5 FLIGHT TESTS NORTHEAST SAILPLANE PRODUCTS ...

... I had no idea there were so
many variations on this maneuver.
HUMPTY BUMP
I want to tell you how impressed I was with
Dave Patrick's article "ABCs of the Humpty
Bump." I had no idea there were so many
variations on this maneuver. The illustra­
tions were killer! I hardly had to read the
text—but I did anyway. Dave's ability to
explain things clearly and point out places
where mistakes often occur is of great value
to someone like me. Please tell Dave how
much we common sport pilots appreciate
his articles, and ask him to write more!
PETER MORGAN, WALPOLE, MA
Peter, we are very pleased to have Dave as a
contributor. The combination of his knowledge
and the great illustrations from FX Models
sure add up to great reading! Don't worry; we
have articles on other maneuvers in the works.
GY
SCALE PROPS
I just finished reading the February 2005
issue of Model Airplane News. My favorite
article was the 25th U.S. Scale Masters
Championships. The model detail is
astonishing! Your article raised a ques­
tion regarding WW II warbirds that has
been on my mind for some time,
though: why aren't they flown with
scale propellers? For example, I saw the
original P-47 "Big Stud" when it was at
the Champlin Fighter Museum in
Aiizona. The photo of Max Ficken's
Thunderbolt (p. 30) clearly shows it
swinging a wooden 2-blade prop. I often
see these planes on static display with
scale-looking props. Could you please
explain why pilots change to non-scale
props when they fly these warbirds? I've
always wanted to have my own scale
warbird, but it just seems wrong to put a
2-blade prop on a plane that actually
used a 3- or 4-blade prop.
MICHAEL PFEIFER
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
Michael, I'm glad you enjoyed the Scale
Masters Championship coverage. For most
scale competitions, the contestants are judged