Model Airplane News November 2016

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Maximize
Your Radio
Keep It
Legal
Batteries
101
Programming
tips and tricks
Flying near
an airport
What the
numbers mean
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2016 Horizon Hobby, LLC. Hangar 9, E-flite, Valiant, Serious Fun and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, LLC. Cirrus and associated emblems, logos and body
designs, are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Cirrus Design Corporation and are used under license by Horizon Hobby, LLC. The Red Bull name and likeness is used under license of Red Bull GmbH
Austria. ASW 20 and the associated logos and body designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. and are used with permission by Horizon Hobby, LLC. Beast, the
Inverza and their designs are trademarks of Kevin Kimball, used under license to Horizon Hobby, LLC. Prometheus, P3 Revolution, and associated logos and body designs are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Code Supplies, Inc., and are used under license by Horizon Hobby, LLC. All other trademarks, service marks and logos are property of their respective owners. Actual product may vary slightly from photos.
Terms and conditions apply. Excludes discontinued items. 48771.2
CONTENTS
Volume 144
Number 11
November 2016
Features
22 Warbirds Over Delaware
25th anniversary of this East
Coast scale event
By Sal Calvagna
38 Keep It Legal
Best practices for airport
notications
By Franklin D. Mellott
48 Radio Programming
Primer
How to set up your transmitter to
maximize your ying enjoyment
By John Reid
64 Gallery: Scheibe SF 33
Motor Glider
A 20-year building project
takes ight
By the Model Airplane News crew
72 Top 10 P-51 Mustangs

Favorite all-American ghters
By the Model Airplane News crew
Departments
10 | Preight
12 | Airwaves
16 | Tips & Tricks
18 | Pilot Projects
20 | Flightline
60 | Ultimate Electrics
94 | Rotor Speed
98 | Final Approach
CONTENTS
Volume 144
Number 11
November 2016
54
Flight Tests
30 Flyzone B-25 Mitchell
Micro RC scale at its best
88
By Peter Church
44 Hitec QuadRacer 280

A quick, customizable racer thats
ready to go out of the box
By John Reid
54 Great Planes Quik-V6 Q500

Fly an AMA Nationals winner!
By Rick Bell
88 E-ite/Horizon Hobby
Pawnee Brave Night Flyer
44
Fly day or night with this fun sport plane

By Mike Gantt
MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS (USPS 533-470; ISSN 0026-7295) is published monthly

by Air Age Inc., 88 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 USA. Copyright 2016, all rights
reserved. Periodicals postage permit paid at Wilton, CT, and additional ofces.
Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40008153. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Go to
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MC, Discover, and AmEx accepted. EDITORIAL: Send correspondence to Editors, Model
Airplane News, 88 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 USA. Email: MAN@airage.com. We
welcome all editorial submissions but assume no responsibility for the loss or damage of
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30
BY DEBRA CLEGHORN | EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Est. 1929
EDITORIAL
Executive Editor Debra Cleghorn ii debrac@airage.com

Senior Technical Editor
Gerry Yarrish ii gerryy@airage.com
West Coast Senior Editor John Reid ii johnr@airage.com
Associate Editor Matt Boyd ii mattb@airage.com
Copy Editor Suzanne Noel
CONTRIBUTORS
Jason Benson, Sal Calvagna, Budd Davisson,

Don Edberg, Mike Gantt, Dave Garwood, Dave Gierke,
Greg Gimlick, John Glezellis, Aaron Ham, Carl Layden,
Clarence Lee, Jim Newman, Greg Poppel, Mark Rittinger,
Jim Ryan, David Scott, Jerry Smith, Craig Trachten, Paul
Tradelius, Pat Tritle, Rich Uravitch, Nick Ziroli Sr.
ART
Creative Director Betty K. Nero

Art Director Kevin Monahan
DIGITAL MEDIA
Web Producer Holly Hansen

VIDEO/PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographer Peter Hall

Videographer Adam Lebenstein
ADVERTISING
Warbird Fever
THERES SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT WARBIRDS. These classic aircraft remind us of when
pilots risked everything to protect their homelands. Their RC counterparts look great on the
ightline and in the air, and they are a blast to y! This month, we have event coverage of Warbirds
Over Delaware, one of the oldest and most popular warbird events on the East Coast and
celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. In fact, many consider this gathering of military
RC hardware as the granddaddy of them all! Our contributor Sal Calvagna brings us all the action
from the ightline, brought to life with great images from the father and son team of Roger and
Scott McClurg.
We also thought it would be fun to showcase a roundup of our favorite P-51 Mustang models.
Arguably the most recognized American ghter of World War II, P-51 Mustangs are an icon of
aviation history, and the 10 RC aircraft we showcase all do justice to their namesake. Whether
youre looking for a backyard park ier, a souped-up P-51 racer, or a giant-scale built-up warbird,
weve got an all-American Mustang thats perfect for your hangar.
This month, we also oer tips for getting the most out of your programmable radio, a gallery
of a 2/3-scale (33-foot-span!) Scheibe powered glider, and a guide to deciphering what all the
numbers on your battery pack mean.
Drop us a line at MAN@airage.com and let us know what youd like to see more (or less) of in
your magazine, and well continue our 87-year legacy of being your rst source for RC aircraft
inspiration and information.
Director Advertising & Marketing David J. Glaski

ii203.529.4637 | davidg@airage.com
Strategic Account Manager Mitch Brian
ii203.529.4609 | mitchb@airage.com
Senior Account Executive Ben Halladay
ii203.529.4628 | benh@airage.com
Account Executive Diane de Spirlet
ii203.529.4664 | dianed@airage.com
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CONSUMER MARKETING/PRODUCTION
The Media Source, a division of TEN,

The Enthusiast Network
MARKETING & EVENTS
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Event Manager Emil DeFrancesco
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Group Publishers Louis V. DeFrancesco Jr.,

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give you a better understanding of drones, from the basics of the
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will find useful. Download it today at AirAgeStore.com!
THIS COLLECTION INCLUDES:
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Frequently Asked Questions: Reader questions tackled by our
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YOUR FEEDBACK
We love hearing from our readers: Your emails, tweets, and comments quickly let us know what youd
like to see more (or less!) of in upcoming issues and online. Heres what some of you are saying about
Model Airplane News magazine.
Facebook Scale Competition Comes to the Northeast

We posted photos and video of the new rst annual Northeast Scale Qualier competition
held in Goshen, New York, hosted by the Black Dirt Squadron RC Club. Contest director Danny
Carroza put this event together to bring scale RC competition to the region and breathe new life
into the hobby. The event was a big success, and you guys had a lot to say. Here are just a few
comments from the post.
Carlene Longworth: My god, these planes

just keep getting bigger and bigger
awesome.
Aaron Ballwich: I have been thinking of

trying scale competition. Im checking out
the NASA website to download the rulebook.
Ed McNew: Very nice! That

plane does the maneuvers with
ease. I like it!
Edward Carl: Wow. Thanks for
sharing. Love the video. Just
want more of the same.
U In Our Mailbox
Min-E Taurus
My dad got me started in RC back in the

mid-70s, and I have enjoyed the hobby
ever since. He was a big aerobatic
lover, and he ew the old Kazmirski
designs, like the Orion and the Taurus. I
remember seeing a construction article
a while back for a mini Taurus, and I
thought it would be a great project for
me and my son, who is now starting to
y RC with me. Any chance you can help
me nd the article?Ricky Donavon
twitter.com/
modelairplanenews
Another build-along series is getting ready

to start on the MAN site, and recently we
highlighted some details on how the inset
hinges are made for the rudder. The airplane is
a giant-scale Skyraider and the How To post
has several close-ups showing the various
steps in detail. Though a proven tried-and-true
method, this hinging technique is new to many
of our readers, and heres just some of what
you had to say.
Flyoz: Great article. Very complete and easy to

follow. I think the photos in this article are great.
Sebo: I used the method on my Hostetler

Lancairworks great.
Ricky, of course, we can help! The article

for the Min-E Taurus was published in our March 2012 issue. You can order the plans for the
miniature, electric-powered Taurus look-alike from AirAgeStore.com. Designed by our longtime
contributor and electric-airplane designer Mark Rittinger, the Min-E Taurus is plan number
X0312A. A fairly easy build, it would be ideal for basic e-power sport aerobatics .GY
facebook.com/
modelairplanenews
ModelAirplaneNews.com
Rudder Hinging
pinterest.com/
modelairplanenews
instagram.com/
modelairplanenews
youtube.com/
airagemedia
David N: Very interesting. Im not into models

of this size but would like to give the technique
a whirl. I was surprised that ply bearings are
sucient; I was expecting brass tube bushings
or a printed circuit board.
Adam M: Nice article. I built a Ziroli Zero similar
to another post on this site. I used the same
basic technique, and the hinge support tabs
have held up great for more than seven years.
feedback@
airage.com
Model Airplane News

88 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897
Tips&Tricks
USEFUL HINTS FROM MODELERS |
BALSA DENT REMOVAL
While readying my model for covering, I discovered several small dents and dings
in the soft balsa. Instead of using wood ller, I lled a small dish with water and
used a Q-tip to apply a drop of water on the dent. I then heated the area
with my sealing iron. By lightly touching the sealing iron to the dent, it
literally disappeared in a pu of steam. As long as the balsa is merely
dented and not torn or cracked, it works perfectly.
Kent Garrett, Turner, OR
plane in order is to take some stick-on label paper and

print or type suitable ID characters on it. Then use a paperpunch tool and make small ID labels that easily stick to the
connectors and sockets.
Greg Gimlick, Fuquay-Varina, NC
CUTTING BRAIDED CABLES
When you cut braided metal cables for pull-pull control

setups, like rudder and nosewheel steering, the ends
will often unravel and become frayed. Simply wrap the
cable where you want to cut with paper
masking tape and the ends will stay
orderly and neat.
Dave Wigley, Lake Grove, NY
SECURE ENGINE OPS
Safety rst. Sometimes you dont have a friend around to help secure your plane while you
adjust the engine. A super simple and cheap way to secure even large 1/4-scale airplanes
is to use 2- to 3-foot-long broomstick-size dowels. Sharpen one end and stick through a
chunk of foam to protect the leading edge of the wing panels. Drive them into the ground
with a hammer, as shown, and you are good to go. A plastic mat below the propeller
prevents debris from being blown back by the prop.
Danny Carozza, Yonkers, NY
SEND IN YOUR IDEAS!
We want your ideas for Tips & Tricks! This months winners will receive a $50 glue
assortment from Bob Smith Industries. Send a photo or rough sketch and a brief description to MAN@airage.com
or Model Airplane News, c/o Air Age Media, 88 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897 USA.
Used by industry, but available from your local hobby shop.

Manufacturers, like most modelers, demand the best performance from their adhesives. That is why Boeing, Lockheed-Martin,
Cessna and many other aerospace rms choose BSI. With a larger selection of CA and epoxy adhesives than any other hobby
manufacturer, BSI provides modelers with consistent high performance, all available from your local hobby shop.
Your Adhesive Company for Over 30 Years.

To nd a dealer or ask a question of The Glue Pros, go to:
www.bsi-inc.com U info@bsi-inc.com
(805) 466-1717 U 8060 Morro Road U Atascadero, CA 93422 U USA
Find us on Facebook at Bob Smith Industries
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
Pilot Projects
SHOWCASING WHAT YOU BUILD & FLY | Email entries to: MAN@airage.com
1911 AVRO
Patrick Welsch,
Plano, IL
After ying for more

than 30 years, Patrick
decided to design and
build his rst plane from
scratch, and the result is
this semiscale, 60-inchspan Avro. Powered by
a Magnum .52 4-stroke,
the model has a pilot
gure that moves its
head with rudder and
up-elevator. Well done!
PI LOT T
PROJEHCE
OF T
MONTH
SWOOSE
Bernie Olson, Hudson Oaks, TX

When he wanted to build a plane for his clubs annual oat y, Bernie decided to
go with a model that caught his fancy years ago: a Swoose. Originally designed in
46 for free ight, this plane was scaled up by Nick Ziroli for RC, and he published
plans for it in Model Airplane News in 1989. Bernie adds, This model sports an
inverted O.S. .55 in the nose, which pulls it nicely.
EXTRA 300S
Jeff Hall, Westland, MI
Would you believe that this is Jes rst kit-build? He built the
Great Planes kit and then covered it with MonoKote, adding
hand-cut graphics. He adds, The test ight went perfectlyno
trimming needed (another rst).
STINSON RELIANT SR-9

Gene Lezatte, Athens, NY
Powered by a DLE 35cc engine, Genes 86-inch-span Redwing RC

model uses a Spektrum radio with telemetry. This aircraft has a gullshaped wing, working lights, scale door and ladder, and functional
aps for scale landings.
SEND IN YOUR PICTURES! Model Airplane News is your magazine, and we encourage reader participation.
Email your high-resolution images to MAN@airage.com with your contact information and details on your project.
Every pilot we feature will receive a Model Airplane News baseball cap, and the Pilot Project of the Month winner will
receive a $200 gift code for anything at jramericas.com.
Flightline
YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR RC NEWS
Blade Theory X 195

This carbon-fiber airframe even
looks fast! Multiple motor-mounting
holes accommodate a variety of
powerplants, and the frames
unique top stack is designed
to hold a GoPro Hero3 or 4
with a single strap, and the
bottom has a battery cutout for
easy installation and access.
Add the power, radio, and FPV
systems of your choice and youll
be race ready. It costs $79.99.
bladehelis.com
E-flite Sukhoi
SU-29MM BNF
If you liked the original E-flite Sukhoi, youll love
this Gen 2 version! Its AS3X flight stabilization
lets you look like a pro on the flightline, and lessexperienced pilots will appreciate its optional
SAFE Panic Recovery mode. The 44-inch-span
Z-Foam aerobat comes with power system and
servos installed; just bind it to your compatible
radio, add a 3S 2200mAh pack, and head to the
field! It costs $229.99. e-fliterc.com
Spektrum Receivers
Spektrum has added three new specialized receivers,
all with data ports for voltage, temp, and rpm sensors.
The 4-channel SR4000T DSMR Slim costs $69.99 and
the 6-channel SR6000T DSMR Slim costs $79.99. The
6-channel AR6270T Carbon Fuse Integrated Telemetry
receiver also has an XBus port and features dual
extended antennae for optimum performance; it costs
$69.99. spektrumrc.com
HobbyZone
Champ S+
With SAFE Plus technology, this 27-inch-span Ultra Micro Champ is an ideal
first model. It has beginner, intermediate, and advanced flight modes, Panic
Recovery, AutoLand, and a Virtual Fence to keep it from flying too far away.
The Bind-N-Fly Champ is $149.99; the RTF is $169.99. hobbyzone.com
Dromida Sky
Cruiser 2
Made of nearly
crashproof EPO foam,
the Sky Cruiser 2 is
easy to fly and a great
aircraft to learn to fly
with. This 29-inch-span
trainer comes with a
transmitter, LiPo flight
battery, and balancing
charger and costs
$59.99. dromida.com
Hitec Power Peak D7

With two independent 200-watt output
of current, the Power Peak D7 is capable of
charging all battery chemistries quickly and
efficiently. The D7 also features mini USB
costs $274.99. hitecrcd.com
Dromida Twin Explorer

The perfect plane for first-timers, the Twin
Explorer comes with everything you need to
fly. Crash-resistant foam construction will
easily withstand those not-so-gentle first
landings. The Twin Explorer costs $39.99.
dromida.com
Hitec Vector 280

This fast, high-performance FPV racer has a
compact, integrated-circuit-board system
for reduced weight and a sturdy, resilient
carbon-fiber frame for durable flight. It comes
completely assembled
and requires a 5-channel
transmitter, 5.8GHz receiver,
3S or 4S LiPo battery, and
optional video goggles. The Vector 280 costs
$299.99. hitecrcd.com
NOVEMBER 2016 21
Making ready for the

