Florida Jets
aspects. They are well engineered and
accurately produced, providing a means
for lots of folks to enjoy the excitement
of jet flying. Maybe it’s the intimidation
factor, or the recognition that turbines
and foamie models may not be able to
peacefully coexist at the same event, but
I’m pretty sure that the number of smaller
EDF models flying today far surpasses the
number of turbines.
Cream of the crop
One thing was very evident to me as I
wandered around the four-day event — at
this level, jet modeling is not for the faint
of heart or shallow of pocket. Making a
rough cost estimate of the “typical” jet on
hand, I came up with $7,000-$8,000 as a
benchmark. That’s on-the-ramp, ready to
go. Think I’m kidding? Do the math: kit,
turbine system, retracts, radio and other
goodies; the number is easy to establish.
Now, some guys prefer to have someone
else, with perhaps more experience, put
all these components together to produce
a ready-to-fly package. Add more cash for
Derrick McEwan decided to break the norm and go with a scratch-built and unusual- looking jet.
Composite Structure at Home
While most of the current turbine jet models are factory built, usually with composite
(fiberglass/Kevlar/resin) structures, you can produce similar results, on your own and at home
with common tools. That seems to have been the thinking of Derrick McEwan of Miami when
he conceived the idea for his turbine-powered original model he calls the “Pulse.” It’s basically
an all-wood structure with other material used in high- load areas as well as a layer of glass
cloth over the entire airframe. His sinister-looking bird is powered by RTI 2800 turbine that
produces 28 pounds of thrust to push its 43-pound weight along. At 112 inches long with a
span of 80 inches, it’s a big machine. Although it has flown off prepared surfaces, Derrick had
some rotation difficulties on the Florida Jets’ sod. I think an adjustment in the deck angle to
get the nose a little higher might help a bit. It’s a remarkable design effort, and a great building
project, and one of the few true scratch-built airframes seen at Florida Jets. Great job, Derrick,
congratulations and send us some flight shots when you can!
