|
 Airplanes and Rockets website visitor
Michael M. wrote to request that I post this article, along with the ones for
the Satellite 1000 free-flight
champion, and The Giants of Free Flight. His reason was that he wanted to get
his flying team back together again in Bill Hunter, who passed away recently.
This 1972 American Aircraft Modeler magazine article on covering with Mylar is very
extensive and is another example of such efforts that were common in hobby
magazines of decades ago - a large part of my motivation for making them
available. It is rare...
 1943, in the midst of World War II,
was about the beginning of the time when all the
fantastic predictions of flying cars, video phones, domestic robots, two-day
work weeks, meals in pill form, self-driving lawn mowers, self-driving cars, moon
and planet habitats, and other creations were being pitched by technical magazines
like Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Science and Mechanics,
Mechanix Illustrated, and others. Even the "women's" mags were full of
promises of automated everything to make housework simpler. While many of the fundamental
inventions has since been created, only a few have evolved to full maturity as envisioned.
A flying machine in every garage is one which has not. Such a Jetsons...
 We will be moving back to Erie, PA, where
overcast skies dominate, and the city lights kill views, so I am going to try to
sell this before leaving. I'd keep it as a museum piece for display if I was going
to have room, but we might be going into an apartment. The entire system has been
stripped down and refinished, with original components retained for authenticity.
Included are telescope, mount, clock drive, finder scope, 9 mm and 18 mm
eyepieces, 2x Barlow, dust covers. This is truly a unique opportunity. Please contact
me via e-mail if you are interested in buying it. Local pick-up only, or I'll deliver
for $50 within 100 miles of Greensboro, NC, with payment in advance...
 Here is a very simple technique for creating
and applying custom
lettering - or even complex graphics - using Monokote covering. It makes cutting
out and positioning the individual pieces easy on flat surfaces or surfaces with
a simple curve or bend. Complex surfaces like cowls and wheel pants can be more
challenging, but at least the shapes can be created this way. Use any word processor
or graphics program to create the exact size and text and/or graphic shapes, including
spacing and alignment, italics, font face, etc., that you want on your printer.
Print it out on regular printer paper (20# works fine). Tape the paper onto the
Monokote and cut out each character with an x-Acto...
 This
Midwest Products Sharpie Schooner is one
of two static display models that I built for my dearest, Melanie (the other being
a Midwest Products Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack). She actually bought them to build
herself, but decided to let me build them instead. I used my woodworking, metalworking,
and painting skills for the structure and accessories, and she used her sewing skills
to make the sails. Applying all those tuft strings on the sails was quite time-consuming.
Deft Gloss clear was sprayed on the entire structure and sanded between coats for
a smooth surface. Then, Testors enamel paint was applied on the bottom of the hull.
The effort paid off with a 1st Place ribbon at the 2004 Dixie Classic Fair, in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina...
 The Russian MiG-15 and French Mystère jet
airplanes were prominent first in the Korean War and then into the Vietnam era.
They were two of the earliest jet fighters in air warfare. Many of the American
jet planes were being modeled around 1956, when this issue of Young Men magazine
came out, but at least in domestic magazines, plans for foreign jobs were fairly
rare. Here are plans for the two aforementioned Russian and French jets which use
the Jetex 50 engine for propulsion. Construction is all balsa, consisting of
a minimal framework covered with 1/32" balsa...
 Snow season arrived here in Erie, Pennsylvania,
already (13" on November 10th), and I didn't want to miss the chance to do some
flying off of snow skis. Last winter I mounted a pair of DuBro snow skis to my
Herr Engineering
J-3 Cub and flew a couple times with them, but they were the standard model
that are too big and heavy for this 1/2A-sized model. DuBro's Park Flyer Snow Skis
seemed like they might be a better choice for the J-3, so I ordered a pair. The
size is just about right, but the vacuum-formed plastic was a bit too thin for me
to confidently install them on the J-3. I decided that they would be perfectly useable
with a little sturdying up. As can be seen in the photos, there are two stiffening
slots...
 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
|
 If you're anything like me, you have an appreciation
for the older comic strips. Getting the message being conveyed sometimes requires
a knowledge of the events of the era, but for the most part the humor and/or satire
comes through even when you assume it relates to current events. WWI and WWII timeframe
comics, for instance, often alluded to the evils of Fascist governments overseas,
while today they may be likened to the deeds of our own government. These "Contest
Caper" comics from a 1955 edition of Air Trails magazine are timeless...
