofas, chairs, end tables, etc. (pretty sure we had this), were nice
wood and cloth designs which wore well and were fairly inexpensive. Of course the
Sears Wish Book and Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogs...
 Model railroading is probably as big a deal
or even bigger today than it was when this "Basement
Railroad" article appeared in a 1954 issue of Air Trails Hobbies for Young
Men magazine. The level of engineering and artistry exhibited by model railroaders
is utterly amazing. The same can be said for most forms of modeling, but the layouts
created by model railroad enthusiasts trumps what you typically see for model car,
model boat, or model airplane displays. As shown here, there are elaborate railroad
layouts hidden away in basements, garages, and back rooms all over the world. Pitifully,
the decades-long work of some modelers is lost when he passes on, and the parts
are sold off in estates sales or auctions. It pains me to think of the creations
that have ended up in a landfill because the inheritor did not appreciate the value
of the work and equipment. Of course that happens much less frequently these days
with the availability of Etsy and eBay. In fact, some pretty amazing prices are
paid for vintage trains...
 This
particular article from a 1940 issue of Radio News magazine touches on
two of my hobbies - airplanes and Amateur radio. Whereas most of my flying experience
is with all forms of models, here is a group of Hams who provided logistical radio
communications during the
3rd Open American Soaring Contest, held in Lockport, Illinois. W9USB was the
call sign granted by the FCC especially for the event. Such a contest requires administration
and coordination of air and ground aircraft movement, tow winch operation, pilot
status, event scheduling, and emergency services if required (fortunately, none
were). Being an all volunteer effort, the "Prairie Dogs" subdivision of the "Hamfesters
Club" of Chicago. As pointed out in the article, the highly successful operation
was a great public service demonstrating the capability and utility of Amateur radio.
Many major Ham equipment manufacturers...
 Ah, the days when glow fuel engines were
the rule rather than the exception! Sure, they were mess, noisy, and could be finicky,
but other than maybe an idling 8-cylinder with a high-lift cam, Edelbrock intake
manifold, Holley 4-barrel carburetor, and a set of Hooker headers, there are few
nicer sounds than a model aircraft engine as it comes to life. Sure, I know that
modern brushless electric motors are highly reliable and extremely powerful, don't
annoy the neighbors, and never leave a gooey mess that takes half a roll of paper
towels to clean off your airplane (or helicopter), but those of you who grew up
flying in the pre-electric-flight years know what I mean. I confess to having switched
to electric back around 2005 - except for Cox .049 engines.
McCoy "Red Head" engines were very popular back in the day, and command pretty
good prices on eBay today when in good condition...
 As the old saying goes, a picture is worth
a thousand words. That being the case, here are 8,000 of some of the most amazing
words that I've ever seen regarding
Cox control line airplanes.
These photos were sent to me by Airplanes and Rockets website visitor Charlie H.
According to his e-mail, there are around 300 models in all, many of which are still
in their original boxes. I see some pretty unique examples in the photos. If my
understanding is correct, he is interested in selling his collection. It must be
worth a small fortune. I will let you know how to contact him if he does want to
sell part or all of the models...
The Stuka
Stunt control line aerobatics model was designed and flown by Don Still. Don
was top placing (2066.6 points) member of the winning USA team, with his new version
Stuka Stunt, at the 1960 World Stunt Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The model
sports a 42" wingspan with a wing area of 391 sq. in., weight is 28-30 ounces. Construction
is standard balsa, plywood, and spruce. Plans for the original version Stuka Stunt
were featured in the April 1952 issue of Air Trails. The model won the
1952 and 1954 Nationals (Nats), the 1953 Internationals, and the 1951 Tangerine
Internationals. It took second place in the 1951 and 1960 Nationals. These plans
for Don's new Stuka Stunt appeared in the July 1961 issue of American Modeler
magazine.
 The Andrews Aircraft Model Company (AAMCo)
produced a radio control airplane, the
H−Ray, that was my first
successful RC model. An advertisement from a 1964 edition of RC Modeler includes
both the H-Ray (high wing) and the S−Ray (shoulder wing). I'm pretty sure that I
put an OS .20 R/C engine in it - probably the only one I had at the time. Advertisement
for the OS Digital 3-channel radio control system I bought second-hand from a man
down the street from where I lived as a teenager. I paid him $100 for it sometime
around 1974 or so. That is the equivalent of $532 in 2020 dollars according to the
BLS's Inflation Calculator. My second-hand OS Digital 3-channel radio control system
was installed in it, which is why I can still vividly remember running after it
with the transmitter held high above my head trying to regain control after it ran
out of range. My H-Ray spent a night in a corn field out at the original PGRC club
in along Route 301 in southern Maryland because of it. The range with that OS digital
system was about 600 feet under ideal conditions...
 Early
"servos"
were nothing more than the electromechanical equivalents of rubber band-powered
escapement. Rather than energizing a solenoid that would allow the rubber band to
turn the control arm, the pulse signal from the receiver would set a motor in motion,
and then limit switches would stop it once the predetermined position was reached.
