(coming soon)

R/C RBG Pages


Doug Malewicki at NARAM-12
 Early R/C

From Pulse to Digital

1960's & 70's

(Malewicki, Renger, and the MIT Rocket Society)


Larry Renger with SkyDancer

 

A "Must Read" is Mark Bundick's History of Radio Controlled Rocket Gliders, which includes early R/C B/G's.

Mark compiled the history as a presentation for NARCON in 2008. He later converted it into a PDF file.

Click here or the thumbnails to left or right to download the 3.3 Meg PDF file

Coaster's "Centauri DynaSoar" Plans - Early R/C attempts, but not successful

From the days of the first successful Free Flight Boost Gliders, some rocketeers thought of, and a few tried, to build a radio controlled model. One dating from 1962 was the Coaster Corporation's plans for their "Centauri DynaSoar" Boost Glider. It was not a kit, but a set of plans. It was meant as a Free Flight B/G, powered by an F.

There were some references to flying it by R/C, but curiously no reports of one ever flying successfully with R/C. Perhaps one of the things that supported this over the years was an advertisement in American Modeler Magazine, from August 1962. The upper right side of the ad said "You Can Radio Control This One!". Well, maybe somebody could have, but it seems nobody at Coaster ever did. The actual plans do NOT show how to convert it for R/C.

Also contributing to this was the "antenna" seen in the ad's photo of the model. But that was not an antenna, it was a music wire skid, to keep the balsa nose cone from being gouged on landing.

There are no confirmed reports of anyone ever getting this to fly successfully with R/C. Indeed, no reports of it flying successfully Free-Flight either, but maybe it did as Free-Flight.

There is a discussion thread on Ye Olde Rocketry Forum (YORF) about this plan, which was the source for much of what you see here. If anyone would like to take a shot at it, free-flight or R/C, I suggest you check out that thread. Buzz Nau scanned the plans, provided by Jack Komorowski, which were posted at this link.

Terry Dean contributed this in that thread on YORF: "I found 2 references to RC BG flights at NARAM-7 in August 1965.

The 1st was Coaster powered by a F15-4 and it pranged by a Mitch Pines, 16 of NY.

The 2nd was attempt was by a Dr Morrow and Sons, who showed up with a Coaster Centauri adapted for 2 channel RC. It was also F14 Coaster powered and it also pranged."

Of the original design, Bob Parks commented: "If it had the CG where shown for glide and the engine was a heavy Coaster, and that far aft, with no nose weight pulled out at ejection, yeah, its likely unstable!"

In 2008, Carl McLawhorn of Semroc produced a set of parts for those who wanted to try to get this old bird to actually fly. Buzz Nau started building one to fly on R/C, first as a piggybacked model, but it has not flown as yet. Don Fent built a Free-Flight version, and tried it on an F25. Unfortunately it pitched quickly on its back and crashed. There are several theories on what happened, one theory being that it went unstable. Here is a link to a video of that flight. Again, for more info I suggest checking the thread at YORF.

 

 

 

 


Don Fent trim-throwing his F/F version

Buzz Nau's R/C conversion build

Drawing 1 of 2
Reduced image for onscreen viewing

Drawing 1 of 2
1.4 Meg Scan (download as a FILE)

Drawing 2 of 2
1.4 Meg Scan (download as a FILE)

First Successful R/C B/G - Doug Malewicki - 1967

Other people tried R/C B/G's. G Harry Stine mentioned in the 1967 edition of the Handbook of Model Rocketry that Bernard Biales was working on one, but he (G. Harry) had not seen anyone fly a successful R/C B/G yet.

In 1967, Doug Malewicki was the first to successfully fly an R/C B/G. Successful meaning that it not only carried the R/C gear, and not only glided, but that it was CONTROLLED in the glide.

In an e-mail, Doug described that first one as a "brick", not gliding well. But nobody cared the Wright brother's first flight did not go far either, it was the first to be successful.

