jbourke
Dec 01, 1996, 01:00 AM
<h2 align="left">E-Zone News </h2>
<p align="left">This month I am proud to announce that Pete O'Shea has joined our
staff as a columnist. Pete will be writing the <a href="/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../sporttop/pete1296.htm">Sport
Electric Topics</a> column. Pete is an accomplished pilot and builder and will make a
great monthly addition to this web site. </p>
<p align="left">Another exciting feature this month is a set of 8 high-quality <a href="/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../plans/nocal/nocal.htm">no-cal plan sets provided by Paul Bradley</a>.
No-Cal planes are profile scale free flight designs that are normally flown
with rubber power, but Paul has provided instructions on converting them to electric using
either NiCad or Capacitor power supplies. If you have been thinking of trying out
free flight now is your chance to build from an excellent set of plans. </p>
<p align="left">Article Submissions </p>
<p align="left">I've been noticing that the number of article submissions falls
dramatically when I do not provide something in the way of an incentive. In the past
I have sponsored article contests, whereby each author was given a shot at winning
a prize. I'm somewhat perplexed why a small chance at winning a $20 item
is able to generate 15 articles that wouldn't have been written otherwise, but who am I to
question the results? </p>
<p align="left">After the Holiday season is over I'll run another contest.
I'd really love to have support from some of the vendors out there, particularly the
ones who have benefited from the free advertising provided by EFLIGHT. I don't want
to start the contest now because the Holiday season typically makes it difficult for
people to sit down and write product reviews, etc, but if you have an article to send
in this month then it will count for the contest when it is run. This
should be a great time of the year to do a product review, as the building season
(and gift season) is definitely upon us. </p>
<hr>
<h2 align="left">New Products </h2>
<p>Let me take a moment to share some of the new offerings I have heard of this
month. If you are a vendor with a press release or product announcement that you would
like to share, <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=jbourke&d=ezonemag.com">email me at jbourke(at)ezonemag.com</a>.
</p>
<h3><u>New Cells</u> </h3>
<p>The big news in the electric flight community is the announcement by Sanyo that they
have started production of the 2000SCR cell. The standard cell for electric
flight use has been the 1700SCR (and its variants) for the past couple of years.
Earlier this year Sanyo announced that they would soon stop making the 1700SCR or
the 1000SCR. Many of us have been waiting with baited breath to see
if they would be replaced by a better cell. </p>
<p>It looks as though we will not be disappointed. The new 2000SCR
and 1250SCR will replace the 1700SCR and 1000SCR respectively. Both cell types
are the same physical size as the cells they replace. I have not received any information
on weight (believe me, I've tried to get the data), but I have been told that there
is "no appreciable difference" in weight between the new cells and the old ones.
I take this to mean that the difference is only a few grams and will not
alter the energy density significantly. The really good news is that the performance of
the cells will equal or surpass the ones we have been using. More data next month,
hopefully. </p>
<h3><u>Free Stickers</u> </h3>
<p>Aveox is giving out free stickers to electric flyers. To order, visit their
website at <a href="http://www.aveox.com">www.aveox.com</a> or email <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=dpalombo&d=aveox.com">Dave Polombo</a>. </p>
<h3><u>New Old-Timer Kits</u> </h3>
<p>For you Old-Timer fans, Bob Sliff is now producing short kits of the Playboy Sr.
