Radio Control Jet International 2021-02-03

THE WORLD’S PREMIER R/C JET MAGAZINE 166 -FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021
£ 5.99
Bret Becker’s U-2C
wins TOP GUN 2020

- Boeing T-7A Red Hawk - part 2
- KingTech K-142G4
- FlyFly Viperjet
- Sabreliner EDF





CONTENTS Page 44
King
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 The
8 FRANK TIANO

Remembering Mr. Top Gun

12 TOP GUN 2020

The world’s most important annual scale competition

22 THE SPECIALISTS

RCJI interviews Trond Hammerstad - Exact Aircraft

30 SABRELINER EDF

A scale replica of Bob Hoover's twin jet

40 BOEING T-7A RED HAWK - Part 2

JMB Jets scale replica of the new USAF jet trainer

44 KINGTECH K-142G4

RCJI tests the new addition to the KingTech range

50 CONCORDE - Part 6

The largest R/C jet in the world!

56 TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

David Gladwin’s hints and tips

62 VIPER JET

Colin Straus reviews FlyFly's replica of this popular jet

Sabreliner EDF

30Page

ON THE COVER:

gTech K-142G4 Bret and Wency Becker won Top Gun 2020
with the U-2C Dragonlady. Also shown together
with the Mr.Top Gun Trophy presented by Frank
Tiano, who recently passed away

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EDITORIAL

Honorary editor
Tony Stephenson

Editor
Marco Benincasa
[email protected]

Co-editor
Colin Straus
[email protected]

Magazine design and layout
Emanuela Amadei

Printer
Warner plc

Dear friends, Published by
I had been looking forward to the new year, hoping that we would start to see Radio Control Publishing Ltd
Bush House, Ongar Road, Writtle,
things improving so that we could start our journey back to normality, but sadly this proved Essex, CM1 3NZ.
not to be the case. U.K.

I was totally devastated when I received the news that one of the people dearest to me, Subscriptions
Frank Tiano, passed away on Monday 4th January 2021. [email protected]
RC Jet International is a bi-monthly magazine
The aeromodelling world has lost one of it’s greatest, someone who leaves a unique mark 1 year subscription prices:
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ced by him, whilst our new magazine dedicated to scale prop models and gliders, R/C
Scale International, owes much to his encouragement and advice. ADVERTISER INDEX

Top Gun and Florida Jets, two of the biggest events in the world (Top Gun is without any AMT Turbines........................... 72
doubt the largest scale competition currently being held), are Frank's best known creations, Advanced Radio....................... 20
and they both had and continue to have a major influence on the scale and jet communities, Aviator...................................... 3
neither of which would be the same without him. We all hope that both events will continue Baja Hobby............................... 55
in his name, in a way he would be proud of. I just can't believe I will never see him again. BVM Jets.................................. 60
CARF......................................... 71
As you can imagine, it's been very hard for me to think clearly about anything else at the CB Electronics.......................... 44
moment, but I have to force myself as I know that Frank would kick me in...well, you get it, CM Jets..................................... 16
if he saw me sitting in a corner crying instead of facing life and of course, work. Dreamworks............................. 28
Electron Retracts..................... 49
So I have to move on to this new issue of Jet International, packed with interesting articles, Evo Jet...................................... 21
for example David Galdwin's column, the latest part of the magnificent Concorde story FT Enterprise........................... 11
and of course our in-depth reviews. Whilst talking about reviews, I encourage you to read Horizon Hobby.......................... 29
that of the FlyFly Viperjet, written by our co-editor Colin Straus, as it's a perfect example Hybl Turbines........................... 59
of the way we do our test reviews: if we find problems we not only list and describe them, JetCat........................................ 61
but we also explain how we made changes to transform what at the start is a far from Jettstream................................ 39
great model, into a really good one! I'm sure that while reading this you'll have a similar KingTech.................................. 7
reaction to me: from "What the xxx???" to "Hey now it's good!". This article is also Lambert................................... 34
particularly useful, because you'll find a lot of technical suggestions about how to fix MacGregor Industries............... 54
various problems, which can also be applied to other models. Motors & Rotors...................... 70
PowerBox Systems................... 27
I'll finish here, and to those lucky enough to be able to get out and fly, I wish you as RC Passion............................... 21
always, good flights and happy landings. Schubeler Composite............... 27
Sorvolando Compositi.............. 39
Marco Sky Candy................................. 48
Skymaster................................. 2
Tailormade............................... 53
Tomahawk Aviation................... 43
Unilight..................................... 39
Xicoy Electronica...................... 39
Zap Glue................................... 48



AUTHOR: SEAN CURRY

FRANK TIANO

Mister Top Gun

Our RC scale modelling community suf- This is the Me109 that Frank competed Frank in the early days of Top Gun
fered a tremendous loss in the first days with in both scale AND pattern classes
of 2021. The founder of Top Gun, Frank during one single event!
Tiano, has passed away. Top Gun is an
invitational international scale modelling Frank's favorite airplane of all time, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt painted in his
RC event, arguably the greatest of its favorite paint scheme of all time, The Blond Angel, in honor of his wife Carol. Yes,
kind on the planet. But Frank was so blonde is spelled incorrectly. That is what scale modelling is all about, duplicating
much more though than being just the the full scale, even if it is wrong! This one is a CARF model powered by a Moki 250
founder of this prestigious event. He was
a father, a son, a husband, and a bro- out loud. He could also show up in a T- New York City, in 1944. His love of air-
ther. He was also affectionately known shirt and shorts and fit right in the crowd. planes began at an early age, beginning
as "Uncle Frank" to many, who, while not He was classy, no simpler way to put it. with small rubber models, similar to how
related by blood, were made by him to Although many who met him thought that many of us started. He graduated to
feel like family. I fall into this category. He Frank had a level of sophistication that powered control line models by the time
has been my "Uncle Frank" for as long could only come from a metropolis he was 15 when, again like many of us,
as I can remember going to the model upbringing, someplace like New York his interests turned to girls and cars. He
flying field with my dad as a kid. City or Chicago (or maybe Paris or parlayed his love of cars into a rather
A little background about the man who Milan), his beginnings were much hum- successful amateur drag racing career
was Frank Tiano, before we dive into his bler. He was born in Kingston NY, a driving against such contemporaries as
tremendous modelling achievements. small upstate town situated on the Shirley "cha-cha" Muldowney and John
He had an air about him that was magi- Hudson River about 100 miles north of Force among others, who went on to
cal. He was like a chameleon in his abi- have highly successful racing careers.
lity to adapt to his environment and see-
mingly had the "midas touch" which,
more often than not, positioned him
exactly where he wanted to be in almost
any situation. This did not always come
easy though, he truly was the hardest
working man in the business. He could
be found sitting at his desk running his
company, Frank Tiano Enterprise Inc.,
pretty much 365 days a year right up
until just days before we lost him. This is
the company, along with his partners,
Robart and House of Balsa, that brought
to market the ZAP glue product line that
we have all relied on to hold our models
together for 40+ years. His drive was
unmatched and anyone that sat across
from him at a negotiating table quickly
knew that they needed to bring their "A"
game or they would get eaten alive. He
could dress up for a night out on the
town and was the type of guy who com-
manded attention without having to say it

Frank's Macchi C.200 Saetta. 120" Frank's Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero. 140" wingspan, 3 x Zenoah G45s
wingspan, powered by a DLE 120cc twin

8

FRANK TIANO

Frank enjoyed flying jets as well. This If Frank wasn't building planes in his shop, he was offer-
is from the pre-turbine days. An orig- ing advice. He was an excellent builder and knew at least
inal ducted fan BVM F-86 that was 3 different ways to do things due to his vast experience.
converted to represent the Navy FJ-3 Here he and my dad, Bob Curry, an excellent builder in
Fury version. BVM Viojett power his own right, discuss this 1/3 scale Balsa USA Pup build.

