Simon Tang's Model Hydrofoils

Description from Simon Tang, 2^nd Nov 2004

As a Chinese engineer, I worked in the national railway bureau for twenty years.

From 1975 I have been attracted by the hydrofoils.

During my time at university, every Sunday I went to the library looked up information about hydrofoils. I even designed and built a model hydrofoil. Its front foil and back foil can be folded. Unfortunately, during the 70s, the power of batteries was not good enough to take off the model.

After 1997, I retired from my occupation. I have plenty leisure time to build my hydrofoils. This time, the power of model motors were improved bigger, flying a hydrofoil model was not so difficult. But the stability and flexibility when it is flying are the real challenge.

By accident, I found your website. The International Hydrofoil Society is a sea of information. The abundance pictures and detailed data are really helps me a lot.

After look through your web, I admire every engineer who contributes their creativity and efforts to designs and continues improving different type of hydrofoils all around the world.

The frustrations they met only a few people know, but the research findings they created are belonging to all of the human being.

Though building hydrofoils is my hobby, I still have experienced the happiness of creating and discovering in the course of doing this.

The hydrofoils I built are RODRIQUEZ RHS 200 SUPERJUMBO, Soviet hydrofoil Babuchka, US Navy Flagstaff PGH-1, Italy Navy SPARVIERO & Westamarin FOILCAT. All of them are 1/50 scale R/C models. They are made pure handcraft by myself.

My R/C model boats website is www.scalespeed.com/homepage_en.htm (model hydrofoils at www.scalespeed.com/rhs_en.htm) . There are some pictures and videos about my hydrofoils. I am willing to share them with all HIS members.

Additional information from Simon Tang, 24^th Nov 2007

This year, I have built the first scale R/C PT20 hydrofoil which is much bigger than RHS200 hydrofoil and have more fine accurate scale details.

It is a museum-class scale R/C model. Scale in 1/25, overall length 830 mm, overall breadth 323 mm. The accurate scale details of the model are built seriously according photos of prototype.

The model hydrofoil is able to run continuously in foilborne for about 30 minutes per each charge. Her total running time will exceed 30 minutes. Her scale speed have far exceeded her phototype's speed.

She has a whole lighting system. There are twelve navigation lights and lights of cabin. Each of them could be turn on and turn off separately. Also she has a working radar antennae. There are fine inner cabin structure details as well.