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Old 01-15-2008 | 08:25 AM
  #3  
gcb
 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,440
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From: Port Ewen, NY
Default RE: Newbie question...

You can try:
http://www.pennvalleyhobbycenter.com/

http://sigmfg.com/

http://www.brodak.com/index.php

You might also pick up a copy of Flying Models magazine. One of the FEW that still covers CL.

That said, you should contact a local CL club if available. They often have a trainer that is used to help people learn to fly. Some of us as individuals have planes to help folks learn or relearn on. A trainer is soon outgrown.

No matter how well you can wiggle the sticks, CL is different. You are flying close to the ground and in a relatively small circle. You WILL get dizzy at first from turning in circles, but that will go away.

It is nice to have help to launch...or take it off for you and hand it off to you. It is also nice to have someone to hand the plane off to when you get dizzy.

All of these things can be overcome without help, but is much easier WITH help.

The Fox .35! This is an excellent engine that has been in production for almost 60 years. It requires special handling that a modern plug and play RC engine does not need.
First is fuel. The Fox .35 NEEDS at least 25% lube, most or all castor...many guys run 29%. The reason for this is that first, the engine has an iron/steel piston/liner setup. This requires a careful break-in consisting of multiple short runs (~one minute) followed by complete cool down. This is called heat cycling. Second is that the Fox .35 is a maximum displacement in a minimum case. That's why it's so light. Some of the heat must be carried off by unburned lube (castor has a higher temperature flash point than most synthetics).
Second is careful needle setting. Excessive lean in an iron/steel setup can cause "thermal runaway" which can ruin a piston/cylinder fit fast. Most run the Fox .35 in a 4-2-4 setup. That is, flying level yields a rich, four cycle setting. When you raise the nose of the plane, like for a loop, the engine speeds up to a two cycle run for more power. On the down side of a maneuver, the Fox breaks back to a four cycle run. This characteristic of a Fox .35 is often imitated in other engines by special rework.

Hope this helps a bit, although it is perhaps a bit more than you need.

George