Frank's love of cars took him down ano- The Top Gun family signed a tribute banner in 2019 for the 30th anniversary
ther path which knowing how his life tur-
ned out makes perfect sense....sales! He ting around 1975 with his final articles to siasts, his personal modelling interest
became a very successful car salesman be published posthumously in the spring focused on one particular genre of model
working his way up the chain at several of 2021. From model or product reviews, airplanes, SCALE. Sure, he dabbled in
dealerships until he ultimately became to event coverage and also many how-to other aspects of this great hobby of ours,
the sales manager at a Buick dealership. articles he has had over 250 articles such as jets (his other event, Florida Jets
My parents 1977 Buick station wagon published in magazines around the was the 1st large event ever put together
was actually purchased from Frank! world. He had several long running mon- and is 20+ years strong now), but his pri-
His love of airplanes never went away thly columns which were usually related mary interest was clearly scale RC
though and in the early 1970's, when the to Scale but not solely. He was president modelling. Frank, with his drag racing
remote control revolution really went into of the JPO (Jet Pilots Organization) at competition roots, quickly took to RC
full swing in the USA, he jumped back one point and held several offices with scale competition. In fact, he would often
into the model airplane game. He began the AMA. Recently, he made a run at tell me stories of going to a model event
flying RC, a time when if you wanted a AMA president, which garnered great with a scale model and entering a single
model airplane you had to buy or design support but, alas, it just wasn't in the model in 2 completely different catego-
an airplane and then build it, one stick at cards. His voice, however, was always ries.....scale and pattern! Imagine flying
a time, using ambroid glue or a similar well respected and many of his ideas a competition pattern plane designed
adhesive. Often this would require many made his way into policies that we follow specifically for that type of competition,
hours of waiting and building a wing, for today. long tail moment, perfect symmetry, etc
example, would take a week of gluing Thankfully for us scale model enthu- and the next guy to fly in your class pulls
and waiting and gluing and waiting......
here is where some of his magic went to
work: in the mid 70's, the car dealership
he managed began using superglues to
fix small plastic and vinyl bits on interiors
of their cars... They were using these
glues that took minutes or even seconds
to bond virtually any material and a light
went off in Frank's head! Why are we, as
modelers, using these ancient glues
when these superglues are readily avai-
lable? Some brainstorming with a few
partners in addition to his clever marke-
ting mind, and the ZAP product line was
created circa 1979. The rest, as they
say, is modelling history. Along the way
to opening FTE Inc, his glue and scale
accessories business, Frank began sha-
ring his RC experiences in print. He
wrote for many model magazines star-

9

AUTHOR: SEAN CURRY

Another building discussion between
Frank Tiano and Bob Curry. These
two started building scale models in
the 1970's together and never stopped.
Here they are working on the Zapata
Warbirds Ki-61 Tony, Frank's final
project which the FTE crew will be
completing in his honor

Frank’s Zapata Warbirds Oscar which he clearly loved. This is the
model that Frank flew and competed with for the last few years.

Frank and his puppy Luca in the golf cart that was constantly and competitors from all points of the globe. I do not have a
"cruising" the flightline at Top Gun visiting the Top Gun "family". complete list but off the top of my head I can tell you I have had
the pleasure, while competing at Top Gun, of meeting like min-
up with an Messerschmitt Me109! Just like Sinatra, he did it his ded RC scale enthusiasts from (in no particular order): the
way. Working his way through the ranks, Frank slowly but USA (of course), England, Scotland, Italy, Belgium, Russia,
surely became the guy to watch out for at events spanning Serbia, France, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Australia, New
from coast to coast in the USA. It was not abnormal for him to Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Germany, Austria,
pack up a plane and travel 10 or 12 hours to a competition or Ireland, Thailand, the list goes on and on.....this is obviously an
even to hit 2 competitions in one road trip. I wish I was old incredible feat and for this, we have Frank Tiano to thank. As
enough to experience the fun they had flying and travelling in the decades rolled on with Top Gun we, as competitors, have
the 1970's. It sounds like it was much more active than what realized that what Frank Tiano did was to create an internatio-
we have today, which leads me to Top Gun, Frank's legacy. nal family. People with a common interest that would gather
While Frank enjoyed the scale events he attended, he knew each year to show off their latest masterpiece but more impor-
that he could put his own scale competition together that would tantly than that, to share stories of their lives. We watched as
address some of the deficiencies he had seen from his keen families grew, single men became married, newlyweds had
competitors' perspective. He had made friends with many children, we even mourned losses together of family and
industry leaders and together with them formed a small com- friends as, sadly, father time spares no one. Which, again, is
mittee including scale legends such as David Platt, aka Mr. why I am writing this today. Father time has claimed the man
Scale, to put together a rulebook whose framework remains who gave us this incredible gift, Top Gun, where lifelong frien-
largely unchanged. Over the past decade, some changes have dships have been forged and only the best scale models in the
been made to adapt to the changing face of scale RC model- world have competed! We will always miss you Frank Tiano,
ling by adding new classes, but the original 3 classes: Expert, but we will never forget you!
Masters and Team scale remain as originally written which
speaks volumes of the foresight of the original committee. Sean Curry
Founded in 1989, Top Gun celebrated its 31st year in 2020. It
is an International Invitational event that draws both spectators Frank and his true love, Carol Tiano.

10



AUTHOR: P.J. ASH - PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID HART

Jets at TOP GUN 2020

Michael Abraira big Viper Jet

It is pretty apparent that our world has Ralph Esposito preparing his Mirage 2000
changed, and we are going through
times we've never experienced before. I
think of my forefathers and times where
they felt "their world" had fallen apart
and realized they made it through and
so will we! COVID-19 has changed the
way we live and socialize for a while and
many social events have been moved or
canceled all together.
It was the same with Top Gun. Frank
Tiano (Event owner) of Top Gun conti-
nued to make us aware that the normal
date (usually last weekend in April
through the first weekend in May) would
most likely not happen. In fact, Top Gun
might not happen at all during 2020 with

Gabriel Pellegrini’s T-33 Shooting Star in the Thunderbirds’ scheme

12

TOP GUN 2020

Another Top Gun day starts so many unknowns. Those of you who
Nick Morrow’s L-39 Albatros know Frank know that even though he
has a heart of gold, he is NOT to be
pushed around. Sure enough, he made
an announcement that Top Gun would
not be held on its normal date but inste-
ad in October. Well heck, that is my bir-
thday month, and it will not be so hot! I
felt this was perfect! I wondered what
Top Gun would bring this year; a large
portion of the participants of Top Gun
come from out of the country and we
knew that due to COVID-19 none of
them would make it. I really hated this
because Top Gun is the one time per
year I know that I get to see my mode-
ling family from "overseas". Even
though I knew that they would be with us
in spirit, I was going to miss them, but I
also knew there were going to be a good
number of people that would be there.

The MB-339 is a rare subject at Top Gun. Here is Les Morrow's example

13

AUTHOR: P.J. ASH - PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID HART

Ali Machinchy won the Pro Jet class with his gorgeous F-86 Sabre

That made me excited. weeks before the event I was asked if I Nick Morrow’s big YAK-130
If you have ever prepared for competi- would sell it to a good friend at an offer
tion, or even an air show, most likely you "I couldn't refuse"!
feel that you have all the time in the Of course, the new owner said I was
world to get ready. Then, without war- more than welcome to compete with the
ning, the event is upon you and you are plane, but not me! Nope! Once I've sold
burning the "late night" fuel to get your an airplane, it is gone. If something bad
plane(s) ready! In a sense that happe- was going to happen, you can be assu-
ned to me. My Top Gun plane was going red that it would happen during the
to be the TBD Devastator (an early event after I sold the plane.
WWII torpedo bomber), however merely I recently became a proud member of
the Bob Violett rep. team and was super

14

TOP GUN 2020

Ali Machinchy’s ME-262, winner of the Team Class together with its builder, Trond Hammerstad

Jose Melendez's BVM F-86 Sabre excited to be part of this amazing family.
I called my team leader and just asked if
it would be possible to borrow a factory
demo plane. I knew that we had several
planes that team pilots could fly, and I
was hoping that I was not so "new" that
they would not trust me with one. Of
course, they were happy to help me out.
My team leader gave me 3 to choose
from and I decided to go with the new
BVM PNP F-86. I love flying the F-86
and the bright color of the Utah National
Guard was perfect.
I am not going to expand much on my
experience with this plane because I am
writing another article that will encom-