(80" span for 16-20 cells), the Original Buccaneer (84" span for 16-20
cells), and the Powerhouse (84" span for 16-20 cells). He also has some
Fast Eddie kits left (6-7 cell aerobatic model). <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=bsli40&d=aol.com">Email
Bob Sliff for info at BSLI40(at)aol.com</a>. </p>
<h3><u>New speed 400 pylon racer kit: The Falconet</u> </h3>
<p align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../../images/falcone4.jpg" width="275" height="165"> </p>
<p><b>Name</b>: Falconet </p>
<p><b>Type</b>: Speed 400 Pylon Racer </p>
<p><b>Vitals</b>:
<ul>
<li>Span: 32 in. </li>
<li>Area: 140 sq. in. </li>
<li>Length: 22 in. </li>
<li>Weight: 15-17 oz. </li>
<li>Wing Loading: 15.4-17.5 oz./sq. ft. </li>
<li>Airfoil: RG-14 (thinned) </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Kit features</b>: Epoxy glass fuselage, balsa wing sheeting, blue foam wing cores,
full size rolled plans, all wood parts included. </p>
<p><b>Price</b>: $70 + 5.50 shipping (Dealer inquiries welcome) </p>
<p><b>Manufacturer</b>: </p>
<address>
Raptor Aerosports<br>
21036 stoney glen <br>
Lake Forest, CA 92630 <br>
<a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=raptorrc&d=wireless.wdc.net">RaptorRC(at)wireless.wdc.net </a>
</address>
<p><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../../images/falcone2.jpg" align="left" hspace="0" width="165" height="210">Speed
400 pylon racing is just starting to catch on here on the west coast. The problem is,
there are very few kits readily available out here. The Falconet was designed to fill the
need for a fast, strong and easy to build sp400 pylon racer. The prototype was built using
a lost foam fuselage and cores for an RG-15 airfoil used on one of my slope glider kits.
The flying weight was 17.1 ounces. The prototype was no beauty (lost foam, yuck!), but it
took second in a race the day after it's test flight. the little airplane was showing
possibilities. A few refinements were made to the wing and fuselage shape before the
fuselage molds were built. The airfoil was changed to the thinned RG-14 (much faster)
before the first kits were built. The production prototype won the first race it was
entered in. but it was heavy (18.2 oz.). Back to the shop to work on the fuselage layup.
Now, finished airplanes are flying at 15-17 oz. and performance is nothing short of
sparkling. At this point, the Falconet has developed into a very competitive little race
plane (not to mention the overpowering cute factor it has <g>). The funny thing is,
about half of the airplanes built, never get raced. They have turned out to be a great
little sport plane to fly at the school yard (I have a long history of flying 1/2A's at
the local school, residents were very happy when I converted to electric). With a 5x4 cox
prop, the run time goes up as well as the vertical performance, but it's not as fast.
Anyway, that's the rough history. It really is a fun little ship to fly, whether it's
around pylons or zipping around the field showing off to your friends. If you have the
urge to build fast little airplanes, give it a try. No one has been disappointed yet. </p>
<p>For anyone who is interested, I'm working on a sport version of the falconet with a 37
inch RG-15 wing on the same fuselage. I built the first at the request of a friend who
"was not secure in his ability to fly the racer". But, he thought it was too
cute not to have one (that's where the cute factor statement came from). Complete kits are
almost ready for this version (give me two weeks) </p>
<p><a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=raptorrc&d=wireless.wdc.net">Brian Buaas <br>
Raptor Aerosports </a></p>
<h3><u>Videos</u> </h3>
<p>I sometimes get email from people looking for videos of electric flight events.
It seems that many of us are the only electric flyer in our area and would like
to see actual moving images of scale electric aircraft and such. Two
suppliers that I know of are listed below: </p>
<p>Clay Howe sells videos of many electric events, including the 1996 Electric Nats and
Mid-America Fly-in. </p>
<address>
<b>Clay Howe Videos</b><br>
310 S Jefferson St<br>
Sturgis, MI 49091<br>
<a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=clayhowe&d=net-link.net">clayhowe(at)net-link.net</a>
</address>
<p>Videos of the 1996 KRC can be purchased from: </p>
<address>
<b>REEL-TOUR PRODUCTIONS</b><br>
P.O. Box 466<br>
Perkasie PA 18944<br>
Phone (215) 453-8281
</address>
<hr>
<h2>The Hall Bulldog Project </h2>
<p align="left">I'm sorry to say that I haven't worked on the Bulldog very much at all.
As soon as I get settled in Texas I'll devote some time to the project. </p>
<p align="left">I do have a new picture to share with everyone. This painting
really shows off the graceful, sleek design of the plane: </p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../../images/bull1.jpg" width="357" height="281"> </p>
<hr>
<p align="left">Thats all for this month. Don't forget to <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=jbourke&d=ezonemag.com">email me</a> if you have any comments or questions.