 Website visitor Garry O. wrote to request
that I post this article from the December 1972 issue of American Aircraft Modeler
magazine featuring the
Vickers-Supermarine
Spitfire Mk IIA. With its elliptical wing planform and outward-retracting
landing gear, is considered one of the most attractive airplanes ever to come out
of England. It, along with the North American Mustang, are probably the two most
modeled fighters from World War II. This .61-powered control-line model by Malvin
Meador won the 1971 Nationals for control-line scale. It has operating retractable
gear, flaps, sliding canopy, navigation lights, and drop tanks...
 My Ace
All Star biplane was built while I was stationed at Robins Air Force Base, in
Warner Robins, Georgia (just south of Macon). A pair of foam wings help it to build
quickly. Ace sold both this tapered chord version and a constant chord version of
the foam wings for decades, and they are still very popular on eBay when they come
up for sale. I put an OS .15 engine up front, and three channels worth of Hobby
Shack Cirrus 4-channel radio in it. My memory of the All Star is not very clear,
although I do remember flying it in a field somewhere out on the back 40 (more like
back 400) acres of the base where no full-size air traffic ventured. It lost its
life during some dumb low-level maneuver, and went down really far away. That involved
walking through a lot of tall grass - in Georgia, where snakes and even alligators
were not uncommon. I seriously considered just leaving it there, but my unwillingness
to abandon that amount of investment (quite a lot for a USAF enlisted guy's pay)
overpowered the chicken-ness in me and I cautiously waded over to it. I snatched
it up and made like an F-15 back to open ground exactly in the path from which I
came...
 Beginning
in the mid 1960s, Sears catalogs contained some pretty nice equatorial mount, refractor
telescopes. The f15, 60 mm (2.3") "Discoverer" Model 6305 appeared in
the 1967 catalog for $99.98, which in 2019 money is the equivalent of $763.49 (per
the BLS CPI calculator). Then, in 1970 this f15.5, 90 mm (3.5")
Model 6345 was offered for $499.95, or the equivalent of $3,401.88
(per the CPI calculator). Yow, I'm guessing not many of those were sold, especially
as evidenced by the lack of available 6345 models that show up on astronomy forums
and on eBay. Although not mentioned in the description, there appears to be a motor
drive on the right ascension axis. Five oculars (0.975" ?) are included along with
a special rotatable prism that holds all five - pretty convenient if it works well.
Otherwise, it has the same set of accessories...
 Phantom Motors, out of Los Angeles, California,
was one of the early manufacturers of ignition motors for model airplanes, boats,
and cars. This full-page advertisement appeared in the November 1946 issue of Air
Trails magazine. This particular ad had a Christmas theme, as did many of the other
ads in that edition. If you do a search on eBay for vintage Phantom Motors ignition
engines, not much shows up, so that probably means there were either not too many
of them made, or they were not sturdy enough to survive hard landings and frequent
usage so that the engines were trashed. Oh well. The $14.95 price tag in 1946 is
the equivalent of $288.31 in 2021 per the BLS inflation calculator...
 Airplanes and Rockets website visitor Peter W.
wrote to ask that I scan and post this "'The Langely'
Mulvihill Winner" article that appeared in the July 1962 issue of American Modeler
magazine. Designer and flyer Frank Parmenter wrote the article. Per the Academy
of Model Aeronautics website on the history of the Mulvihill free flight competitions:
"Major Bernard Mulvihill, born June 8, 1890, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was a
full-scale and model aviation enthusiast at the beginning of the era of flight.
In the model aviation world, Mulvihill was a member of the Aero Club of America
and served as president of the local Aero Club of Pittsburgh. He helped the Pittsburgh
club negotiate permission to fly at the nearby Government Aerial Field. Mulvihill
saw the value in encouraging youth to build models...
 Buhl Aircraft Company, founded in 1925 in
Detroit, Michigan, really had just two successful airplane designs - the CA−6 Airsedan
and the
LA−1
Bull Pup. The Buhl A−1 Autogyro was a novelty aircraft that never gained popularity.