15

AUTHOR: P.J. ASH - PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID HART

TOP GUN 2020 WINNER: BRET BECKER LOCKEED U-2C

One particular model I must highlight is the expertly designed and built model of the famous U-2 spy plane by Bret Becker, out of Ohio.
The Lockheed U-2C Dragon Lady model is 1/8th scale with a wingspan of 120”, it weighs 23lbs, is EDF and powered with a Schübeler
HDS 86 (120mm) on 12S. Li-Pos are Roaringtop 6600mAh saddle packs distributed by https://rcjetwerx.com/. ESC is a YEP 120amp desi-
gned for up to 14s. Main retract is a Robart electric with Robart strut with the tailwheel being an older BVM mechanical retract as this
was the only low profile retract that actually fits in the limited space between the fuselage wall and the thrust tube. Servos are from
https://www.promodeler.com/, Tx a Futaba 16SZ and gyro a Cortex pro (from https://www.aeropanda.com/).
The airframe is modeled after the U-2C on display at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia. The museum was very suppor-
tive of the project and contributed greatly to documenting the color and markings. The model is painted with lacquer and finished with
fine steel wool. The dry transfer markings were expertly produced by http://www.flightlinegraphics.com/
The pilot is modeled after Francis Gary Powers and fitted with the early partial pressure suit that U-2 pilots wore. This one of a kind pilot
was crafted by Lyle Vasser of https://bestpilots.typepad.com/my_weblog/
The “Remove Before Flight” tags were a great extra touch for the static judges and these were produced by https://strictlyscale.net/
Bret says that this plane flies very well in the air and with the power set up, he is getting flights in excess of 10 minutes! This is a great
flight time for anyone who flies electric ducted fans! The only issue is upon landing, the U-2 will get into “ground effect” and not want
to settle on the runway. His wife Wency has been a huge support and is also his caller. Bret took home several awards, but this model will
always be known as the plane that took the coveted “Mr. Top Gun 2020”. Way to go Bret!

16

TOP GUN 2020

Rei Gonzales’ MiG-15

Frank Noll's 1/5th scale BVM F-16 the past, but like I said, things change,
and I think this is good. Technology has
pass both the plane and my experience great Top Gun experience! allowed many parts and pieces to be
flying it in a competition. I will say that I Even thought Top Gun was a bit light, easily produced (such as 3D printing)
had one practice flight with her before there were a lot of wonderful airplanes which opens the hobby to many more.
the event started and came in 3rd place (and people) that attended. For the most Yes, planes can come that are basically
in my class, Pro Jet, right behind two part, the wind was the typical ARFs, but Frank opened Top Gun in
very well known and great pilots. It is a steady(ish) cross wind but was not real- many different classes to allow these
fantastic platform, and I could not have ly bad. The temperature was steady bet- types of aircraft, helping keep the hobby
asked for a better aircraft to have a ween 80 to 90°F. alive. After all, you might not have the
Top Gun has made many changes to the time to build the plane or not even want
rules over the year. As the climate of the to, but you do have to fly the thing! That
hobby changed, so must Top Gun. Let's is important to keep in mind!
face it, we just don't have as many buil- Frank always "thought outside of the
ders anymore. The thought of showing box", and this year, for the first time, we
up with a mostly pre-fab plane at a com- had a new class for ducted fan electric
petition would have been unheard of in jets! Guess what? They had to be made
from foam! That's right! The largest and
most prestigious model events in the
world allowing foamy jets to compete this
year! Sounds ridiculous? Maybe not.
There are so many foam ducted fan jets
in the market and it continues to expand.
Just like Pro-Am, it seems that Frank
gave the foam jet group a try. Based on
my experience, it was a success! It sure
did open up the event to people I have
not seen compete before and that is the

Marvin Alvarez (left) won the new
Foam EDF class with his PA-8 Poseidon
(based on the Motion RC AL-37)

17

AUTHOR: P.J. ASH - PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID HART

Henry Castellanos’ B-787

Another aircraft that is worth mentioning is the awesome B787 Dreamliner flown by Henry Castellanos from Florida. Henry is a profes-
sional pilot with over 12,000 hours and 20 years flying commercially the B777, B747, B737, B727, MD11 and a variety of large cabin pri-
vate jets. He is currently managing and flying B737 and B777 business jets for a private family.
This remarkable Boeing 787 is scratch built and one of the first prototypes that will be kitted eventually by Aeromodeler in early 2021.
The airplane is actually a Boeing licensed product and will be sold as such. The plane took Henry about 11/2 years to build. The wingspan
is over 4m with a fuselage length of 3.8m carrying a weight of 75lbs. There are 26 servos on board with power distribution through
Powerbox Royal as well as using the PowerBox iGyro. Radio system is PowerBox Core. Thrust is provided by two Jet Central Lynx 130s
and lights are by Skycandy.
Henry says the R/C B787 is complex just like the real one. It uses Integrated ailerons and flight spoilers, it also has dual sets of ground
spoilers that deploy automatically on landing just like the real airplane. It has custom made landing gear that incorporates 8 brakes on
the main wheels, controlled by an Electron
G200 controller that manages the anti-skid
mechanism for each 4 wheel truck. There
are only two R/C B787 flying in the world
right now, the initial prototype and Henry's,
which now has just over 12 flights on her
counting the flying at Top Gun.

whole reason to try new ideas! Ali's F-86 safe system. The plane weighs 68lbs
There were so many wonderful and and Ali says he has over 35 flights on
awesome jets this year it would be hard A beautiful plane that I see at various jet the airframe over the past 3 years.
to list them all. I would like to highlight a shows and always gets my attention is
few that stood out to me. Again, I am the Tomahawk Aviation designed F-86. Nick Morrow Yak-130
trying to give a good representation of This is a huge airplane spanning over 3
what was there, but there is no way I metres with a scale of 1/3.7! Ali Nick Morrow brought this impressive
could list everything that was cool. I Machinchy flew this beautiful F-86 spor- Yak-130 which spans 94" and is powe-
don't think there are enough trees to ting a "fantasy scheme". That's right, red by twin JetCat P-140s, being guided
make the paper required to do so. Here you must prove the scheme existed by a Jeti radio system. The jet is built
the ones that really impressed me, other even if it is only a simulator skin. Ali pro- from a BVM kit although BVM now pro-
than the two "stars" of the event, Bret vided the proof of the simulator skin and duces this kit in a plug and play ARF
Becker's winning U-2 and Henry this awesome camo version was some- version, if you are interested.
Castelao's B-787. thing to see. Ali uses a powerful The Yak-130 has become an extremely
KingTech 210 and guides the massive popular jet to fly and compete with, it
18 plane with a Spektrum radio and power- has a relatively low aspect ratio, and the

TOP GUN 2020

Chris Jackson's Mirage F-1 BVM shows off its lighting system at dusk

can hold a great array of ordnance. a Spektrum IX-20 radio, taking him to 2020 was a great event and special
Plus, there are many colors to choose 2nd place in the X-Class. thanks to Frank Tiano for all his hard
from! work putting it on.
Chris Jackson
Rei Gonzalez MiG-15 Dassault Mirage F-1 It is unfortunate that I must end this arti-
cle on a very sad note, but I felt that it
This huge 1/4 Mig 15 was expertly flown Something you don't see every day is was appropriate. Our friend and mentor
by Rei Gonzalez and built by Phil Noel. the Dassault Mirage F-1. Well, BVM has Mr. Frank Tiano has passed, but his
It has a whopping 100" span and is brought one the market and Chris loving wife Carol was with him to the
powered by a Jet Central turbine and Jackson brought his to Top Gun this end. I am not going to go into the details,
guided with a Spektrum DX20. This year. You can't miss the amazing under- but sadly this was the last Top Gun
massive aircraft presented itself very carriage this aircraft has, and I am sure where we will see Frank speeding
well during the competition. MiG-15s that is why there haven't been many around in his famous golf cart, keeping
have always been a popular scale air- modelled, until now! This amazing 1/5 the event alive. At the time of writing, I
plane, having a relatively wide flight scale F-1 spans 73" and is a whopping do not know what will happen with
envelope without many bad tendencies. 123" long. At 49lbs in weight, this plane Florida Jets or Top Gun, but many of us
Rei flew this awesome bird into 3rd needs a lot of thrust and Chris has no are working to keep both events alive,
place in Team Class problem with the Behotec 220 turbine! and I believe we will. Frank was an
Like so many pilots at Top Gun, Chris incredibly good friend to me as well as a
Michael Abraira PC-21 guides this behemoth around with a mentor. He played a major role in my
Spektrum DX-18 radio! growth in scale modeling and competi-
Not all jet aircraft were straight turbines! tion. Farewell good friend. May you
Michael Abraira brought this beautiful Final Thoughts have the sun upon your face and the
Skymaster Pilatus PC-21. Coming in at winds at your back. Blue skies!
1/4 scale, this 90" turboprop weighs Yes, Covid-19 has been stressful and
39lbs and uses a KingTech K-100TP yes it caused a much lighter than usual P.J. Ash
spinning a Falcon 5-blade propeller. Top Gun this year, however Top Gun
Michael expertly guides this aircraft with

Henry Castellanos’ Skymaster Sukhoi SU-30 19





Interview by Colin StrauS - Photographs: trond HammerStad

THE SPECIALISTS

The first of an occasional series, where we interview some of the top specialists in the R/C jet arena

Trond Hammerstad - Exact Aircraft

- Trond, what is your model flying background, and when did
you first start flying model jets? I started when I was 10 years old
with model airplanes, at that time just balsa kits. In 2001 I moved
onto turbine jets, with my first model being a Graupner HotSpot
with a Simjet turbine…..so it was a tough way to start!