WW I gaggle ight,
everyone readies
their craft and takes
o together for
the worlds largest
dogght.
Warbirds Over Delaware

25th anniversary of this East Coast scale event
BY SAL CALVAGNA PHOTOS BY ROGER MCCLURG & SCOTT MCCLURG
How do you successfully host

a premier giant-scale RC event like
Warbirds Over Delaware for
25 years? Well, a good way to
find out is to see the contest
directors and club members of
the Delaware R/C Club busy at
work. Like a gourmet chef, the club
starts with just the right amount of
flying, friends, and fun ingredients
and then they spice it up a tad
with plenty of food, sponsorship,
volunteers, and a perfect venue to
serve up a first-class event. Then
they do it 25 times, all the while
making each time a little better
than the last. I have to admit that
I have come for more years than
I care to remember to enjoy this
smorgasbord of scale warbirds
and excitement.
Adam Lilley starts the show each year

with his militarized crazy Cub routine.
On the Field
As its name implies, this event is a giant-scale
military RC airshow, which is extremely popular
and open to the general public. The event
attracts thousands of spectators annually to
its Lums Pond State Park venue in Kirkwood,
Delaware, with the RC pilots coming from near
and far. To help with the massive logistics
involved in setting up the many tents and
airplane encampments, this years event was
held from Wednesday, July 6, through Saturday,
July 9. For a good spot, you really do need to
come early because, by Friday, there are so
many tents set up that the event looks like it
could qualify for its own zip code. This year,
there were well over 200 highly detailed giantscale warbirds in attendance.
As in the past, Pete and Dave Malchione and
the rest of the club volunteers did an amazing
job setting up and running the event. A great
feature is that there is a huge tent for overnight
model storage, making setup and teardown of
the models at the end of the day unnecessary,
and it could easily accommodate 100 models.
Horizon Hobby, a major sponsor, had a large
tent near the ightline, which housed some of
the largest and most impressive models that I
have ever seen.
In a separate area, the food vendors kept all
the pilots and their crewmates well supplied
and fed, with oerings including plenty of
hamburgers and hot dogs along with the
all-time favorite in hot weather: avored
shaved ice. Several hobby vendors were also
there, selling everything from giant-scale kits
and pilot gures to RC switches and servo
There were plenty of German Luftwae airplanes on the ightline.
Sponsors
Model Airplane News
Frank Tiano
Enterprises
Horizon Hobby
Hangar 9
Nick Ziroli Plans
Spektrum RC
Sullivan Products
This impressive B-25 Mitchell gunship is the work of Trent Wilhelm. Built from
the old American Eagle kit, it has a 109-inch wingspan and is powered by a pair
of US41 gas engines.
Zap Glue
Global Air
Betty Cantera
Brilliant Studio, Inc.
Blackbird Finishes
Dan Davidson
Remote Control Hobbies
Peters Beauty Salon
SKS Video Productions
WARBIRDS OVER DELAWARE

extensions. If you needed a part or tool for a
repair, it was like having a well-stocked hobby
shop right at the eld.
Show Central
Open ying comprised most of each day,
and there were models from every era of
aviation history. Early ight machines like
the Fokker Eindecker and other lightweight
World War I types shared the trac pattern
with heavy-metal World War II planes, such
as P-47 Thunderbolts, P-51 Mustangs, and
Axis planes like the Messerschmitt Me 109
and the infamous Japanese A6M Zero ghters.
For safety and to keep the line moving, a total
of six aircraft were allowed in the skies at any
one time. The Delaware R/C Clubs ightline
personnel managed both ground and air
operations like a well-oiled machine, and it
paid o with everyone ying as much as they
wanted to without a lot of idle wait time. This
was a really good thing as the temps this year
were in the very high 90s.
On Friday and Saturday, the open ying
stopped for the midday airshow, and the action
with several ight demonstrations really wound
up the crowds. Adam Lilley warmed up the
crowd with his militarized version of the ying
farmer routine. During his takeo run, his Piper
L-4 Grasshopper lost a wheel, but the plane
zipped along the edges of the runway, barely
missing the tall grass and trees, pulling up at
the very last second. Adam continued ying,
and at one point, he lost an aileron in ight! He
performed several touch-and-gos, nishing o
his demo with a smooth, precise landing.
This Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber was own

by Mark Ward. It is a Ziroli design, has a 100-inch
wingspan, and is powered with a Quadra 75.
Carl Becker from Prince Georges Radio Control Club brought a beautiful 1/4-scale Ryan PT-22 Recruit. It spans
90 inches and is powered by a 1.80 Laser 4-stroke glow engine, built from Jerry Bates plans using Bob Holman
cut parts. The model weighs 22 pounds, has Sierra Precision landing gear and Glennis wheels, and features
functional landing and ying wires.
Michael Gross has own at this

event for many years. Built from
a Yellow Aircraft kit, his P-40
Warhawk has an 86-inch span, is
powered by a DA 50cc gas engine,
and weighs 26 pounds. It sports a
Soviet Winter camo scheme.
Coming in to strafe the

trenches, the big triplane is
an impressive sight.
Half-Scale Triplane
Scott Vickery of South Mills, North Carolina, built this magnificent
50%-scale Fokker Dr.1 Triplane from enlarged Glenn Torrance
Models plans. At 50% scale, the model spans 141.5 inches and
weighs a hefty 115 pounds. It is powered by a ZDZ 250cc gas
engine. Just as he did with the full-size aircraft, Scott built the
fuselage using metal tubing and had to learn how to weld to
fabricate it. The Fokker is covered with Solartex and finished with
Valspar paints in Wilhelm Schwartzs aircraft colors. For additional
scale fidelity, Scott made the bullets in the machine guns belts
out of .22 Magnum brass casings and .223 bulletswithout
any gunpowder, of course. Scott has dozens of flights on his
impressive model, if you can truly call it a model!
Heres a good example of just

how big Scott Vickerys Fokker
Triplane really is. At 50% scale,
it spans an impressive
141.4 inches.
NOVEMBER 2016 25
Peter Goldsmith ew many dierent aircraft this year,

including his 1/4-scale Balsa USA de Havilland DH-4,
here being chased by Mike Gross Sr.s Nieuport 28.
Peters model spans 127 inches, weighs 27 pounds,
and is powered by a 40cc 4-stroke gas engine.
Enzo Grasso ew this 1/5-scale

Messerschmitt Bf 109. Here, his ESM
ARF makes a high-speed pass.
Gaggle Flights
Next up was the very popular WW I gaggle,
which involves a mass launch and ight
demonstration of all the WW Iera aircraft.
With about 30 airplanes in the air at the same
time, it was a real barn burner of a show. Some
ew high, and others down on the deck; some
even performed aerobatic moves to make it all
look like one of those crazy dogght fur balls.
After the last of the WW I planes cleared
the runway, the WW II guys took to the air.
Though fewer aircraft were own, they did
y much faster and louder. Here the famous
ghters, like P-51 Mustangs, Spitres, and P-47
Thunderbolts, chased down the Me 109s and
FW 190s, while Curtiss F4U Corsairs jumped
the Japanese Zeros. Aircraft from both the
European and Pacic war theaters were well
represented, and the sound of the engines and
propellers stirred the emotions.
Other highlights included the ights of
the giants, featuring a huge C-46 Curtiss
Commando ying formation with an
equally enormous B-26 Widowmaker and a
choreographed dual ight by a pair of A-10
Warthogs, piloted by Paul LeTourneau and Dave
Malchione Jr. For the jet lovers, three T-33
Shooting Star jets performed together in the
sky, one of which was own by the current Top
Gun winner Peter Goldsmith. Although Peter
Goldsmith is a very competent turbine jet
pilot, his piloting skills were equally impressive
as he ew his brand-new de Havilland DH-4
biplane built from the Balsa USA kit. One of the
favorites during the airshow was Andy Kane
Mark Ward ew his unusual and seldomseen Nakajima Ki-27 Nate, built from Reed
Models plans. It has a 94-inch span.
Adam Lilley really gets into the act. This is just part of his ightline encampment, complete with sandbags
and a fake .30-caliber machine gun.
Adams Mustang
Adam Lilley of Freehold, New Jersey, has been a favorite at
Warbirds Over Delaware for many years. His flying farmer routine
continues to excite the crowd, while he also can be counted on
to bring interesting planes. He camps out on the flightline with
his well-appointed WW IIadorned tent, and he is always in period
dress with his khaki uniform.
This year, Adam flew a nicely done Bud Nosen Mustang.
Spanning 105 inches and powered by a powerful Quadra 100cc gas
engine, the Mustang tipped the scales at 40 pounds. The Quadra
Adam always attends Warbirds Over Delaware dressed in

period clothing. His uniform of the day always adds to the
events atmosphere.
had no trouble easily pulling the fighter around the pattern. Adam
really went the distance with his model and installed sequencing
main-gear doors, navigation lights, an extendable landing light,
and an operable oil-cooler door at the back of the air scoop. In
addition, his pilots head moves, the machine guns operate with
flashing lights, and an airborne sound system simulates the sound
of a full-size P-51.
A fun fact here is that when the Bud Nosen kit was released, it
was originally designed to fly on a .60 glow engine equipped with a
belt drive mechanism. Simply amazing!
Solid as a rock, Adams Bud

Nosen Mustang screams by on a
low-level strang run.
NOVEMBER 2016 27

Je Stubbs ew this beautiful 1/3-scale BAE Hawk. The CARF-Models Hawk is powered by a KingTech K-180G
turbine and spans 98 inches. Weighing about 46 pounds, this aircraft is rock solid and has an amazing smoke system.
with his 50%-scale clipped-wing cub with a buddy

box and a group of youngsters selected from the
crowd. Its great to see the excitement in the kids
faces as they moved the sticks on the transmitter
and watched the giant cub go through its paces.
Each year, the show concludes with the
outstanding achievement awards being presented
to a few select individuals. This years recipients
were Larry Alles, Rich Andrese, Bob Tursack, and
Roger Spoor.
Saturday Night Mayhem

It just wouldnt be the Warbirds Over Delaware event
without the Saturday night mayhem. This gauntlet
is own by only the bravest of souls with their old
and worn-out electric foamies. They attempt to
survive the AA re of the youthful ground troops
who are armed with paintball guns, airsoft guns,
BB guns, and even a well-placed potato cannon or
two. The last person to land takes the prize. Of course,
its a lot harder than it looks to down a speedy hunk
of foam. The end of the mayhem signals that yet
another successful Warbirds Over Delaware event
has entered the history books.
As a veteran of many years attending the event,
I would like to oer special thanks to the contest
directors Dave and Pete Malchione, the announcer
Fast Eddie Leuter, and all the club members for
their tireless eorts. This event truly is one of a kind
and the granddaddy of all other events specializing in
giant-scale military models.
For more information on the event, visit delawarerc.
org/warbirds.html, and for more photos and video, go
to ModelAirplaneNews.com/WOD16.
Peter Goldsmith, Paul LeTourneau, and Dave Malchione

Jr. get their Skymaster T-33 Shooting Stars ready for
another formation ight. The models span 105 inches and
weigh about 38 pounds.
Flight Test
FLYZONE
B-25 Mitchell
Micro RC scale at its best
BY PETER CHURCH PHOTOS BY PETER HALL
Arguably the most recognizable medium-size bomber

of World War II, the B-25 Mitchell is in a class by itself.
Designed by North American Aviation in the late 30s and
named after Maj. Gen. William Billy Mitchell, nearly
10,000 aircraft were manufactured. Its most memorable
use was in the raid on Tokyo, Japan, by Lt. Col. James
Jimmy Doolittle who flew 16 B-25s off the carrier
USS Hornet.
This new little B-25 from Flyzone is a great scale copy
of the full-size Heavenly Body, which can be seen across
the country performing in warbird airshows. The Flyzone
ready-to-fly package comes with everything you need to
launch your own bomber mission and can be ready for
action in less than an hour.
SPECIFICATIONS
GEAR USED
MODEL: B-25 Mitchell

MANUFACTURER: Flyzone (flyzoneplanes.com)
DISTRIBUTOR: Great Planes (greatplanes.com)
TYPE: Micro scale WW II
WINGSPAN: 21.7 in.
LENGTH: 17.2 in.
WING AREA: 63.6 sq. in.
WEIGHT: 2.8 oz.
WING LOADING: 6.3 oz./sq. ft.
POWER INCLD: Twin brushed motors
RADIO INCLD: 4-channel
PRICE: $119.99
RADIO: Tactic TTX403 (included)

MOTOR: Two brushed (installed)
BATTERY: 1S 250mAh 20C (included)
HIGHLIGHTS
Excellent scale detail
Stable flight characteristics
Everything is included
FLIGHT TEST FLYZONE B-25 MITCHELL
The complete
package includes the B-25,
transmitter and
AA batteries,
and the LiPo
ight pack. A
charger is built
into the transmitter case.
UNIQUE FEATURES
Made out of lightweight durable foam, the
fuselage is rst out of the box, and it has nice
scale detail as does all the other parts. The
horizontal stabilizer and rudders are already
installed as well as the combo receiver/speed
control brick and servos; the linkages are all
installed, as well. The wing comes as a separate
unit, with both brushed motors installed along
with the 3-blade props. The aileron servos
are neatly buried in the engine nacelles. The
wing is made out of at foamboard contoured
into an airfoil shape, with the molded nacelles
and fuselage center section glued in place.
Assembly is straightforward. There is a keyed
connector on the aileron lead that plugs into
the receiver and a color-coded motor wire lead
that plugs into matching connectors from the
speed control. Be sure to align the connector
wire colors red to red or the motors will run
backward. After tucking in the excess wiring
into the fuselage, the wing is secured to the
fuselage with two screws. If you are ying
from a hard surface, the included wheels are
press-t into the plastic sockets located under
the engine nacelles and under the nose. The
nosewheel is linked to the rudder servo, so
ground steering is available.
Modeled after the B-25 Heavenly Body,
the model comes painted overall in standardissue olive drab with gray underbelly. Flyzone
did a nice job in reproducing the nose art and
other squadron markings throughout the
model. Scale details abound, from molded-in
panel lines to the clear plastic canopies and
gun turrets; everything looks very realistic. One
thing that I was worried about was breaking
o the gun barrels, but Flyzone has solved this
by using carbon-ber rods, which are more
Above: Here, you see the aileron linkage; the servo is located within the
engine nacelle for a clean installation.
Left: Under the tail surfaces, you see
the control linkages. Functional rudders
are tied into the steerable nosewheel.
The ight battery

resides in the area
usually reserved
for the Norton
bomb sight.
With the wing

removed, you
see the servos and the
connectors
for the wing
leads.
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2016 Force RC. Force RC and the Force RC logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Force RC. All other trademarks, service marks and logos are property of their respective owners. 54137
FLIGHT TEST FLYZONE B-25 MITCHELL
I found that it takes 20 to 30 minutes to

fully charge a battery using the transmitter.
If you purchase additional batteries, you
might also want to invest in the optional LiPo
charger as you cannot use the transmitter for
ight while a battery is in the charging dock.
The front navigator greenhouse has two
retaining magnets and simply pulls forward
for removal. Inside is the battery connector.
Place the battery on the Velcro pad, replace the
greenhouse canopy, and you are ready to go.
IN THE AIR
The nose art and aircraft markings are well done. The
clear canopies and turrets are a nice touch.
durable and less likely to break o. Finally out

of the box came the Tactic transmitter. On the
back of the transmitter, the battery cover slides
down and you install the ve AA batteries,
which are also included. Also on the back of
the transmitter is a charging dock for the ight
battery. Simply slide open the cover, and slide

the battery into the charging jack. A green light
on the front of the transmitter indicates that
the battery is charging, and it will go out when
the battery is fully charged.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKI-COMMONS
With the installed 3-blade (counter-rotating)

propellers, any torque eect from the motors is
canceled out.
Flying from a grass eld, I opted to remove the

landing gear as I would be hand launching. After
charging the LiPo battery in the transmitter, it
was time to see what this plane could do. Prior
to each ight, you need to arm the motors. Turn
the transmitter on, place the throttle stick on
low, and plug in the ight battery. Move the
throttle stick to high and you will hear one beep.
Move the throttle stick back to low and you will
hear two beeps, which means the motors are
armed. Hand launching was almost eortless.
Facing into the wind, I set the throttle at
3/4 power and gently tossed the model
straight at about shoulder level. I let the model
Heavenly Body
In April 1992, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Lt. Col. James Jimmy Doolittles famous mission,
Heavenly Body was the first B-25 Mitchell in 50 years to fly off the deck of an aircraft carrier. The carrier was
the USS Ranger, and the event took place in San Diego Bay.
With 1,500 guests in attendance, including several surviving Raiders and VIP military veterans, two B-25
bombers were craned onboard at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island in San Diego, California, and took off under
their own power 5 miles off Point Loma.
The event was conceived by producer Bradley Grose, who proposed the reenactment idea to Doolittle in
1989, who then referred the concept to Gen. Richard Knobby Knobloch of the Doolittle Raiders Association.
In January 1992, the reenactment was approved by the U.S. Department of Defense, and the assignment
was then turned over to the Naval Air Force U.S. Pacific Fleet NAS North Island. Four North American B-25
bombers (Heavenly Body, In the Mood, Pacific Princess, and Executive Suite) were chosen for possible
participation, but their crews had to prove that they could take off in less than 500 feet, just like the original
Doolittle Raiders did during training in WW II. Ultimately, the bombers chosen for the reenactment were
Heavenly Body and In the Mood.
Heavenly
Body takes o
from the deck of
the USS Ranger.
THIS LITTLE GEM

