[RCSE] Re: [balsasailplanes] Building A Viking
I built a Viking with 2 sets of wings. The Mk. I and the Mk. II. I built it in 1978 and crashed it (while teaching a beginner) in 1997, the same year I won the Nostalgia event at Visalia with it using the Mk. 1 wings. The Mk. II wings are gone but in 1980 I won a F3B practice contest with them (2.5 lbs. of ballast for the speed run). The only modifications I would recommend are 1. strengthen the center section as protection against our stronger winches. 2. strengthen the area where the vertical stabilizer is mounted to the fuselage. A little carbon fiber and epoxy will do fine. I did those mods when the plane was 18 years old. I had also added 1/8 x 1/4 hard balsa diagonals between all wing ribs. 1 per bay. And remember this. Zoom launching is not necessary. You won't gain enough extra altitude to justify the strain on the old design wood wings. Great plane. I have another Mk. I ready to cover. Mike Clancy
Re: [RCSE] RES Is Not Todays Unlimited Ship
In a message dated 11/10/01 6:09:38 PM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: there is no way RES can compete in the long haul with the ships of today. If you go with the slick airfoil, you do not thermal, you get a great thermal airfoil you do not penetrate, both cases relative to the full span camber changing wing. I love the RES/NOS contests, and I fly an ancient one with nothing special, but those days are past. Even on the day that the air is great, the odds of an RES ship beating the Unlimited ship even in the circle landing task is slim, JMHO. In 1997 I won the Nostalgia Class at Visalia. The event was actually misnamed--it was in reality RES. I was flying a nearly kit-stock, 19 year old Craft Aire Viking Mk.1. This ship easily gave up 300 ft. of altitude on every launch--but thermalled very well. It was difficult to land, enhanced by the fact that I had been flying modern planes most of the time. The plane had a score which would have placed it 51st overall in the open class. That old $65 plane beat 230 planes that weekend--most of which were kilobuck masterpieces. I agree with Marc that a RES ship cannot beat a modern glass slipper in the long haul but disagree that is cannot EVER beat a modern ship. Besides that is not the point. RES and NOS should not be expected to beat Hera's, Icons, Psychos and the like. The RES planes should be less expensive and easy to fly. The Nostalgia planes should only be nostalgic. If you want to consistently beat a bunch of Addictions you better get one and practice a lot (and borrow some genes from Joe). Most avid and true spirited Nostalgia flyers would rather do well with an unusual, rare, or old sailplane than win with the best design available for the class. RES is a bit more competitive but I think the planes should still be built up to keep the costs down. I think Visalia has the right idea here--their RES contest in May is for Builtup Bentwings. I may be a bit pollyanna here but I hope RES and Nostalgia become popular for the pure joy of flying the planes and not the competition. Mike Clancy LSF V 92 RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send subscribe and unsubscribe requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[RCSE] forget about antenna tubes!!
Sorry this is late, been busy. I want the low-tech of the year award for this one. I used to use all the various antenna tubes so far mentioned, one day in an emergency I came up with this. Get a piece of 1/8 or 3/16 x 48 sq. balsa (remember that stuff), tape the end of the antenna to one end of the strip, shove it down the fuselage, break the balsa strip at a convenient place, tape it down, done. Takes about 2 minutes, no glueing, easily removed, etc. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send subscribe and unsubscribe requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Ugliest sailplane contest
Hi Dave, I don't think I have a photo of it but I think my Lanier Eagle was uglier than that. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send subscribe and unsubscribe requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Nostalgia--why modify?
In a message dated 8/17/01 1:07:20 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Bob, One of my objectives in proposing the RES class was to provide aircraft such as that a class in which to fly. Yes, I think RES has gotten away from the original intent. The SAM guys have some good ideas for preserving old designs. They allow scaleing--up or down--for various classes. Eg. .020 free flights and 1/2-A Texaco planes are all scaled down OT free flight designs. Mike RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send subscribe and unsubscribe requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[RCSE] Nostalgia--why modify??