<p align="left">This month I am proud to announce that Pete O'Shea has joined our
staff as a columnist. Pete will be writing the <a href="/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../sporttop/pete1296.htm">Sport
Electric Topics</a> column. Pete is an accomplished pilot and builder and will make a
great monthly addition to this web site. </p>
<p align="left">Another exciting feature this month is a set of 8 high-quality <a href="/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../plans/nocal/nocal.htm">no-cal plan sets provided by Paul Bradley</a>.
No-Cal planes are profile scale free flight designs that are normally flown
with rubber power, but Paul has provided instructions on converting them to electric using
either NiCad or Capacitor power supplies. If you have been thinking of trying out
free flight now is your chance to build from an excellent set of plans. </p>
<p align="left">Article Submissions </p>
<p align="left">I've been noticing that the number of article submissions falls
dramatically when I do not provide something in the way of an incentive. In the past
I have sponsored article contests, whereby each author was given a shot at winning
a prize. I'm somewhat perplexed why a small chance at winning a $20 item
is able to generate 15 articles that wouldn't have been written otherwise, but who am I to
question the results? </p>
<p align="left">After the Holiday season is over I'll run another contest.
I'd really love to have support from some of the vendors out there, particularly the
ones who have benefited from the free advertising provided by EFLIGHT. I don't want
to start the contest now because the Holiday season typically makes it difficult for
people to sit down and write product reviews, etc, but if you have an article to send
in this month then it will count for the contest when it is run. This
should be a great time of the year to do a product review, as the building season
(and gift season) is definitely upon us. </p>
<hr>
<h2 align="left">New Products </h2>
<p>Let me take a moment to share some of the new offerings I have heard of this
month. If you are a vendor with a press release or product announcement that you would
like to share, <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=jbourke&d=ezonemag.com">email me at jbourke(at)ezonemag.com</a>.
</p>
<h3><u>New Cells</u> </h3>
<p>The big news in the electric flight community is the announcement by Sanyo that they
have started production of the 2000SCR cell. The standard cell for electric
flight use has been the 1700SCR (and its variants) for the past couple of years.
Earlier this year Sanyo announced that they would soon stop making the 1700SCR or
the 1000SCR. Many of us have been waiting with baited breath to see
if they would be replaced by a better cell. </p>
<p>It looks as though we will not be disappointed. The new 2000SCR
and 1250SCR will replace the 1700SCR and 1000SCR respectively. Both cell types
are the same physical size as the cells they replace. I have not received any information
on weight (believe me, I've tried to get the data), but I have been told that there
is "no appreciable difference" in weight between the new cells and the old ones.
I take this to mean that the difference is only a few grams and will not
alter the energy density significantly. The really good news is that the performance of
the cells will equal or surpass the ones we have been using. More data next month,
hopefully. </p>
<h3><u>Free Stickers</u> </h3>
<p>Aveox is giving out free stickers to electric flyers. To order, visit their
website at <a href="http://www.aveox.com">www.aveox.com</a> or email <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=dpalombo&d=aveox.com">Dave Polombo</a>. </p>
<h3><u>New Old-Timer Kits</u> </h3>
<p>For you Old-Timer fans, Bob Sliff is now producing short kits of the Playboy Sr.
