Of course I am biased, opinionated, and, fortunately, expert. I have the manufactured designs, kitted models, articles and trophies to prove it. With that, the following diatribe....
There are a variety of very excellent kits and engines available for 1/2A and 1cc (.061 size as we fly in the LA area). Brodak makes several, especially the Baby Pathfinder. His Baby Fite Streak and Lightning Streak are close, though not quite as good. For the less powerful engines, the larger of his 1/2 A models, such as the Baby Clown fly really well. I flew the Baby Clown with a PAW 55 (.035 c.i.) for years until I trashed it on a traffic pylon flying demos at the Fullerton airshow. =(
RSM has several outstanding kits, especially the Pinto and Hunter Stunter. They are full fuselage models for hot .049 and regular .061 engines. They both have an excellent airfoil, great construction, and working flaps for best, smooth maneuverability. They and the Sky Sport all share the same basic wing with details such as engine mounting, landing gear, fuselage construction and styling changed to suit your needs. The Pinto is Leprechaun legal (as are the Baby Flite Streak and Baby Clown).
My ideal for small models is to have about 3500 sq.in. per cubic inch of displacement, and 20 square inch/ounce of wing loading. These numbers ONLY apply to models in the 150 to 250 square inch region. Cubic wing loading goes crazy for ranges outside that. Google "3-D wing Loading" for an explanation of REAL scaling techniques.
I have published several designs, and am working on more. The latest will be published in Flying Models in a month or so. It is the Sky Sport, and has a 180 sq.in. wing, LONG tail moment, high aspect ratio tail, twin rudders that enhance the tail aspect ratio even more, and relatively light weight to give a 22 sq.in./ounce loading. It flies on 45 foot lines with a .049, and with an .061 could probably handle 50+ feet. Competition scores have ranged from 435 to 462 so far.
Sky Sport's real advantages are the following: It does not need a spinner on the engine, the styling works perfectly with a regular engine spinner/nut. Second, there is no special hard/unavailable tank required. A simple, floppy balloon sits in a chamber disguised as cheek cowls to provide foaming-proof fuel supply. Finally, the aerodynamic layout results in a model that turns on a dime, and doesn't ask for change. You turn the corner, and it does it and stops. Period! No bobble!! This is something that flaps will do for you if you can get them tuned right, but the Sky Sport has it built in.
I owe a lot of credit to Bill Netzband for clueing me in to how to tune a flapless model. Thanks Bill!!! I have always been more than pleased to steal his ideas, they work.
Topic: How Many Fly 1/2 A ? (Read 3819 times)