Model Airplane News October 2022

GO FAST, TURN LEFT! Air racing is one of the most exciting events a pilot can participate in. It’s where skill and the upper performance limits of an aircraft converge. This month we showcase two air racers: a foamie Mustang hotrod and a scaled out, 250cc-powered Corsair. The foamie Mustang comes receiver ready in four schemes, so it’s perfect for club racing. The Corsair, a modified CARF-Models aircraft, is a team scale project built by Jim McDevitt and flown by Mike Wolvin. Modeled after the “Lucky Gallon” 1946 racer, it is a true stunner. HOW TO’S AND MORE Get ready for the flightline with this month’s how-tos from the experts. In “Radio Basics,” we share some must-know tips that are guaranteed to make you fly better. In “Propeller Essentials,” you’ll learn how to…

SPITFIRE MK. XI Murray Covello, Orchard Park, New York PILOT PROJECT OF THE MONTH Murray started with a Top Flite kit to create this photo reconnaissance variant from the UK’s 16 Squadron. He modified the rudder, retractable tailwheel, and carburetor scoop and mounted an oblique RunCam behind the cockpit. His Spitfire is powered by a Rimfire-80 brushless motor, 6-cell 5000mAh battery pack, and 15 x 8 propeller. It is fully glassed and painted and weighs in at 12 pounds. Murry reports the extra weight makes the Spit come in hot for landings, but the electric system produces good scale power in flight. The pale blue paint job is finished with markings from Callie Graphics. The blue color blends in with the sky making it the perfect paint job for a spy plane! P-38J LIGHTNING Phillip…

SECURING PUSHRODS Here’s a great way to secure pushrod ends using heat-shrink tubing. If the screw on the EZ connector happens to work loose, the heat shrink will keep the connections from slipping and going out of trim or at worst, resulting loss of control. Add dab of silicone on the screws as an extra measure of safety. Gary Culver, North Tonawanda, New York NON-SLIP WASHERS Rubber back-bonded washers are available from many hardware sources; we get ours from RTL Fasteners. They have many uses in modeling and work great where vibration is an issue and help keep plastic canopies, fiberglass cowls, and other parts secured. They also help avoid cracks in fiberglass and plastic parts while distributing the load of the retaining screws over a wider area. The rubber backing helps prevent the…

All we hear about lately is declining membership, how drones have caused all of our problems, and of course, the real biggie, the FAA is going to shut us down and put us all in jail. I think we should try to do something to turn things around, for our club as well as the hobby. You know as well as I that the doctor’s office is where we spend a lot of our time. So why not do some advertising there? We all receive Model Airplane News each month, and if you’re like me, you open it as soon as it arrives. The cover is always an eye-catcher, and it has great articles for all of the different areas of the hobby. All I ever see is Ladies Home Journal or…

Spektrum’s Smart batteries, chargers, and Avian speed controls are an evolution in technology, with data cables in their IC connectors that provide access to a plethora of useful information as well as programming capability. I reviewed the Spektrum S2200 Smart charger in May 2022, and it has taken the place of honor as my primary go-to battery charger for my ever-expanding inventory of Spektrum Smart LiPo and LiFe batteries. It works great on the large 6S LiPo batteries I fly many of my models with, but I wanted something small and handy to charge Smart LiFe receiver batteries and other smaller batteries while my big flight packs charge. Enter the S155. The S155 has both IC3 and IC5 outputs that allow you charge a variety of Spektrum Smart batteries. It also…

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