LOOKS AWESOME
MAKING SIMULATED
BOMBING RUNS.
straightforward and circular. Rolls are smooth

but require a bit of down pitch control while
inverted to maintain altitude.
Glide and stall performance: Power-o stalls
are clean and straightforward, with no tendency
to fall o to either wing, and landings with the
lightly loaded model are predictable. Enter the
pattern at about 1/4 to 1/3 throttle, then on
nal, begin to reduce throttle; the model settles
right into a shallow glide. Reduce power a bit
more and the model settles in nicely for a belly
landing. Be sure to cut power completely before
touchdown.
PILOT DEBRIEFING
I thoroughly enjoyed ying this micro-scale
B-25. This little gem looks awesome making
simulated bombing runs or diving down on the
deck for strang passes. Its scale looks and
stable ight characteristics in a ready-to-y
package are hard to beat.
BOTTOM LINE
pick up a little airspeed before making any
corrections and then I was o and ying.
GENERAL FLIGHT PERFORMANCE

Stability: This is a micro ier, but with the
dihedral and wing area, it is very stable.
Tracking: Counter-rotating props and twin

rudders make this plane track straight and true
in the air. With the steerable nosewheel, ground
control on a smooth surface is excellent.
Aerobatics: The twin motors have a good
amount of power to y the basics. Loops are
If you are looking for a scale micro ier with

character, this is one to consider. Whether its
on a calm evening at the ying eld or inside the
local gym, this plane is sure to catch everyones
attention. I highly recommend adding this B-25
to anyones micro ier collection.
Best practices for airport notifications

BY FRANKLIN D. MELLOTT
For anyone that wants to fly an sUAS, its important to know that
Public Law 112-95 336(a)(5) requires that when an sUAS is to be
flown within five miles of an airport, the operator of the aircraft
provides the airport operator and the airport air traffic control
tower (when an air traffic facility is located at the airport) with
prior notice of the operation
Im fortunate to have a small park within

a block of my home where I can y my
RC helicopters, but both my home and
the park are inside that ve-mile ring
from a hospital heliport and a class D
(towered) airport. Through a combination
of prior experience and recent practice,
Ive become procient at these notications. After a tower controller
complimented me last weekend, adding,
I wish everyone did it like you do, I
thought Id write something so that
everyone could benet.
I spent my entire career ying tactical
jets in carrier-based Naval Aviation, a
world where communications brevity
is raised to an art form. At nine miles a
minute, you dont use two words when
one will do and you dont talk at all if
not absolutely necessary. Crisp, clear,
unambiguous, and brief communications
are necessary in TACAIR, so I built many
good habits over that 22-year career.
I found that these same good habits
made my airport notications go
very smoothly.
The law says that you have to notify
airports, but the law does not say how
to do it. If you can get a permanent
written agreement, then great. This info
will help you put together a good rst
draft of information theyd likely need.
But nothing says that the airports have

to agree to accept it. Trying to force it on
them only makes your life tougherthey
get 51 percent of the vote. My local
airport said that they wanted calls each
time, so I didnt argue. I do it the way
they asked.
Do your homework. If you trudge

out to the eld and then realize that
these notications are required, youre
going to be frustrated. So as the old
adage goes, Prior planning prevents
poor performance.
Know what they need to know.

In December 2015, the FAA sent a
memorandum to their organization that,
among other things, detailed the info their
folks are supposed to get when we make
these notications. They should ask you
for these eight elements of information:
1. Callers name
2. Callers phone number
3. UAS Registration number, if needed
4. Location of operation
5. Start time/date of operation
6. Duration of operation
7. Description of UAS, if needed
8. Maximum operating altitude
NOVEMBER 2016 39
KEEP IT LEGAL
AVIATION
PHONETIC
ALPHABET
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Alpha
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Foxtrot
Golf
Hotel
India
Juliet
Kilo
Lima
Mike
November
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
Whiskey
X-ray
Yankee
Zulu
The B4UFly application

for Apple and Android is
one way to identify the
airports and any special
restrictions aecting
where you want to y.
The planning function
is a great way to get
the information, and it
doesnt require you to
actually be at the ying
site to work. In the case
of airspace restrictions,
sometimes airport
notications arent
enough; you just cant
legally y.
Im batting 50/50 with them asking for all eight elements.

In one case, the tower rep said, Oh, youre the guy who
called yesterday. Is there anything dierent? I said, no,
and he said, Thanks. Have fun.
Determine airports to notify. To determine if your

ying location is within ve miles of an airport, the B4UFly
application for iPhone and Android is an excellent tool. It
has a cool planning feature that allows you to check ahead
of time and identify the airports in range. It will also tell
you if there are other special airspace restrictions in that
area. What are these? Well, during a recent trip with my
sons traveling baseball team, I thought about bringing a
300-size heli to y between games. When I checked the
app, I found that the location is inside the Dulles-NationalBaltimore class B airspace, where it extends to the
surface; therefore, I couldnt y my heli there.
Determine numbers to call. There are several
websites that can help with airport contact info, but
AirNav (airnav.com) is my rst stop. Click on the Airport
tab and type in the three-letter identier, which you can
get from the B4UFly app. The website will give you way
more info than you need. Scroll down to the Airport
Ownership and Management section and youll nd
phone numbers. Before you go to the eld, give them a
call. Explain the laws requirements, tell them that you are
just doing what is required by law, and ask them directly,
What number do you want me to call? You should
mention that these calls might be on weekends or after
hours, which will help them give you the right number. In
my case, they gave me the number for the tower cab. But
it did come with a bit of good news: They told me that by
notifying them, it also took care of notifying the hospital
heliport. Your experience might be dierent, but I got the
impression that they were genuinely appreciative of what
I was trying to do.
Put your info in the language of aviation.

Airport personnel and controllers speak in the specialized
language of aviation. You can be a big help to them by
conveying your information in familiar terminology.
Locations should be in magnetic bearings and distance
from the airport(s). If required, anything that needs to be
spelled, like your name, should be in the aviation phonetic
alphabetnot the one used by police or others. After
years of ying, I can rattle o my last name phonetically
just about as quick as I can spell it normally: Mike, Echo,
Lima, Lima, Oscar, Tango, Tango. Figure out the phonetic
way to say your name, and write it down in advance. Same
for your registration number. Practice them. Youll soon
develop a cadence that will be very natural. All of this will
make you sound more professional, and it will let them
know that youre trying to be part of the solution.
Callers name and phone number. My local

tower cab asks for this about half the time. Just this past
weekend, they didnt ask on Saturday but did on Sunday
(even after recognizing me as the guy who called
yesterday). Ive never been asked for rst namejust
last name and mobile phone number. And its important
to answer should they call, as there could be a safetyof-ight issue. It has never, ever, happened to me, but
give some thought as to how youd answer promptly if
called. This is also an area where you can also earn some
condence that you know what youre doing. Again,
be ready to spell your last name in the proper aviation
phonetic alphabet. Not only does it put it in the language
of aviation, which is how theyre primed to consume
information, but also it establishes credibility.
UAS registration number, if needed. Most of my
stu is above the limit, which means that its marked per
the law. I have the number and am prepared to give it to
them (phonetically if necessary). To date, however, Ive
never been asked.
KEEP IT LEGAL
Location of operation. While youre on the AirNav

site, nd the eld, then grab its latitude and longitude.
When ying full-scale, we give them location relative
to some dened aireld, navigation aid, or landmark
(depending on the type ying). So why not do the same
here? Think of it from their perspective. Giving them a
street address is not worth a lot, as all that does is make
them go through the eort to gure it out based on
bearing and distance. Make it easy for themtake the lat/
long of the airport and the lat/long of your ying eld and
determine your magnetic bearing and distance (in nautical
miles) from the airport. Granted, at less than ve miles,
theres little dierence between statute miles and nautical
miles, but why not do it right and show them that youre
professional enough to put in the correct aviation units?
I use a handheld GPS, but websites like SunEarthTools
(www.sunearthtools.com/tools/distance.php) work too.
Because controllers also use landmarks, especially for
pilots ying VFR, pull up a satellite picture of your eld and
get a rough estimate of your location based on a nearby
landmark thats easily visible from the air. When Im telling
a controller where Im ying, I locate it both ways, saying
Im 162 degrees and 4.2 nautical miles from the airport,
and its also 500 feet northeast of John Smith Middle
School. Now, if theres a light civilian coming my way, the
controller can easily let pilots know about low-altitude
sUAS trac just east of the school.
Start time/date of operation and duration of
operation. Again, I try to be honest and reasonable. I
dont tell them its going to be all day if thats not true.
Using these reports as a wedge to make their life
dicult only makes it dicult on us.
Description of UAS, if needed. I think about trying

to describe the sUAS in terms that help a full-scale pilot
spot it: xed wing, single-rotor helicopter, or multirotor,
for example. But be ready to give a predominant primary
and secondary color if asked. If an MR, what color is the
body? The props? This isnt about putting yourself on
report, its about helping full-scale pilots be a partner in
the whole see and avoid equation. When the tower
can provide a description, it also increases the likelihood
that the full-scale pilot will know that the sUAS operator
did the right thing, called the tower, and that the tower is
aware. I think it reduces the likelihood of false near-miss
reports as well.
Maximum operating altitude. I try to be honest,
realistic, and reasonable about altitudes. I dont think
it helps anyone to call and assert some right to y at
altitudes you have no hope of reaching. I y RC helis
mostly these days, and thus I rarely go above 200 feet, so
I tell them that. Could I say 400? Could I say 1,000? Sure,
but what purpose does it serve? It only makes it more
dicult for me to get what I want: no objection from them
and a quick and easy phone call.
In conclusion, I must stress again that this isnt a social
call. Its a safety-of-ight communication not unlike
any number of required radio calls when ying full-scale
aircraft. Its about accuracy, brevity, and eciency for the
controllers. But its also an opportunity to put a positive
face on our hobby and a create a positive impression
AIRPORT NOTIFICATION CHECKLIST

Name:
Phone #:
UAS Registration #:
Location (deg./nm):
Location (landmark):
Start Time/Date:
Duration:
Description of UAS:
Max Altitude:
CALL RECORD INFO

Airport:
Who you talked to:
Date of call:
Time of call:
Number called:
of the vast majority of us who y responsibly. Being

professional and putting it in the language and terms
theyre accustomed to hearing makes you look better,
enhances the image of all RC iers, and helps preserve
our right to y.
AUTHOR BIO
Commander Franklin D. Mellott spent more than
22 years on active duty ying carrier-based
tactical jets. He holds a bachelors degree in
physics and masters degrees in engineering
and national security studies. He is a graduate
of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Naval School
of Aviation Safety, and Tench Francis School
of Business. He has taught policy making and
implementation in an accredited masters
program. His nal tour was as the deputy commander of a U.S. Navy $3.2 billion
master jet basehome to 16 operational F/A-18 squadrons and more than
320 aircraft. After retiring in 2009, he became a consultant, where he works with
clients in heavy industry to improve safety, leadership, and operations using best
practices from carrier naval aviation. A self-taught RC ier, he enjoys ying RC
helicopters, xed wing, and MRs.
Flight Test
HITEC
QuadRacer 280
A quick, customizable racer thats ready
to go out of the box TEXT & PHOTOS BY JOHN REID
Hitec has come into the FPV racing ring with a new offering called the QuadRacer
280. This little drone is designed for the new pilot who wants to get into FPV racing
but doesnt want to spend a lot of time on construction. Out of the box, this is a
stable flying bird that is easy for any pilot to control.
UNIQUE FEATURES
The QuadRacer 280 comes with everything you need to get in the air quickly. The rst thing
to do right out of the gate is to start charging the ight battery, along with the 4.3-inch LCD
video monitor. Youll attach the monitor to the included transmitter so that you can easily
view your ight. What is unique about this quad is that it comes with a clear canopy, which
lets you customize your racer so that it can reect your own personal style. Its also quite
durable (trust us on thiswe tested it!). If you decide to dress up your canopy, paint it on the
inside. This gives it a nice nish that will last. Of course, I couldnt wait that long to y this bad
boy, so I decided to paint mine later.
Assembly is quick and easy. First, attach the props, which Hitec made very easy by
marking the motors and props with arrows that show the rotation of the motor and the
correct rotation of the props. Then, attach the antenna for the video transmitter, and when
the charge is complete, slide the battery into the battery compartment. Finally, connect the
LCD video monitor to the included transmitter, and install the included AA batteries into the
transmitter. You are now ready for the ying eld.
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL: QuadRacer 280
MANUFACTURER: Hitec RCD (hitecrcd.com)
TYPE: FPV racer
SIZE: 280mm
WEIGHT: 14.29 oz.
MOTORS: 22042300Kv (included)
BATTERY: 3S 2000mAh (included)
SPEED CONTROLS: 12A (included)
FLIGHT CONTROLLER: Three-axis gyro, three-axis
accelerometer (included)
RADIO: 6-channel 2.4GHz (included)
PRICE: $399.99
HIGHLIGHTS