- What made you move from model flying as a hobby to starting
Exact Aircraft as a business? I needed to do something I enjoyed
and was tired of the office job I had. When my wife Heidi said to me:
"Trond, I think you should try, I know you’ll be successful" and my
good friend Ali Machinchy also helped me a great deal with a lot of
good advice along the way - that was how it all started!

- What was the first model you completed as Exact Aircraft and
when was this? It was a 1:4 scale Airworld F-104 at the beginning
of 2016.

- What model have you assembled in the greatest quantity?
That’s the Airworld F-104 (1:4 scale); currently I’m working on
No. 22 and No. 23 is on order and goes to Spain next year.

- Can you tell us how Exact Aircraft has developed over the their size and the landing gear we can get today is fantastic, as are
years, particularly with regards to technologies you have adop- the new high end radio systems (my favourites are the PowerBox
ted and any specialist areas of expertise? I’ve learned a lot in Core and the Spektrum IX 12 and 20) All brands have also conti-
many areas and am still learning. These high end scale jets are now nued to develop suitable high power servos, such as the Spektrum
extremely complex and as more experience is gained new ways of A6300, MKS 380 series, JR8911-8955 and many more. The power-
doing things are developed. One of the things jet pilots must be very ful light systems from Unilight I couldn’t live without today. And
aware of is the need to maintain these jets properly, as they are now turbines …wow, there are so many cool and reliable engines
becoming almost as sophisticated as the real aircraft. today! Take a look at the new 250 from JetCat for example!
Crazily fast start up and powerful yet only slightly larger than a
- There have been many changes and improvements over the 220 turbine.
years to the models you assemble, can you give us an idea of the
biggest improvements you have seen over the years? This is what
I love with this industry-hobby! The competition is tough, leading
to the development of new great stuff all the time. The models,

22

tHe SPeCialiStS

- We have seen that you appear to focus on Airworld models, is
this correct, and if so can you explain why this is? Everything
started for me when I got my first 1:4.5 Hawk in 2006. I received
something that really worked, in a way I did not know existed.
Since then I’ve lost count of the number of Airworld models I’ve
built, for example; BAe Hawks, L-39s, F-100s, F-9F Cougars,
MB339s, English Electric Lightning, ME262s, Hawker Hunter
and lots of F-104s.

23

Interview by Colin StrauS - Photographs: trond HammerStad

- Do you get involved in the development and assembly of new - On average how many models can your factory assemble each
and prototype models, and if you are free to talk about any new year? The first 4 -5 years saw about 40 models completed, but this
models you are working on now perhaps you could tell us what I will never do again! I was not prepared for so many requests and
these are and what you are doing with them? No not really, but said yes to too many at once (beginner’s mistake:) This year a lot
I built the first F-104 kit and helped Airworld by finishing and of things have changed, for example Covid-19 and so on… One of
painting their demo models. my clients needed me full time so recently I have prioritised the
work I do for this company. Luckily I still do almost the same jobs
in my workshop when I put together huge planes for the company
so I’m very happy with how things have worked out. Currently my
company Exact Aircraft is more of a side business and I will only
be assembling a few models each year from now on. So now that I
have also got my hobby back I think I will have time to travel to
events around the world again, when the Covid situation is
brought under control. In August I also became a new CARF
Models dealer for Norway and now sell these popular ARF models
alongside the established Airworld models and Powerbox Systems
ranges.

- What changes do you see in the future for the world of model
jets, in particular anything that might affect your business, both
good and bad? You see more ready built models coming direct
from the factories now and they are getting better all the time, but
I think those few builders currently operating around the world

24

tHe SPeCialiStS

will always have enough to do to support those who want a
custom-built jet. I’m lucky and am constantly busy.
- Do you employ any other staff at Exact Aircraft? I tried but it
didn’t work out for me.
- Quality is a vital element of model jets, how do you ensure that
only the highest quality end product reaches your customers? I
do my best and am completely focused on one model at a time. I
take the time it takes and build the model as if it was my own.
- As with the previous question, do you encourage customers to
use turbines and on-board electronics from companies you

25

Interview by Colin StrauS - Photographs: trond HammerStad

- You offer custom painting of the models you assemble, so that
a customer can specify a particular scheme - do you use fini-
shing materials from different sources, or try to use one supplier
only? I only use the one and only ….Ralle, Tailormade Decals :)

- How many different countries have you sent completed models
to? Norway, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Malta,
Panama, Brazil, Dubai, Ecuador, USA and Canada

- What is the most common question you are asked by new and
existing customers? Trond I want you to do a model for
me….again, how long for this…1-2 years?

know and trust, or are you happy to fit whatever equipment the - Is there anything else that you would like to tell the readers of
customer specifies? I will make recommendations if the customer RCJI? I always look forward to reading the magazine every other
doesn’t already have their own favourite products. I find that it is month. After Marco and Colin took over it just got even better! It’s
mainly JetCat turbines along with a few KingTech and Behotec the best magazine for us, as simple as that, thanks a lot guys! Keep
turbines being used in models I build. In 99.9% of the models I up the good work
build I fit PowerBox Systems products and I am very comfortable
with this as I know that these will be of the highest quality and will Trond Hammerstad
work reliably. Colin Straus

26







AUTHOR: JUSTIN LINK - PICTURES: DEBBIE LINK - JOHN EBERT - CHRIS WOLFE/THE RC GEEK

Sabreliner EDF

A dream come true

Bob Hoover and his Sabreliner. Above: Justin’s replica simply amazing. Over the following
years, I continued to watch his wonder-
My desire to build a model of the his Shrike Commander, however as we ful shows until his retirement in 1999.
Sabreliner dates back to September walked the pits I saw a picture of his During that time, I wanted to build a
1990 when I was an 8yr old boy atten- Sabreliner upside down with airshow model of his jet, but it was so far out of
ding my first Reno Air Race with my dad, smoke pouring out the exhaust and I the scope of my abilities in both building
grandfather and uncle. The racing was was hooked! We missed the races in ’91 and flying that it would be decades befo-
incredible and the airshow performan- but made it in ’92 and to my delight re I would have the opportunity to make
ces were fantastic, but no performer Bob’s Sabreliner was there sitting in all one of my dream planes a reality. As I
captivated me like the great R.A. “Bob” its glory out on the ramp. I watched him improved as a pilot and builder, I conti-
Hoover. That year he was actually flying put that jet through its paces and it was nually took on more and more challen-
ging projects and in early 2019 I flew my
first 100% scratch built EDF jet, which
was my 80mm L-29 Delfin. That jet real-
ly got the juices flowing to build another,
but I honestly was not considering the
Sabreliner, as it was still a “someday”
jet. That all changed in September when
I attended the 2019 Saint George
Electric Festival and saw Paul Stelly’s
beautiful model of a Sabreliner 65 at 1/7
scale. We talked all weekend about the

30

SABRELINER EDF

build and by the end of the event, he The fuselage is made from laminated insulation foam blocks
graciously let me fly her. I’m pretty sure
I said “I have to build one!” to which Paul The Freewing 80mm EDFs and their nacelles
replied, “Where do I send the plans?”
Next thing I know, there are plans and
some very nice laser cut wood parts
showing up on my doorstep! The origi-
nal model was built by my friends, Paul
Stelly and John Ebert, and is the larger
model “65”. Since Bob Hoover flew the
smaller model “40” some significant
modifications would need to be made.
A 1/7 scale Sabreliner Model 40 results
in a length of 70" (177.8 cm), and a win-
gspan of 72" (182.8 cm).

