David Andersen demonstrated his custom scale retracts for his latest scale aircraft design-in-progress, a quarter-scale Hawker Hurricane.  These beauties were developed by John Mesolella of Matrix Machine Tool located in Rochester, New York

Brandon Archer discussed his Hanger 9 P-40 B.  RDS servos, E-Flite electric retracts, E-Flite Power 60 motor, estimated weight 8-10 lbs.  Brandon added gear doors that closed with an elastic chord, nav and landing lights, spring-loaded cowl flaps.  He showed his procedure for making molds and dummy exhausts of Alumilite casting resin and silicone.  He asked questions of the group about flap linkage and the effects of a flat stabilizer surface versus an airfoil.  A wonderful group discussion developed.

Excellent Brandon

Jeff Quesenberry’s Kawasaki Ki 45 “Nick” (Dragon Slayer) is a prototype built from David Andersen’s latest plans.  “It’s got speed written all over it,” he said.  This twin-engine late WW2 Japanese interceptor was the nemesis of B-29s.  One-fifth scale, 120” span. Two G45s, Biela 20-10 three-blade props, Wayne Siewert Frank TruTurn spinners, Sierra retracts (Ziroli P-38 mains with shortened struts), all topped of with a GI Joe Samurai pilot with sword.

Molded glass nacelles, cowl and other parts by Jeff Micko saved a lot of work.  50 lbs, no ballast required.  This version features two upward firing guns and a uniquely Japanese light green paint scheme that consumed 9 Tamayo spray cans.

Deviations from the plans include placing the elevator and rudder servos in mid fuselage instead of the tail, external pushrods instead of hidden pushrods, a single 40-oz tank in the fuselage instead of separate tanks in the nacelles, rear nacelle fairings carved from balsa instead of vacuum-formed plastic.  These variations plus other feed-back will be included in Dave’s construction notes.  David expressed many thanks to Jeff.

Roy Maynard presented his ARF Fly Eagle Model Jet Factory quarter-scale T-11 Vampire.  2.8 meter span, turbine engine.   Color scheme is from a Reno racer previously owned by a British Admiral.   An internet search found plastic models of this version which then lead Roy to the painter of the full-sized.  He gave Roy copies of his documentation including 35 photos that Roy forwarded to the painter of the model.

The kit included no construction notes so it required a lot of work despite being an ARF.  Batteries and valves were placed under the nose bonnet just like the full-sized.  Roy mounted the turbine ahead of the CG which reduced nose ballast but redirected air thru the cockpit, making full cockpit detail impossible.  Air brakes are coupled to full flaps. 

Removable tail booms each have two carbon fiber rods.  A group discussion followed about the pros and cons of Lithium Polymer versus A123 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries for ECUs.  (The room became silent in rapt attention to the details.)  The consensus was that ECUs require a lot of start-up current which at the time the kit was designed only Lipos could provide.  But lately, A123s are capable but untried.  The owner’s manual specifies Lipo so that’s what Roy used.

Joe Niedermayr presented his latest original design, a Dornier 217K in 1/10th scale.  74” span, 13 lbs, two Hobby King G23 electric motors.  Joe summarized the history of the original - faster plus heavier loads than a B-25 but plagued with problems.  He derived plans by scanning three-views into CAD, auto drawing and filling in the details.  Complex landing gear was scratch-built.  Rudder servos are in the fins of the twin-fin tail.  Flaps are held up with rubber bands but pushed down with a cam made from a rotating bolt - simple and clever!

The vacuum-formed nose required 3 basswood molds.  Nose pieces are held in place with magnets.  The first pull was cut into frames and laid over the second pull.

Joe described how an electric motor needs to not stop in the air—the prop creates too much drag.  Instead, low throttle needs to keep some speed in a low idle--especially important in landing approaches.  The right amount of power, he found, “just barely taxis it.”

Tim Johnson’s Wingspan Models B-17 was built by Greg Hahn (a Top Gun winner and columnist for Model Aviation).  Tim changed the original OS .91 glow engines to Saito 21s.  He also changed the original Master Airscrew props to Graupner ... a mistake, it turned out.  A Graupner prop on an inboard engine broke in flight, destroying the nacelle.  The debris took off another prop and the plane crashed.  The 5 lbs of lead in the nose seems to have absorbed much of the impact, saving  most of the fuselage.  The plans were of limited help because the airplane was a kit prototype and the production plans didn’t quite match the airplane.  But they were of sufficient help to reconstruct the formers for the nose & nacelles.  Tim says he's “Got a lot of rivets to do.”

The retraction apparatus for the fan was built from McMaster-Carr parts.  The doors weakened the fuselage so the area was reinforced with carbon fiber honeycomb and epoxy.  This project is a prototype for a larger sailplane of 5 meters span.

"Recommended Movie"

The Wind Rises is loosely based on the life of aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the A6M "Zero" fighters employed by Japan in World War II. The film introduces Jiro as a young boy who sends away for English aviation journals and dreams of gliding over his hometown in a makeshift aircraft.

Too near-sighted to be a pilot, as a young man Jiro labors at drafting tables as he pursues an engineering career.