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LOVE THAT LITHOPLATE<br />
In his February 2001 "Scale Techniques"<br />
column, George Leu mentioned 0.005 lithoplate<br />
for detailing a Midwest Texan, and<br />
this material was also mentioned in a<br />
review of Balsa USA's Cub (April 2001 issue).<br />
I gather that lithoplate is a thin, soft aluminum<br />
sheet, but what is it exactly, and<br />
where can I buy it in various thicknesses?<br />
I'd appreciate the info; I subscribe to the<br />
magazine and read every issue. Thanks,<br />
[email]<br />
RAY SCHMIDT<br />
Ray; lithoplate is a thin aluminum sheet material<br />
used by printing-press operators to print<br />
newspapers and other publications. After a run,<br />
the sheets of lithoplate are set aside, and when<br />
the bins are full, they are sent to be recycled.<br />
Each plate (sheet) is about 18x24 inches; you<br />
can buy used sheets for a song; I paid about 25<br />
cents apiece! I bought a stack several years ago<br />
at a local print shop for 20 bucks and still have<br />
enough to last a lifetime! The ink on the plate<br />
must be cleaned off before you can use the<br />
material, but it is water-soluble so cleaning is<br />
Lrg. volume Pitts Slimline offers the best<br />
solution for customizing<br />
your plane's<br />
exhaust system.<br />
Zenoha GT80<br />
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Letters should be addressed to "Airwaves," Model Airplane<br />
News, 100 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT 06877-4606 USA; email man@airage.com. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity. We<br />
regret that, owing to the tremendous numbers of letters we receive, we cannot respond to every one.<br />
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10 MDDEL AIRPLANE NEWS<br />
very easy. Use a mixture of hot soapy water and<br />
a little rubbing alcohol. The aluminum is very<br />
thin (0.005 to 0.010 inch) and can easily be<br />
cut with a pair of scissors. The material has<br />
been hardened slightly by the printing process,<br />
but if you heat it quickly with a torch, you can<br />
anneal it to make it easier to bend and form. If<br />
you use it to make flat panels on your model,<br />
rubber cement or spray adhesive works well to<br />
hold it in place. Hope this helps. GY<br />
BIG BIPLANES<br />
In the April 2002 issue, I read with great<br />
interest your "Thinking Big" column on<br />
biplanes. I am currently<br />
building a 1/6-scale<br />
Boeing F4B-1, 1930s<br />
Navy biplane from an<br />
RCM plan. The upper<br />
wing has a 60-inch span<br />
and 10-inch chord. The<br />
bottom wing has a span<br />
of 48 inches with a 71/2inch<br />
chord. The stagger<br />
is positive, with the<br />
leading edge of the<br />
bottom wing set 55/8 inches aft of the leading<br />
edge of the upper wing. The decalage<br />
angle is designed to be slightly negative,<br />
with 2 degrees positive incidence on the<br />
bottom wing and 1 degree positive incidence<br />
on the upper wing. Since the upper<br />
wing is much larger in area, it will have<br />
much more lift than the lower wing. Both<br />
airfoils are essentially flat on the bottom.<br />
Even though the wings differ in span<br />
and chord, shall I still calculate the mean<br />
aerodynamic chord (MAC) and balance<br />
point in the same way as shown in Figure<br />
3 of that article, with the balance point 25
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