FPV Equipment
When flying FPV, pilots have two basic options for their view through the camera:
goggles or a monitor. Some pilots choose to use goggles because they block
all external light sources, so its easy to see the screen and fly the drone. But
when using an external monitor, the brightness of the screen competes with the
ambient light all around it. Sometimes that makes it hard to see the screen, and
this, in turn, makes it hard to fly the quad. But here are some easy fixes!
When youre flying outside,

make sure that your screen
is in the shade and it will
appear bright.
If your monitor has a sunscreen, be sure to use it to
block out additional light.
Get close to the screen and your

body will block out some of the
surrounding light.
If all else fails, wrap a small blanket or
towel over the top of the monitor and
your head so that you form a dark cave;
this will make it easy to see the monitor.
Everything is included
Flight monitor attached to transmitter
Easy to fly and stable
Customizable canopy thats easy to paint
The transmitter
and monitor
combine in one
compact unit that
is easy to handle.
FLIGHT TEST HITEC QUADRACER 280
In the Air
Within minutes after getting to the park, we were in the air with
the QuadRacer 280. One of the cool safety devices on this bird is
a side button on the body that must be pushed before startup can
happen. The transmitter is light and easy to handle. Its easy to
see the LCD screen, but I found that I needed to be in the shade
to view the screen while flying. In the upper right is one of the
two mode switches. This one controls the amount of stabilization

applied by the flight controller. I found that flying on low rates
best fit my flying style, but stabilization in both high and low was
outstanding. High mode is perfect for the new pilot, and it does a
good job of leveling out the quad when the sticks are released. On
low rate, the stabilization was still obvious, but it allowed me to fly
fairly aggressively. Overall, this is an easy and stable quad to fly in
either flight mode.
On the other side of the transmitter, the other mode switch
controls the quads responsiveness. In mild mode, the quad flew
smoothly with just enough control to make some quick turns. I
definitely recommend this mode for new pilots. Experienced pilots
should pull the switch back to fast so that you can make the quick
turns required for any type of FPV racing. This is the mode that
youll want to use when you want to get the best performance
from this bird.
Changing channels is easy on the video transmitter: Just ip the DIP switches until
you have the correct combination.
Both the motors and the props are clearly marked with the direction of rotation,
which makes it easy to attach the props to the correct motors.
BOTTOM LINE
The battery and plug are securely mounted inside the canopy and on the quad. I
found this setup to be really easy to plug and unplug.
This is a fun quad for any pilot who wants to y, but it is especially suited
to the newbie pilot whos looking to get into racing. The low price point
includes everything the pilot needs to start racing, with the added benet
of a stable bird that doesnt require you to program the ight controller.
RADIO PROGRAMMING
PRIMER
How to set up your transmitter to
maximize your flying enjoyment
TEXT & PHOTOS BY JOHN REID
here are some basic radio programming features

that all pilots should know to improve their airplanes
performance, and they can be used on any airplane to
make flying more enjoyable. When these features are
used and programmed correctly, you will experience a faster
rate of learning and better results. These programming
features are used by the pros for their competition aircraft,
but they will also aid pilots of every level and make just
about any airplane easier to fly. The key three features that
we are going to discuss are dual rates, exponential, and
program mixing.
Dual Rates
The Dual Rate

screen will allow
you to program
in dierent
throw rates
(attached to
one switch) for
a high and low
rate. This rate
will generally be
displayed as a
percentage.
With the switch in high

rates, you will have the full
travel available for that
control surface.
One of the key programming components that allows a

pilot to perform 3D aerobatics is dual rates. To perform
any type of 3D maneuver, the plane needs to have very
large control-surface movement, but this will not allow
the pilot to y the plane smoothly during normal ight.
The dual-rate switch is a way to move between high and
low throws so that the pilot can use extreme movement
when needed for 3D and then reduce them when ying
with precision. But dual rates can also be used on other
type of aircraft; for example, on a scale bird, you might
need a little more control when slowing the plane down
for landingusing a higher rate for that could help.
On most radios, the elevator dual-rate switch is usually
in the upper left front of the transmitter, while the aileron
dual-rate switch is in the upper right front. The rudder
switch, if there is one, will be located on the upper top
right of the transmitter. Higher-end transmitters will have
triple rates (low, medium, and high) to give the pilot even
more selection. Just because all three control surfaces
start out on dierent switches does not mean they have
to stay therepilots, if they choose to do so, can assign
them all to one switch. With this setup, ipping one switch
will change all control surfaces from low to high. I like to
keep them on dierent switches until I dial in the right
amount of throw on each one, and when I am happy with
that movement, I transfer them all to one dual-rate switch.
The purpose of these switches is to establish a limited
servo travel position when the switch is moved to either
of its two positions (three on some radios). When a switch
is in the away position, for instance, it will allow 70% servo
travel (if that is what you have programmed in for that
position). If the switch is clicked toward you, the dual-rate
setting might provide 100% travel of that same servo or
control surface.
Heres a specic example. Lets say that you are ying
a tail-dragger, and on takeo, you only want to input
small amounts of rudder. With the rudder rate on low,
you have 70% of the available rudder throw, which makes
takeos smoother. Once in the air and you want to start
performing aerobatics, you now need to have 100% of
the rudder throw, so just ip the switch to the high rates.
Of course, you, the pilot, will have to ne-tune the control
throw after many ight experimentations, by using
dierent percentages until you nd the one that best ts
you ying style. Other factors that control the amount of
surface deection are the servo arm and control-surface
horn lengths. The programming of the dual rates will be
one of the nal steps, however, in tuning your aircraft to
y to your liking.
All pilots should use dual rates. This feature is an
important component, provided by radio manufacturers
to help make us smoother, more accomplished iers. The
best part is that the rates are easy to program, and even
the beginner-level transmitters incorporate dual rates.
While in low rates, the same travel

distance on the stick will yield
a lower amount of travel on the
control surface.
NOVEMBER 2016 49
RADIO PROGRAMMING PRIMER
Exponential
While dual rates do allow dierent rates so
that the pilot can perform 3D maneuvers,
exponential is the second equation to
controlling the big throws on an aircraft.
Simply stated, exponential allows less
movement at center stick while increasing the
movement as the sticks move toward the end
of their travel to accomplish the maximum
throw rate. This gives the pilot a softer feel
around center stick and allows the plane to y
precisely with the higher rates. But the pilot
can still enjoy the full throws of the control
surface when needed. Exponential works in
unison with rate settings and is another part
of the programming so that your radio controls
perform exactly the way you want them.
There is no way around it: Exponential is a
setting you have to feel out. You have to y
the plane and try dierent settings to nd
one that works for your type of ying and
aircraft. Exponential is programmed in by using
a percentage value, and depending on your
Exponential will generally have a graph

like this on a displayed screen so that
you can see a visual reference of what is
programmed in.
No exponential creates linear movement

from the stick to the control surface. So
when the transmitter stick is halfway, the
control has also moved halfway.
With no exponential, linear movement

will result in full control movement at the
end of the transmitter stick movement.
STANDARD SWITCH POSITIONS

brand of transmitter, this could be a positive or
negative percentage to get the softer feel at
center stick. If you go the wrong direction, you
will make the center stick more sensitive, so be
sure to check you radio manual for the correct
direction to go when inputting the percentage.
The best way to input exponential is slowly;
always start out with a small percent like
1015%. Once you have trimmed out the
airplane, try the starting percentage, then y
the plane and see how that feels. Land and put
in another 510%, and y the plane again. If
the plane feels good to you, keep repeating the
process while adding a little more expo each
time. When the ight performance starts to
feel sluggish or slow, land the plane and
program in the last percentage that felt right
to you. The nal number will be dierent for
each pilot and could range from 5% all the way
up to 8590% or more.
Lets talk about the standard switch positions

on the radio. It is a good idea to have a
standard position for all your transmitter
switches. For example, set your rates (for
elevator, rudder, and aileron) so that all the
switches are positioned away from you when
they are in low rate and toward you on high
rate. Having dierent positions for dierent
rate switches can quickly lead to confusion
when youre performing complex maneuvers.
By having all the rate switches set in the
same standard direction, it is easy to avoid
confusion, especially when you are making a
quick move and need to be sure of your rate
setting. In addition, it is easy to set the rates
without even looking at the transmitter.
With exponential on, the control-surface

movement will be less when the transmitter
stick is halfwayhow much less depends on
the amount programmed in.
With exponential on, you will still have full

movement when the stick reaches the end
of travel on the control surface. There will
just be a bigger amount of surface travel on
the second half of the stick movement.
RADIO PROGRAMMING PRIMER
Program Mixing
Program mixing allows one channel (the master
channel) to work with another channel (the
slave channel) or allows the channel to be
activated by a certain movement of a dierent
channel. Almost all radios sold today will have
a number of preset mixes that allow pilots an
easier way to program certain functions. In
addition, many radios will have a number of
program mixes that pilots could use to set up
just about any combination of channels to work
with each other.
Two mixes that are included in many radios
are the rudder-to-elevator and rudderto-aileron mixes, both of which are used to
ne-tune the models knife-edge performance.
This mix osets the yaw eect from using the
rudder to guide the plane through the sky,
mostly in knife-edge ight, but it does help
keep the plane from drifting during level ight.
What happens is that, when the pilot applies
rudder to keep the plane level in a knife-edge,
the plane will want to roll in one direction, and
it will also want to move toward the canopy or
gears (left and right). To prevent this, we use a
rudder-to-aileron or rudder-to-elevator mix.
The master channel, which, in this case, will
be the rudder channel, will be mixed to a slave
channel, which, in this example, is the aileron or
elevator channel.
When the master channel (rudder) stick
is moved, it will automatically cause the
slave channel (aileron and/or elevator) to
move a certain percentage in the direction
that is needed to keep the aircraft straight.
When programmed correctly, the ailerons
The rst channel (Rudder)

on the mix screen is
the master channel; the
second channel is the slave
channel (Elevator). This
screen allows you to set a
percentage of movement
from the rudder control to
aect the elevator.
and elevator will counteract the unwanted

movement from the plane during knife-edge
ight. The pilot just needs to move the rudder
to get a clean, straight, knife-edge ight down
the runway. Because of the mixing, he does
not have to worry about any aileron or elevator
corrections during knife-edge ight.
Another example of a good use of mixing is
the ap-to-elevator mixing. On certain planes,
when the aps are activated, the plane will want
to balloon up. Pilots would have to counteract
that by applying some down-elevator when

coming in for a landing. This is an unnatural
thing for most pilots to do. By mixing the aps
(master channel) to the elevator (slave channel),
pilots are able to program in a percentage of
down-elevator to be activated when the aps
are lowered. The landing descent will remain the
samewithout ballooningas it was before
the aps were lowered. This allows pilots to
concentrate solely on the landing touchdown.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With the rudder-to-elevator
mix, the elevator will move
a proportional amount
when the rudder stick is
moved, depending on the
percentage programmed in.
All modern transmitters will

come with at least these
three programming features,
and of course, most come
with many more. You paid for
those features, so take the
time to learn and use them.
They will make your aircraft
y better and allow you, the
pilot, to advance your ying
skills faster and with more
condence.
Flight Test
GREAT PLANES
Quik-V6
Q500
Fly an AMA Nationals winner!
BY RICK BELL PHOTOS BY PETER HALL
Quickie 500 (Q500) pylon racing has been around for many years and is quite
popular as this class of racing is inexpensive to get into and a lot of fun. The first Quik-V
was designed by Jim Allen in 1987 and was the first shoulder-wing, V-tail configuration
for Q500 racing. Since then, the Quik-V has gone through many changes after testing
and competition. While there have been other versions of the Quik-V, the current V6
version incorporates all the lessons learned in more than 30 years.
Undertaking a simple design like a Quickie 500

might seem like a simple task, but rest assured,
its not. There are many things to consider, and
the model must be light yet strong to withstand
the stresses of racing. This model has all those
attributes. Before going any further, understand
that this airplane isnt for the faint of heart;
its a full-blown racing machine thats very
competitive in AMA 424 Sport Quickie and AMA
426 Super Sport Quickie racing. With that in
mind, advanced ying skills are required, and it
should be own only at an approved AMA ying
site. But when toned down with a sport-type
engine, the Quik-V6 makes a fun, go-fast model
for pilots that have the need for speed! Great
Planes, which realized that the sport needed
an inexpensive all-wood-and-foam model
that could compete with a costly all-composite
model, brings us the Quik-V6 Q500. This
remarkable Q500 pylon racer has many features
that will help you get it into the air quickly and
have a fast racer right from the box. Things that

make for a quick build include a balsa-sheeted
foam-core one-piece wing thats reinforced
with carbon ber and berglass, drag-reducing
internal linkages for the ailerons and V-tail,
racing wheels, and an aluminum back-plate
mount. Lets take a closer look.
UNIQUE FEATURES
The Quik-V6 takes advantage of modern tools
such as CAD (computer-aided design), laser
cutting, and computer airfoil-analysis programs,
and it was evident that this was a high-quality
model when I examined all the parts. The wing
is light and arrow-straight and nicely covered
in white MonoKote. You can tell the center
section of the balsa-sheeted foam-core wing is
berglass reinforced, and you can barely see the
berglass reinforcement of the center section
of the wing. It was evident that a lot of care
went into the underlying surface nish before
Having a friend hold the wing

while connecting the aileron servo
to the receiver is always a good
idea. The Byron Aero Gen2 fuel
really brought the O.S. .55AX
engine to life.
A place for everything and everything in its place really applies here. Mini servos are used throughout, and I followed the recommended placement for the Hobbico LiFe 1300mAh battery and Futaba R617FS receiver.
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL: Quik-V6
MANUFACTURER: Great Planes (greatplanes.com)
DISTRIBUTOR: Hobbico (hobbico.com)
TYPE: Quickie 500 pylon racer
LENGTH: 40.5 in.
WINGSPAN: 52 in.
WING AREA: 503 sq. in.
WEIGHT: 3 lb. 9 oz.
ENGINE REQD: .40 to .55 2-stroke glow
RADIO REQD: 4-channel with V-tail mixing
PRICE: $199.99
GEAR USED
RADIO: Futaba 14SG transmitter w/ R617FS 7-channel
receiver (futabarc.com), three Tactic TSX25 Mini Digital
High-Speed servos (tacticrc.com), Tower Hobbies
Systems 2000 TS-35 High Power Mini BB servo on
throttle (towerhobbies.com)
ENGINE: O.S. .55AX ABL 2-stroke (osengines.com)
FUEL: Byron Aero Gen2 15% Fuel
PROPELLER: APC 11x6 (apcprop.com)
HIGHLIGHTS

