Sterling kit for Fairchild PT 19

[swapdaddyxx1]

I have a Sterling PT 19 kit from the 60s described on the box as "especially for radio control operation" but also for free flight or U control.
It has a 48" span,and the wings are designed to plug in,with a breakfree
spar design to minumize damage in a crash. It advises engines from .09 to .15 for rc.
Looks like it should adapt easily to electric. Does not give any details on plans for radio gear installation, but I would think given the weight of radio gear from that period, it could be built lighter than it would have been with glow and the 60s radio gear.
Not sure what I am going to do with this, but just wondering if anyone has had any experience with this kit.

[ripacheco]

Do you still have it?

[Henry Sistrunk]

I have one also. Had it for a number of years. Also a Sterling Tri Pacer for radio control.
Henry

[ripacheco]

Would u sell it?

[Henry Sistrunk]

Hadn't thought about it. Make me an offer. What's your location?
Henry

[ripacheco]

Florida... But reading about the kit I see it would be too small for me

[ripacheco]

Back then RC meant 1-channel...

http://home.mindspring.com/~jeff.coo...odels/id4.html

Is a nice kit though.

[Henry Sistrunk]

You are correct. I built the Tri Pacer as control line in high school. About 1953. I don't believe either the PT 19 or the Tri Pacer would fly very well today without modification.
Henry

[starcad]

For the radio of that day, it used single channel receiver with compound escapement. You could add a second escapement for 'blip' motor control. I haven't looked at that design in probably 25 or 30 years but if memory serves me correctly, it was powered by an .09 to .15 for radio control and free flight. The breakaway spars really sucked as when you broke the wing off, digging the broken spar out was a pain in the Ah! I finally figured out it I added a loop of thread when I pushed the spar in I could pull out the broken piece rather easily. It flew kind of nice with my old Babcock '27' as it had rudder, elevator and 'blip' motor with a Cox throttle equipped .09. High tech in them there days. Lost it after around 20 flights when I forgot to wind the rubber for the escapement. Smoke'n hole in the dry lake north of Vegas. Ah! the good ole days.

[Bill G]

Always like the PT19 and I keep an eye on these kits as they pop up on Ebay. May be a "one of these days" build if I come across one at the right price. They seem to come up fairly often.

Originally Posted by starcad

For the radio of that day, it used single channel receiver with compound escapement. You could add a second escapement for 'blip' motor control. I haven't looked at that design in probably 25 or 30 years but if memory serves me correctly, it was powered by an .09 to .15 for radio control and free flight. The breakaway spars really sucked as when you broke the wing off, digging the broken spar out was a pain in the Ah! I finally figured out it I added a loop of thread when I pushed the spar in I could pull out the broken piece rather easily. It flew kind of nice with my old Babcock '27' as it had rudder, elevator and 'blip' motor with a Cox throttle equipped .09. High tech in them there days. Lost it after around 20 flights when I forgot to wind the rubber for the escapement. Smoke'n hole in the dry lake north of Vegas. Ah! the good ole days.

It is amazing to think of what those guys accomplished with such simple control back then. I have a a bit of an idea of what it was like, but still nothing like what they accomplished. I flew a 28" Guillows FW190 with no aileron control, which had to be flown very carefully, and required perfectly straight wing panels and tweaking of the thrust angle. Of course I met a long time modeler who successfully flew one with glow power and rudder only! Makes what I did look quite sophisticated, having elevator and throttle control added to the rudder control.

[fhhuber]

Its easy to convert any of the old Sterling models that were intended to fly on 1 ch escapement into 4 ch e-power.... and still come out lighter than it would have been with the escapement.

Half dihedral is typical when adding ailerons.