The Build

Fuselage

The majority of my builds are from typi-
cal balsa, ply and fiberglass construc-
tion, with some foam components. The
Sabreliner incorporates these materials
but is mainly constructed from high den-
sity foam. After reading through three
sheets of full size plans, it was off to the
local home improvement store to raid
their foam supply. The main fuselage
section began as eight layers of one-
inch-thick pink insulation foam lamina-
ted into an 8x11x25” block. That block
was laminated in a way that leaves the
center hollow to reduce waste, as it was
going to be hotwired into sections with a
half inch wall thickness. The fuselage
center section is constant in diameter,
making it a very easy component to cut.
I noted that since I was building a Model
40 some modifications would be nee-
ded: the first was to shorten the fusela-
ge center section by three inches. The
nose section was built by laminating an

31

AUTHOR: JUSTIN LINK - PICTURES: DEBBIE LINK - JOHN EBERT - CHRIS WOLFE/THE RC GEEK

8x11’’ block after which I drew the side This picture shows the tool Paul Stelly made to keep the fan centered while installing it
and top profile of the nose onto the foam Starting to look like an aeroplane!
and rough cut the block on a band saw.
The aft fuselage section was hotwired in The Sabreliner during the long filling and sanding process
the same manner to make a hollow There's plenty of space in the fuselage for all the servos and electronics
tube. To finish the fuselage, a solid foam
tail cone was glued on and shaped.
Once all the parts were glued together
and sanded, it was time to cut the wing
saddle, nacelle pylon, and horizontal
stab slots. John Ebert designed an inge-
nious plywood cradle to cut the wing
saddle, with the cradle sides having an
airfoil cutout which is used as the hotwi-
re guide. All I had to do was mark where
the wing root would be, make sure the
fuselage was centered, and cut the
foam. At the same time, I was able to
mark and cut the nacelle pylon and hori-
zontal stab slots. Once all the openings
were cut, I moved on to building the
internal wood structure that reinforces
the wing saddle, and provides a moun-
ting point for the wing bolts. All of these
parts were laser cut ply and fitted toge-
ther perfectly. Lastly, I installed the ply
nose gear mounts and completed all the
test fits of the nose gear. Moving onto
the nacelles, they were cut using a simi-
lar technique to the fuselage. Foam was
stacked and then hotwired using ply
templates. However, this is another area
where modifications from a Model 65 to
a Model 40 would be needed. The
Model 65 utilizes a much more modern
looking and larger nacelle to house a
significantly larger engine over the smal-
ler Model 40 nacelle. Getting that unique
shape was more challenging than I
expected. Trying to get proper intake
and exhaust area for the 80mm fans
while still maintaining a decent scale
outline took many hours of shaping
alone. Thankfully, the internal structure
was much easier to build; the fan
mounts were laser cut ply that insert into
the foam and have an incorporated
“spar” that gets glued into the pylon.
This method of mounting yields the very
rigid and strong structure needed to
support the fans. The foam nacelle is cut
into two halves with the lower half get-
ting glued to the wood mount and the
upper being used as a removable cover.
Once I was satisfied with the fit and
shape of everything, the nacelles were
removed and set aside. My final order of
business prior to fiberglassing was to
install the fans and ESC’s permanently.
The fans and ESC’s I chose to use are
the stock units out of the Freewing A-10:

32

SABRELINER EDF

Paul Stelly also designed an ingenious battery tray: the 2 batteries fit into a tray that is
notched and slides into the rails installed in the jet. This allows very easy C/G adjustments

Freewing 80mm fans with 3530-1900kv to aid the C.G. Moving to the wings, I to the 65, so transportation will not be an

motors and 100A ESC's. They are very chose 3” thick 1.9lb density white foam issue. Construction of the wing from this

inexpensive yet perform very well and for the cores, as it was very rigid yet point was fairly straightforward, routing

have proven to be quite reliable. I glas- easy to hotwire, the wings being cut in 4 out the spar and servo wire channel

sed the fuselage, nacelles, and nacelle sections, two inboard and two outboard. along with the pockets for the servos

pylon at the same time with 3.6oz cloth. Once cut, the sections were glued toge- only required a few hours of work. The

Whilst they cured, I moved onto building ther in order to make wing halves, with main gear mount locations and wing bolt

the wings and stabilizers. the dihedral angle being sanded into the hard points were cut next. I glued thick

Wings and Stabilizers root of each wing half. Paul’s Sabreliner plywood blocks into the wing for the hold
had a two-piece wing joined with an alu- down bolts, with all the mounting blocks

minum tube, but for simplicity, I chose to already having been glued into the fuse-

Building the horizontal stabilizer was a build a single piece wing. After all, the lage. One of the more difficult parts of

very straightforward process. I simply Model 40 has a reduced span compared the build is getting everything lined up

used a single piece of pink foam, cut to

the shape of the stab, followed by hot-

wiring the airfoil using the plywood tem-

plates that Paul supplied. I added a 1/8”

ply spar and capped the leading edge

with balsa. In an effort to save weight, I

did not fully sheet but instead used

some 3/4oz fiberglass cloth with a small

secondary ply plate over the spar and

center joint. The vertical stab was built

identically but was a little more difficult

to hotwire due to the long root section.

After the fiberglass cured I cut the eleva-

tor and rudder free, then added balsa to

make a sub trailing edge and a leading

edge to the control surfaces. I chose to

use a torque rod setup to actuate the

elevator and rudder as I did not feel

comfortable using micro servos in the

stabilizers, plus I wanted a nice hidden

linkage. Using the torque rods allowed

me to fit standard size servos with car-

bon pushrods, giving a very strong and

slop free linkage. This also allowed me

to move the servos much further forward Justin did the maiden of the Sabreliner on Rabbit Dry Lake in California

33

AUTHOR: JUSTIN LINK - PICTURES: DEBBIE LINK - JOHN EBERT - CHRIS WOLFE/THE RC GEEK

and drilling the bolt holes. I use four From left to right: John Ebert, Paul Stelly and Justin Link with the Sabreliners
bolts to hold the wing to the fuselage, Brent Hecht with Paul Stelly’s model and Justin Link taking off for a formation flight
good alignment is key in getting all of
them to thread in easily and keep the
wing square. In the end, the process of
drilling the holes was really simple. I pla-
ced the fuselage upside down in the cra-
dle used to cut the wing saddle, and
used my centerline reference marks as
a guide to make sure everything was
square. After that, I set the wing into the
saddle making sure all my measure-
ments matched on each side, and drilled
the forward holes. I added blind nuts to
complete the forward wing mount and to
keep the wing aligned while I drilled the
aft bolt holes: success, everything was
square! This was the first glimpse of a
finished plane so of course a “bench fly”
is required! I assembled my jet and it
looked ok, however something was not
quite right. I kept looking at it and the
proportions just did not seem correct.
Finally, it hit me! The wing is too long!
Somehow, in the midst of getting every-
thing else put together I forgot to shorten
the wing to the model 40 dimensions. I
ended up cutting three inches off each
wing tip to correct the span then reas-
sembled the jet. The result of bench fly
#2 was a plane that looked much better,
with correct proportions. I cut an additio-
nal one inch off the wing to account for
the balsa tip then glued and shaped it to
the correct profile.
With all the mounting complete, I cut the
flaps and ailerons free. Then I added a
balsa sub trailing edge to the wing with
a balsa leading edge on the control sur-
faces. I decided to use a standard servo
linkage instead of something hidden so
hard points for the horns were glued in
as well.
Once I had all the various mounts and
wing structure complete, a final coat of
lightweight filler was applied to smooth
everything out in preparation for glas-
sing. Like the stabilizers, I chose to
glass over the foam rather than sheet
with balsa. I used 3.6oz cloth for the
layup with a secondary layer over the
leading edge and center section where
the bolts pass through. In all honesty, if
I were to build another one I would sheet
the wing and stabilizers.
I doubt that I saved much weight and
overall durability would be better. I sup-
pose it’s true what they say about hin-
dsight. Nevertheless I’m happy with the
way it turned out.

