P-30

So slight change of plan, I was all fired up to jump into the B Dixie build but then realized I don't need it yet. Yet is relative, because I would still like to have it for the NATS in July. To back up a little, my plan is to compete over three days; Wednesday through Friday and enter three events each of those days. B Nos Gas is on Wednesday along with 1/2A Classic Gas and E-36, for both which classes I have completed models. I also have two models completed for Thursday's events, but none for Friday. So my efforts would be best directed towards getting two models finished for two of Friday's three chosen events, then adding a third to each day as time permits. It's a lofty goal, but ensures I will have a fair chance of competing in two classes per day. Considering that in some classes I may be a spectator after three official flights, having more than one model will extend my flying somewhat.

The three events I've chosen for Friday are P-30, Early 1/2A Nos Gas and 1/4A Nos Gas. P-30 is a rubber-powered event and I have a Perky 30 from StarLink FliteTech. I've had a Polecat Mk.X short kit here for several years (sound familiar?) but in the interest of expediency chose to buy an ARF model from SLFT. The Polecat is a proven winner in the hands of designer Don Deloach and others, and I am quite capable of building it but time is of the essence. The Perky will do fine for my first time out and I can have it flight ready in a matter of days rather than the weeks or months it would likely take me to complete the Polecat. Here's the model assembled as received:

Bob White's Mini TwinFin is the basis of the Perky 30, it being a European-built ARF version. The construction is excellent, everything light and clean and the covering is also top notch. With very little work it can be made flyable though is lacking a dethermalizer (DT) system, essential for any serious flying. It appears to be set up for a fuse-based popup stab, but I will fix the stab and use a popoff wing system. Two reasons for this, the Perky has fins on the stab tips and having the stab more permanently mounted will hopefully greatly reduce any trim variations related to a less than perfect popup stab mechanism. The other reason is that in a strong thermal the stab alone may not be enough to DT the model. The popoff wing will completely detach and trail the model during the descent, one wing tip being connected to the rear of the fuselage by a Dacron line. I'll use a viscous timer and copy the hold-down method from the Polecat.

B Nos Dixielander

Next on the build list is a Dixielander for B Nos Gas. This is another model that I started some years ago, the stabilizer and fuselage are framed. Now that the OS 29 is back in hand the front end of the fuse can be completed. I was fairly certain I had cut a full set of ribs for this model but discovered this was not the case, the ribs I remember having are for a smaller A Gas version. Fortunately I had previously decided on spar sizes and cut a ply rib template, so slicing some ribs will not be too large a task. Here are the first 8 cut from 3/32" balsa, I think another 19 are needed.

For the uninitiated (which includes the writer), B Nos Gas refers to the size and class of model. "B" being engine sizes in the range of .20 to .30 cubic inches. "Nos" refers to Nostalgia, which if I understand correctly includes all models for which plans or kits were available during the years 1943 through 1956. Some models kitted after '56 are also approved. "Gas" refers to the fuel source, originally being gasoline. The engines I have run on alcohol (methanol) which is not typically referred to as "gas" other than in this case. Gasoline-burning engines are still used in some classes but they are the minority. Here's another shot of the OS .29, showing the new cylinder head and next to it the original finned head. Engine run times are so short that no cooling fins are needed.

A shot of Dixielander designer George Fuller with a stock Dixie of 50-inch span.