Instant IMAC

The popularity of high-performance, aerobatic planes and the high quality of today's prebuilt models have converged: now it's easier than ever for the experienced modeler to try his hand at precision aerobatics without having to invest unlimited time and energy in building his own aircraft. In this month's IMAC guide, you'll find fully covered and almost-ready-to-cover, large aerobatic designs. If you're in the market for an IMAC aircraft, read the article on page 40 before you buy.

With the "explosion" of small-and large-electric-powered models, there are so many new types of batteries on the market that it can be confusing to keep the care and feeding of each straight. This month, Bob Aberle takes the mystery out of battery choice and maintenance and helps you get the most life and flight duration out of your battery packs. The future of electric flight is wide open; just look at the ever-increasing availability of parkand slow-flyer designs. If you'd like to join the "quiet revolution," Bob's comprehensive and informative article is a great place to start (see page 78).

If you thought that latex was good only for painting your workshop walls, think again: it's perfect for spray-painting sport and scale model airplanes. In this issue, expert modeler Roy Vaillancourt explains why latex paint can be used, even on glowpowered models. The advantages? It's inexpensive, environmentally friendly, doesn't give off noxious fumes and is easy to clean up. Better still, your local paint store can perfectly match your desired color. Read more on page 70.

Four-stroke engines continue to grow in popularity-especially those big-bore, single-cylinder beasts. The designers at Saito have taken the 4-stroke to new heights with their FA-180. This "torquey" powerhouse swings an 18x6 APC prop at nearly 9,000rpm. Check out Chris Chianelli's "Air Power" column on page 110 for more details.

Those of you who have been putting off your next (or your first) big scale project need only to turn to Jerry Nelson's coverage of the U.S. Scale Masters for inspiration (see page 32). Held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH, the event featured the country's best scale models. Terry Nitsch's breathtaking Rafale twin jet ... Nick Ziroli Jr.'s Dauntless ... Mike Barbee's classic WACO ... these (and others) are certain to motivate the scale enthusiast inside all of us.

Copyright Air Age Publishing Apr 2001
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