Charging up

Model Airplane News, Oct 2001 by Sharp, Debra

There's one field and shop tool that every modeler needs: a good battery charger. Whether you use batteries to drive your electric-- powered airplane or simply to power your radio equipment, a reliable, easy-- to-use charger is a must. Because there are dozens of good chargers on the market, selecting one that best suits your needs can be difficult. The best information comes from hands-on experience, so we polled our contributors and have come up with 14 favorite chargers. Whether you're looking for a simple, affordable field charger or a high-end, multifunction unit, you'll find the inside information here, along with tips on Ni-Cd and NiMH battery care and maintenance.

In this month's "Flight Techniques," "IMAC Aerobatics" columnist Dan Wolanski illustrates the most important building block of acrobatic sequences: straight-and-level flight. Although this seemingly simple part of your routine isn't given as much attention as more exotic maneuvers, for high flight scores, you need to master it. Read his illustrated explanation on page 116 to learn why straight-and-level flight looks different at various altitudes.

The newest breed of fun-fly airplanes can do incredible stunts, but you need to use your computer radio's mixing features to take full advantage of these designs' impressive maneuvering capabilities. In his "Effective Programming" column this month, Don Edberg explains basic fun-fly mixing: flaperons, elevator to flap, air-- brakes and more, and he provides step-- by-step procedures to properly set up your radio.

This month, prolific electric airplane designer Mark Rittinger offers one of his most exciting models yet: a twin Speed 400, propdriven Messerschmitt 262. With great scale looks and jet-like flight performance, this balsa and lite-ply model is built using conventional construction techniques and is surprisingly easy to set up and fly. Judging from the reactions of all who have seen this airplane, Mark's Me 262 could be one of our most popular plans yet; if you'd like a unique twin to build this fall, this design may be just what you're looking for.

When the best scale slope soarers gathered at the 2001 Southern California Power Scale Slope Soaring Festival at Cajon Summit, photojournalist Dave Garwood was on hand to capture the action. His feature showcases some of the best streamlined models of powered aircraft flown today; see the excitement on the slopes on page 68.