(80" span for 16-20 cells), the Original Buccaneer (84" span for 16-20
cells), and the Powerhouse (84" span for 16-20 cells). He also has some
Fast Eddie kits left (6-7 cell aerobatic model). <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=bsli40&d=aol.com">Email
Bob Sliff for info at BSLI40(at)aol.com</a>. </p>
<h3><u>New speed 400 pylon racer kit: The Falconet</u> </h3>
<p align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../../images/falcone4.jpg" width="275" height="165"> </p>
<p><b>Name</b>: Falconet </p>
<p><b>Type</b>: Speed 400 Pylon Racer </p>
<p><b>Vitals</b>:
<ul>
<li>Span: 32 in. </li>
<li>Area: 140 sq. in. </li>
<li>Length: 22 in. </li>
<li>Weight: 15-17 oz. </li>
<li>Wing Loading: 15.4-17.5 oz./sq. ft. </li>
<li>Airfoil: RG-14 (thinned) </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Kit features</b>: Epoxy glass fuselage, balsa wing sheeting, blue foam wing cores,
full size rolled plans, all wood parts included. </p>
<p><b>Price</b>: $70 + 5.50 shipping (Dealer inquiries welcome) </p>
<p><b>Manufacturer</b>: </p>
<address>
Raptor Aerosports<br>
21036 stoney glen <br>
Lake Forest, CA 92630 <br>
<a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=raptorrc&d=wireless.wdc.net">RaptorRC(at)wireless.wdc.net </a>
</address>
<p><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../../images/falcone2.jpg" align="left" hspace="0" width="165" height="210">Speed
400 pylon racing is just starting to catch on here on the west coast. The problem is,
there are very few kits readily available out here. The Falconet was designed to fill the
need for a fast, strong and easy to build sp400 pylon racer. The prototype was built using
a lost foam fuselage and cores for an RG-15 airfoil used on one of my slope glider kits.
The flying weight was 17.1 ounces. The prototype was no beauty (lost foam, yuck!), but it
took second in a race the day after it's test flight. the little airplane was showing
possibilities. A few refinements were made to the wing and fuselage shape before the
fuselage molds were built. The airfoil was changed to the thinned RG-14 (much faster)
before the first kits were built. The production prototype won the first race it was
entered in. but it was heavy (18.2 oz.). Back to the shop to work on the fuselage layup.
Now, finished airplanes are flying at 15-17 oz. and performance is nothing short of
sparkling. At this point, the Falconet has developed into a very competitive little race
plane (not to mention the overpowering cute factor it has <g>). The funny thing is,
about half of the airplanes built, never get raced. They have turned out to be a great
little sport plane to fly at the school yard (I have a long history of flying 1/2A's at
the local school, residents were very happy when I converted to electric). With a 5x4 cox
prop, the run time goes up as well as the vertical performance, but it's not as fast.
Anyway, that's the rough history. It really is a fun little ship to fly, whether it's
around pylons or zipping around the field showing off to your friends. If you have the
urge to build fast little airplanes, give it a try. No one has been disappointed yet. </p>
<p>For anyone who is interested, I'm working on a sport version of the falconet with a 37
inch RG-15 wing on the same fuselage. I built the first at the request of a friend who
"was not secure in his ability to fly the racer". But, he thought it was too
cute not to have one (that's where the cute factor statement came from). Complete kits are
almost ready for this version (give me two weeks) </p>
<p><a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=raptorrc&d=wireless.wdc.net">Brian Buaas <br>
Raptor Aerosports </a></p>
<h3><u>Videos</u> </h3>
<p>I sometimes get email from people looking for videos of electric flight events.
It seems that many of us are the only electric flyer in our area and would like
to see actual moving images of scale electric aircraft and such. Two
suppliers that I know of are listed below: </p>
<p>Clay Howe sells videos of many electric events, including the 1996 Electric Nats and
Mid-America Fly-in. </p>
<address>
<b>Clay Howe Videos</b><br>
310 S Jefferson St<br>
Sturgis, MI 49091<br>
<a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=clayhowe&d=net-link.net">clayhowe(at)net-link.net</a>
</address>
<p>Videos of the 1996 KRC can be purchased from: </p>
<address>
<b>REEL-TOUR PRODUCTIONS</b><br>
P.O. Box 466<br>
Perkasie PA 18944<br>
Phone (215) 453-8281
</address>
<hr>
<h2>The Hall Bulldog Project </h2>
<p align="left">I'm sorry to say that I haven't worked on the Bulldog very much at all.
As soon as I get settled in Texas I'll devote some time to the project. </p>
<p align="left">I do have a new picture to share with everyone. This painting
really shows off the graceful, sleek design of the plane: </p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/ctower/../../images/bull1.jpg" width="357" height="281"> </p>
<hr>
<p align="left">Thats all for this month. Don't forget to <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=jbourke&d=ezonemag.com">email me</a> if you have any comments or questions.