Model Airplane News

Every spring, Frank Tiano’s Top Gun Scale Invitational has heralded the beginning of the flying season, offering builders an opportunity to show off their projects in Lakeland, Florida after a winter spent finishing them in their workshops. Unfortuna

This ⅛-scale scratch-built model is the same type of plane Amelia Earhart was flying when she disappeared in 1937. Mark shares that he built the plane for his club’s winter building contest, starting by enlarging plans from an image he found online.

When you have to make long, straight cuts in balsa sheeting, like when you repair wings, your ruler can slip and ruin the cut, or worse, injure yourself. A simple trick is to use a suitably long sanding bar. I attach the sandpaper so one edge is clea

I've always wanted to explore the world of FPV drones, but I found myself intimidated by its complex nature. I knew that entering FPV required strategic selection and assembly of certain components that were required for flying. For example you need

I have built countless RC models, from kits, plans and even my own scratch designs. For the most part, building an RC model is a lot easier than most beginners might think. If you have assembled a few ARFs in the past however, you’ll have the basic k

Hugh Ryder: Your Albatros D.Va is a beautiful model, what is the history behind the full-scale Albatros? Mark Chapman: The Albatros D.Va was manufactured by the Albatros Company. It was built in their factory by boat builders and cabinet makers becau

Model Airplane News has covered the Top Gun Scale Invitational right from the start, and now in its 32nd year, Top Gun went off without a hitch in its new time slot, from October 28 to November 1, 2020. With the Covid-19 pandemic shutting down most i

Static judging this year was handled by a single, four-man team evaluating all the entries requiring judging. This task has been managed by two separate teams, but the smaller number of entries due to Covid-19 concerns meant that the number of judges

Bret’s all-composite spyplane was originally designed by Rene Saenz. Rene spent several years creating composite molds for this project. He loved the U-2 and felt the C variant with its enlarged intake would be ideal for EDF power. Bret used these mo

A veteran Top Gun contestant, Rich has competed with his Albatros several times and always does well. Earning a static score of 97.750, his ⅓-scale WW I fighter is self-designed, has a 120-inch span, weighs 35 pounds and powered by a Kawasaki 3.2ci g

With a length of 126 inches, this ¼-scale twin-engine Luftwaffe jet was built by Trond from the Airworld kit and earned 97.250 static points. Ali flew the Me 262 using a Spektrum radio to earn a total of 195.617 points. The jet is powered by two King

Built from Jerry Bates plans, this ⅓-scale P-40B Tomahawk earned a static score of 97.750, has a 124-inch wingspan and weighs 80 pounds. Powered by a Kolm 150cc engine turning a 34x18 propeller, David’s P-40 was controlled with a Spektrum DX-18 radio

With a static score of 96.750, Rob Lynch’s ⅕-scale BVM Yak has an 80-inch wingspan, is 94 inches long and is powered by a T-16 turbine engine. Weighing in at 31 pounds, Rob’s Yak is controlled by a Spektrum iX-20 radio and earned a final score of 195

Starting life as a Freewing AL37 Airliner, Marvin’s 1/19-scale PA-8 Poseidon has a 72-inch span and weighs 8 pounds. Powered by two 70mm Electric ducted fan units and is controlled with a Jeti radio. Marvin earned a final score of 97.750. Ali’s 1/12-

This ⅕-scale OV-10 Bronco has a 109-inch span, weighs 43 pounds and is powered by two E-flite 180 brushless motors turning 20x12 props. Based on the Hangar 9 ARF, Ali’s Bronco is controlled with a Spektrum iX-20 radio system that he used to earn a fi

Built from Jerry Bates plans, Michael’s ¼-scale Dauntless has a 124-inch wingspan, is 100 inches long and weighs in at 90 pounds. Powered by a Moki 300 radial gas engine turning a 32x18 propeller, the Dauntless is equipped with Scale Sierra landing g

This Tomahawk Aviation ⅓.5-scale F-86 Sabre Jet has a span of 122 inches, is 118 inches long, and weighs in at 65 pounds. Ali’s F-86 is powered by a KingTech 210 turbine and he used a Spektrum DX-20 radio system to earn a final score of 123.625 point

Powered by two Behotec 220 turbine engines, Henry’s 1/6-scale Su-30 has a 97 inch span and is 150 inches long. Built from a Skymaster kit, Henry’s Su-30 is equipped with a PowerBox Core radio system and has a 3-axis thrust vectoring exhaust system an

Despite the expected fewer participants, the 2020 Top Gun Rubber-Power Free-Flight mass launch event was fun as always. Dave Platt started holding this early morning scale flyoff way back in the beginning years of Top Gun. Entry is open to Top Gun pa

Masters High Static Richard Feroldi/Albatros (97.75 pts.) Award sponsored by Zap Glue David Hayes/Thrush (98.25 pts.) Award sponsored by PowerBox Americas Bret Becker/U-2C (100 pts.) Awards sponsored by Warbirds West and Robart Mfg., respectively Mik

As the name implies, adverse yaw is an adverse or unfavorable condition that, among other things, delays achieving solo abilities. Traditionally, until his or her skills improve, struggling and committing to many hours of practice before soloing has

Seagull Models has decided to throw their hat in the Cub appreciation ring with this 102-inch-span RC Savage Shock Cub designed for 35cc to 55cc gas engines or electric equivalents. Available in two color options, silver and black or yellow and black

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the case of the venerable Piper Cub, it has been flattered for decades. From home built to fully certified aircraft, the J-3 Cub has inspired generations of copycat (or at least homages) to its

Building scale model aircraft takes a great amount of creativity, patience, and skill. With features like retractable landing gear, flaps and navigation lights, the detail possibilities are just about endless! My latest project is a CARF-Models Super

For several years, Model Airplane News has covered a plethora of RC events, and many have something in common: the amazing photography of our longtime contributor David Hart. Articles like this issue’s Top Gun coverage would not be possible without D