Excellent overall quality

Quick assembly
Instructions include top racing setup guide
Competitive right out of the box
the covering was applied. The ailerons are

controlled by a single servo and some torque
rods. This is a simple tried-and-true setup that
eliminates exposed control horns and pushrods.
Further examination revealed that the trailing
edges of the wing and the V-tail were razorthin and straight. The V-tail is already glued
together at the proper angle, removing any
guesswork, and all control surfaces are slotted
for the provided hinges. I actually prefer to do
my own hinging as this allows me to make any
alignment adjustments if needed. The fuselage
is 90 percent completed, the rear of it is left
open so that the concealed V-tail linkages
can be installed. When completed, very thin
plywood is used to nish o the fuselage. The
kit also includes a fuel tank, aluminum landing
gear, thin-prole racing wheels, pushrods,
hinges, and white MonoKote to seal the hinge
gaps and to cover the rear of the fuselage.
The models all-white nish allows for custom
racer-themed trim schemes. I also like that
Great Planes used ush-tting screws to
secure the wing and the landing gear.
After studying the manual, I decided to
complete the wing rst as I wanted to apply
the trim scheme. I really liked the box-art
design and colors, so I asked my friend Peter
Church to cut the purple checkerboard pattern
for me on his vinyl cutter. After applying the
checkerboard, I completed the trim by adding
orange and yellow MonoKote stripes. But
before applying the graphics, the ailerons need
to be hinged and the hinge gaps sealed. The
NOVEMBER 2016 55
FLIGHT TEST GREAT PLANES QUIK-V6 Q500
A real plus for the racer is the sturdy and rules-legal,

thin-prole racing wheels. Provided in the kit, they
provide excellent ground handling and add very little
weight to the model.
aileron servo pocket is already cut into the

wing, but more than likely, youll need to slightly
enlarge it for the servo youre going to use. As
recommended by the manual, I reinforced the
landing-gear plate and the back of the rewall
with a mixture of epoxy and Dave Brown
carbon-ber tape. The elevator and rudder
servos are mounted onto a two-piece servo
tray thats installed in the fuselage behind the

wing; to gain entry, theres an access hatch on
the top of the fuselage.
The V-tail ruddervators use torque rods and
ball links for secure, slop-free control. Make
sure that you check that the links arent too
tight on the balls. After gluing the V-tail in
place on the fuselage, you make the pushrods
the correct length and make any necessary
adjustments to make the ruddervators level.
You need to get this correct because, once you
seal the rear of the fuselage, there isnt any
access to the ball links. The manual is clear on
how to accomplish this.
When I installed the wheels, I found that after
tightening the fasteners, the wheels wouldnt
rotate. I remedied the issue by installing a
washer between the wheels and the landinggear leg. Once the plane is completed and all the
radio gear is installed but before the rear of the
fuselage is covered by the provided plywood,
you need to do a prebalance center of gravity
(CG) check. I used my Great Planes CG Machine
and had to add a scant half ounce in the tail to
get the plane to balance at the recommended
3 inches. After the prebalance is completed,
you can nish the rear of the fuselage and do a

nal CG check and set up the control throws. If
youve never set up a V-tail before, make sure
to follow the illustration in the manual to ensure
that the ruddervators move in the correct
direction for rudder control.
IN THE AIR
With its narrow wheel track and tailskid, the
Quik-V6 has hardly any ground steering
capabilities; however, none are really needed
as the model is airborne within just a few feet.
Being that the O.S. .55 engine was new, I ran a
few tanks of the Byron fuel through it on the
bench to start the break-in process and to set a
reliable idle. Right from the start, the engine was
producing a steady 12,000rpm; this was going to
be a fun plane to y! As predicted, the Quik-V6
was airborne quickly into a slight headwind. I
only needed a few clicks of right aileron trim for
straight and level ight. Q500 planes are usually
landed deadstick due to their minimal ground
clearance, so I set up a throttle cut switch on my
transmitter. The Quik-V6 is a slippery airframe, so
you need to plan your nal approach accordingly
as the model has an excellent glide slope.
FLIGHT TEST GREAT PLANES QUIK-V6 Q500
Engine Installation
A nicely finished backplate engine mount
is included and most popular .46 to .55
2-stroke engines will easily fit on it. You only
need to remove the bolts from the engines
backplate, line up the provided mount with
the backplate holes, and install the longer
bolts provided in the kit. This is then bolted
to the nose of the fuselage. This was very
simple and foolproof as all alignment is
automatic. You can then plumb and install
the fuel tank and mount the landing gear. Be
sure to shorten the landing-gear nylon bolts;
if you dont, theyll cut holes in the bottom of
the tank over time.

Stability: The Quik-V6 is a remarkably stable
racing platform. The only trim needed was a
few clicks of right aileron trim, and I had the
CG set at the recommended 3 inches from the
leading edge of the wing. I didnt notice any
trim changes during ight when changing high
throttle to half-throttle settings; this is a good
indication that the CG is right on the money.
Tracking: The Quik-V6 tracks like a pylon
racer should: straight and true. I also found the
recommended control throws to be a good
starting point.
Aerobatics: The Quik-V6 isnt meant to be
an all-out aerobatic model, but it is more
than capable of most maneuvers. While the
recommended aileron throws are for racing,
increasing the throws slightly will produce crisp
rolling maneuvers. Considering the small size
of the elevators, they are very eective making
the model a fun sport plane.
Glide and stall performance: As expected, the
glide performance is very good, but a gentle

glide slope needs to be maintained to keep
the model from stalling. When a stall does
occur, the nose gently drops with no snapping
tendencies.
PILOT DEBRIEFING
The Quik-V6 is a thoroughbred racer and a
well-designed model. It has a wide speed
envelope and is a true point-and-shoot plane.
I found the ight characteristics to be solid and
comfortable, and within a couple of ights,
I was racing around a simulated pylon
racecourse with hard aileron banks and even
harder elevator pulls. Not once did the Quik-V6
The V-tail is easy to assemble and align. The pushrods and torque rods that
activate the ruddervators are concealed within the fuselage to eliminate drag.
The center of the V-tail is covered by thin plywood, which you have to cover
with MonoKote.
show any signs of falling out of the quick

direction changes!
BOTTOM LINE
With its high-quality features and fast assembly,
the Great Planes Quik-V6 is a great way to join
in on Q500 racing at minimal cost. This model
is a stable ying platform that doesnt have
any bad habits or feel as if its on the edge of
being unstable. The airframe is solid and builds
accurately, and I especially liked all of the extra
info and extensive trimming notes in the manual
to have a competitive racer. I think that Great
Planes has done an outstanding job, bringing us
a Q500 pylon racer for the masses!
The ailerons use the tried-and-true torque rod setup to eliminate the draginducing exposed control horns and pushrods. Make sure to seal the hinge gaps
on all control surfaces with clear packing tape.
USE ALL OF THE GLUE IN THE

BOTTLE, YOU PAID FOR IT!
Why let your glue go bad because of a shoddy cap?
How many times have you been

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off only to find the glue inside has
already hardened up?
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TEXT & PHOTOS BY JOHN KAUK
The authors Top Flite GS Corsair on its rst ight.

Powered by an AXi 5345/18 on a 12S 5000mAh
Pulse battery and a 24x10 Fiala prop, its a great ier.
A Best Pilots Pappy Boyington gure in the cockpit
and Callie Graphics markings make for a realistic
image. (Photo by Vernon Nelson)
Battery Talk: What the Numbers Mean
very now and then I get a question

from someone at an RC eld,
and its nearly always the same
question: How many milliamps is
that battery? The rst time I heard
that, I didnt know how to respond because the
question didnt make sense to me. So my What
do you mean? response resulted in another
question about how big the battery was or how
much capacity it had. That I could answer.
The lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries that we
use today in our electric RC aircraft are typically
described using several standard electrical terms:
voltage or cell count; storage capacity; and
current or discharge rate limits. Take a look at
any LiPo label and youll see at least these three
items. These terms arent unique to the batteries
we use in RC; theyre terms that are used in all
electrical elds, so its important to know what
they mean and to use them properly.
VOLTAGE
A battery is composed of cells, which are
connected in series and/or parallel to make
up the battery. The voltage of any battery is

determined by the chemical composition of
the material within the batterys cells. Nickel
cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries have a reference, or
nominal, voltage of 1.2 volts per cell. Lead-acid
batteries have a nominal voltage of 2.0 volts
per cell. A typical LiPo cell has a nominal voltage
of 3.7 volts per cell.
A batterys total voltage is given as a multiple
of the cell voltage, so six lead-acid cells make
up the 12-volt battery we carry in our cars. A
three-cell series-connected (3S) LiPo is labeled
11.1 volts, and a 6S batterys label is 22.2 volts.
At a state of full charge, a LiPo batterys voltage
will be near 4.2 volts per cell, and the cuto, or
minimum allowable, voltage is 3.0 volts per cell.
STORAGE CAPACITY
A batterys storage capacity (C) is described as
the amount of charge that it can deliver over a
period of time while staying above the cuto
voltage, and is basically determined by the size
of the battery. In general, bigger LiPo batteries
have more capacity, as do bigger Ni-Cds.
Capacity is measured in amp-hours (Ah) or

milliamp-hours (mAh), and those are dened
by the number of hours that a battery can
provide a given discharge current. This means
that a battery with a capacity of 1Ah is capable
of providing a current of one amp for one hour
before it gets to its cuto voltage. It can also
provide 500mA of current for two hours, or two
amps for half an hour. Josh Barker of MaxAmps
conrmed for me that the industry standard for
labeled capacity is a one-hour discharge rate.
Storage capacity varies; it isnt a constant.
Increasing discharge current will decrease a
batterys capacity as will temperature extremes.
Its also worth noting that we rarely use a
batterys full capacity anyway as doing so might
cause damage to it and shorten its lifespan. I
time my ights so that I land when the battery
is near storage voltage: 3.8 volts per cell. That
leaves about 45 percent of the capacity unused,
but it allows a safety margin for failed landing
attempts and its easy on the batteries. Its also
easy on me because I dont have to charge or
discharge to storage levels once Im done ying.
USES OF C
In all batteries, capacity is used to dene
several other rates, such as charge and
discharge rates, and this is where things can
get a little confusing.
Charging a battery incorrectly can damage
it, so manufacturers specify a safe maximum
charge rate in multiples of C. With the LiPos we
use, a 1C charge rate is almost always safe and
easy on the batteries. Some manufacturers
specify higher charge rates. For instance, Pulse
Batteries and MaxAmps specify a 5C charge
rate, so Id be comfortable using that rate from
time to time. For routine charging, I stick to the
gentler 1C rate because I think that it helps the
batteries last longer.
The term C-rate is used to dene the
discharge current for a battery. As with charge
rates, this number is specied as a multiple of
C, such as 20C. Sometimes the label will show a
range, like 2550C, and sometimes it will show
continuous and pulse, or 30-second rates. A
continuous C-rate is the maximum discharge
current that the battery can provide for the full
discharge, from full charge down to the cuto
voltage, without damaging the battery. The
30-second C-rate is the discharge current
that the battery can supply for short-term
pulses up to 30 seconds without damaging the
This old Astro Flight Whattmeter has served the author well over the years. Knowing current, voltage, and power
allows a modeler to conrm that a power system is within its batterys specs to avoid damage. Watt meters are
available at many RC vendors.
battery. For a 5000mAh 25-45C battery, that

means a continuous current of 125 amps and a
pulse current of 225 amps.
How these maximum discharge currents
are determined is a bit of a mystery to me.
Ive talked with people at various companies

about it, and there isnt a consistent answer.
In most cases, the limits are dened by the
cell manufacturer to prohibit excessively high
currents that would damage the battery. Things
This data log from the Castle Creations Edge HV 120 in the authors Top Flight Corsair shows voltage and current graphs for its rst ight. A maximum current of about
58 amps and maximum power less than 3000W mean that the power system is well within its limits on this ight.
NOVEMBER 2016 61
ultimate electrics
like cell chemistry, cell construction,
intercell connections, internal resistance,
and wire size all have an impact on
the nal maximum current rating for a
battery.
I try to set my models up with
moderate current demands, for reasons
Ive discussed before. An advantage of
doing this is that I dont have to worry
about fanciful C-rates causing problems
for me. If I keep my maximum current to
75 amps or less, a battery rated at 25C is
sucient for larger planes. Theyre less
expensive and last a long time because I
dont stress them much.
If youre interested in more general
information about batteries, there are
plenty of reliable sources on the Internet.
One that Ive found helpful from time to
time is batteryuniversity.com, and MITs
Electric Vehicle Team has a nice guide to
battery denitions as well (web.mit.edu/
evt/summary_battery_specications.
pdf). A more in-depth discussion of
LiPo lore that relies heavily on Internet
forum sources is Learning About LiPo
Batteries by Ken Myers, available at
theampeer.org.
BuddyRC AB Clips
One of the most annoying things about charging batteries is getting the JST-XH balance
lead plugged into and out of a balance board. The plug bodies are small and fairly thin, and
when theyre stuck in a socket, they can sometimes be hard to grip well enough to pull out
easily. Resorting to a firm pull on the wires risks pulling them out of the plastic plug and
causing a short circuit in the balance leads. Trust me, Ive done it and its no fun.
BuddyRCs AB Clips solve that problem, and they do it cost effectively. The one-piece
molded polypropylene clip snaps tightly around the balance plug and its wires, forming a
larger piece thats much easier to grip. That makes it simpler to connect and disconnect
the balance leads with no risk of damage. Ive got them on all of my batteries now, and I
havent pulled a wire out of a plug in a long time.
Available to fit 2S through 6S balance plugs, the AB Clips come in packages of five for a
regular price of $1.95. buddyrc.com
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Two 5000mAh battery labels show dierent

C-rates. The Pulse battery shows a single 45C
rate, while the Turnigy shows a range from
25C to 50C. While its not stated explicitly, Id
treat the lower as the continuous rating and
the higher as a 30-second rating. Note that
neither label species a charge rate.
The labels for these batteries

both show energy capacity
in watt-hours in addition
to the storage capacity in
amp-hours. The E-ite label
species a charging voltage,
while the ElectriFly specs the
charge current.
CORSAIR UPDATE
In previous columns,
I have written about
converting a Top Flite Giant
Scale Corsair to electric
power. Ive been ying
it this spring, and it ies
exactly as the calculations
predicted it should. It
has plenty of power and
cruises along nicely at
half throttle. The plane is
very stable and capable
of all the typical warbird
maneuvers. Six-minute
ights take the 12S
5000mAh battery down to
storage voltage, and thats
the way I like it.
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GALLERY
Scheibe SF 33 Motor Glider

A 20-year building project takes flight
BY THE MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS CREW PHOTOS BY IAN TURNEY-WHITE
ome models are built in weeks or months; others take

a year or two. But it has taken no less than 20 years to
complete this impressive Scheibe SF 33 motor glider.
When it comes to giant scale, 2/3-scale (66%) is definitely
at the top of the size scale. We caught up with the builder
Ian Turney-White to get the inside scoop on this monstrous-scale
aircraft too big to be referred to as simply a model.
Model Airplane News: Ian, wow! This is an

amazing scale project. Tell us how your
story started.
Ian Turney-White: The story began with a
couple of magazines in 1995, which featured
articles on scale motor gliders by English glider
expert Cli Charlesworth. One of Clis small
drawings was of the Scheibe, and with me living
in a very at part of England, the idea of a motor
glider really appealed to me. Via a German
friend, Wolfgang Haas of King model engines,
I was able to get some factory three-views and
printed matter, and the seed was sown.
Fill us in about the full-size Scheibe.
The prototype was built in 1977 and is still the
only example ever built. It resides in Canada
and is still ying. It features a fabric-covered,
metal-tube fuselage and has wooden wings and
tail parts. It has a span of 15m (49 feet 2 inches)
and is powered with a modied 850cc, 35hp BMW
motorcycle engine.
Your craftsmanship is rst-rate. Tell us about the

planes design and construction.
I purchased a copy of Clis plans for the twoseat SF 28 along with Clis excellent book Scale
Model Gliders. Cli kindly provided some advice,
and I drew up the plans for a 2/3-scale, 33-foot
wingspan model.
For the wing, I used the same Gottingen 549
undercambered airfoil, same as the full-size,
basing the construction on a full-depth main
spar with top and bottom spruce spars with
plywood sides with extra thicknesses of ply
at the root and outer joins. For transportation,
the wing is made in four pieces. There is also a
smaller rear box spar, and the leading and trailing
edge are sheeted with 1/32-inch plywood. The
two-piece ribs, along with some reinforcement,
are made from 1/4-inch balsa. Laminated ash
blades with ply faces are glued inside the root
area of the wing boxes, and these interlock inside
the fuselage boxes to attach the wings. Similar
smaller joiners are tted in the outer wing.
You dont get a real feel for how big this motor glider is until
you see it at the eld with its designer/builder.
GALLERY
Theres more than enough
power available for easy
climbouts after takeo.
How about the fuselage?

