  SPORT • GLOW • ELECTRICS • AEROBATICS • SCALE • TRAINERS • HELIS |
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Breathtaking aerobatic thoroughbred
   ill Hempel is a four-time IMAC National Champion and TOC competitor from Tucson, Arizona. When he decided to build the Exclusiv-Modelbau Pitts Challenger, his competitive nature ensured he would spare no expense building the best airplane possible. As you will see, Bill Hempel's 50% Pitts is one of the most sophisticated and impressive aerobatic models in the world. We’ll let Bill take the story from here.“When it comes time for a new aerobatic airplane, I look for any edge that will help me stand out from the crowd. I knew I had found something special as soon as I saw the Exclusiv-Modelbau Pitts Challenger! The size of this plane really grabbed me! At half the size of the full-scale prototype, it is a real attention getter! Another appealing aspect was that there are very few of these planes flying. This 50% Pitts is the only one flying in the United States. The size and rarity of this bird made the Pitts Challenger exactly what I was looking for. 
If you’re one of the millions worldwide who have seen Sean D. Tucker fly his full-scale Pitts Challenger at an air show, you already know this design’s flight performance is absolutely incredible. With even more relative power in the model, there isn’t anything this plane can’t do!  Full-scale rigging practices are used throughout the Pitts Challenger. Just as on the prototype, dual streamlined rod bracing is used to ensure that the stabilizer and fin are securely afixed to the fuselage. Two servos are mounted in tandem to drive each elevator. Short direct linkages are a must for maximum control.
From any distance the 50% Challenger looks as if it is a full-scale airplane. It is very big and the color scheme shows up well in the air. With the smoke on, I am sure many people can be fooled into thinking it is the real thing. When you see some of the maneuvers being performed, though, you know right away that the pilot could not possibly be at the controls inside the airplane. The gut-wrenching G-forces of 3D aerobatics would be too much for anyone to survive. The 3W 212 has tremendous pulling power for precision aerobatics. The top speed and thrust of this plane allow me to fly vertical maneuvers as tall as desired. Smooth precision flying and IMAC sequences are no problem on low rates. The abundant fuselage side area also makes harrier rollers and knife edge loops a breeze! The 2:1 power-to-weight ratio lets me perform torque rolls at about half power. Vertical penetration is unlimited even while rolling! High alpha maneuvers are very easy to control with this plane. I believe the wing area and large diameter propeller combine to make the slow speed maneuvers very controllable. Airflow from the large propeller keeps positive control at all times, even when the airplane is not moving. The 3W-212 four-cylinder engine pulls the 52 pound, 105 inch span model effortlessly through the air. Despite the size of the engine, the 3W exhaust system really performs well, making the plane quieter than most IMAC planes flown today. When it is time to land, the huge wings of the Pitts Challenger slow it like a trainer. It lightly touches down in the 3-point position. Rollout is not more than about 100 feet. (continued)  |
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