Conference vmszoo::rc

    I should've mentioned a little about the technique used to fly the
    Telemaster when it was used to string power lines in Switzerland.
    (I'm sure now it was the Swiss who did this as the story was related
    to me by Bruno Giezendanner [same guy who introduced the carbon-
    composite servo pot wiper button {Giezendanner wipers} and still,
    I believe, markets Giezendanner electric retracts] during a visit
    to my shop while in Phoenix about 10-years ago.)
    
    As many/most canyons/gorges were a mile or more across, you can
    readily appreciate the difficulty a single pilot would have landing
    the plane on the other side, if it "was" even within radio range,
    which would be highly unlikely.
    
    For the smaller gorges, 2-pilots and transmitters were used; the
    first would takeoff and head the plane across the gorge.  Somewhere,
    roughly in the middle, being in radio contact with each other, the
    first pilot would switch his Tx off while the second pilot simultan-
    eously switched his Tx on and took over control to complete the
    crossing and land the plane on his side.  Up to 4-pilots would be
    utilized for larger spans with the additional pilots hiking into
    the gorge, stationing themselves at strategic positions to take
    over the plane and "relay" it to the next pilot.  Ingenious, eh??
    
    Adios,	Al

    Bill,
    
    All I know is what I read in the magazines of the time and what
    was told to me by Bruno Giezendanner.  As memory serves, the model
    was something over 80" in span and was powered by a gear or belt
    reduction .61 engine, Webra I think.
    
    Seems entirely feasible to me; they might have started off with
    a very small nylon string/cord and simply used it to pull across
    ever larger size/weight lines, then cable, finally the conductor
    itself.
    
    Giezendanner, BTW, was the Swiss equivalent to today's Hanno Prettner
    being the man to beat in pattern at the time in Europe.  
    
    Adios,	Al

By coincidence, I was reading a 1973 issue of RCM last night
(looking for new projects) and came across a review of the
Telemaster where they said the same thing.  

John,

Aha!  "That" must be where I originally saw it.  Giezendanner visited sometime
around `77 and I brought up the Telemaster subject based on having heard/read 
about it sometime earlier.  Would you consider reprinting pertinent excerpts
here for the benefit of those who may be interested in the Telemaster's origin?
Not the entire article, certainly, just a few of the pertinent paragraphs.

While most models were designed specifically for hobbyist consumption, there's
another well known model that began life for other reasons.  Phil Kraft wanted
a quickly built, easily repairable, friendly and, most importantly, expendable
airplane for his company [Kraft Radio Control Systems] to use for testing new
radio designs, repaired radios, etc.  Similar to the BIC lighter concept, he
considered the new bird to be a throwaway as the mortality rate of these radio
test-ships was rather high.  Anyhoo, Phil designed the bird and, like all good 
things, word got out about this great sport ship and before long, a contract
was drawn up for Jensen to kit and sell the bird.  Jensen never kitted another
model...they didn't have to; their kit became probably the largest selling R/C
plane of all time and Jensen made a small fortune before retiring and closing 
the doors a few years ago.  And that, R/C fans, is where the famous Ugly-Stik 
came from.  

BTW, in line with the subject of this topic, my vote for the finest kit ever 
marketed would go to the Jensen Ugly-Stik.  If you ever stumble onto one gather-
ing dust in the back of some hobby shop, scarf it up!  I guarantee someone will
pay premium dinero for this kit, if you don't want it.  I still have a brand new
kit for one in the attic which I'll fling together before long...you just can't
beat a Stik for all-around, all-purpose sport flying!

Adios,	Al

Well, I told you it was brief: from the April 1973 review in RCM
of the Senior Telemaster.

"This aircraft design has been around for a number of years in
Germany, and has been used to string telephone lines across deep
ravines, which task would otherwise require the use of a
full-size helicopter".

Your mention of designs that came about sort of indirectly puts
me in mind of a model I have hanging in my shop now, never flown,
but soon to be.  It is called the DQA-704, standing for Darn
Quick Airplane, cost $7.04, incuding Cox .020 engine!  It
appeared in the December 1964 RCM with full size plans (it was a
great mag back then).  The design came about when Gene Babcock
designed a new escapement and wanted a test bed to demonstrate
it.  He sent the airplane to RCM with the escapement and received
an enthusastic phone call shortly thereafter; the RCM testers
were raving about the plane.  Finally Gene got frustrated and
said Yes, I know about the plane, what about my escapement!
Anyway, when I saw the cute little bugger, with full size plans,
no less, I had to build it.  I finished it in Air Corps markings
with blue fuse and yellow wings, complete with meat ball insignia
and stripes on the tail (tissue covering, naturally).  The radio
for it performed a logical shift right into another airplane, but
will soon be free for reinstallation in the DQA.  Single channel,
naturally. 

