Yes folks, it's true.
Your friendly neighborhood Bod Busters have set the control line modeling world on its ear once again, by re-inventing a speed event.
Some say it was due to brilliance. Some say it was because of keen intellect and love of high performance. Others say it was because we were thrown out of stunt. Who really is to say where inspiration comes from, it just happens.
One cold February day, I was taking inventory in the Bod Busters warehouse. The counting teams were nearly done and I was reviewing the number when the obvious jumped off the page at me.
We cornered the attacking obvious and put it back in its cage with only minor cuts and scrapes, I'll discuss the obvious another time.
What the numbers revealed was this. Across the entire team, the Bod Busters had an overstock of high-end F2D engines.
Multiple versions of Cyclons, Profis, Redkos, Foras, Nelsons, Stels, Billy Goats, Zalps and Zorros, the list rolled on like a stunt flier reminiscing over a bassoon concert.
Studies have shown that excess like this comes from poor planning and motor-lust, the question was what to do with them all. Many are just as fast as the new ones purchased from Profi but are a little heavier. All have been manufactured from 2000 forward but the ones we are currently using for F2D are the newest Profis, so what to do with all the others?
All of the engines are light and powerful, all have a common intake diameter (4mm) and exhaust exit (8mm). All are designed to run on 10% fuel. Hmmmm..sounds like a Proto speed engine to me,
So that's what this is all about, a new Proto Speed event.
Simple and easy to build, the new Proto will give a home for many fast F2D engines that are now sitting in boxes.
Without a good name, an event will fade into the background like Slow Combat, or Fox Combat, GX Combat, Precision Stunt Carrier; there are others.
I liked "Giant 1/2A Proto" but was voted down by an overwhelming majority at the Bob Buster name Forum held at our winter retreat (Gators).
One name did bob to the surface like a Mike Hazel hot-dog at a Fall Follies barbeque.
"F2D Proto"
Has a nice ring to it, no?
F2D Proto invented by me and named by the Rein Man, will allow combat fliers to compete with their F2D engines in a formula event. Such notables as Mike Hazel (AKA Mike-Louie) Partner, the entire Beers Family, and other notable speed champions may just be interested in competing with us. The engines are relatively inexpensive especially considering that you can buy a used one for $100 or less.
If you have never seen or run a modern F2D engine, you know that they are clean and well made. Stock RPM's are in the 28,000-33,000 range but most are bred from the speed engine designers and will be capable of more.
You can't think of everything but the idea goes something like this:
AirplaneProfile only
External controls
Any fuel system
Two-wheel landing gear (1" wheels)
Wing area 100 sq" min
Canopy required (wood ok)
Rudder required
F2D legal combat engine (muffler included)
2.5 cc glow engine
4 mm intake
8 mm exhaust outlet
It MUST be a currently legal F2D muffler
Modifications are restricted to removing material only.
10% contest-supplied
.015 stranded steel, 52 ft.
Pull test 25 lbs.
Timed course 1/2 mile from release, 8 laps, 3 attempts at one official.
Click here for full provisional Northwest F2D Proto Rules. For other Northwest rules, see Northwest Rules section.
The event is meant to make it simple, easy to build and fun to fly. It will really be about the best prop (closely guarded secret!), glow plug and so on.
The airplane shown "The Sling Shot" is done in an "old school" construction method. Glass cloth over 1/4"balsa wing. A thicker wing could be used and no cloth needed. It took two evenings to make the parts for two models and about a week more to complete them. Again, the idea being to make it easy for non-speed types to build, use available engines, and find "secret props." Download a pdf of the plans.
For the fun of it, this design yields 2 airplanes per length of wood.
Wing was made from 1/4" x 4" x 48" with a 1" strip added to the back for the taper then outlined with 1/4" sq spruce to keep the edges sharp.
Fuselage was made from 1/2" x 3" x 36, 1/16" ply doublers on the nose and 3/8" x 1/2"x 4" maple engine mounts.
Stab 3/16" balsa lined with 3/16" sq spruce.
Tail 3/16" balsa lined with spruce.
Tank is a 1/2" surgical tube stretched as shown and filled to 1 oz. Finished weight without engine is about 6.5 oz-7 oz.
I used Rustoleum rattle can paint and primer in our team colors of black and yellow. The learning curve was a bit more than I would have liked, but the two airplanes came out OK.
We will be allowed to run demo's at the Jim Walker Memorial and the Northwest Regionals. If you have some time, look this one over. It will be fun.
Profi: Perhaps the fastest current production F2D engine: Jim Booker
Fora and Profi: Fora is arguably the first or second fastest production engine in F2D: Michael Willcox
Cyclon: PC 7, 8, and 9 are all good engines as well as the "top" series. All very fast: Russian engines (best if you read Russian!)
Redko: Redko engines
Used Engines of value, not listed in order of preference:
Billy Goat (older Profi) not black head
PC4, PC6, Pc7, PC8 (PC 7 very fast and still in use)
Zorro (very fast and still in use)
Redko (good ones very fast)
Kenny B and the Bod Busters
This page was upated May 3, 2008