The philosophy of Nostalgia is to fly the old planes as they were designed. The pure joy (or joy??) of seeing history in the air is the prime ingredient--NOT THE COMPETITION! We should learn from the controlline stunt guys. At their Vintage Stunt Championships everyone is there to compete but to only a few is this the most important aspect. Most of the pilots build and bring planes that they know have no chance of winning the event but are built for a variety of reasons. The planes might be rare or unique designs, maybe it was a design they flew as a kid in the early days. Many of these planes were lousy performers and were highly modified back then--but now they are flown with no mods. The Society of Antique Modeles (SAM) flyers have the same philosophy -- some of them are very competitive but most of them are there for pure fun and nostalgia and build some unbelievable designs. Trust me. You can modify your Windfree or Oly 99 or whatever all you want and the performance gain will not be worth the effort. Build and fly them the way they were--you will enjoy them--and later you will REALLY appreciate your Hera or Millennium. Mike Clancy LSF V 92 RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send subscribe and unsubscribe requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[RCSE] Bird of Time pictures web page owner
I have another good photo of a BOT but your email address is not on your web page and I don't have it. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send subscribe and unsubscribe requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Nostalgia ?
As an AMA CD and a Nostalgia enthusiast and flyer I would consider your plane legal. I think we should, for the better promotion of Nostalgia, pay attention to the "spirit of the rules" rather than arguing and nit-picking over the actual rules. I believe nostalgia kits with fiberglass fuselages instead of wood are better than no kits at all. Even in full scale sailing fiberglass hulls are allowed in some old wooden boat classes. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] spoilers in an olmpic 2
The spoilers shown on the Oly II plans are quite adequate. Since we now have small servos and computer radios I would activate the spoilers with servos. One servo in the fuselage and string, tubing etc. works well if you want to go that way--a little more trouble rigging is all. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Best paint for a composite fuse
The best fuselages I've done were finished with Super Poxy (now Ultra Poxy). It's heavy but covers beautifully with a fog coat and a final coat will give a "wet look". Is indestructible and easy to repair. I think you can do a lighter finish than with Krylon. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[RCSE] Contests and LSF Levels (2nd try)
At the beginning of this thread someone wrote: Why does the LSF not just have the level V. It is such a waste to promote the sport at those lower levels. I am sure there would still be several members and couple of level V's anyway. Who needs the level ones, two's and threes. I'd like to address that. The early levels of the LSF program are pretty easy for an experienced pilot but they do require participation. This is a place where the experienced pilot can get together with less experienced flyers and together work on the lower levels. I was still pretty new to rc and soaring when I started LSF and the lower levels generated enthusiasm for the sport and helped me to become a better flyer. The most active period my club ever had was when a group of about ten of us were all working on LSF. After a few years I made Level IV and began working on Level V. The first entry on my Level V voucher was dated 1977, the last, 1997. During the next "few" years I worked on Level V tasks. I considered them all "doable" except the contest requirements. For twenty years I flew in as few as 10 and as many as 20 contests a year. In almost all of those contests I competed against 2 or 3 Level V's, and a bunch of people who could/should have been Level V's. I had nearly given up hope of ever making it. A little determination, slightly above average flying skills, help from other LSFers and some good luck got me that last win. I was a little luckier than some of my other friends who, because of their age and participation levels, probably will neven make Level V but they are proud of their Level IV's and the parts of V that they have done. Other friends are close and still trying--and might yet make it. None of these people would like to see the rules change. Huzzah to them! Mike Clancy LSF 926 Level V #92 RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Paragon
It all depends on how heavy (or light) you build the fuselage and tail sections. Also the position of and type of radio system you use. A broad guess would be 4-8 ounces. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] First Windfree flight...
