Airwaves

WRITE TO US! We welcome your comments and suggestions. Letters should be addressed to Airwaves, Model Airplane News, 100 East Ridge, Ridgefield, Cr 06877-4606 USA; email man@airage.com. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity. We regret that, owing to the tremendous numbers of letters we receive, we cannot respond to every one.

PURSUIT OF A PREDATOR

You guys are amazing! For a while now, I have been interested in the military's remotely piloted UAVs, and I have wanted to build a model of one for a long time. The Predator was high on my "must build" list, so I searched the Internet for information and photos. I could only find bits and pieces of information on the Predator, and I never did find any good scale drawings to use as documentation.

When your March 2002 issue came out, I almost hit the floor! There, in one article, was all the information I could ever have hoped for and, as a bonus, its author Gerry Yarrish supplied an excellent 3-view scale drawing! I was in scratch-builder heaven! Where did you guys get those great close-up pictures?

From a soon-to-be RC UAV pilot, thanks for being such a great source of information. Keep up the good work.

JOSEPH DIVETRO

Kalispell, MO

Joseph, thanks for the words of encouragement. Researching the Predator UAV was as much fan as I have ever had in putting together an article for Model Airplane News. The first place I contacted was the local U.S. Air Force recruitment office, which supplied public-relations information. From that, I found contact information for the USAF Air Combat Command, which put me in touch with the 11 th Reconnaissance Squadron at Nellis AFB, NV. Lt. Carla Pampe, the Public Affairs Action officer for the squadron, supplied most of the photos. Lt. Pampe went to the training grounds at Indian Springs just north of Nellis AFB, and she took up-close-and-personal pictures for my article. The Predator's manufacturer, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems of San Diego, California, also supplied photos.

I am pleased that you found my article so useful; I, too, think that an RC model Predator-say, with 100-inch wingspan and powered by a .90 to 1.20 4-stroke engine-- would make a great model. But would it be a scale warbird? Anyway, thanks again for writing.

WHICH ONE TO PICK?

I am looking for a good 1/4-scale aerobatic airplane project, and the One Design caught my attention. Are you familiar with it and any manufacturers of a good-- quality kit? And how can I get hold of them or any other contacts?

JASON LICKFELT

Hutchinson, MN

Jason: yes, we're very familiar with the DR107 One Design aerobatic monoplane. It is a very popular full-size homebuilt, and there are a few scale models of it out there. Here's some info on two we are familiar with, though they aren't 114 scale. The Troy Built Models almost-- ready-to-cover kit designed by Gene Payson is great; the 31-percent model has a 72-inch wingspan and a jig-built wing with foam-rib construction. The fuselage has a balsa-sheeted, hollow-foam turtle deck and stick-built tail feathers. Also included are the aluminum landing gear, a fiberglass engine cowl, a formed-plastic canopy and a tailwheel assembly. Basically, the model comes completely framed up with tail feathers attached and wing panels joined and glassed. Contact Troy Built Models, 2331 Cedar Key Dr., Lake Orion, MI 48360; (248) 391-2331.

For something larger, look at the 38-percent One Design from Eagle Aviation, 4573 Lamme Rd., Dayton, OH 45439; (513) 2961290. Designed by Frank Noll, this model is available as a ready-to-cover model, a full kit and a semi-kit. It has an 89-inch span, is 80 inches long and is well suited to 3 to 4ci gas engines. A fiberglass engine cowl and wheel pants and a formed canopy are also included.

Good luck in your search for the "right One."

SCALE HELICOPTER BODIES

I have been building model planes since I was 10, but I've flown only a handful of them because I've been more interested in building. I've also been a reader of your magazine for most of my adult life; I enjoy the articles and so does my oldest son.

My question is about scale helicopter bodies. I have only been able to find Century Helicopters, which sells outstanding replicas. Could you direct me to other manufacturers of scale bodies? I have been learning to fly my Thunder Tiger Raptor 30 for some time and am hoping to buy a scale body. I would like to build a replica of a fullsize aircraft but would like to know whether there are scale bodies out there other than those from Century. [email]

SHANNON McKINNEY

St. Louis, MO

I'm glad to see that you're interested in scale helicopters because I have a lot of fun with the couple I've built. If you plan to use the Raptor 30, beware that there aren't too many bodies out there for 30-size helis. Also, the tail rotor is belt-driven, and that's another consideration to keep in mind. Heli-World [www.heliworld.com; (408) 942-9521] sells the Century brand of bodies and offers the most extensive line of very good-quality aftermarket bodies. For the Raptor, you'll need to custom-fit the mechanics into the body. There are other scale heli bodies out there, but they are for 60-size hells. Most manufacturers offer bodies that fit their own mechanics to make it easier to mate the parts. Vario [www.variousa.com; (805) 553-9996], Robbe [(860) 677-7278] and Miniature Aircraft [www.x-cellrchelicopters.com; (407) 2924267] are some that come to mind. Heli-- World now offers some of its 30-size hells as scale ARF packages; check out its website for more info. Good luck, Shannon!

Copyright Air Age Publishing May 2002
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