34

SABRELINER EDF

Like the original, Justin's replica is capable of basic aerobatics my decals. She has cut many kits for me
with excellent quality, there was no
worry that these decals would be any
different. I sent her several measure-
ments of the aircraft and what I received
back were perfectly scaled decals in the
exact colors of Bob’s Sabreliner. To say
they were impressive would be an
understatement! The decals were
applied to the bare white jet and it really
started taking shape. Decal application
was a little challenging since they were
being stuck to a matt finish. I’m sure
many are asking “why didn’t I use gloss
white”, the short answer is “panel lines”.
When I first started refinishing foam jets
I learned a neat trick to making panel
lines. My friend Chris Wolfe has a
technique where he uses a fine mecha-
nical pencil to draw out panel lines but
this only works on a matt surface. With
all the decals and panel lines drawn it
was time to clear coat everything. I used
Spraymax 2K gloss clear, which is a 2-
part urethane automotive paint that
dries very hard and which has a brilliant
gloss without the need to polish. Three
coats were sprayed in order to seal in
the decals and get that rich deep gloss.
The last details were checked off, the
gear reinstalled, and the gear doors
were attached. Talk about cutting it
close, my Sabreliner was finished two
days before the event and had its first
flight with all the decals on in Saint
George, Utah.
Final flying weight: 16.8 lbs (7.6Kg) with
two Roaring Top 6S-6250 mAh battery
packs.

Flying

Coming in for landing in a very realistic attitude Truth be told, the Sabreliner had its mai-
den about two weeks before the event. I
FiniShing tronics were installed, as well as the left it in white base coat figuring if some-
aileron and flap servos. The retracts and thing went wrong repairs would be much
I will spare the seemingly endless pro- wing surface linkages were left off so easier and I would not have wasted
cess of filling and sanding. What I will that primer could be sprayed. I used time. Also, there was a part of me that
say is that a process that should have Rust-oleum automotive primer because rationalized that since it wasn’t pretty yet
taken a couple of weeks instead took a it levels well and wet sands fantastically. somehow the sting of losing the plane
couple of months. We all want our Two coats of primer were applied to the would be lessened. Indeed, it would not
models to be perfect in every way and entire airframe, followed by wet sanding but that’s what I told myself. Maiden day
paint work in particular is no exception, with 320 grit paper to a very smooth came, and my wife and I headed to a
however there comes a point where one finish. With the primer now complete, I local dry lake that I routinely use for first
has to say enough is enough. I had two sprayed a base coat of matt white and flights. With batteries charged, the
months to finish the model if it was going let it cure for several days. During this Sabreliner was assembled and all con-
to make the 2020 Saint George Electric time, I contacted Callie at Callie trols were checked. One final C.G.
Fest. At this point all the fuselage elec- Graphics to see about custom cutting check and I taxied out. Once pointed
into the wind, the throttle was advanced
and she picked up speed rather quickly.
A little back pressure on the elevator

35

AUTHOR: JUSTIN LINK - PICTURES: DEBBIE LINK - JOHN EBERT - CHRIS WOLFE/THE RC GEEK

and we’re flying! Immediately those for the second flight. Now that I knew it simple aerobatic maneuvers. Basic
fears of “what if” were gone. I knew the flew well, the focus would be on stall loops and rolls are quite easy to perform
C.G. was conservative so I expected a testing. I climbed to a safe altitude and with inverted flight requiring very little
slightly nose heavy aircraft. However, it the first test was a zero flap power off down elevator compensation. With four
turned out nearly perfect. I flew several stall. It got fairly slow but when it broke solid flights in the books and only one
circuits to get a feel for my new jet and the resulting tip stall was very severe. week until the event, it was back in the
tested flap deflection to see if any eleva- So severe that she snapped over onto shop to get dolled up for the show. My
tor mix would be needed. Surprisingly her back and completed her first split S. dad and I arrived in Utah the following
there was no elevator mix required. At The stall was pretty violent but recovery Thursday afternoon where we met up
this point, I started checking how slow it was a non-event. All that was needed to with the original builders, Paul Stelly and
would get in a landing configuration. I recover was to let the jet build a little John Ebert. It was pretty awesome wat-
did not perform stall tests, so getting it speed, then a gentle pull to level. I cir- ching as they finally got to see
slow enough that I felt comfortable with cled to gain altitude so that a half flap Sabreliner #2 in person. I’m pretty sure
an approach took a few passes. The and full flap stall test could be comple- both of them were more excited than I
Sabreliner is an efficient airframe, this ted. Both resulted in a very mushy wing was. Over the weekend, I put six more
becoming very apparent as it sailed past wag but it never snapped. Recovery flights on the airframe with a mix of scale
on my first landing attempt. No problem, was as simple as lowering the nose, and aerobatics thrown in, to properly pay tri-
power up and try again. On the second it was back flying immediately. With this bute to the legendary Bob Hoover. I
attempt, I slowed it down a little earlier new confidence I was able to land at a would have to say that my favorite flight
on the downwind which gave a better much slower speed but I still overshot of the event was getting both of our jets
final leg. The landing was a bit on the my touch down. The following weekend in the air together for a fantastic morning
fast side but it settled in nicely with a I put two more flights on her at my club
smooth touch down and rollout. field. I found that having a real runway
Success! There is something magical helped greatly with approaches and lan-
about watching this jet break ground for ding. Out at the lakebed everything
the first time. Having invested so much looks the same so hitting a specific mark
time and effort into the build, seeing it fly on landing is difficult. While at the field, I
well is a feeling that is difficult to descri- began pushing the model through some
be. Packs were recharged and I took off

36

SABRELINER EDF

flight. My friend Brent Hecht took Paul’s
jet up and we flew several formation
passes. Seeing them together was
something special and I certainly won’t
forget it anytime soon. To say this jet
flies wonderfully is an understatement!
Many have asked how it flies and my
best answer is that it’s very similar to a
pattern plane, just a bit heavier. It goes
exactly where you point it. It is very pre-
dictable but can bite if you get it too
slow, and it’s quite fast. If I had to guess
it would likely be in the 130-140mph
range out of a shallow dive. The North
American Sabreliner is a wonderful
design that works very well as a model.
The more I fly it, the more impressed I
am with its looks and performance.

Conclusion

Building model aircraft is so much more me build one of my dream aircraft. I love READ THIS QR CODE WITH YOUR SMAR-
to me than a simple hobby. For me, it’s sitting at the field listening to fellow pilots TPHONE OR TABLET, AND YOU'LL SEE A
a passion that has deep family ties. My tell their stories of seeing Bob perform, NICE VIDEO ABOUT JUSTIN LINK'S
grandfather competed in “1/2A” and “A” as they looked the model over. I was for- SABRELINER BY “THE RC GEEK”!
free flight whilst my dad competed in tunate to meet Mr. Hoover a few years
various control line categories. Their before he passed in 2016. My
combined knowledge from building hun- Sabreliner is a tribute to that southern
dreds of models is where I inherited my gentleman who thrilled crowds with
love of building. I have fond memories of every performance. It is an honor to
building small balsa gliders with my dad, keep his legacy alive in some small way.
and then flying them for hours in the
field next to our house. Another wonder- Justin Link
ful aspect of this hobby is the people
you meet along the way and the techni-
ques learned that help advance our abi-
lities. I am extremely fortunate to be sur-
rounded by so much talent. The
Sabreliner has been one of the most
challenging yet ultimately rewarding
projects to date. I cannot thank Paul and
John enough for all the work they put
into designing and building the first
model as well as taking the time to help

