Model Airplane News Cover for November, 1957
Vern Clements and Sure Fun
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The November, 1957 issue presented Vern Clements and his control-line floatplane "Sure Fun" that can be converted to a landplane. Of some note, this plane was among the first to use the "J.Roberts Flight Control System".

• The simplest is an independent third control line running from control handle to model and directly connected to the engine's throttle by a system of cranks. As this single line can only be pulled in one direction, such a system will require spring loading to obtain movement in the opposite direction. While simple, this has the disadvantage that pulling too hard can affect elevator line control.
• The J.Roberts' system uses a special bellcrank in the model and a matching mechanism within the control handle to give fully balanced and compensated control movements. The system provides full throttle control at the same time as full elevator control while maintaining equal tension in all 3 lines, and also allows the throttle to be set and left in any position. . See the appropriate section for information on the J.Roberts' system, plus diagrams of all the common imitations and full instructions for the manufacture of each.
• In the 21st Century, there are a number of electronic solutions that simply send information down the control lines, effectively "Radio Control" without broadcasting.

In 1957, the J. Roberts system was widely used and imitated. Although it was readily available, it was expensive. This gave rise to a number of variations on the theme which effective and could be easily made by the average aeromodeller and at very moderate costs.

The plans for "Sure Fun" are illustrated below. The photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and have a lot more details about the model.

        

Sure Fun Seaplane or Landplane
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Please see our discussion of model seaplanes in our treatment of the May, 1945 issue of Model Airplane News.

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