To check the elevator did you handglide the plane before the first launch? A soft winch launch at first is a very good idea. Windfree's are particularly susceptible to warps--wings must be straight and I don't remember if washout was called for in the plans but if so should be used. I have flown several Windfrees and all behaved differently on launch. Some were pussycats and some were real scary. I think the better built ones were smoother launchers. One particularly troublesome plane was covered with econocote rather than Monocote and I think the softer covering added to its problems. Almost forgot--the plane MUST balance laterally for a straight launch. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[RCSE] Fwd: Mail System Error - Returned Mail
This Message was undeliverable due to the following reason: The following destination addresses were unknown (please check the addresses and re-mail the message): SMTP [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please reply to [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you feel this message to be in error. In a message dated 10/26/00 8:25:45 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've never owned or flown or actually seen in person a Hawk. However, I've always thought it a fairly "ho-hum" plane. Now, all this talk about them forces me to ask: How well do they fly? Are they more or less equal to a Paragon? Is the appeal due to performance or just carma? Compared to a modern plane a Hobie Hawk is pretty "ho-hum". In their time they were very good performers after a couple of modifications--the most important being the addition of a 2" sq. triangle to the front of the rudder to reduce roll. They would penetrate better than a Paragon but were more difficult to fly. They vere very expensive in their time so were not seen in the numbers that other planes were. With a good pilot it was a better plane than a Paragon. I never flew a 10 footer and I think it would be a very good plane. I think their appeal is mostly nostalgic. It was very revolutionary and you can't easily build one from scratch. Mike Clancy
Re: [RCSE] Best (fastest) Electric Ducted Fan
Steve Toschi of SVSS has an original design of a Mig 15 that has awsome performance. It has been clocked at 140 mph. It is catapult launched--because of its wing loading. It has a wingspan of about 32 inches and weighs about 48 ounces. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Hobie Hawk on an winch
Be a little cautious when first launching your Hawk on a winch. They tend to roll a lot unless you've made the one important mod to it. Don't start with lots of line tension and make sure you have lots of rudder throw. The mod is to add a 2-3 sq. in fin to the vertical stabilizer. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Airtronics Cumic Plus Help??
The Cumic Plus is a slightly enlarged (wing span) Cumic. It was kitted by Airtronics. It was an ok polyhedral sailplane. I don't think it was better than the Pantera or Gemini. I liked the Pantera of the 3 planes. It has the same characteristics as those two planes. Keep an eye on the wings--they'll bend on launch and give you an idea when to back off. I used my Cumic Plus for my 8 hour LSF slope flight and the next day I finished 3rd in a thermal duration contest with it. Fred Weaver won Visalia with one a few years ago. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] US Team Selections - or - OH NO, They killed Froggy
Daryl, I and I'm sure all the officials and SVSS workers would like to thank you for recognizing and thanking us for our efforts. In addition to the 3 or 4 days some SVSSers spent on the Labor Day weekend most of us did a day or two of training a couple of months before the team selection finals. Even though this was a very important contest for them all the pilots and crews were very pleasant and easy to work with. I think this was one of the most enjoyable F3B contests I have attended. Mike Clancy SVSS RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[RCSE] Hera ball links
My Hera uses a ball link system on the ruddervators. The system is very nice, smooth, easy to hook up, etc. I have never used these before and want to know if anyone has had problems with their reliability. The only reason I have a question is that these are new to me and seem too good to be true. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Music Wire For Wing Rod?
Music wire from the hobby shop will do fine for BOT wing rods. I used it on my last one, also my Vikings. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] RES musings (long)
Hi Art, We've met at Visalia several times. Two years ago I won Nostalgia (actually RES) at Visalia with an original 19 year old Viking Mk. I. All wood, Monocote covered. Got medium launches, did great thermalling, pretty good landings (read lucky). I was using spoiler elevator mixing with CD's blessing. My score would have placed me 51st overall. The old Viking beat 225 other planes, all newer, all more expensive, and most of those flyers are pretty good. Last year I flew a RES plane and didn't do well but my overall score still beat about 150 open flyers. Flying was different because I had to be very careful not to get too far downwind because of poor penetration ability. I also had to be very careful not to be too high near the max time--that old plane had to be brought down carefully partly because of it's age and partly because of the design. Though I took some abuse from my flying buddies for flying "low-tech" I had a real good time. I plan on attending the May bent wing contest. I am trying to decide wheather to use my Viking or my RES OD. By the way I am not anti-hi-tech. My new Hera is almost ready to go. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] RES
In a message dated 12/23/99 9:08:11 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Some CD's might even require a balsa airplane! (horrors!!) What's wrong with balsa? Mike RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [RCSE] Carbon flying stab rods.
I do not believe the difference in weight justifies the use of carbon rods for stab joiners. CF rod in shear situations is not as strong as steel. My opinion. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[RCSE] Visalia, McGowan, winners
I want to thank CVRC for another great contest. I congratulate ALL the class winners and especially my friend, once my student and now my mentor Bob McGowan. Bob won the 2 meter class with his old Falcon 600 and was the overall VISALIA HIGH POINT SCORER! In addition to being a great flyer he is a quiet and modest person and does not usually get noticed for his achievements--thus the main reason for this post. Mike Clancy RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
