Model Airplane News November 2022

SKYRAIDER SCALE BUILD In this issue, we take a close look at a super-scale Skyraider A-1, as pro modeler P.J. Ash takes us through how he turned an ARF model into a carbon copy of a war-ravaged Sandy. A competitor at the Top Gun Scale Invitational, P.J. wows the crowd everywhere he flies his A-1. Not often modeled, the Douglas Skyraider was designed and built during a time when faster, jet-powered aircraft were gaining prominence. Despite this, the fighter quickly became a battlehorse for U.S. Navy and Marine squadrons in the Korean War and Vietnam. STOL GUIDE With their high power-to-weight ratios, Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft are blast to fly. Their oversized control surfaces enable them to descend and land quickly, making them even a natural for all day touch-and-gos. And…

BRISTOL M1Cs Michael Trautman, Champaign, Illinois These three awesome Balsa USA Bristol M1cs were built by (from left) Dan Landis, Mike Trautman, and Art Pesch. The three gathered in Dan’s workshop for Mike’s first kit build over the winter months. The Bristol is approximately ⅙ scale and the wingspan measures 60 inches. Dan and Art both fly theirs with JR radio systems while Mike flies his using a Spektrum setup. All are equipped with RimFire 80 or equivalent motors and Castle Creation Talon speed controls. Mike writes “All three planes have flown successfully and the group build was tons of fun and good fellowship.” WACO YMF-3 Ralph Derico, Ephraim, Utah Ralph obtained a partially built WACO YMF-3 that was started from a Pica ⅙-scale kit and had been sitting untouched for several years. He made…

DOT MARKS THE SPOT To mark the center-of-gravity balance points on the wings of your model airplanes, first run a piece of 1-inch-wide low-tack tape along the wing where it meets the fuselage. Then measure the prescribed distance from the wing’s leading edge and make a mark on the outer edge of the tape. At that mark, stick an adhesive-backed door bumper to the wing and then remove the tape. The bumper is easy to locate by feel when checking the center of gravity, and because it’s transparent, it can’t be seen. John Fleming, Nampa, Idaho NO-STICK BACKING Those few of us who still build from plans or kits have long known that wax paper offers less-than-satisfactory protection of plans when gluing with CA. Here is a solution: Use the backing sheets from your…

Pilot-RC P-47D 95" Pilot-RC’s first composite scale warbird, this impressive 1/5-scale P-47D has full scale details, like rivets, panel lines, and simulated hatches, and it’s painted outside the mold to eliminate seam lines. All linkages except the rudder horn are hidden, and a two-piece wing and stabilizer make it easy to transport. This ARF comes in the Jeanie scheme shown and in the famous Tar Heel Hall scheme. It’s available with electric retracts and cockpit for $3,399 and “engine-ready” with lights, retracts, and servos installed for $4,999. chiefaircraft.com Legend Hobby Savage Bobber 92" This ¼-scale model features a true welded fuselage that’s handmade from 304 stainless steel tube. Its 7-inch bush tires allow it to fly off rough fields, and its large control surfaces make it ideal for STOL operations. This model was designed…

How many times have you lost a screw, washer, or other hardware piece and had to stop what you’re doing and run to the hardware store (or crawl around on your hands and knees with a flashlight and a magnet, looking for the piece that bounced once and disappeared forever)? What about sitting down for a build session only to get halfway through a step only to find out the hardware bag was short two screws? I’ve been there done that and it’s annoying. All modelers have a supply of hardware nearby but if your collection is like mine, it’s in an old coffee tin and the only organization applied to the collection is that it’s usually in the same place on my workbench when I go looking for it.…

What’s all the fuss about the Eachine E180 helicopter? Besides incredible performance, direct-drive motors, no gears, and flybarless, to start with. I contemplated buying a direct-drive helicopter when I saw the OMP M-1s appear on the scene a couple of years ago. But a friend who raves about his Eachine E180 said the Eachine was less expensive with some unique features, so I got it. UNIQUE FEATURES So what is direct-drive mean? It means the motor is connected directly in line with the main rotor shaft. Therefore, there are no gears! Its brushless electric tail-rotor motor is really impressive, and its electronic circuits include the gyros. Seeing it fly, you will hear that incredible screaming of the tail rotor spinning its heart out to hold that tail, no matter what! The frame of…