They had a number of advantages over rubber-powered escapements in that the power
delivered to the control surface was not diminished with every actuation (except
from some negligible energy drain from the batteries), they were able to deliver
a lot more power, and they took up less real estate inside the fuselage. It was
a first step toward today's proportional servos. This 1955 issue of Popular
Electronics magazines shows the state of the art in the day...
 Airplanes and Rockets website visitor Boyd
Steffen sent me this photo of the formers he made using a 3D printer. People are
building entire flyable model airplanes using 3D printing, including detailed scale
airplanes, aerobatic and super fast models, lightweight Park Flyers, and training
types. The science/art has come a long way in the last decade. A YouTube search
on
3D printed model airplane will have you amazed at what is being
done, if you aren't already aware. The guys designing and building them have a very
impressive knowledge of what is needed to maximizing strength and rigidity while
maintaining minimal weight - no doubt as a result of trial and error...
 Surprisingly (or maybe not),
electric
slot car racing is still fairly popular amongst kids. I say surprisingly because
with radio control electric cars being under $10 in some cases, it is a wonder that
anyone these days wants anything that confines a car to a specific course or has
to plug into the wall to work. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, slot car racing was
very popular. I can remember even into the 1970s that some of the bigger hobby shops
still had slot car tracks set up where you could rent time on the track for a buck
or so an hour. If you didn't have your own car, you could rent one there. My good
friend, Jerry Flynn, was a slot car aficionado and would lend me one of his spares.
I think the hobby shop we went to was in either Bethesda or Rockville, Maryland.
It was quite a drive from our neighborhood around Annapolis. While typing out these
words I can remember the smell of the electrical arcing of the motor brushes heating
the oil we put on the axels and motor bushings. Ah, those were the days...
 Every month in Model Aviation, the
AMA's monthly publication, there is a "Safety" column that reports on model-related
accidents and issues like not charging Li−Po batteries in appropriate containers,
not smoking around glow fuel and gasoline, not flipping your propeller with a bare
finger, etc. Many moons ago the big safety concern was not flying control line models
too near to high voltage power lines. This photo from the April 1957 edition of
American Modeler shows some guy attempting to retrieve a radio control
model from its landing spot
atop a set of telegraph
wires. He is standing on a barbed wire fence using a wooden pole to prod it
off the lines. The captions asks, "Who knows line voltage?"
 There is currently a big shift from internal
combustion engines to electric motors for powering model vehicles of all sorts -
airplanes, helicopters, boats, and cars - and of all control modes - autonomous
(free flight), radio control, and control-line. The state of motor and battery technology
has passed the point where the weight and thrust available with electric power meets
or exceeds that of engines for most applications. Costs are pretty much at parity
as well when you compare engine vs. motor and fuel vs. battery acquisition and cost
of ownership over the life of the power system. All sorts of useful
electronic peripheral equipment has been developed for use with electric motor
power: programmable electronic speed controllers, motor cutoffs based on altitude
and/or elapsed time for free flight, motor timer/speed controls for control line,
and even engine noise generators to give life-like sound to otherwise eerily quiet
war birds and commercial transports, to name a few. These devices had made the switch
to electric power nearly seamless for most flyers...
 The term "drone"
is relatively new to being common parlance throughout society. Prior to the early
2000s, a drone was thought of as either the mate to a queen bee or a special remotely
controlled aircraft used by the military for target practice or for carrying out
special missions not deemed safe for human pilots. When this article appeared in
a 1952 issue of Radio & Television News magazine, drones were the exclusive
purview of the military and research institutions because of high procurement and
operational costs. With the advent of inexpensive, highly advanced spread spectrum
radio control systems by the hobby community, lightweight and powerful brushless
motors and lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries, sophisticated miniature stability and
guidance integrated circuits (processors and sensors), and advanced computer simulation,
incredibly capable and relatively inexpensive multirotor drones are widely available.
From simple toys for erstwhile non-pilots to serious R/C flyers to professional
operators, drones are everywhere. A couple days ago I saw a utility company worker
using one to inspect power lines along a country road...
 Back in the days when the cycle time between
writing articles, proofing, laying out pages, shipping hard copies to printers,
setting up presses, and preparing magazine for mailing was about a three or four
month process, coverage of a July-August event would finally appear in November-December
timeframe. Photos, of course, were all in black and white. Nowadays, with everything
done digitally and involving almost no physical, hands-on steps in the process,
we often see Nats event happenings as early as September. The November 1974 issue
of American Aircraft Modeler magazine included extensive coverage of that
year's Nats, which was held in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This is the
control line stunt portion. If you were around during the era...
 Website visitor Joshua H. wrote asking me
to scan and post this article on Bob Baron's "PA-6"
control line stunt design that
appeared in the July 1968 edition of American Aircraft Modeler magazine.
Per the airplane's designer, "Cleverly blended design factors - notably engine/prop
combination - make this a truly great stunt design." Great care in planning was
used to obtain a model that was lightweight and would fly relatively slowly on 70-foot,
0.015" diameter (low drag) steel lines. Its 56" wingspan and Super-Tigre .35 BB
engine with a 50-oz. flying weight on 70' lines reportedly results in a near-perfect
stunter... |