The tail feathers feature complex shrouded control
surfaces and setback hinges. The n and horizontal
stabilizer are covered with 0.016-inch plywood. To
limit tail weight, the fuselage structure was made
with tapered spruce longerons, uprights, diagonals,
and cross-braces. Lighter-weight Cypress wood was
used aft of the wing for the uprights, diagonals, and
cross-braces. The fuselage is odd in that the bend
in the longerons (top view) occurs much farther
forward for the top longeron than the bottom one.
This results in a narrower top width than the bottom,
The all-wood construction of the Scheibe is rst-rate and very similar to the design of the fullsize motor glider, which had wooden wings and a fabric-covered, steel-tube fuselage structure.
rear of the wing. To make a completely accurate and

rigid assembly, the two fuselage/wing boxes were
joined with strip wood and plywood gussets, with
the wings in place, then was added while building
the fuselage. The front and tops of the fuselage are
covered with 1/32-inch plywood.
What about the landing gear and the canopy?
They dont look like stock items.
A deepened front fuselage accommodates the
single 9 1/2-inch-diameter main wheel and tire
on an inverted U-shaped carbon/Kevlar/glass
ber epoxy molding
with stainless-steel
inserts at the built-in
attachment points.
Removable outriggers
and wheels on the
wings and a shockabsorbing steerable
tailwheel complete the
undercarriage.
At 42 inches long, I
had to produce a twopiece vacuum-formed
canopy. This presented
a major challenge as
I had to laminate and
carve a huge wooden
plug sealed with car
body ller sanded
to a very smooth
nish. Ultimately, an
A major challenge was making the huge two-piece canopy. It was

professionally produced from the authors plug.
Here is the engine installation, showing the large starter gear behind the spinner.
With the rudder removed,

you can see the simple, springloaded, shock-absorbing
tailwheel assembly.
acceptable canopy was produced using PETG clear

plastic sheet. The forward part of the canopy is tted
to two side rails and two laminated hoops and is
hinged on the starboard side via two hinges. Double
spring-loaded catches on the port side hold it shut
and a stainless-steel cable supports it when open.
Whats the story about the engine and radio gear?
I chose a German King 190cc at twin gas engine
tted with an onboard electric starter, which has
a miniature Bendix system that engages with the
large starter gear tted on the rear of the prop
driver. Two Krumscheid canister silencers are also
tted to the model. The added weight of a larger
engine assisted achieving the proper CG, plus it
swings a scale-size 35-inch propeller. The engine is
attached to a plywood engine box, which extends
from the rst reinforced former and has added
light-ply saddle bags to accommodate the four
2500mAh LiFe batteries for the radio and a 4.8V
2000mAh Eneloop battery for the Becker electronic
ignition system, all of which helps with nose weight.
My radio is a Futaba 14SG using two R7008
receivers and a variometer, all mounted on
removable trays. The throttle servo and 50-ounce
fuel tank are mounted on another removable tray
located forward of the removable scale instrument
panel, which was made by my good friend Harry
Harland. Servos for the ailerons, airbrakes, rudder,
and steerable tailwheel are a mixture of large Hitec
and Multiplex digital, metal-gear, metal-output
shaft units. The two servos in the tail are the smaller
Hitec 7995TGs.
Here is a view of the two very strong wing spar blades that mate
up with the attachment box within the fuselage.
Here is the neat canister

silencer exhaust pipe setup.
With a 60%-scale aircraft, you have to have something to ll the massive cockpit. Heres what the
pilot gure has to look at.
NOVEMBER 2016 67
GALLERY
SCHEIBE SF 33 MOTOR GLIDER
The nish and detailing are outstanding. Tell us

about what was involved.
A pilot gure was essential, but at 4 feet tall, there
was no cheap o-the-shelf solution. So I made the
chap in the cockpit from scratch. His limbs are made
from light-ply proles with white foam glued and
shaped on either side and pivoted with 3mm Allen
bolts. His head and shoulders are carved from pink
foam. I brought my pilot to the local department
store, where I got away with a $23 price tag for a
complete outt of childs clothing, including hat and
sunglasses.
Covering and nishing use lightweight Ceconite
polyester heat-shrink fabric, glued on with matching
cement, followed with three coats of nonshrinking
nitrate dope. This was followed with a sprayed nish
of colored butyrate dope. The tail is attached with
two alloy pegs and two rear 4mm Allen bolts; the n
and rudder use a reinforced n post that slides into
a formed slot secured with another 4mm bolt. The
inner wing panels are secured with four 6mm bolts,
with two 5mm bolts for the outer panels. All the
control horns are homemade stainless steel and use
4mm-diameter pushrods.
Despite all my best eorts, about 3 1/2 pounds
of nose weight was needed to achieve a CG position
of 27% average chord, bringing the all-up weight
to 113 pounds. This produced a wing loading of
32 ounces per square foot.
So the big question is: How does it y?
The maiden ight was carried out from my local
club site. And with the wind up and down the
runway and after checking everything twice, I
gradually opened the throttle; within a few seconds,
the Scheibe was away and ying. The wings were
slightly exing in a scale manner, and minimal trim
changes were needed. Applying rudder rst then
ailerons produced neat turns. The elevator felt a bit
sensitive, but otherwise, all the controls felt ne. The
engine provided plenty of power, and the climb rate
was impressivethat is, until the engine stopped. No
dramaI simply brought the model around on the
glide. and the landing was ne.
I adjusted the carburetor a bit and added some
expo to the elevator. Then after a few more ights,
my engine runs became very reliable. It goes up
rapidly, and on a couple of occasions, we had visitors
to the model eld who were convinced they were
watching a full-size motor glider.
The only downside is, under full power, it tries
to climb too steeply. Up to now, I have simply held
in a bit of down-elevator during the climb, but will
probably use a programmable mix with the throttle
as the master and elevator trim as the slave once I
have gured out how to do it.
I now have about 32 ights with it so far. Its one
of those models that is addictive, and I look forward
to many more ights with the Scheibe. Despite
the 20-year build time, the project was well worth
nishing.
Above: Here is a look

aft through the covered
fuselage structure.
Left: Here, you see
some of the control
cables running below the
fuselage/wing attachment boxes.
Below: Here are the
two receivers and the
variometer sensor used
in the Scheibe. The trays
are removable.
There is plenty of room inside the radio compartment for the giant-scale servos and linkages.
TOP 10
P-51
MUSTANGS
Favorite all-American fighters
BY THE MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS CREW
AeroWorks 50cc P-51 Mustang

Incredibly prefabricated for a scale warbird ARF, this built-up balsa and ply P-51 has UltraCote covering
and comes with aps, a ight-ready retract system, and sequenced landing-gear doors. All control
surfaces (except the rudder) even come hinged and ready to be connected to their pushrods. A
detailed cockpit and sliding canopy make it stand out on the ightline. Mustangs are known for their
tracking capability, but this one really sets the bar high: once trimmed, it maintains course until you
move the sticks. With its aps deployed, its amazing how slow it can y before the right wing drops
during the stall. This great-ying warbird can be own by any pilot with low-wing training. The parts t
perfectly, and the plane can be assembled in about a week. $1,295.95 / aero-works.net
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 86 in.
Wing area: 1,359 sq. in.
Weight: 23 lb. 14 oz.
Wing loading: 40.5 oz./sq. ft.
Power reqd: 50cc gas engine
Radio reqd: 10-channel
If there is one plane out there that is easily recognized and loved by most Americans, it
would have to be the North American Aviation P-51 Mustang. Whether you like the speed
and performance of these war machines or you have a soft spot for their place in aviation
history, P-51 Mustangs are certainly among our favorite fighters. At Model Airplane News,
weve been fortunate to be able to test-fly most of the P-51s that have hit hobby-store
shelves, and the 10 weve highlighted here represent the best of the breed, so to speak.
We considered looks, performance, quality of construction, and parts to come up with this
top 10 list. If youre a fan of this all-American fighter, we guarantee that youll find one here
thats perfect for your hangar.
TOP 10 MUSTANGS
E-flite P-51D Mustang 1.2m

Almost everything that you need to y this ghter is included, from the installed power system and
servos to an AS3X receiver, retractable landing gear, wheels, and a pilot gure. Constructed out of
injection-molded Z-Foam, it has plasticlike landing-gear doors, a clear Lexan canopy, matching red
plastic spinner, exhaust stacks, and even a radio mast, so it resembles its full-scale counterpart to a T.
Despite being a warbird, this P-51D was so easy to assemble and y that we would recommend it to
experienced beginners. With its small wheels and tail-dragger conguration, this model is more suited
to a fairly smooth eld or well-manicured grass runway. It needs almost no correction, thanks to the
AS3X-equipped receiver. With aps down, you can slow this plane to a crawl without worrying about a
violent stall; the nose just drops until airspeed is regained. The included brushless motor provides more
than enough power to satisfy any warbird bu. $269.99 / e-iterc.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 48 in.
Wing area: 420 sq. in.
Weight: 3 lb. 7 oz.
Power reqd: 15-class electric
motor (installed)
Radio reqd: 6-channel DSM2- or
DSMX-compatible
Top Flite Giant P-51D Mustang

This ARF features simplied assembly while maintaining an accurate scale outline. The P-51 comes completely
built up in major subassemblies and covered in MonoKote. The kit includes the fuselage, two wing panels, and the
tail surfaces. Good-quality hardware is included, as is a painted-berglass engine cowl and a belly air scoop, wingto-fuselage fairings, a wing-center leading edge fairing, and main landing-gear doors. The wing is designed to
accommodate Robart retractable landing gear, and it has formed wheel-well liners already installed. Fixed landinggear hardware (including the tailwheel assembly) is also included. This 1/5-scale Mustang is a blast to y; takeos
and landings, though not eortless, are manageable because of the models relatively forgiving wing loading. The
Mustang has good low-speed performance for a big warbird, and powered by a 40cc gas engine, it can do all
scale and aerobatic maneuvers eortlessly. $569.99 / top-ite.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 84.5 in.
Weight: 19 lb.
Wing loading: 32 oz./sq. ft.
Power reqd: .36 to .46 2-stroke
or 41 to 70cc gas
Ares P-51D Mustang 350

This sport scale model comes almost ready to y and is made out of
durable EPO foam, so it can handle those not-so-gentle landings. This
warbird has conventional controls: ailerons for roll, elevator for pitch, and
rudder for yaw, and the receiver is already bound to the transmitter. The wing and ailerons are reinforced
with wood and carbon-ber rod, respectively, for more strength. Landing gear are easily installed or
removed without the need of any tools. The model comes painted and with invasion stripes, and even
has a pilot with instruments in the canopy! The plane comes with a 4-blade propeller and spinner for
scale looks and a 2-blade propeller and spinner for additional speed. Many scale aircraft are dicult to y,
but this one ies very easily and very well, and it can be own at parks or athletic elds. It is quite stable
and can do climbing vertical maneuvers and point rolls just like its namesake. $129.99 (RTF), $69.99
(receiver-ready version) / ares-rc.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 29.5 in.
Weight: 12.9 oz.
Power reqd: 350 brushless
(installed)
Radio reqd: 4-channel (included)
TOP 10 MUSTANGS
Phoenix Model Strega P-51 Mk II

The modied P-51 racer known as the Strega made its Unlimited Air Racing debut in 1983 and, since
then, has become the winningest aircraft in air-racing history. Right out of the box, this RC version
looks amazing. The balsa and ply parts come preassembled and factory wrapped with Oracover, and
the Ferrari red, white, and blue really show o the planes clean racing lines. The Strega comes with
both glow and electric hardware, and all the pieces needed to get this beauty together are in the
box, including some nice mechanical retracts with CNC-machined metal strut suspension. All that
is required are the electronics and your preferred power option; we went with a .55 2-stroke for our
review and found that it oered plenty of power. This fast ier is a fairly easy build, which will take
just a few evenings to put together, but because of its speed, it is recommended for intermediate
pilots. In the air, the Strega is stable with a smooth and predictable response that will keep you
happy. It will make a great racer and sport ier. $159.99 / towerhobbies.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 55.5 in.
Weight: 7 lb. 7 oz.
Power reqd: .46.55 2-stroke,
.52 4-stroke, or 10001400W
480Kv brushless electric
Top Flite P-51D Mustang

Dressed in the scheme of Hurry Home Honey, this ARF is a .60-size replica of Major Richard Bud
Petersons WW II Mustang. Beautifully covered with Top Flite MonoKote, the Mustang includes built-in
aps, mechanical retracts, a non-retractable tailwheel, foam wheels, plastic adjustable engine mounts,
a pilot gure and detailed instrument panel, preformed plastic dummy radio and battery, air scoop,
machine guns, belly pan, and seat back. It also includes a painted berglass cowl, dummy exhaust stacks,
decals, a beautifully painted aluminum spinner, mechanical retracts, and a complete hardware package.
Assembly of this Gold Edition ARF should take less than 20 hours. It ies extremely well, and with aps
fully extended, managing the descent rate with throttle allows precise spot landing nearly every time.
Its a good glider provided you manage the airspeed. The stable platform, docile ight characteristics,
and manageable landing speeds mean that this is an airplane that will stay in your hangar for a long time.
$329.99 / top-ite.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 64.5 in.
Weight: 9 lb. 8 oz.
Power reqd: .60 to
.91 2-stroke or .90 to
1.20 4-stroke
TOP 10 MUSTANGS
Hobby People P-51 Mustang EP

Looking for a bolt-together Mustang that requires minimal building experience? This receiver-ready plane
is just the ticket, and it has many scale features, such as panel lines, retractable landing gear (both main
and tailwheel), and a 4-blade propeller and spinner. Made of crash-resistant EPP foam, it also comes with
a powerful brushless motor system that oers sport-plane performance and six 9g servosall installed
at the factory. A nicely painted, semigloss, at nish and a magnetic canopy hatch for easy battery access
are icing on the cake. In the air, this Mustang tracks straight and true. From straight-and-level ight to
pulling some elevator, it will do a nice round loop with little correction. We found that the installed brushless
system provides more than enough power to do all of the maneuvers that a P-51 Mustang is famous
for. When its time to land, just remember to stay on the power and y the plane in, as is typical of most
warbirds. $179.99 / hobbypeople.net
Hangar 9 P-51 Mustang S 8cc BNF Gas Trainer