37





AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER: MARCO BENINCASA

Boeing T-7A Red

Part 2

As I promised last time, this issue includes the modeller has their own way of doing things, the tank and UAT and also between the UAT
second part of my review of JMB Models' preferences, little "quirks" etc, and I have and the pump, not only to easily connect
Boeing T-7A Red Hawk. Whilst writing the first mine too of course! So, having already deci- tubes of different diameters, but also to allow
part I was sure that by now I would have been ded to replace the UAT (see previous issue), the tray to be removed quickly if necessary in
able to complete a number of flights with my I decided to change the layout of the various the future. If you look at the photo, you can
new Red Hawk, but the ongoing restrictions components, so I removed the retract and see that the Pioneer has been positioned
due to the Covid pandemic, along with the brake controllers, and unscrewed the equip- where the UAT originally sat: it’s very easy to
continuous rain and strong and gusty wind ment tray; in this way I could study the posi- have all the extension leads emerge together
that has not let up since November, have pre- tioning of the various components more easi- here, so I just glued a wooden plate to cover
vented me from doing any flight testing. Due ly: first of all I built the mount for the UAT I the large hole left when the supplied spheri-
to this, in this issue I will focus on the installa- had selected so I could start to place, without cal UAT was fitted, and then mounted the
tion of various components, the small "custo- actually mounting them yet, the main items: Pioneer using Velcro. To give me the space I
misations" we have added and how the cor- UAT, turbine pump, ECU and the PowerBox needed on the main equipment tray I had to
rect balance point was obtained, without Pioneer. move both JP Hobby controllers to the sides
requiring noseweight, postponing the descrip- To decide on the most practical layout I had of the fuselage, again securing them with
tion of the flight to the next issue, hoping that to take into account the length of the servo Velcro.
the government restrictions will have eased extension leads and fuel tubing, as well as Wanting to install a gyro, the obvious choice
and that the weather will cooperate. their layout in the various areas of the fusela- was the iGyro SAT, which I placed immedia-
As I mentioned in part one of the review, the ge. I kept moving them around on the tray like tely in front of the Pioneer, to which it is con-
first thing I did was to secure the tail servo a "chess game" until I was happy I had found nected, this allowing me to mount it on the
extension leads with cable ties, but not before the best layout possible. base of the nose gear mount structure; I
fitting them with a fireproof sleeve: as we are At this point I secured everything in place, could in fact have placed it next to the
well aware, it is always sensible to protect and finalised the length of the various tubes Pioneer, on the same plate, but since this is
extension leads from anything that might go and cables. I used Festo connectors between removeable it tends to flex slightly when gen-
wrong with the turbine or tailpipe. At this point
I mounted the turbine and tailpipe: now I knew
the exact length of the fuel tubing required and
where I could position the pump and ECU.
The T-7A comes complete with JP retracts
and brakes, and in fact the well known red
retract controllers are pre-installed, secured
to the main equipment tray with foam double-
sided tape. Now, we all know that every

The JetCat P100-RX was mounted once the tailpipe had been installed, as per the instructions

40

JMB JETS BOEING T-7A RED HAWK

Hawk by JMB Jets

The “Y” lead the author made to power both
the retracts and brakes from the Pioneer

To protect the tail servo extension leads, the author added a
fireproof sleeve, securing this with cable ties

The gear doors are operated by digital HV servos. In the pictures
above are the nose door servo (left) and the right main (right)

The fill tube has been fitted The light cables are longer than needed so the Both JP controllers have been
under the fuselage hatch author temporarily bundled them as shown. attached to the fuselage sides to free
They'll be cut to length after test flying. up space on the equipment tray

41

AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER: MARCO BENINCASA

Both receivers (a Futaba R7108 and an R7008) have been attached to the side of the fuselage,
with the aerials pointing in 4 different directions: forward, backward, up, down

The 3 battery packs have been mounted in
the nose on the battery tray

All the components in their final positions nose mounting system is also fitted. Being at
the stage where all the main components
The PowerBox Pioneer and iGyro SAT are The battery extension leads were now installed in their final positions, I
perfect for models of this size did a first check of the balance point, using
the Xicoy Digital Balance meter Pro as usual.
tly pressed by hand: this could happen in located on the wing tips and the main oleo The result was exactly what I hoped for: with
flight under "G" forces, and so affect the per- legs). Typically, two batteries are allocated to only three battery packs (two for the radio
formance of the gyro; the nose gear structure the Rx/servos, one for the turbine, another for system and one for the turbine), the balance
is very strong and is firmly glued to the fuse- the retracts and brakes, and one more for the point was very close to that recommended in
lage, which makes any movement impossible lights, making a total of five battery packs. As the instructions and as I planned fit a pilot
(and if the landing gear mount of any model we all know, the battery packs are not only figure in the front cockpit, in the end I think no
moves... well, the performance of the gyro is the power source for these various systems, noseweight at all will be required. But as I am
no longer important...). but also a significant weight that can be used using just these three battery packs, how will
Once the iGyro SAT was secured in place to obtain the correct balance point, whilst at I power the retracts, brakes and lights? Well,
with its special double-sided foam tape, I the same time they have to be managed with I found a solution that also allowed me to
mounted the two Futaba R7008SB receivers; care (charging, discharging, storage, etc). To solve another problem, how to switch off the
I would like to emphasise here that with all try to avoid having to manage too many bat- power to these three systems after a flight: in
my models I always try, whenever possible, teries for each model, I always try, wherever fact, the aim is to have to remove the cockpit
to position the receivers so that the aerials possible, to limit the number of batteries, as little as possible, at the same time mana-
can sit along the fuselage sides: this ensures using each pack to power several systems, ging everything in a very simple and practical
that no matter what position the model is in whilst also using them to obtain perfect way. The solution - powering the retracts,
during flight, at least one of the four aerials balance of the airframe without having to add brakes and lights with the same batteries as
will always be unobstructed by RF barriers a lot of lead. the radio system, through the Pioneer: not
such as battery packs, landing gear, tanks In the case of the Boeing T-7A, the batteries only will I eliminate two (or three) battery
and/or UAT (remember that 2.4GHz signals are installed in the front part of the fuselage, packs, but I will be able to turn on and off all
do NOT pass through liquids!!!) even when on the wooden mount where the removeable the systems at once using the Pioneer
the model is facing directly at you or when switch! Before I went ahead with this, I asked
flying away from you. 'Mr PowerBox' himself, Richard Deutsch, for
his opinion, and he gave me the green light!
As further confirmation, I measured the
power consumption of the gear, brakes and
lights: the retracts draw less than 1 Amp, with
slightly higher peaks only when they reach
the end of their travel, the brakes and lights
take even less! They draw much lower cur-
rent than a servo, so I can connect them to

Batteries

The "power supply" part of the electrical This cheap full figure 1/7th scale pilot comes from a discontinued toy range
system of this model is interesting, because
I've gone a different way to the norm: as we
know, in a model such as this we have to
power the radio system, turbine electronics,
electric retracts, brakes and lights (these are

42

This is what we like to see
when mounting all the
hardware in a model: zero
lead required!

the Pioneer without any concern at all.
I thus made a 'Y' lead by connecting the two 'BEC' type power plugs
of the retract and brake controllers to a servo type plug so I could con-
nect them to a single Pioneer socket, this not being assigned to any
radio channel as it's only providing power, then I connected the input
leads from the two controllers to two channels that I assigned to the
transmitter instead, and away we go. The light controller is connected
to two further Pioneer sockets (one for power and one for on/off con-
trol from the radio).

The pilot and balance point

In my opinion, a model with a clear canopy, particularly if it's a scale
model, can’t be flown without a pilot figure; as the JMB T-7A is 1/7th
scale, I wanted a pilot of the same scale, however I had no particular
desire to have an extremely detailed and super scale example - I also
didn't want to spend too much! This ended up being a long search,
until I came across exactly what I needed: the "Jet Pilot" of the "Hero
Force" line, a line of toys similar to "G.I. Joe". It's an old range, no lon-
ger in production, but I was lucky enough to find the only one availa-
ble, from a shop selling through Amazon, right here in Italy (!), at the
modest price of 35 Euro. The measurements seemed to be ideal so I
ordered it immediately. As you can see from the picture it looks good
sitting in the cockpit, and the dimensions seem perfect. Also, and just
as I had hoped, its weight was exactly what was needed to get the
model to balance correctly without needing any ballast! With two 2S
4200mAh Li-Po packs for the radio system and one 2S 2600mAh Li-
Po pack for the turbine, the Xicoy balancer indicates 'zero grams to
add'! Bingo!
Well, I'll finish here for this issue, hoping that in the near future the
government restrictions due to Covid and the weather will allow me to
test this very interesting jet, so that I can tell you all about it in the next
issue of R/C Jet International!