Over time, Doug improved the model to be a lot better glider, and wrote up a 3-part series for Model Rocketry Magazine. The articles were in the August, September, and October, 1969 issues. The model used rudder only "Pulse" R/C, which is described in the articles. Very basically, a magnetic actuator pulses on-off-on-off, to make the rudder move left-right-left-right, 50% left and 50% right to fly straight. To turn, it pulses to be "on" more to the left than it is to the right, or more "off" than on to turn right. The R/C gear was very light and small.

Doug made the first public demonstration flights at NARAM-11, in 1969, just as the first article was published.

Later, Doug flew one of his R/C models in Open Spot Landing at NARAM-12. He took second place. The Spot Landing rules were later changed to ban R/C, and apparently also changed to not allow Spot Landers to separate any parts, since Doug's bird used a pop-pod.

 


Part One - August 1969

Part One - August 1969

Part One - August 1969

Part One - August 1969

Part One - August 1969

Part One - August 1969

Part Two - September 1969

Part Two - September 1969

Part Two - September 1969

Part Two - September 1969

Part Three- October 1969

Part Three- October 1969


Part Three- October 1969

Part Three- October 1969

Part Three- October 1969

Part Three- October 1969

Doug flying Open Spot Landing at NARAM-12


R/C gear article by Andy Elliot, February, 1970

Ace R/C Ad in MRM, Sept 1970

Sky Dancer - First Two Channel Digital R/C B/G - Larry Renger - 1969

This model made its public debut at NARAM-12, in 1969. It was originally conceived by John Simmance. The project was handed over to Larry Renger, who was working at Estes Industries, to flesh out and produce a flyable model in time for NARAM-12, in a month.

While Doug Malewicki's first R/C B/G models used Pulse R/C with an ultra-light (and relatively weak) magnetic actuator for rudder control, Sky Dancer was the first successful 2-channel R/C B/G, and the first known successful R/C B/G to use servos (digital) instead of a magnetic actuator (pulse). It was also the first known successful R/C B/G to use elevator control for pitch, and to use aileron control for turning instead of rudder control.

The SkyDancer was built much like either a Free Flight model airplane or a light R/C sailplane, due to the open structure of the wing, and stabilizer. The wing did not have to be super-strong, because while it boosted on a D13 engine, and later on two-staged 13 engines, it weighed so much that it did not boost very fast. It boosted to about 100 feet on a single D13, and to about 200 feet on staged D13 power. The article about the SkyDancer mentions an attempt to cluster two D12's, which made the model to pitch down badly, and it was just barely pulled from horizontal to vertical using full up elevator. This confirms another "first" for SkyDancer, the first to make use of R/C to control or correct the boost.

If a person built a clone of this model now, using the current ultra-light radio gear, it would certainly far out perform the original. I had been concerned that a much lighter version might boost too fast on a D12 and shred the wing, but the speed it must have achieved during the clustered flight, getting horizontal, and pulling up, indicates the wing may be strong enough. My concern is in the area of "flutter", so the wing does not twist too easily, as excessive airspeed on a weak wing often causes a wing to start to flutter then rapidly shred.

A REALLY interesting way to do a SkyDancer clone would be to do it as an R/G, not a B/G, so as to use Aerotech D7 and E6 reloads. This would also resolve any lingering concern about flutter due to a current day model being much lighter.

The mass of the R/C gear was significant, at 5.5 ounces, though even THAT was very light for 1969! It used two Kraft KPS-12 servos, a 3-channel Kraft Receiver, and a 100 mAh NiCad pack (The AAM Article said 6.5 oz with 225 mAh Nicads, then a later article in MRM said 5.5 oz with 100 mAh Nicads). The mass of the 100 mAh NiCad pack may have been 1.5 ounces depending on whether it had a plastic case or not. The KPS-12 servos were a bit under one ounce each. The receiver mass was not known, but likely around 1.5 to 2 ounces, plus wiring/switch.

