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The
fictitious 'Plaster of Paris Aircraft Corporation,' comprised of a couple
university of Michigan professors and a handful of students constructed
three giant scale models of what were probably originally Guillows rubber
powered model airplane plans. They were intended as outdoor display
models and were the basis of a study in materials and construction.
The Fokker DR-1 spanned 16', and two 18' span SE-5 Scouts were built,
and then auctioned off. Also in the story is a British model airplane
contest.
 Magnificent
Men and Their Movie Machines
English modelers Jack Morton, Chris Olsen, Mick Charles and Dave Platt,
shown with probably the finest flying scale models ever, produced in
only five weeks, to provide realistic radio controlled models for a
film concerning the Battle of Britain in World War II. Cancellation
of film production ended the project but successful test flights were
made.
 The
Hurricane weighed 11 lbs. 6 oz., had a 6' 8" span. The Stuka, right,
weighed 11 lbs. 14 oz.; wing area of 1500 sq. inches. Both were powered
by Super Tigre .71 engines with special 14 X 6 props. The ME 110 weighed
16 lbs., flew with OS .60 engines. Underway when the project ended were
a Spitfire, an ME 109 and a nine ft. Heinkel III!
 Half
a Wing is Better Arnold Nelson, of Long Beach, California,
showed last June what could be done in FAI control-line speed without
a tuned exhaust by clocking 149.73 mph. Engine was a front rotor Super
Tigre G-15. Asymetrical design is similar to that flown to third place
by Chuck Schuette at the 1966 world championships in England.
Still in Tune
Last year's CL speed world champion, Bill Wisniewski, beat the
AMA Class A record with a flight of 169.9 mph in June with the famous
.15 size T.W.A. tuned exhaust engine, on "hot" rather than standard
FAI fuel - latter is limited to 20% Nitro; record fuel was K & B
with 60%. Roger Theobald, right, Bill's second place partner at '66
champs, continues team work at U.S. meets.
 King
Size Kit? Actually put up for auction by famous Christies
of London at their New York offices this year, complete with "six ft.
doubled rubber motor" was this 16-ft. wingspan Fokker Triplane giant
model airplane, weighing 300 lbs. Also up for sale were two 18-ft. span
SE-5 Scouts and a giant model box about 1 ft. by 4 by 10 ft.
The models and box were made by two University of Michigan professors,
according to a story in the Detroit Free Press newspaper. George Manupelli
and Joseph Wehrer of Ann Arbor were identified as the craftsmen who
built the models as an outdoor sculpture experiment in construction
and materials. Note numbered parts. They started by building
one of the giants for the Fourth of July holiday last year and kept
going until three were completed. Aiding the project were wives, students
and sympathizers who organized the effort under the name of the Plaster
of Paris Aircraft Corporation. Much better than a sun
dial, we think, on your lawn! It Didn't Win!
 Dave
Platt, who proved how fast he could build a superb flying scale model
for the movies (see opposite page), followed that project with a spectacular
SBD-5 Dauntless for the 1967 British Nationals. The McCoy .60 powered
RC craft crashed just before the Nats but was rebuilt in a week of continued
frantic effort. Flying at the Nats without adequate time for
thorough adjustment, the Dauntless was not able to place first - that
went to an equally amazing Percival Provost model by R. Yates - but
Platt's entry was probably the most photographed. The British
Nationals, incidentally, is renowned for magnificent scale jobs and
unstinting effort. A Wing and a Prayer
 Famous
English free flighter Mike Gaster shows off classic launch technique
at the British National meet last May. Model is Open Power entry with
Cox .15 engine, aptly named Gastove. British FF models are now
required to use snuffer tubes for dethermalizer fuses as a precautionary
move by the national organization, the SMAE, to prevent possible loss
of flying sites by fire hazard.
Posted May 12, 2013
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