.049 in good shape - CL plane - not so much

seeing/hearing honest, real laughter? from my teenager?
totally worth it!

the plane is almost rebuilt. I need to spend some time this evening sorting out the stab assembly.

the motor is cleaned up and some of Bernie's famous After-Run sauce put through it.

Yep. Good job! I have had many like that as well. Just keep at it and it will come back to you.

I don't see a problem with any hinges!???..

OhBee wrote:I don't see a problem with any hinges!???..

Looks more like control horn failure.

the hinges got "loose" and very "flappy". when the plane nosed down? bits came off everywhere.

as I am rebuilding, I've traced the old elevator onto new balsa, and will make stronger surface to mount control horn, and better hinge arrangement.

meanwhile, I've put same .049 on a vintage sterling spitfire profile jobbie, and will see if i have better luck

Stan at Vintage Performance has a bunch of repop vintage CL kits -- I'm NOT a CL guy --- but it seems an interesting way to excercise my .049s. - https://vintageperformancemodelairplanes.com/collections/1-2a-radial-mount-kits

Laser cut, and MUCH cheaper than fighting to buy old kits off eBay.

I have my eye on the Baby Ringmaster......

I will say that your flying handle is far too large and the cables too heavy for 1/2A flying. Your seriously over controlling the plane with a handle spacing that wide.

Ken!   I think you are 100% correct!   (re-learning after 30+ years...)  I need to find an old 1/2A handle layin around

I do have dacron line instead of wire, so that helps some,  but I think the handle is way way too big,  after you broght it up -- thank you

today!   My Sterling Spitfire?   2 full circles before I destroyed the prop  (but nothing else on the plane got broke)

My 15 yr old says "dad, we need to find a grassy field, that will be better"

Him am smart

I built all but 3 of the beginner Sterling series slab wingers. Some flew much better than others. I learned to fly inverted on the P-47 Thunderbolt. The Spitfire is ok it will loop but it flies better without the gear. Obviously troublesome if your over asphalt. The Ringmaster Bipe was also a good flyer. I recall one of my senior club members saying if you want to impress me, do a outside loop and sure enough it did.

Wow, it's probably been about 30 years since I flew a Control line also. It was a hot dog wing, so I guess considered a combat. I built
it but I can't remember the kit name. I had an unusual engine in it, a Taipan .15 on a bladder (what a pain the bladder was) I got a couple flights on it before I stuffed it in the grass. The engine survived OK but I think I scrapped the plane. I still have the engine.

i cant stand having engines. (model airplane, motorcycle, automotive) that I dont USE.

CL seems like a good way to burn castor --- its been years, wiith advice from folks here, and a 15 yr old encouraging me to "so what dad, fly it or destroy it - ya gotta TRY". I'm getting closer...

the eventual goal is free flight kits with my .020s --- but no place close around here to play. so CL it is.

Same 15 yr old mentioned. "maybe a grass field"

getting closer and closer

I use to fly R/C sailplanes in the winch launch days at a pretty nice field not too far from Phoenix International Raceway, so way the heck out in the west valley. Me and the club guys were there flying one weekend morning when a group of guys sere setting up on another part of the pretty large field. Turned out it was a model control line club! I was really interested, so I walked over to say hi and watch a few of their flights . It was really fun even just to watch one of the club members saw my interest and asked if I would like to fly. They had at least 1 or 2 club planes there and they were for new members to get started on. So I said sure. It was a mid size plane on some pretty long lines so bigger than I had flown in my youth. I think he got it going for me and I just took the controls for a while, really fun and brought back memories. I was pretty careful and didn't crash or anything.

Later they did the coolest thing. They got 3 generations of a family in the circle at the same time. The little guy started first with the fastest plane. Then his dad joined in with a slightly slower plane. Then Grandpa joined in with the slowest plane.

That was so cool to watch. The 3 planes sere fairly close in speed and the little guy would duck under his dad and grandpa when passing them.

I had the name of the club and was planning on building a plane and joining but you all know how life goes, best laid plans of mice and men. I was still a working stiff at that time and already involved in a couple of hobbies.

PHX Firebird Raceway... oh, the motorcycles I've crashed there...

its never too late! you are on this forum, so you have some cox engines....

get ya one of these here modern laser cut things, bolt a cox on it and get to crashin!
(flying?)

https://vintageperformancemodelairplanes.com/collections/1-2a-radial-mount-kits

I drive by Firebird fairly often.