It came out in 1931, a year before the company went out of business. This 1/2A size
Bull Pup construction by Charles Hollinger article and plans appeared in a 1950
issue of Air Trails magazine. The Bull Pup began life as a rubber powered model,
and Mr. Hollinger adapted it for powered free flight at a request from Air
Trails editors. Its 35" wingspan is a convenient size and makes for an economical
building project, even more so with today's balsa prices. A conversion to electric
power with three-channel R/C would be easily accomplished...
 Is the
BOMARC an airplane or a rocket? If
it is an airplane, then it is the pilotless type (aka "drone"). If it is a rocket,
then it is the ultimate in controlled trajectory hardware - at least in its day.
The DoD referred to it as a surface-to-air guided missile. The name is a combination
of "BOeing Airplane Company" and "Michigan
Aeronautical Research Center."
Clever, non? If memory serves me correctly (it has been 30+ years), the AN/TPX-42
IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) secondary radar system (built by Gilfillan) I
maintained as an air traffic control radar technician reserved a special "X" bit
in its data packet to designate the BOMARC - and maybe other guided missiles. That
might have been a military secret at the time, because the Air Force instructors
acted like they were divulging proprietary information when discussing why that
bit was present in an otherwise...
 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...
 Some companies
have expressed an interest in being able to target Airplanes and Rockets via the
Google
AdSense program. Yes, it is possible to do that. As you might expect, finding
the exact information on the Google AdSense website is a bit difficult. This short
video does a good job summarizing exactly how to implement the "Ad Targeting" option,
then "Placements," and then add "Websites." Just enter airplanesandrockets.com
. There are other settings to optimize your advertising campaign with keywords (both
included and excluded), pricing, scheduling, statistical data collection and reporting,
etc. If you are currently using Google AdSense, then please consider this method,
and if you are not using AdSense, now would be a good time to look into it. I have
had reports from some companies that experience great results using AdSense (not
just on Airplanes and Rockets)...
 This is part two of an article that began
in the September 1974 American Aircraft Modeler magazine. The
Supersweep
was used to break the long-standing Indoor Hand Launched Glider (IHLG) record of
one minute and thirty seconds. In 2009, Stan Buddenbohm set a new record for 1:52.12
(see video below). Website visitor Ward B. recently wrote asking that I post
the second article on the Supersweep, so, here it is. Plans can be found in the
September 1974 edition of American Aircraft Modeler.
 Axiom
Test Equipment, an electronic test equipment rentals and sales company headquartered
in North County San Diego, has published a blog post entitled "Keep
UAVs Flying High with Proper Testing." This blog is the first in a series of
four planned articles that will take a closer look at the global fascination with
UAVs and how they are used, whether for farming or for warfare, and some of the
best test tools that can be applied to ensuring the best UAV performance possible.
"Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), popularly known as drones, have been a part of
military operations for decades, often paving the way for an operation with their
remote intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) capabilities. Those
familiar with military drones may think of million-dollar UAVs like the Predator
with comprehensive electronic weapons payloads, including radar and sophisticated
navigation and guidance systems. The military demand for fixed- and rotary-wing
UAVs has grown steadily over the past decade...
 A controversy
brews over the merits of breeding plants that glow like a lightning bug. Proponents
say
glowing trees could eventually replace electric street lights, thereby reducing
pollution created by generating stations. Opponents say messing around with tree
genes is dangerous and should be disallowed since it could lead to unanticipated
environmental ramifications on both plant and animal species. The unique aspect
of this effort is that it is being pursued primarily by genetic hobbyists rather
than corporations - at least for now. There is bound to be a huge financial potential
for such a copyrighted line of plants. My opposition to the concept is primarily
a concern for light pollution projected skyward. Astronomers have a difficult enough
time with ever-encroaching sources of ambient light...
 Indoor airplane models covered with
microfilm seem to have always been for a very particular, dedicated
group of modelers who possess the patience, steady hands, and eyesight (aided or
not) to build and maintain very delicate structures. A directed sneeze can literally
blow them to pieces. It is an aspect of aeromodeling into which I have never ventured.
Mr. Joseph Bilgri, AMA #4393, was a contest-winning pioneer of the craft. The AMA
History Project has a biography of Joe that is worth reading if you have an interest
in indoor modeling. Of course today, with the advent of nano-size radio controlled
and free flight models, the realm of indoor flying has increased considerably beyond
wire-framed surfaces covered with bubble-thin sheets of microfilm. This 3-part series
on indoor models begins with a construction article and ends with proven methods
for successfully repairing damage. It appeared in the March 1971 issue of American
Aircraft Modeler magazine...