Marco Benincasa

AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER: COLIN STRAUS Turbine Package Contents:
KingTech K-142G4 Turbine
KingTech K-142G4 KP-500 Fuel Pump
DRM (Data Relay Module)
Worlds first! RCJI tests the latest Series 2 GSU (Ground Support
addition to the KingTech turbine range Unit)
Leads
G4 Instruction Manual
Fuel Tubing
Manual Fuel Valve
Fuel Filter
Decals

The K-142G4 package includes almost everything the intake of the engine, whilst at the same time the brushless
directly related to the turbine, the only addition starter motor is held in perfect alignment and very rigidly inde-
required being a 3 cell 9.9v Li-Fe battery. ed. As with all recent KingTech turbines the visible parts of the
engine are superbly produced, the compressor in particular
The turbine test in this issue of RCJI is of the KingTech K- has an almost mirror like finish, whilst the turbine wheel is also
142G4, yet another new turbine from KingTech, the Taiwan extremely well finished.
based turbine manufacturer, this being the latest in an exten- Ancillary parts supplied include the KingTech developed and
sive range of turbines, many of which we have already tested. produced KP-500 fuel pump complete with mount, the establi-
The K-142G4 – which has a nominal thrust of 14Kg (137 shed touchscreen GSU and the new DRM (Data Relay
Newtons) at 142,000rpm, is substantially smaller and lighter Module), as well as the required cables, each of these being
than the previous generation (although still available K- fitted with a unique plug, ensuring correct connection betwe-
140G2), being some 160g lighter, 25mm shorter and en the DRM and turbine, fuel pump and battery. Also supplied
10.75mm smaller in diameter. is a manual fuel valve, fuel filter, tubing and connectors along
The test engine arrived safely direct from Taiwan, being care- with the new G4 English language instruction manual.
fully packed in preformed foam within a sturdy cardboard box. As detailed in the K-180G4 test, the inclusion of the new DRM
As is now standard for KingTech turbines the turbine package
includes all the ancillary items required for a modern turbine
with the exception of the required 3 cell Li-Fe ECU battery,
this being omitted due to the shipping restrictions imposed on
batteries with Lithium chemistry.
The K-142G4 is, as might be expected, finished in the well-
known KingTech colour scheme of red and graduated
brown/bronze on the turbine case, with the family appearance
extending to the exceptionally clean general shape and layout
of the engine, this having a single fuel inlet port with the val-
ves under the front cover, and as per the recently tested K-
180G4, the K-142G4 has only a single electric connector, as
serial bus communication has been adopted for all the G4 tur-
bines, this cable utilising a very compact and neat three pin
connector. The front end of the engine includes an integrated
FOD guard/starter mount – this giving increased protection to

44

ENGINE TEST - KINGTECH K-142G4

The clean overall appearance and compact dimen-
sions of the K-142G4 can be clearly seen here.

(replacing the ECU) signified a significant change with the G4 finish, the GSU having a very effective colour touch screen,
turbines, as the turbines themselves now incorporate much which allows for extremely quick and easy navigation betwe-
that previously was included in the (now redundant) ECU, en the various parameters. The compact size of the GSU
such as all the operating parameters, including total run time does mean that it can be permanently mounted in many air-
etc. The DRM is responsible for all data, signal and power frames in a visible position.
transmission, and also includes a micro USB socket, which Setting up the turbine using the GSU was very simple, as was
will allow for future connectivity of wireless mobile apps. priming the single fuel line to the engine - a 3cell 9.9v
The capability of the powerful software within the system is 3450mAh Li-Fe battery was used for all testing, this provides
the same as the recent G3 turbines offering much useful data, plenty of capacity for multiple runs. Note that for the sophisti-
including the following: cated electronics of the G4 turbines to boot up correctly, it is
- Data recording function important that the 9.9v ECU battery be connected to the
- Radio Link Error Counter DRM/turbine before the receiver is powered up. The first,
- ECU Battery Usage Counter along with all subsequent starts, was very straightforward,
- Temperature Probe Failsafe using the conventional procedure of moving the throttle trim to
- Turbine cooling and auto shut off high, the throttle stick also to high and then back to idle, the
- Auto Restart Function ECU then commencing the start procedure.
As has been covered in previous KingTech turbine tests, the Cold starts proved to take just under 50 seconds to go from
Auto Restart function offers both completely automatic and the initial command to the engine running at idle and the throt-
glider (Tx controlled) restart options when enabled. Once tle control having been passed to the radio, whilst starts with
again it should be emphasised that activation of the Auto the engine still warm were slightly faster. I was very impres-
Restart function should be a carefully considered decision, sed with how fuss-free the starts were, even the first start was
being dependent on the airframe type and the suitability of the very smooth, though there were a number of air bubbles in the
flying site, as a crash into flammable crops, just as the engine fuel line before this first start took place.
is restarting, has to be avoided at all costs. This first start was very clean, with a complete absence of any
The GSU and DRM share the attractive brushed aluminium flames at all during the start procedure – it is common that a

45

AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER: COLIN STRAUS

few small flames are seen at some point Almost hidden behind the effective and very rigid FOD guard/starter
during a first start, but the K-142G4 motor mount, the compressor is beautifully machined.
electronics and software are clearly
matched very accurately to the engine, The finish of the turbine wheel is superb, as can just be seen within the tailcone.
and combined to give exceptionally
clean starts.
With the engine at idle the testing proce-
dure commenced, this proving strai-
ghtforward, with the engine running very
stably and accurately throughout the
rpm range, the various intermediate
points where figures are taken being
held very precisely. The full throttle
thrust (corrected for temperature and
pressure) was found to be 14.7Kg
(144.3 Newtons or 32.4Lbs), this being
comfortably above the nominal thrust
figure of 14.0Kg claimed by KingTech.
Idle thrust was measured at a corrected
1.0Kg (9.5 Newtons or 2.1Lbs), which
somewhat surprisingly is above that
measured during the K-180G4 test
(0.9Kg). Fuel consumption figures at full
power proved to be slightly above that
specified at 459g (583cc) per minute
compared to the 440g detailed in the
specification, although this is more than
counterbalanced by the additional thrust
above that specified. Acceleration as
supplied was very rapid indeed, at
around 3.1 seconds from idle to full
power at the maximum 142,000rpm.
Deceleration was a little slower, but still
quick at around 4.0 seconds, although
much of this time was taken for the final
stages of dropping to idle, so the engine
was already producing minimal power
by this point, all whilst the engine conti-
nued to perform very smoothly.

46

ENGINE TEST - KINGTECH K-142G4

Common to all G4 turbines, the Data Relay Module is very nicely produced – note
the three different types of connector used to eliminate incorrect connections.

Supplied together with the manual fuel valve is a very neat mount.

The KP-500 fuel pump seems perfectly matched to the
K-142G4, and comes complete with integral mount.
Once again a lovely new engine from KingTech – the impro-
vements over older KingTech 140 Newton engines are sub-
stantial, with the new turbine being much smaller and lighter,
having significantly improved fuel consumption, and enjoying
all the advantages of the latest lightweight electronics and
software. Simply replacing one of the original K-140 engines
with this new turbine will lead to weight savings of around 500
grams (turbine/ancillary weights plus reduced fuel load), not
to mention any consequent reduction in noseweight this
brings.

Colin Straus
WEBSITE

www.kingtechturbines.com

On the test rig at the end of a very straightforward and enjoyable test session, the outcome being an impressive performance.

47





AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER: OTTO WILDROITHER

Magnificent

The largest R/C

Photo 1

Photo 3 Photo 2
Photo 4
Summary and review so far:
Photo 5
In previous articles I have covered many areas of the Concorde
design and construction, and in this part I will detail how the tail
section, fin/rudder and the wings plus turbine nacelles were
built, most of these being almost 100% carbonfibre. Also discus-
sed is how the bag tanks and system work, how the retractable
landing gear was produced and my experiences with the brilliant
Jet Cat P300-Pro turbines.

Fuselage - tail cone and rudder

The construction of the tail cone and fin/rudder had to be both
strong and light, whilst matching the main fuselage section per-
fectly. The rudder itself was produced using fibreglass, reinforced
where necessary with carbonfibre (Photo 1), whilst the fin utili-
sed carbon ribs with foam infill (Photo 2). Of course the rigid and
perfectly straight aluminum extrusion was again used to ensure
the components were accurately aligned as construction conti-
nued (Photo 3-4), with the assembly of the various major sec-
tions of the model requiring the use of more than 60 special tape-
red/threaded sockets. These are very light and their use is very

50