    John,
    
    OK, so it was Germany...could've sworn it was Switzerland - Bruno
    Giezendanner sure knew all about it.  Guess there isn't that much
    geographic difference/distance between the two countries.	Al

    Last night on the DSC channel I caught the tail end of a program
    about some Canada geese that were raised by humans. Before releasing
    them to the wild they had to be imprinted with a "mother" image
    and be checked out on formation flying. To do this, they used
    a Telemaster on floats. The geese formed right up on it, with
    the Telemaster at the point of the V. Pretty neat.
    Then they used an ugly looking twin engine, twin boom flying
    boat thing with a camera mounted on a swivel in the cockpit area,
    and got some beautiful in-flight shots as the geese would come right
    along side the model, just a few feet away. They'll probably
    repeat this program soon, and I'll be able to check it out
    further.
    
    Terry
    

    Like a few other noters, I am building a Sr. Telemaster which I
    received as a Xmas present.  I delayed starting it until I completed a
    glider kit so I could back into the "hing" of building.
    
    So far, I have completed the tail feathers and the wing.  At present, I
    am installing the strip ailerons.  This is a big plane - it has a 95
    inch span with a 14 inch cord or some 1330 sq. inches of wing area. 
    It also has a lifting stab with 320 sq. inches of stab area.
    
    Following is Hobby Lobby's marketing avertisment of the Sr. Telemaster:
    
    "95" spand (almost 8 feet!) 1330 sq. in. wing area, 320 sq. in. lifting 
    stab area.  Ultra light balsa construction.  For 4 channels and .40 to .60
    engine.
    
    Nothing, nothing, nothing flies like a Senior Telemaster!  This
    spectacular balsa kit builds into an airplane that is all lift and
    almost no weight.  With its 10 oz. sq. ft. wing loading it will:  land
    backwards in a 15 mph wind; do 50 foot tail slides; cross-control into
    slip landings; break ground after a 3 foot takeoff run.  
    
    It can carry about 10 pounds of additional corgo (cameras, who knows
    what else!).  In Germany, where this plane was originally designed,
    it's  widely used for stringing cables over valleys, and the US
    Government has several of them that are carrying TV camers for the
    Remote Piloted Vehicle Development Programs.  
    
    But RC flying is the name of the game, and Serior Telemaster flies like
    no ther RC airplane.  Because of the lifting stablizer it accelerates
    from 10 mph to 70 mph without any elevator trim change.  It will
    perform every pattern contest maneuver (not like a low wing pattern
    ship admittedly, but it'll DO'em).  I can fly mine inverted all day
    long, or perform giant size loops, and even do outside loops.  In
    addition, it can do lots of things the pattern ships cant' do like tail
    slides of 50 feet, cross-controlled side slip landings, and 
    easily-controlled one wheel touch and goesi
    
    Usually Senior Telemaster flies with 4-channels of control.  But it has
    been flown very nicely with only 3 channels (omitting aileron control). 
    A .40 size engine is sufficient power, but most modlers prefer a .60
    because of the incredible performance of this plane with a .60.  If you
    have a digital proportional that has 5 channels available you might try
    hooking up one auxilary channel to give you "flapron" control with the
    strip ailerons.  The plane will very hover with the use of flaps.
    
    ...  Senior Telemaster is the easiest flying airplane in RC history. 
    Without any doubt it would be the very best first trainer you could
    select.  In the hands of an experienced REer, however, it performs
    maneuvers that are hard to believe!
    
    The design has been improved consierably over the original German
    version and construction has been simplified.  A steerable tail wheel
    device is now included and the machining and fit of the balsa parts is
    now nearly perfect.  In fact, you may consider this to be the most
    beautifully crafted kit you have ever seen.
    
    Senior Telemaster has been the subject of two articles in Radio Control
    Modler Magazine.  I can't recall any other RC plane in histroy to have
    been so honored."
    
    The Sr. Telemaster is presently priced at $135.00.
    
    Hobby Lobby International
    5614 Franklin Pike Circle
    Brentwood, Tn 37027-1444
    
    Regards,
    
    Ollie