So, slightly bent, broken and abused French Spad is coming home

getback wrote:Glad your staying out of trouble with the Spad  beeing a bear LOL It shaping up colors are coming together too hope you get the wings figured out .

Finally, I have it figured..........for better or worst.  

I decided to forget about the eight wing struts and using my old jig cut the cabane struts to length (guessed) and tacked on the wing, then turned it over and filled the voids with epoxy.  Then I did the wing struts.  My hands shake so nothing is neat here in application.  

Tacked with wood glue on the tips of the struts.



Turned over and epoxied.



Built a guide to set the struts.  Tongue depresser fit perfectly between.  Foam cube set 90 degrees.  Rinkey dink at best but now-adays my only option.  





Using the original half-wing as a guide I drilled holes in the new wings to set the struts.  Tight fit for the tooth picks.  Used the jigs, then used a tapping hammer to drive the struts through the top wing, wing setting on a cushioned pad.  

Done, although I may install strut wires as I did some 54 years ago on my Sterling Nieuport 28 still my favorite all-time model and flyer.








Among friends

Very Nice Bob , that was a tough one but it sure turned out nice

It did turn out nice Bob, Great job!…. Color match and camo shapes are spot on…. As my wife would say if she likes the repair I make to something that was broken…. “Looks like nothing ever happened “ …..Working with small is challenging but rewarding IMO…..Looks good with its scratch built wing men….I enjoy watching these come together, Thanks for sharing……

OVERLORD wrote:Well done Bob!! I don't have any experience with decals except the ones from Airfix or Revell in my childhood, but can they be removed and reused?  It would be the occasion to get the hat and ring the right way up.

Can't be done.  How I know, just one of many diasters with this reconstruction and why you don't see close-ups of the tail section.    But, I do have "Decal Remover" solutions, they just don't work to remove completely with quality enough to reuse.  



Yes, Eddie is turning over and fuming a bit.  He was not a forgiving guy.  Yes, original builder didn't do his homework.  Hat is upside down dumping out all the "luck" as in horse shoes.  Hat goes up catching the luck.  

"What's the meaning of the phrase 'Throw your hat into the ring'?
Make or take up a challenge, or demonstrate one's willingness to join an enterprise."

Notice his left hand tossing the hat into the ring.



I have read all of the books that he authored or co-authored,  Fighting the Flying Circus as a kid.  Seven came through a classic.  Lost at sea after a plane crash he assumed command of the life rafts and kept others alive though shear will.  Described as profane and unpopular in some articles.  Interesting life profiled in wikipedia for those interested.

WOW That did come out Nice ! I did not know about the Hat and Rickenbacker may have to give it a read ! The Spad stands true to its colleges Good work on the rebuild , I personally can stand to do them I guess just not good at it (don't look good in the end )

Thanks Eric.

I added a touch of class to the Spad by installing the Cocobolo prop that Robert sent me for the K&B Infant.  Hand-carved and perfect.  It replaces the nylon Top-Flight prop that I painted the same Tan as on the plane itself, in fact I painted all the accesssories tan - toothpicks, control line guide, etc.  

I would not risk it in a flight rather I would use the Top-Flight prop which seems to be a good fit for the little .020 Cox Pee Wee.  







It's always been in the back of my mind to use Robert's propeller on the Spad, I just wasn't sure if it would upgrade the Spad or down-grade Roberts beautiful prop.  

It is a beautiful prop for sure I think it look good on the Spad more like the bigun .

getback wrote:It is a beautiful prop for sure I think it look good on the Spad more like the bigun .

It's going to have a friend soon. I won the auction for the Beechcraft with the Ok Cub engine. Not surprising, I was the only bidder. It sould be here soon, coming from PA not too far from Ken. He might have seen it fly at one time.

Wow, That looks good Bob ….. The prop looks like it belongs there, Especially after seeing the full scale photo…. An honorable place for it IMO !!….Goes great with the camo  ….. The wood has a lot of grain detail I think makes it interesting for modeling, Functional too!….. It was modeled on the suggested prop for K & B Infant…. 5-1/4 x very shallow pitch…. A PeeWee would do just fine with it…. Thanks for sharing that …

Bob, that full body Beechcraft cabin bipe will make a nice restore. Sig's half-A profile model is also a looker, but there is something extra with the full body.

Speaking of Eddie Rickenbacker, here is an interesting story that is inspirational. He and others spent 24 days in inflatable rafts in open seas when their B-17 bomber missed an island refueling stop in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific Ocean, ran out of fuel and ditched. I think you will find the story very interesting on how the Almighty works.

American Heritage Mag: Lost At Sea For 24 Days (Fall 2008, Volume 58, Issue 5)

I'm really excited about that Beechcraft SW George.  Already thinking about paint.  Or could leave as is.



Red and yellow Beechcrafts have been overdone, but I really like this black/dark blue? / white combo.



Yes,  as mentioned I read his book.  Others dispised him.  Overbearing and uncompromised.  Caught a Seagul that landed on his head, parts apportioned to each survivor.  Such an interesting life, lead mechanical "engineer" at 18, Indy racer, (at one time he owned the Speedway) WW1, started Eastern Airlines and a car company (Rickenbacker)







(he changed the spelling of his last name a few times) and so much more.

Bob, regarding the Rickenbacker book, I put it on my Biblio wishlist for future purchase. He was truly a man, something that today sorry to say, seems sadly lacking in our modern society. I thought it interesting that he used psychology on them in those rafts, to get them fighting mad to hang on. That's how they were able to spend 3-1/2 weeks out in the open tropical ocean.

That Beech bipe was considered as far as know back then, a fast, sleak, business class plane.

I've had some hard lessons, rude ones, but they saved me future trouble. Basically that lesson on not "throwing your pearls before swine", refers to that even rebuke can be a pearl, but don't do it to those who need it but cannot take it. A fool is like a dog that returns to its vomit, just can't wake up and get back to the right direction, leave behind matters already past.

Those rubber wheels on the Beech were common in the 1960's, nice thing about Top Flite in their half-A C/L molded sheet balsa full and profile fuselage kits was the inclusion of brass rivets to use as axle bearings, one on each side of the wheel center hole to roll on 1/16" round music wire. I think the Goldberg half-A C/L kits used the same rubber wheels and brass rivet axles bearings, my Little Toot Bipe has those wheels.

Scientific on the other hand had the hardwood dyed black wheels. They worked, but I always replaced them with the aftermarket Perfect rubber wheels with cast hubs. They looked nicer and rolled better.

Comet rubber powered kits, they came with hardwood wheels unfinished in natural wood.

"That Beech bipe was considered as far as know back then, a fast, sleak, business class plane."

How true George, I never realized just how beautiful the SW was until I started checking it out in earnest.  That black/dark blue shot of it banking in flight with the wheels up sold me.  

I'm finally checking the "done" box on the Spad.  I'm still not convenced who kitted it.  Perhaps Enterprise but I would like to see evidence.  I took the easy way out and just threaded dacron through the eyelets and knotted to the existing connectors.  Picked out the closest colored handle I could find.

 I did not fully trust just cementing the guide to the toothpick struts at the best height, so I glued it to the wing also. A little low but it should work.  A nod to Ken here.  

Flyable, you know that Pee Wee is going to crank, new gaskets and perfect reed.  I like all my projects to have the potential to fly, a few of the plastics may need a fuel tube to be attached, but that's it.  One nice summer day with little wind I might just decide to try them out, or at least have Mark do it.  




I hope that some enjoyed this thread - all four pages - as much as I did bringing it to you. I still get a kick out of doing this stuff.