Contrast those servo and receiver masses of 1969, which was about as light as one could get for digital R/C (servos), to the Cannon Super-Micro R/C radio gear 11 years later, in early 1980, which really made 2-channel R/C RBG's practical. A 2-channel Cannon Super-Micro pack weighed about 2.75 ounces for two servos (.47 ounce each), one receiver (.54 ounce), and a 100 mAh NiCad pack of 1.1 ounce, plus switch and wires. Today, it is possible to have two servos, receiver, and Li-Poly battery for less weight than ONE servo used by SkyDancer!

The scans presented here were made by Doug Holverson, from the article and plans that were published in the March 1971 issue of American Aircraft Modeler.

SkyDancer Article
in August, 1971 issue of
Model Rocketry Magazine

 


Cover of March 1971 issue of
American Aircraft Modeler

 


Page 1


Page 2


Page 3

MIT Rocket Society - Early to late 1970's

Various members of the M.I.T. Rocket Society were quite intrigued by the challenge of making R/C Rocket Boost Gliders which would not only fly successfully, but to fly well. Among those members whose work was later published in the "Pulse R/C" journal, were "Guppy" Youngren, Bob Parks, Geoff Landis, and Chris Flanagan.

With 2-channel R/C gear being so heavy at the time, they focused on the "Pulse" type of rudder-only gear such as Doug Malewicki used. They made clones of the Albin super-regenerative receiver, then later Guppy Youngren developed a "Micro-Albin" receiver weighing 4.5 grams, and a more reliable Micro-Superhet (Superhetrogenerative) receiver weighing 9 grams. They worked up their own homemade magnetic actuators.

It was possible to have a Pulse R/C system onboard that weighed under 10 grams, though that was with a very tiny weak actuator and sometimes finicky receiver. Bob Parks commented in e-mail recently:

Around 1972, I had a model with actuator in the tail that was 20 grams glide weight, but the RX was just too flakey to use. (micro Albin RX). A couple years later, Gup had one the same weight, and got some A class records with it I think. It might have been in one of the Roc Soc publications.

At NARAM-17, in 1975, Guppy Youngren set an FAI World Record (and NAR Record) with a C Boost Glide (S4C) flight that thermalled for 708 seconds. November 1975, Chris Flanagan filed an FAI record of 2717 seconds for Eagle (D/E) Boost Glide S4(D/E), by "slope soaring" back and forth across a slope (wind coming up and over the slope causing continual lift as long as the wind blew the right way).

Who had the first successful R/C Rocket Glider? I do now know for sure, but by 1975 Chris Flanagan, Geoff Landis and Guppy Youngren had been testing some out. At NARAM-17, Guppy Youngren won C Rocket Glide with a slide wing (Lumb Duck design) model. It flew for 240 seconds (scoring was best flight, not total then), taking first place. This was the first R/C model to take a place at a NARAM Glider event, and first to win ANY event at a NARAM (Doug Malewicki had taken the first R/C place of any kind by his Second Place in Spot Landing at NARAM-12, before the rules changed).

Around 1977, the MIT Rocket Society compiled their work, including how-to articles and plans for a multitude of R/C B/G's and R/G's, in a "Pulse R/C" edition of their Journal. It was revised a few more times after that, up to 1979.

It did not end with rudder only Pulse. Digital R/C with servos was starting to get smaller and lighter. By 1976, Cannon R/C had come out with a micro flight pack that was a "brick", essentially two servos and one receiver all mounted together. This was small and light enough to start making 2-channel R/C more practical. A 2-channel model named "Bogling" was flown many times at NARAM-18 in 1976, and plans for it were included in the "Pulse R/C" journal. And the final plan included in the Pulse R/C journal was "Legel Eagle", which Guppy flew to make the U.S. Team at the 1977 flyoffs at NARAM-19. It was a much more refined model, using a built up wing skinned with 1/32" balsa. When flown on two staged AVI D6.1 engines, it weighed just under the FAI S4D/E (NAR code named "Eagle") maximum weight limit, so that was where it's name came from.

