Doc!
I have a couple of 'sources' trying to locate, first who might have the original mylar that I drew up...decades ago on that July 1974 AAM mag. Although so far, I too, haven't found a source that has located those old plans...but again, thanks my fellow stunt addicts who still may want a set of my old Avenger plans. Over the years...I have supplied about a dozen plans..and have been sent pictures from both Canada, California, and down under...in Ausie' land, pictures of their Avenger and some nice reviews about how crisp the Avenger turns and tracks? As we know alignment, static balance and CG points (especially keeping that old nasty BAR-BELL EFFECT IN CHECK!
However my 2nd and final Avenger Series 3 had a
slightly fatter airfoil that Bob Hunt so graciously made one of his state of the art foam wings that was laminated with the most beautiful
thin n' smoooooth grain balsa that I had ever seen.
The only other modification from the original plans was that I had to move the fuse' former#2 back as far as I could get it..so to accomidate the larger tank for the Bob Wilder modified ST.40. The most important change (although maybe a visual thang'----I brought that below body sub dorsal straight back....which not only gave the model that accented straight line tracking and gave a better visual appearence to outside squares (it might have been Bob Hunt that mentioned to me..that a stunt models side view, can actually trick the eye-balls into thinking the corner of a model appears to turn differently simply because of the body lines.
Even a nice straight lined body design with a rounded flowing paint scheme can also accent or detract not only the pilots straight line tracking...but most importantly can give a judge the perceived idea that your inside and outside squares...APPEAR to be sharper or softer...simply due to a change of body line or paint scheme?
Does this make sense..maybe not. But after talking with Dick Mathis...about that beautifully rounded and soften body and paint scheme on his 1967 Chizler. He told me that was HIS DESIGN PURPOSE...
He actually believed..(and maybe rightly so) a STRAIGHT LINE BODY LINE...on a stunt model will ACCENT BEAUTIFULLY FLOWN SQUARES...but sadly will also ACCENT MISTAKES...JUST A QUICKLY! So his concept was to make the visual body line as flowing, rounded and soften so that maneuvers, both inside and outside will appear pretty much the same in visual balance.
At least this way.....HIS FLYING PICTURE to both himself as the pilot and again to the judging staff on the outside...will actually blend some of those mini little bounce and bobbles...and the result, hopefully, could possibly PRESENT A SMOOOTHER AND MORE CONSISTANT flight path picture...than the traditional STRAIGHT BODY LINES of many stunt models designs.
Hummmmmmmmmm? Gamesmanship??? Whatever..
Still look who won that contest that day...BART KLAPINSKI...with that beautiful Tempest of his, with that long skinny tapering fuselage with that racy looking vertical stab...(ala' Sting Rayish...or Avengerish...jet swoooopish.
After all is sad and dung, design, build, finish, and fly with passion and emotion. Give it your bst..and let the rest fall. Try to remember why we fly these "little toy airplanes on strings in the first place?
Gamesmanship can take most mortals only JUST SO FAR! Bart that day...was flying waaaay above the earth...where the angels sing.....between the earth and sky. Leaving all of us there on that tarmac, who saw that flight, thinking.....WOW! THAT WAS SOME ANOINTING' Or Super man had returnuth'
Too much drivileee'
HEY DOC! DO ME N' US A FAVOR.....
How bout' LIFTIN' UP ONE OF OUR FELLOW MODELERS TODAY! and let the rest of us...chime in with that old promise...."three or more stunt grunts gathered in his name" can accomplish great things?
(I GOTTA GO BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES...CLEAN THE GUTTERS, WRAP THE PIPES...TO GET READY FOR THE WINDS...N' FLASH FREEEZE, that just make this post the last one that will appear from us NW folks!
Dr. Vaaaago' here we come again....JUST BLOWIN IN THE WIND n'all that jazz