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.