This warbird isnt your average ghter or trainer! Its easy to learn to y with this versatile aircraft, which can
take novice aviators from rst ight to the intermediate level. It comes with a factory-installed, 8cc 2-stroke
Evolution gasoline engine, which is proven to be user-friendly, easy to start, and reliable. The aircraft is also
equipped with SAFE technology for ight-stabilization aid and to prevent overcontrolling by new pilots. And no
matter what unusual attitude the plane is in, hitting the panic button rights the plane immediately. All of the
equipment is installed and ready to bind to your compatible transmitter after some minor assembly. The plane
is made out of balsa and plywood, and its covered with UltraCote in the 334th Fighter Squadron trim scheme.
We especially like that fact that, once youve mastered basic ight, the Mustang has plenty of agility and
power for sport aerobatic maneuvers. $399.99 / hangar-9.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 49 in.
Weight: 3 lb. 2 oz.
Power reqd: 3548 760Kv
outrunner (installed)
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 54.7 in.
Weight: 6 lb. 6 oz.
Power reqd: Evolution 8cc
gasoline engine (installed)
Radio reqd: 6-channel w/
Spektrum DSM2/DSMX
708 Battleeld Blvd South #107
TOP 10 MUSTANGS
Flying a P-51D Mustang:
A Country Boys Daydream
ll right, lets get right down to it. The question on the table is
Whats it like to y a Mustang? The short answer is that
its like trying to describe the Rocky Mountains to someone
who has never seen a mountain. You can describe it all you
want, but until youve been there, you just wont believe it.
Ive been there. Im one of the lucky few civilians who has sat there, legs
spread wide, right hand wrapped around the contoured control stick and
the left gripping that Luger-like throttle, while 1450 British horses yanked
me through space like some sort of Harry Potter banshee.
Even though I am only a few notches removed from the average
Cessna pilot, my checkout in the Mustang is done the old-fashioned
way: I y a T-6 Texan for a few hours, climb into the single-place Mustang
cockpit, and have an instructor crouch on the wing while he points out all
the stu I should know in the cockpit. Then I get a pat on the shoulder, and
Im on my way.
On my rst takeo, I cant decide which is most amazingthe sight
of the runway ripping past, the unbelievable noise, or the simple fact
that I am actually ying a Mustang. Somewhere between starting the
throttle forward and the runway turning into a gray streak, my earlier
nervousness disappears, and I focus on keeping the nose straight ahead
with right rudder.
O the ground, I lean forward and reach down with the left hand to pull
the gear handle in and up. I let the airspeed build to 170mph while the nose
points upward. Noise is everywhere and so tangible that it forms a solid
sheet for the entire experience to lay upon.
In what feels like only seconds, I am at 10,000 feet. I lean on the ailerons.
The horizon willingly tilts. The nose rips across the horizon, and I am
squashed into my seat. Where is that Messerschmitt I glimpsed earlier?
P H OTO BY B U D D DAVISSO N
I drop the nose slightly below the horizon. The airspeed needle glides
eortlessly past the big 3. Im at 350mph indicated. I pull smoothly and
watch the left wing as the horizon twists around it in a loop. Yeehaw!
Back into the pattern, I cant get it to slow down without one tight,
high-G 360-degree turn. At 170mph, the gear handle goes down, and
theres a satisfying clunk, clunk. Down and locked.
I turn downwind at 150, slow it to 140 on base, and start the rest of the
aps out. The engine is barely purring, 125mph. I want 110 over the fence.
The airspeed needle settles on the right number, and I drag the rest of
the power o. The engine protests. Lots of barks and bangs. It doesnt like
running slow.
I level the airplane a few feet above the runway and play the where is
the runway? game, as I hold it o and rotate it into three-point attitude at
the same time.
Theres a slight bump, then another, and I can feel the wheels rolling on
the asphalt. I cant see the center of the runway, but the edges are in plain
sight. The airplane doesnt want to slow down. I concentrate on making
small rudder movements to keep it straight. Then it slows. I touch the
brakes with my toes, and the world again becomes a normal world. I push
forward hard on the stick to unlock the tailwheel and turn slowly o onto
the taxiway. I crank the canopy open at the same time, and the cool air
reminds me for the rst time that Im sweating. But its the best kind
of sweat.
A thought suddenly occurs to meIve done it! Im a Mustang pilot. In
my own timid way, Ive tasted a little of my heroes world. And it tastes
good.Budd Davisson
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TOP 10 MUSTANGS
Plans-Built Precious Metal

A model of the only Rolls-Royce Grion-powered P-51 on the planet, this Mustang is one of the most unique models you
can show up to your ying eld with. Mark Rittingers design is not a beginners build, but anyone having built a wood kit
shouldnt have much trouble with building it from the Air Age Store plans. The model is designed to use a Himax contrarotating propeller-power setup. Its fuselage and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers are wood, while the wing is foam-core
construction sheeted with balsa. To save weight, it does not have landing gear. True to its full-size inspiration,
the model loves speed. It has a nice groove, and once trimmed out, it really moves. It has great vertical
performance and a nice roll rate. Rudder is eective, and you can perform point rolls, slow rolls,
half-Cubans, stall turns, wingovers, and inverted ight. Theres nothing to dislike about
the high-speed ight envelope other than you must keep an eye on it at all
times! $19.95 / airagestore.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 45 in.
Wing area: 432.1 sq. in.
Weight: 4 lb. 1.6 oz.
Power reqd: 600W brushless
Great Planes P-51 Mustang Sport Fighter

This almost-ready-to-y plane comes partially built, with all the pieces and hardware to put it together in a few evenings. It is of balsa and ply
construction, and factory wrapped in MonoKote covering with a berglass cowl. The plane is ready to accept glow or electric power, with mounts for
each included along with a fuel tank and tubing. We went with an O.S. .55AX, which t awlessly and was easy to bolt right to the rewall. A paved
runway or hard-dirt surface with a wide-open area is ideal for takeo. On the ground, the plane taxis well with a lot of control. This plane is a stellar
performer. It is consistent and doesnt do anything unpredictable. We loved the way that it felt and looked when pitching it into the turns. It is solid and
stable in the sky, but dont confuse solid and stable with slow and sluggish because this plane cuts through the air and will carve up the blue when
you want it to. $139.99 / greatplanes.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 52 in.
Weight: 5 lb. 10 oz.
Wing loading: 23.56 oz./
sq. ft.
Power reqd: .46.55 2-stroke,
.70 4-stroke, or electric
RimFire .32
DSM2- or DSMX-compatible
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TOP 10 MUSTANGS
Hangar 9 P-51D Mustang 60cc ARF

Modeled after the 356th Fighter Squadrons P-51 (and with decals for both Glamorous Glen III and Gentleman Jim), this ghter
boasts an accurate outline and features all-wood construction and balsa sheeting covered with UltraCote. It also has tons of scale
detail, including a sliding canopy, removable antenna, exhaust detail, sequencing retract doors, painted full-length cockpit, and gun
details. We like how easy this Mustang is to transport with its three-piece wing (the center section with the landing gear can stay
attached to the fuselage). This model is designed to accept E-ites P-51 main- and tailwheel retracts (sold separately). In the air, its
functional scale aps work well to enhance scale realism during takeo and landing. $799.99 / hangar-9.com
Quick Specs
Wingspan: 89 in.
Weight: 27 lb.
Wing loading: 42 oz./sq. ft.
Power reqd: 60cc gas
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AMERICAN AIRCRAFT
Special Types 1939-1945
Norton Focusing on military
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MUSTANG: The Story
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Americans Legendary
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The author uses more than 300 original photos
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WINGS OF THE
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VICTORY 1940 Authored by Tony

Holmes and the worlds leading aviation
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the might of the Luftwaffe was defeated for the rst time by
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SP136 MIG KILLERS McCarthy 160 pgs, 288 photos, HC ......$32.95
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GRUMMAN S2F/S-2 TRACKER PART ONE:

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X-PLANES OF EUROPE Buttler and

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AD118 ENEMY COAST AHEAD-UNCENSORED Gibson SC $18.95
AD977 NIGHT FLYER Brandon 208 pgs, SC ...........................$12.95
HK922 WINGS OF THE MALVINAS Rivas 384 pgs, HC .......$56.95
CP734 UNFLOWN WINGS Gordon & Komissarov HC ..........$89.95
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CP739 VERTICAL TAKE-OFF FIGHTER A/C Rose HC ...........$42.95
HK908 SOVIET STRATEGIC AVIATION COLD WAR HC ...$56.95
AD982 NINE LIVES Deere 288 pgs, SC ....................................$12.95
FR687 MILITARY A/C INSIGNIA OF WORLD SC ...............$19.95

MC343 RUSSIAN AIR POWER Gordon & Komissarov HC ....$79.95
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SP124 NORTH AMERICANS T-6 Hagedorn ..........................$34.95
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HK947 NIMRODS GENESIS Gibson 224 pgs.........................$49.95
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SP097P R-4360: PRATT & WHITNEYS MAJOR MIRACLE White 608 pgs, SC ........... $74.95
SP042P MAGNESIUM OVERCAST: The Story of the Convair B-36 272 pgs, SC.......... $39.95
SP056P NORTH AMERICAN XB-70 VALKYRIE-WBT Vol. 34 Jenkins & Landis SC .. $19.95
SP013P FAIRCHILD-REPUBLIC A/0A-10 WARTHOG-WBT Vol. 20 Jenkins SC ........ $19.95
SP123P GUNSHIPS: The Story of Spooky, Shadow, Stinger and Spectre Mutza SC ..... $24.95
SP102P TUPOLEV TU-95 BEAR-WBT Vol. 43 Gordon & Davison 104 pgs, SC............ $19.95
SP069P LOCKHEED F-104 STARFIGHTER-WBT Vol. 38 Upton 106 pgs, SC .............. $19.95
SP478P DOUGLAS A-1 SKYRAIDER-WBT VOL. 13 Davis & Menard 104 pgs, SC ...... $19.95
SP003P B-24 NOSE ART NAME DIRECTORY Forman 192 pgs, 32 photos. SC............ $29.95
SP151P LOCKHEED BLACKBIRD FAMILY Landis 128 pgs, SC ................................... $26.95
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SP091P Su-27 FLANKER-WBT Vol. 42 Gordon SC .......................................................... $19.95

SP467P VOUGHT F4U CORSAIR-WBT Vol. 4 140 pgs, 204 photos. SC ........................ $19.95
SP037P LOCKHEED L-1011 TRISTAR-ALT Vol. 8 Upton, 104 pgs, SC .......................... $19.95
SP093P CORKY MEYERS FLIGHT JOURNAL Meyer 252 pgs, SC ............................... $34.95
SP019P CONVAIR B-36 PEACEMAKER-WBT VOL. 24 Jenkins 104 pgs, SC ................ $19.95
SP011P REPUBLIC F-105 THUNDERCHIEF-WBT Vol. 18 Davis & Menard SC.......... $19.95
SP047P BOEING 377 STRATOCRUISER-ALT Vol. 9 Veronico 106 pgs, SC ................... $19.95
SP017P DOUGLAS DC-6 & DC-7-ALT Vol. 4 Gann 102 pgs, 150 photos. SC ............... $19.95
SP163P WORLDS FASTEST FOUR-ENGINE PISTON-POWERED AIRCRAFT Machat SC$29.95
SP475P LOCKHEED BLACKBIRDS-WBT Vol.10 Landis & Jenkins 108 pgs, SC.......... $19.95
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FLYING WINGS & RADICAL THINGS:
Northrops Secret Aerospace Projects &
Concepts 1939-1994 Chong This book
unveils Northrops once-secret radical
designs, many for the rst time, featuring
stunning original factory artwork,
technical drawings, and never-beforeseen photographs. 10 x 10, 276 pgs, 439
photos. HC Item # SP229 .............$44.95
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A COMPLETE HISTORY OF U.S. COMBAT

AIRCRAFT FLY-OFF COMPETITIONS:
Winners, Losers, and What Might Have
Been Simonsen This book not only
explains how fly-off competitions are
conducted, it shows what both competing
aircraft designs looked like during their
trials, and then what the losing aircraft
would have looked like.10 x 10, 228 pgs,
550 photos. HC Item # SP227 ........ $44.95
PAINTING AVIATIONS LEGENDS: The

Art of Mike Machat Machat Take a special
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Item # MM236 ................................ $39.95
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2))DQ\ERRNRU 2))DQ\RUGHURUPRUH
B-58 HUSTLER IN
ACTION
Doyle Sleek
sporting a delta
wing, four big
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external payload, the
Convair B-58 Hustler was the rst operational
jet bomber capable of Mach 2. 11 x 8.5, 72 pgs,
200 photos. SC Item #SS802 ..................$19.95
ILYUSHIN IL-28:
Famous Russian
Aircraft Gordon
& Kimissarov
Encompasses the full
development and
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tactical bomber that
was a successful in all
its roles. 8.5 x 11, 272 pgs, 500 photos. HC
Item # MC371.................................... $56.95
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GB838 BLUE GOOSE COMMAND A/C Riley & Doll SC ..$35.95
GB149 BOEING B-50 Hays 240 pgs, 700 photos, SC .............$49.95
GB833 CURTISS ASCENDER XP-55 Balzer 72 pgs, SC .........$24.95
GB832 MARTIN PBM MARINER Ginter 256 pgs, SC ...........$52.95
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Flight Journal Bookshelf | www.ModelAirplaneBooks.com
Flight Test
E-FLITE/
HORIZON HOBBY
Pawnee
Brave
Night Flyer
Fly day or night with this
fun sport plane
BY MIKE GANTT PHOTOS BY JOHN REID
Crop dusters and their daring jobs bring

me back to my first encounters with aircraft. I
had a crazy uncle, but he was the crop duster
kind of crazy. I remember stories of him flying
over the house doing barrel rollsjust to say
Hi!when he was spraying in the local vicinity.
He eventually hit some power lines and crashed,
but survived and had a heck of a story to tell. To
this day, every time that I see an AGwagon doing
its thing, I stop to watch the daredevil pilot as
long as possible.
E-flite must have known that it was time to
give us another Pawnee plane to play with, and
it has done sowith a twist. Its new Pawnee
Brave Night Flyer is the perfect size for parkflying barnstormers and packs plenty of cool
features. The Z-Foam airframe is smooth
and painted with a scale-type color scheme.
Aluminum landing gear with treaded wheels
and a steerable tailwheel are included, and
so are two props, a spinner, a motor, a speed
control, servos, and a receiver. An inexpensive
3-cell 2200mAh flight pack is required, and
youll also need a Spektrum-compatible
transmitter. An extensive instruction manual
has great info in it, from assembly processes
and transmitter setups to testing and flight
techniques. Speaking of the assembly, its
quick, so youd better get your battery (or
batteries) charging!
SPECIFICATIONS
GEAR USED
MODEL: Pawnee Brave Night Flyer

MANUFACTURER: E-flite (e-fliterc.com)
DISTRIBUTOR: Horizon Hobby
(horizonhobby.com)
TYPE: Foam scale park flier
LENGTH: 36.6 in.
WINGSPAN: 48 in.
WING AREA: 382.6 sq. in.
WEIGHT: 46.5 oz.
RADIO REQD: Spektrum 6+-channel
PRICE: $249.99
RADIO: Spektrum DX18G2 radio

(spektrumrc.com) w/ included AR636A
receiver and four A330 servos
MOTOR: E-flite BL480 w/ 30A speed control
(both installed)
BATTERY: E-flite 3S 2200mAh 30C (e-fliterc.com)
PROP: 10x8x3 (included)
HIGHLIGHTS
Fly night or day with external and
internal lighting
Plenty of power for a wide range
of flying styles
20-minute assembly, inclusive package
Handles flying in wind quite well
FLIGHT TEST PAWNEE BRAVE NIGHT FLYER
Right: This long hatch

is held by a simple latch
and makes access to the
insides of the fuselage
very accommodating.
It stayed put no matter
what maneuvers I tried.
Left: Yes, there is plenty
of wiring hereand
plenty of room for it.
The instructions make
simple sense of the
required connections.
Below: A glass cockpit, pilot bust, and air
scoop invite even more
realism to your ights.
UNIQUE FEATURES
The box contains a carved-out foam insert
that protects the Pawnee during shipping. The
white wing halves come prewired with servos,
navigation, and landing lights. Rather than solid
foam panels, the wing is actually hollowed with
more material left in key areas for structural
integrity and also to allow wires to be easily
routed. Corrugated details are added to the
ailerons and optional aps, and they look cool.
Hoerner-style-looking wingtips are painted
bright red and set o the 4-foot wingspan
well. Four machine screws are used to hold the
wing in place; make sure that you line them up
rather than forcing them in. Four more selftapping Phillips fasteners are used to keep the
main gear secure, and they attach to a plastic
plate. I had an issue with one of the screws, so
I swapped them for some similarly sized hexhead screws that I had in my parts bin.
The wing linkages are short and easy to adjust; details like the panel corrugation lines just add to the already
cool-looking AGwagon.
The wheels are 2 3/4 inches in diameter

and will traverse most landings strips well.
The fuselage is well designed, with air-cooling
holes up front and exit holes for air aft on the
planes bottom. A mechanically operated hatch
gives you interior access for battery changes
as well as the AS3X receiver and light switch.
When you connect the wiring and power on the

aircraft, push the light switch and the lights will
illuminate the entire airframe from the inside!
Now you understand the inspiration for the
planes name and that you can pretty much y
in compete darkness.
Other details include black-painted exhaust
FLIGHT TEST PAWNEE BRAVE
stacks, panel lines, preapplied decals, and a

pilot bust with an instrument-panel facade.
The brushless motor and speed control are
preinstalled and wired up. An included wrench
helps you tighten the 3-blade propeller, and
the chrome-plated spinner simply clicks to
lock in place and complete the look. A pair of
screws holds the empennage in place, and
setting up the linkages is easy. Power up your
radio and center your servos, then screw-on
clevises adjust quickly for centering the control
surfaces. Short pieces of silicone tubing keep
the clevises clamped and closed in ight. As
mentioned, the optional aps require minimal
work. Two low-cost microservos are all that
youll need as all provisions for their linkages
are included.
PUSH THE LIGHT SWITCH

AND THE LIGHTS WILL
ILLUMINATE THE ENTIRE
AIRFRAME FROM THE INSIDE!
IN THE AIR
the elevator. Built-in AS3X technology helps
the model stay level and smooth. A small
are before touchdown will help you nail the
three-pointers.