And then there was the Flagship at the 1978 WSMC....... (Link to be added when Flagship page is completed)

 
Bob Parks with Flop-Wing R/C B/G in 1971


Guppy & Parks at MITCON 1973


From coverage of the 1973 MITCON. Hawk was C power, Eagle was D/E, and Condor was F.

           Someof the plans pages from the MIT Journal Pulse R/C Edition, plusphotos from pages of the NAR'sModel RocketeerMagazine

Guppy's 1975 C B/G FAI Record Setter

Guppy's FAI record C B/G at NARAM-17

Flanagan's "Stars & Stripes" C B/G


Landis' "Tiger Shark" C B/G

Geoff Landis won C B/G at MARS 1975

Guppy's C R/G winner at NARAM-17

Flanagans's "Henry" Slide Pod C R/G


Guppy's "Bogling" E & F B/G - pt 1

Guppy's "Bogling" E & F B/G - pt 2

Guppy's "Legel Eagle" B/G - pt 1

Guppy's "Legel Eagle" B/G - pt 2

Early 2-Channel R/C R/G's - Comments by Bob Parks

One other model that you might want to list. It was the 2ch CRG that I was flying in early 1978. It was called Pooneil. There are photos if it in the NAR magazine coverage of MITCON from that year [June, 1978]. It was a legal 120 gram liftoff mass RC RG with 2 Cannon micro servos from that era, Cannon RX and the Lithium [expendable] batteries we were using back then. It was about 75 grams of radio as I recall, plus 20 grams of C6, so 25 grams of glider. Super thin balsa built up body etc. The pushrods were even rolled balsa tubes (1/100" thick indoor model wood).

It was pretty fast on a C, but I did about a dozen flights on it. It shredded in a contest flight at ECRM later that spring.

The first of the "modern", no moving parts RC RG's was probably Dave Felsenthal's short lived RG version of Boggling. I dont know of any good photos of it.

It was pretty close to a clone of Gup's BG Boggling, but with a fixed engine pod above the wing.

Dave was mainly a member of the Tech Model Aircrafters, and never flew rocket competition. But at that time, TMA and RS had many members in common and they had club rooms right next to each other. So Dave is pretty unknown in rocket circles.

Dave wanted to build a Boggling, but I convinced him to make it with the mid-engine RG pod instead.

The model only lasted one day of flying. I did the first flight on a D12, then Dave did a D12. Both worked well, so we went to 2 D12's drop staged. I did one, then he did one. Both worked great. So, we did 3 stage. I did the first one went great AND to pretty impressive altitude. So Dave wanted to do one... but we were out of D12-0's.

Jack Kane was at that launch and had some motors, so we got some from him. What he didn't say was that they had spent the whole summer of 77 in the trunk of his car. LOTS of temperature cycles, which as Chris later found out, caused D12's to fireball....

Well, Dave flew it. First stage fireballed... but lit the second stage in the process, and the second stage fireballed too, lighting the third stage, which worked. We had flaming propellant shooting EVERYWHERE, with the model eventually doing a clean boost out of the middle of it all. He gets it into a glide, and says its not flying right.. and we notice a thin smoke trail. Then the whole aft end of the model just rolls over and dives into the ground. The wing and front fuse tumble down, with ever increasing smoke.

The model had been finished the night before (naturally), and the body was tissue and dope. The fuse was FULL of dope fumes. Turns out that a chunk of propellant had gone THROUGH the balsa fuse skin, and lit off the dope fumes, and there was a flash fire down the inside.

The control problem was when the balsa pushrods burned through. By the time the wing and nose tumbled down, the fire was going pretty well, and the whole inside had burned, totally melting the case on my Cannon brick radio. We had to stamp out the fire, so there was not a lot left of the model.

But, as far as I know, it was the first case of a 2 ch RC RG with no moving parts depending on pilot input for boost.

 

  
2-channel R/C R/G By Bob Parks, for C6 power. Flown at MITCON in 1978

Flagship at the 1978 WSMC.......(Link to be added when Flagship page is completed)