 The July 2013 edition of IEEE's Spectrum
magazine had a really good article on a high tech study that is being done on the
manner in which an albatross
manages to fly great distances and for long periods of time while rarely needing
to flap its wings. As shown in the thumbnail (and in the article), an albatross
performs a series of rapid climbs into very strong wind, turns, and dives leeward
nearly to the water's surface, then repeats the process over and over as it makes
its way to its destination. The process is called dynamic soaring. R/C soaring pilots
have been doing the same sort of thing for a few years now. Obviously the albatross
figured out how to fly like that long before mankind was able to mimic it, but the
researchers in the article seem to not have knowledge of the R/C soaring technique.
They are capturing albatrosses in their nests and attaching GPS-based sensors with
data recorders to the birds' back feathers and retrieving the units when the birds
return to their nests...
 Boeing's Stratoliner was America's answer
to Britain's The de Havilland DH.106 Comet commercial airliner. The Comet's maiden
flight occurred on July 27, 1949, and it entered into commercial service with British
Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) on May 2, 1952. This 1954 Popular Science
magazine article reported on the first test flight of the Stratoliner. The article
is not clear what its production designation would be, but the best information
I can find, based on maiden flight dates, indicates it was the Boeing 367-80, which
became the basis for the Boeing 707. The Wikipedia entry shows the factory-roll-out
photo included in this article. There was also a Boeing C-137 Stratoliner military
version. While Boeing's top test pilot Alvin "Text" Johnston is mentioned in the
article, what is not mentioned is the unauthorized barrel roll he performed in the
Stratoliner during a demonstration flight over Lake Washington, near Seattle, with
the company president watching from his yacht!
 This is yet another of my unrealized lifelong
ambitions - building and flying an
autogyro. The state of the art has advanced significantly since the early garage-based
and corporate experimenters. Companies such as Autogyro USA sells a number of models
for private pilots with both open and fully enclosed cockpits. The Bensen Autogyro
was the craft du jour in the 1970s, with articles appearing in all the handyman
and airplane magazines of the day. My appetite was sufficiently whetted, albeit
well beyond the means of my meager paycheck. I vowed to build one when my finances
would allow. I'm going on 52 still waiting. There are quite a few model autogyros
flying with plenty of plans and a kit or two available if you would like to build
one...
 Radio control (R/C) of a model does not get
much simpler than the transmitter and receiver circuits shown in the schematics
of Figure 2. Of course the cleanness of the transmitted signal and the selectivity
of the receiver of that signal leaves a lot to be desired. In 1952 when this article
appeared in Radio & Television News magazine, the airwaves were not
cluttered with wireless communications devices, but given that these radio systems
were sharing the electromagnetic spectrum with Citizens Band (CB) radio, the chances
of getting "shot down" from nearby operators was pretty high if you lived within
a few miles of where CBers were communicating. More sophisticated R/C equipment
was available from commercial manufacturers, but this system targeted the do-it-yourself
types and those with limited hobby budgets...
 Website visitor Richard P. wrote to ask
for me to scan articles from the June 1971 edition of American Aircraft Modeler
magazine. The two articles, subtitled "A Study in Design Ideas," feature two control
line stunters, the F-4 Phantom
and the B8 Crusader, presented together as complimentary models but with varied
construction techniques. Designed and built by two separate modelers, Bill Suarez
and Vic Macaluso, respectively, they are similar in that both represented at the
time "the Navy's best current jet fighters," both have tricycle landing gear, have
wingspans in the 55-60" range, and use inverted mounting for a .35-size engine.
The big difference between the two is that the Phantom ahs a built-up wing while
the Crusader has a foam core wing...
 Even in 1975 when this "Helicopter
Action" column appeared in American Aircraft Modeler magazine a very
small percentage of R/C fliers had ever even tried their hands at helicopters, and
an even smaller portion had been successful enough to keep at it. Gyroscopes for
tail rotors were still in the prototype development stage, fixed pitch rotor blades
were the norm. Control over the rotor disc was not by direct linkage to the blades,
but to a rotor head assembly with a flybar. Only two servos were used - one for
left/right and one for fore/aft. When setting up controls to the swashplate, accounting
for gyroscopic precession was required since the desired output is 90° from the
input in the direction of rotation. It was counterintuitive to the fledgling helicopter
setter-upper, but like magic, it worked. It was during the setup of my DuBro TriStar
helicopter that I first learned of the concept (I was 18 years old). I say all that
to say this: Given the advanced state of the art in R/C helicopters today you might
think...
