Roy Maynard's, F-89 Scorpion

Roy Maynard brought his F-89 Scorpion. This 1/6.5 kit is from Air-C-Race in Germany.  106” span.  It is highly detailed and comes with a lot of prefabrication.

All surfaces are pre-hinged and the servos drop in.  A nomenclature file was provided with the kit.  It will be fitted with a single turbine (180-200 N range) and a Tamjets Y-pipe.  Retracts are electric and from Behotec.

Scale struts and wheels are quite detailed. Roy’s color scheme will be from the Minnesota ANG.

Scott Russell & Jan Larsen's, BAE Hawk

Scott Russell and Jan Larsen talked about their BAE Hawk models from Sebart.

These fiberglass jets were designed for a 90 mm EDF but are now flying with Kingtech K-30 turbines.  Fuel capacity is twenty four ounces which easily provides six minute flights.

Electric retracts and brakes complete the setup.  With a 56 inch wingspan these jets look fast at 120 mph!

Ahmed Elbassal's, Me 163 Komet

Ahmed Elbassal showed his Me 163 Komet.  This 35% model flies great with turbines in the 180-220 size.

The takeoff dolly is spring ejected and built with carbon fiber for minimal weight. This aids in safety since takeoffs with the Komet can be more challenging than landings.  Air brakes in the bottom of the wings are very effective.  With them deployed, half throttle is required to stay aloft.  Elevators are mixed to ailerons for better control with the dolly attached.

Ahmed has laid up several Me 163s from his molds.  Airex and honeycomb materials are used to reduce weight and keep the airframe strong.  His layups yield a finished model that is 30% lighter than another popular Komet of the same size.

His Komet has flown a number of times. It won two Pilot’s Choice awards at the Midwest Jets event in Ankeny this year.  Ahmed presented one of the awards to Scott Russell for his piloting help to develop the model. 

Joe Niedermayr's, JU-88 Electric Twin

Joe Niedermayr featured a JU-88 electric twin.  1/10th scale.  Wood construction.

Joe made molds for the canopy and cowls.  A plastic scale model was used for detailed ref.

Zach Geragi, Reviewed BAT-SAFE Products

Zach Geragi showed a BAT-SAFE charging and storage box for lithium batteries.  This safety device has enough room for batteries to be safely charged inside, including room for the charger.  A wire port allows the charger to be outside the box as well.  Kevlar-covered vents provides for pressure release the case of a mishap.  They are available through extremercprecision.com at a price that’s a fraction of an insurance deductible.

The recent Graupner business situation was discussed.  Graupner GmbH (Germany) was required by German law to declare bankruptcy based on insufficient stock of products to sell.  SJ Incorporated, a South Korean company,  has owned Graupner since 2012.

The company will continue after a restructuring under the name of Graupner/SJ.  It is expected that Graupner radio products will continue to be produced in South Korea and sold worldwide.  The parent company intends to take over the development and production of some successful core products itself.

These will primarily be products from the remote control segment under the Graupner HoTT market as well as products for charging technology, servos and other remote controlled electronics.  Graupner cars and boats are not likely to continue in production. 

Dan Schmidt's, Civilian Coupe

Dan Schmidt brought his scratch built Civilian Coupe.

This 1929 monoplane feature wings that pivot rearward for storage or transport, which were accurately reproduced on his model.

Yes, the struts are functional.  Span is 64 inches.  Power is electric for this five pound plane.

John Baligrodski's, 30% Miles Messenger

The model started from Graham Smith plans and will span eleven feet.