I have a Midwest Lil Snip I should finish some day.

Just saw the link. OhMyGosh I gotta get a Baby Flight Streak. I always wanted one of those. I started with a Baby Clown I believe. but the flight streak looked racier.

I am happy to see any company figuring out how to laser cut - kit - and bring back the planes of the past

when the price for a "repop" is less than originals on eBay? It's easy for me to make a decision

We have the cox motors - we need to put em on planes and see what happens.

cstatman wrote:i cant stand having engines. (model airplane, motorcycle, automotive) that I dont USE.

You would go nutz around my house then.  

Running one a day it would take me most of a couple of years to run them all.  I still enjoy running them, used to enjoy flying them control line - many times a week until I was about thirty five and moved on to R/C.   Today I get enyoyment from just looking at them, I keep them out where I can see them, not stuck in drawers out of sight.  

Don't know how I missed this thread.  Red meat for me.  In my twisted way I enjoy seeing smashed up/missing parts airplanes with an eye towards making them whole again.  Retiring the word - them..............

Post pictures when the red one is fixed up.

I don't know about nutz - and if I am TRUE to myself, I DO have a Honda CB175 that has not run in 8 months... a Torpedo Twin-Stack a pal gave me, that has not run because I have never run a sparkie, and haven't been able to figure it out yet... .. etc...

Another pal has the concept of "how many cylinders are you responsible for"
you add up ALL the cylinders you own and maintain. car +6, truck +8, Motorcycle +2 +2 + 4 +1 +1 +2 +2, yard tools +3, Boat +8, model airplane motors +OMG. ---- etc

and the total number of Cylinders you maintain - roughly lets you know how miuch free time you will have.
For me - that free time usually involves excercising those cyliniders...

And you are 100% correct - crash em, fix 'em, try it AGAIN!
the red StuntMan is back together, with a motor mounted.
the green Spit had a cracked rudder - also back together, motor mounted

I have some 35% nitro comnig from Sig, and 1/2A CL handle coming from a pal on this forum....

I get the kid Sunday - we do "driving practice" after dinner - and I'll take both planes out, probably monday or tuesday next week.

If you go to your profile there is a section there:

Cylinder Index (C.I.): Your total number of internal combustion engine cylinders (plane, car, truck, bike, tractor, lawnmower...) If you have a V6 in your car, you count that as '6'.

Some fill it out others do not.  

Oh, excuse me...............Just noticed that you did fill it out. You have work to do.

Bob

every day an opportunity, adventure and blessing.. or something like that!

rsv1cox wrote:If you go to your profile there is a section there:

Cylinder Index (C.I.): Your total number of internal combustion engine cylinders (plane, car, truck, bike, tractor, lawnmower...) If you have a V6 in your car, you count that as '6'.

Some fill it out others do not.  

Oh, excuse me...............Just noticed that you did fill it out.  You have work to do.  

Bob

OoOo,.. I need to count my cylinders and enter that. I suppose my air compressor don't count.

cstatman wrote:PHX Firebird Raceway...   oh, the motorcycles I've crashed there...  

Mine was a Yamaha TZ 350 E model with 36mm Mikuni Powerjet carbs with "no idle" slides and direct piston ported (no reeds) and extra boost ports cut into the cylinder liner from the inlet up towards TDC, heavily modified transfer ports and custom exhaust tuned to the modified heads. Dry Clutch. Made power from 9k/9.5k to 12/12.5k. Open the throttle hard at 7k and it oiled up the plugs. Lol. The "no idle" slides meant you always had to have the throttle open. Crashed many times and always figured any day I could walk away from a crash was a very good day. Great time. :-)

Now I also fly CL planes again as I did in my youth but with my son, and he also laughs at my flying and crashing, but I always like to fly my planes like I stole them. Lol.

Yabby

we took the Sterling Spitfire to the park with a cox .049, 35% fuel, and a much smaller handle

thanks everyone for advice
thank Bob for the CL handle

This is the first time Saul has EVER flown a control line. He said "its fun, I'm Dizzy, we need practice"

about 3 guys stopped to watch and exclaim "oh man, that smell takes me back a few years"
they were not "youngsters" for sure.

what a fun evening.

thanks everyone for advice and encouragement

https://youtu.be/zlIsyx-Of0E