Stability: Three-axis stabilization comes
standard and does a great job keeping the
Pawnee solid in ight. Try as it might, the wind
had less eect than expected on the airplane,
making it feel bigger than it is.
Tracking: Cruising around at half throttle or so,
PAULO ANTUNES/PLANESPOTTERS.NET
The Pawnees rudder and tailwheel steer the

airplane around ne on the tarmac with aid
from some propwash. Line up into the wind,
throttle up, and the Pawnee can rotate after
rolling for about 20 feet. Needless to say, the
power loading is quite adequate! Flaps will
decrease the rollout distance considerably and
will also look cool when actuating.
After putting the workhorse through its
paces and burning up the electron supply, its
time to return home. The plane carries a little
energy, and I keep the prop turning to make
elevation changes and adjust airspeed with
I added a few clicks of trim initially to straighten

out the ight path. When doing this, you will
need to leave the control stick untouched for
three seconds so that the AS3X system can
register and record the changes. Make sure that
you do this up higher and not while down low!
Aerobatics: All scale maneuvering is easily
performed. There is good power for fast climbs,
which lead to those tight wingovers. Large
loops look graceful, and rolls require some
expected inputs. For fun, you can throw in point
rolls, y inverted, and even y knife-edge for
a bit. While I didnt try to hover the plane, it
wouldnt surprise me if it could hang on its prop.
Glide and stall performance: At just under
3 pounds, the wing loading isnt warbird hot,
but dont expect the plane to oat around at
4mph like a 3D airship. Adding the aps will help
cut down the stall speed, and using a computer
radio allows you to dial in some spoilers to
experiment with as well when slowing down.
Chop the throttle and the plane will y a while
with the nose down a bit before you let it drop a
wing. Throttle up and the plane will stop stalling
and recover almost instantly.
PILOT DEBRIEFING
The word that best describes this plane is fun.
Fly both day and night, even in a breeze, with
this 48-inch Pawnee workhorsejust watch
out for those wires!
The Workhorse
Spray planes were working many years before the first PA-36 was introduced, and
typically the idea behind them all was more power, more capacity, and more power.
Farms were growing in size, and dusting was how agricultural pests could be dealt
with. Bigger farms needed planes with bigger hoppers and more horsepower to carry
the weight through the air. The Pawnee Brave was developed to fill the niche, and after
a few revisions, the most powerfula 400hp versionwas made. Back in the early 70s,
an initial investment of $30K got you going with a 285hp version, and a variety of pilots
went to work dropping pesticides, fertilizers, or any other imaginable crop requirements.
At speeds of 70mph, these planes were required to pull up and climb fast so that pilots
could make a quick and safe turns. Time is money, and if youve ever seen an AGwagon
and its pilot at work, you know what Im talking about.
BOTTOM LINE
The E-ite Pawnee Brave Night Flyer is a fully
loaded, well-detailed scale model airplane
requiring only a Spektrum-compatible
transmitter and ight battery. Assembly time
is less than an hour, so you could easily have
the Pawnee ready to y the same day that
you get it. The colored LED lighting details look
super-cool, both inside and out, and turning on
the interior lighting denitely adds a whole new
level to the ying game.
E
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ENTER PROMO CODE: mem50
BY PAUL TRADELIUS
Helicopter Theory and Control
n my September column, I discussed

some of the most frequently asked
questions that I get from those who
would like to get started in the great
hobby of radio-controlled helicopters.
Before you rush o to the ying eld with your
new machine, however, its important to have
a basic understanding of helicopter theory and
control so that you will know the forces acting
on the aircraft.
The balance of forces on the helicopter refers
to the forces pulling it up, down, or sideways.
If the helicopter is in a hover, then all these
forces must cancel out to keep the helicopter
stationary. If they dont cancel out, then the
resulting force will make the helicopter move,
and that is precisely what gives us control of
the helicopter.
As you read along, have your helicopter and
radio nearby so that you can compare what I

am saying to your particular setup. Turn on the
radio, move the controls, and notice the reaction
in the blades, paddles, etc. This will help you as
you progress in your ying to understand what
is happening to the helicopter controls, and how
that relates to your control stick movement
on the transmitter. I will also use a mode 2
transmitter as an example, with the aileron/
elevator on the right stick.
BALANCE OF FORCES: SIDE VIEW

Figure 1 shows the side view of a helicopter in a
hover and the forces acting on it from this view.
The arrow going straight down represents the
weight, or force of gravity, of the helicopter.
This is counteracted by the lift from the rotor
blades going straight up. In a hover, the lift
equals the weight, and the helicopter does not
climb or descend. You dont have a lot of options

concerning the force of gravity because it is
just the sum of the weight of the helicopter,
fuel, and other factors. You do, however, have
control over the lift produced by the rotor
blades. As the left stick is moved up toward the
top of the transmitter, the engine speed and
power are increased and the collective pitch of
the rotor blades is increased. You control the
amount of lift in a hover, therefore, with the
fore/aft movement of the left stick to keep the
helicopter in a stationary vertical position. Take
your transmitter and practice moving the left
stick up and down; notice how it controls both
the throttle and the collective pitch of the rotor
blades. Make sure that you are not in throttle
hold or idle up, or it will not respond properly.
Resultant lift
Lift
Figure 1
Forces acting on
the helicopter in
a hover.
Figure 2
The resultant lift
acts at the center
of the rotor disc.
Weight
There are two other important points of Figure 1:

The arrow going straight up representing
the lift is shown acting directly over the main
shaft. The main shaft actually has no lift
capabilities at all, as the lift is produced farther
out on the blades, but the resultant force acts
as if it were centered on the main shaft, as
shown in Figure 2. This is not important now,
but its something to keep in mind later when
we discuss rotor blades.
The lift produced by the rotor blades is
always perpendicular to the rotor disc.
Figure 3
Torque resulting from the main rotor
rotation causes the fuselage to turn in
the opposite direction.
Torque
reaction
Blade
rotation
BALANCE OF FORCES: TOP VIEW

Figure 3 shows the helicopter in a hover as if
we were above it looking straight down. Again,
all of the forces acting on the helicopter from
this perspective must cancel out to keep the
helicopter stationary.
This gure shows the main rotor-blade
rotation to the right, or clockwise, but the
idea is the same in reverse if your rotor turns
in the opposite direction. Newtons third law
of motion states: To every action, there is an
equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, as
the main rotor turns clockwise, the fuselage
tries to turn counterclockwise as the reaction.
This tendency of the fuselage to turn is called
torque, and any change in engine power or
collective pitch brings about a corresponding
change in torque.
The purpose of the tail rotor is to
compensate for this torque reaction, and
the thrust of the tail rotor equals the force
of the torque to keep the nose pointing
straight. Imagine if the thrust of the tail rotor
was increased to the left; it would make the
helicopter rotate around the main shaft, causing
the nose to go to the right. Similarly, a decrease
in tail-rotor thrust would cause the torque to
take eect and cause the tail to go to the right
or the nose to the left. Again, in a hover, all
these forces balance out to keep the helicopter
pointing in one steady direction.
Tail-rotor
thrust
NOVEMBER 2016 95
Rotor speed
Horizontal lift
component
Vertical lift
component
Tail-rotor
thrust
Figure 4
Vertical lift component
counters weight.
Horizontal lift component
counters tail-rotor thrust.
Helicopter has slight tilt to right
during hover to counter tail-rotor
thrust (exaggerated here).
The rpm of the tail rotor is dependent on

the main rotor rpm, which should be constant
in a hover. The tail-rotor thrust is, therefore,
changed by increasing or decreasing the angle
of attack of the tail rotor blades, and on your
transmitter, this is accomplished with the left
stick moving right or left. Take a look at the tail
rotor from the left side of the helicopterit will
normally rotate to the right, or clockwise, from
this view. Now move the left control stick on
your transmitter to the right; notice that the
angle of attack of the blades has increased.
This will cause the blades to take a bigger bite
from the air and cause the tail to move to the
left, or toward you. As you move the stick to the
left, the angle of attack will decrease, and the
opposite eect of moving the tail to the right, or
away from you, will occur.
This is another important point that must
be emphasized: Although the left stick of the
transmitter changes the angle of attack of the
tail rotor blades to make the tail move right or
left, the direction the tail moves is opposite to
that of the stick. The reason for this is that you
dont y the tail; you want to control the nose.
Blade
rotation
Weight
Once again, move the left stick right and left,

and convince yourself that when the stick is
moved to the right that the nose will move
to the right, and vice versa. Attempting to y
the tail is a common problem for beginner
helicopter pilots, and something that should be
avoided at all costs.
BALANCE OF FORCES: REAR VIEW

Figure 4 shows a picture of the helicopter as
if you were looking at it from the rear; again,
all the forces must balance out to keep the
helicopter in a steady hover.
In this view, we can again see the force
of gravity, or weight of the helicopter, going
straight down. This is compensated for by the lift
of the rotor blades, as discussed previously. But
you will also notice something in this view that
we havent seen before: the rotor is tilted slightly
to the right. The lift is still perpendicular to the
rotor disc, represented by the capital L. This lift
can also be broken down into two components:
the part that is acting vertically and the part that
is acting horizontally. (This is the basis of vector
analysis, which you can read about in a book on
mathematics, but it will not be covered here.) It

is only this vertical component of the total lift
that must be equal to the weight to keep the
helicopter in a stationary altitude.
Lets leave the main rotor disc for a minute
and look again at the thrust of the tail rotor in
this view. This thrust will make the helicopter
move to the left unless there is another force
to cancel it out, and this is the exact purpose
of tilting the main rotor slightly to the right.
Because the rotor disc is tilted to the right, a
portion of the total lift is horizontal lift to the
right, and it is this force that counteracts the
force from the tail rotor to keep the helicopter
from drifting either right or left.
To sum up, the vertical component of lift
counters the force of gravity, and the right
horizontal component of lift counters the left
thrust of the tail rotor. Because all the forces
acting on the helicopter are balanced, the
helicopter will remain in a stationary hover. Now,
you can practice hovering on the computer and
see how you can control these forces not only
to hover in a steady position but also to move
the helicopter as you desire.
TEXT & PHOTOS BY MICHAEL FOSTER
Designer and builder Chuck Gratner turns over the sticks of two Riley Model Bs
to Horizon pilots David Payne and Ali Machinchy at Joe Nall Week for an incredible
smoke-on formation ight.
Smoking it up with the Moki radial-powered Riley Model B.
Riley Model B
The missing chapter of aviations Golden Age
Many pilots refer to the 1920s and 30s as the Golden Age of Aviation.
Its the era that welcomed Americas first nonstop coast-to-coast
flight, Lindbergs hop across the Atlantic, and the beginning of the
Thompson Trophy races. Aircraft of this time were sleek and beautiful,
with as much attention to form as function. To capture the essence
of this period, Chuck Gratner from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, designed
the Riley Model B, an aircraft that combines the best features of many
period-specific designs.
Two Rileys
showing o
their varnished
basswood and
mahogany
fuselages.
Rather than a patchwork of dissimilar parts,

the Riley presents itself as a detailed scale
model of a full-scale counterpart. As Chuck
notes, The Riley Model B is a 3/8-scale design
prototype for a homebuilt airplane that has yet
to be built. The inspiration for its design was
drawn from the missing chapter of the Golden
Age of Aviation. Chuck was also inuenced by
his aection for Chris-Craft boats and classic
automobiles.
The Riley features a cigar-shaped fuselage
with veneered forward section thats painstakingly varnished in a 10-step process
showcasing Chucks craftsmanship. The vented
cowl with exposed cylinders is a focal point that
holds your attention. Surprisingly, the Riley
is no hangar queen; with functional ying and
landing wires utilizing camlock fasteners, the
Riley can be readied for ight in two minutes.
In his quest for perfection, Chuck builds a
new Riley every year, each an improvement
upon the last. At the time of writing, Series
11 is on the building board. Cleverly, each Riley
has an N number corresponding to the year of
completion. NC2015 and NC2016 were own by
Horizons David Payne and Ali Machinchy at this
years Joe Nall Week.
The magnicent Riley Model B has a wingspan of 108 inches with an area of 1,936 square
inches. It utilizes a NACA 2418 root airfoil and
USA 35B at the tip. One of the 33-pound
models is powered by a Moki 180 radial; the
other uses a Valach 120 twin. To learn more
about the Riley Model B and to view Chucks
extensive construction notes and photos, visit
gratnerbrothers.com.
THE NEW CLASS OF PRO CLASS
THE
DX20
The smooth precision of

machined-aluminum, quadbearing gimbals. The natural
comfort of leather hand grips.
The sleek contours of a carbon
ber front case. And thats
before you even turn it on. Power
it up and the Spektrum DX20
gives you the speed and security
of DSMX technology along
with a combination of pro-class
features and functions you cant
nd in any other transmitter.
- 20 Fully Proportional Channels
- Airplane, Heli, Sailplane and
Multi-Rotor Programming
- Voice Alerts, 250-Model
Memory, Wireless Trainer Link
- Independent, Multi-Engine
Control for Airplanes
- In-Flight Trimming of Rates,
Expo and Mixes
- 4000mAh LiPo Battery
And thats just the beginning.
Includes
This is the new standard in pro-class precision, power and renement go to

spektrumrc.com right now for complete details and to nd a retailer near you.
- Includes Aluminum Dual Air

Transmitter Stand Up Case
- AR9020-9Channel Receiver
2016 Horizon Hobby, LLC. DSMX and the Horizon Hobby logo are registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, LLC. The Spektrum trademark is used with the permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. 48139

Model Airplane News November 2016

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MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS (USPS 533-470; ISSN 0026-7295) is published monthly

BY DEBRA CLEGHORN | EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Executive Editor Debra Cleghorn ii debrac@airage.com

Jason Benson, Sal Calvagna, Budd Davisson,

Creative Director Betty K. Nero

Web Producer Holly Hansen

Photographer Peter Hall

Director Advertising & Marketing David J. Glaski

The Media Source, a division of TEN,

Marketing Assistant Erica Driver

Group Publishers Louis V. DeFrancesco Jr.,

This 73-page collection of articles from RotorDrone magazine will

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PRINTED IN THE USA

Facebook Scale Competition Comes to the Northeast

Carlene Longworth: My god, these planes

Aaron Ballwich: I have been thinking of

Ed McNew: Very nice! That

My dad got me started in RC back in the

Another build-along series is getting ready

Flyoz: Great article. Very complete and easy to

Sebo: I used the method on my Hostetler

Ricky, of course, we can help! The article

David N: Very interesting. Im not into models

Model Airplane News

BALSA DENT REMOVAL

plane in order is to take some stick-on label paper and

CUTTING BRAIDED CABLES

When you cut braided metal cables for pull-pull control

SECURE ENGINE OPS

SEND IN YOUR IDEAS!

Used by industry, but available from your local hobby shop.

Your Adhesive Company for Over 30 Years.

After ying for more

Bernie Olson, Hudson Oaks, TX

Jeff Hall, Westland, MI