The U-2 Flies!
An Update on last month's U-2 information
From: Grant Calkins email: CasinoOp@aol.com


Attached is another photo of my electric U-2.  Span 6 ft, motor Strontium 150 with 8x5 folder prop (invisible in flight), weight 64 oz, wing loading 18.2 oz/sq.ft., elevator, rudder, ailerons, flaps (flaperons), electronic speed control, color dark flat "military mud".  Power is 7x1700 mAh cells, giving 8-10 minute flights.  The famous "pogo wheels" under the wing weren't used - roll-out was straight and true on the in-lines.  Flies like a homesick angel! according to maiden flight pilot Chris Spangenberg, President of our Channel Islands Condors club in Camarillo, CA.
Edwards AFB was the appropriate site for the first flight of the U-2.  Chris flew it twice, then I took the stick on the 3rd flight.  Roll down runway, straight as an arrow, then it just decides to lift off.  Climbs at about 30 degrees just like the full size "Angle".  Many feel there just isn't a better looking plane in mid flight than the U-2.

place too.
The battery pack is mounted in a box runs through the front of the fuselage. In case of a 'nose in' the idea is that the battery pack shoots out the front of the plane. The wheels are sprung to ease the impact on landing. Controls are aileron, rudder and elevator plus speed controller.
It is powered by a Master Airscrew  3:1 pack and flown on 7 cells.  It takes off from the ground, and is quite a lively flyer. It has a 40 inch span.

More on George Maiorana's Hanger 9 Cub and Extra 300S

From: George Maiorana email: dmaiorana@voyager.net

More info on Hangar 9 Cub

Originally it weighed 9 lbs. 15 oz. with the equipment listed. It has been flown at 12 lbs. + with an 8mm video cam in it. Flights were kept short because of additional power usage but it was manageable (so Skip Mast the pilot told me). It has also carried a digital camera at 10 lbs. 6 oz. Results of both projects were acceptable and a lot of fun.
theAfter these projects I tried to improve on its handling by raising the battery pack to the thrust line and lightening it as much as possible. The aluminum gear that comes with the Hangar 9 Cub has a tendency to deform on hard landings (which I did a lot learning to manage the pack - another story). I made up a CF gear to replace original and hogged out some cub wheels from Dave Brown blanks. The gear modification saved a total of 10 oz. Another 4 oz. were saved in the fuselage structure. I think it flies great now that it doesn't have all that weight below the thrust line.

More Extra 300S info

The original GP Extra 300 built from the kit had a bad tendency to barrel roll to the left when up elevator was input. As I said it died on the 4th flight (snapped coming out of a stall turn). So I can't really say that it was a four continue

A Sopwith Pup
From: Simon Kidd email:simon_kidd@compuserve.com


I thought that you might like a picture of my Electric 'Sopwith Pup' Biplane.
This is a DB Sport and Scale Kit. Covering is litespan, dark green and cream. The model is coloured and marked approximately the same as a ream Sopwith Pup which is housed (and flown) at the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden in UK. The nose of this type of plane is very short and so the ability to mount the motor and battery right at the front helps with the CoG. The only scale like wheels I could find were fairly heavy which I though would be bad, however they help get the CoG in the right