 During World War II, Germany terrorized
Europe with it
rocket bombs, most notably the V−1 Buzz Bomb and the V−2 Rocket. The "V" prefix,
BTW, stands for Vergeltungswaffe, translated as "vengeance weapon," or "retribution
weapon." Both "vengeance" and "retribution" are really misnomers since it was Germany
that was the aggressor in both WWI and WWII. The vengeance or retribution in Hitler's
view was likely the punishment and restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty
of Versailles for its vicious and inhumane behavior before and during World War I.
History shows they doubled down on it during World War II. But I digress. This
1946 article in Radio−Craft magazine proposes a scheme for a "radar rocket"
system that could detect, acquire, and intercept an enemy rocket bomb in flight
- a concept that was never really successful until the Patriot Missile...
 The
term "drone"
these days for most invokes the image of a little plastic spider-looking thing with
propellers mounted at the ends of the arms - usually with a toothless bumpkin at
the controls. Those same people often think drones are relatively new devices. People
with a just a little more information automatically classify all radio control (R/C)
models, be they traditional fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, as drones. Pilots
of the aforementioned models are even likely, per observers, to have all their teeth
and bathe regularly. I happen to be one of the latter type R/C modelers and while
I no longer possess all 32 teeth I had at birth, I do bathe regularly. Drones have
been around since World War I where they were used for target practice by ground-based
marksmen. Once radio remote control became practical, adopting it for use in pilotless
aerial platforms was a natural evolution. I have written in the past about what
a large contribution hobbyists have made to "drone" technology both through their
technical prowess and flying ability...
 It's hard to imagine back when only 14 years
had passed - to the month - since the Japanese surrendered to the U.S., that this
article with plans for a control line
Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony model
was written in the August 1959 edition of American Modeler magazine. The
Imperial Japanese Air Force, like the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), was made up
of highly skilled pilots and increasingly capable aircraft. The Japanese were a
notable more terrorizing enemy since many were willing to sacrifice their lives
in battle, whereas the Germans were more of the mindset of living to fight another
day. It is now 52 years hence since this article was written and very few of the
men who fought WWII - on all sides - are still alive to bear witness to the action.
As long as there are people who want to dominate the world, there will be wars...
 "Wild Bill" Netzeband taught me a new word
in his July 1916 "Control Line
Capers" column in American Modeler magazine - taciturn. It means temperamentally
disinclined to talk according to Merriam-Webster. Not stopping there, he uses the
word "loquacious," meaning full of excessive talk. Not normally given to the use
of such highbrow language - at least in his columns - methinks perhaps Wild Bill
referenced a copy of Roget's Thesaurus for this month's piece. His writing style
is both elucidative and jocose (two can play this game). The AYSC held at Willow
Grove NAS, is mentioned; it stands for Air Youth State Competition. The monoline
versus dual line debate in control line speed was a fairly new issue in 1961, and
it is still "up in the air" so to speak today. Preferences dictate in the end...
 A few years back, I wrote about the
Criterion RV−6 Dynascope, 6" Newtonian telescope I attempted to buy whilst serving
in the USAF at Robins AFB, Georgia, in from 1978-82. Now, half a decade later, I
finally found one at a reasonable price, where the owner was willing to pack and
ship it. He did an excellent job with it, and even used a harvy cardboard SonoTube
for protecting the optical tube. After performing a quick mirror alignment and using
the original Criterion eyepieces, I looked at the moon and Saturn and was amazed
at the quality of the image. A pert−near polar alignment was done and the clock
drive was turned on. With Siruis centered in the eyepiece to begin with, it was
still well within the field of view 20 minutes later. The success of those two tests
convinced me that undertaking a complete restoration would be worthwhile. The plan
is to remove all the original crakle type black and silver paint, sand and/or sandblast
the surfaces, then repaint as clost to original as possible. The green felt material
lining the main tube holder rings will be replaced with Teflon tape, which I already
have. The felt does not allow the tube to rotate easily, so hopefully the Teflon
will work out better... |
