My latest build

 A slab wing control line plane? 

Well, not much guessing going on, so I'll give. It's my version of the Jim Walker 74 Fighter.



I'd thought about making an R/C version for years, but never got around to it. Since I fly at the Jim Walker Memorial Field, I figure I need some kind of Walker design in my stable. Everyone there has some version of a Fireball, so I didn't want to go that route. I guess this'll be my Walker plane.

The problem I'm working with is the high aspect ratio of the wing. I could shorten and fatten the wing, but then it wouldn't look right. It's too long and thin for an .049, so I went for .020 power. Ideally, I think it would be better for a .010 at this size, but I only have one .010 and it's NIB, so I'm not going to use that. We'll just have to see how it comes out.


The Problematic Mark

Now that is just really fun. Second best smile I've had all morning, (Sorry, but it's hard to compete with new pictures of the grand-neices in the smile department, though this came close.)

Jaye

09.24.2013

Great Idea! Cant wait to see it fly!

RK Flyer

Well, I got a little time this evening to work on the glider. I still have to make up the bellcrank, elevator horn, and leadouts and guides. Here's what I got done this evening.




The Something or Other Mark

Almost done.  Here are a couple more photos.  The camera battery died, so these were all I got tonight.  I'll recharge the battery tomorrow and get a few more pics.




The Run Down Mark

That looks absolutely great. How did you do the graphics?

Jim

I watched this video and was most impressed. Terrific stuff you provided us with. Your inking is awesome. Modelers never cease to amaze me. Ken

That is some very impressive work. Thanks for the video. I remember flying those runner band planes, I must have had 10s of those things. I was always playing out in the yard with some sort of glider or rubber powered plane, long before I ever heard of "gas" model planes.

jjscott wrote:That looks absolutely great.  How did you do the graphics?

Jim

A jeweler's loupe, india ink, custom ground illustrator's fountain pen nibs, and hours of patience.....

      Just kidding.  Actually, I took a scan of a "74" Glider, scaled it to the size I wanted on my printer, and printed it out on Avery full sheet clear mailing label sheets for inkjet printers. I had to align and overlap the sheets since one sheet wasn't long enough to do the wings or the fuselage.  I wish I could say I drew those free hand, but I'm no illustrator.  I used the Avery clear mailing label sheets instead of model decal sheets because the decal sheets are shiny, and I wanted the finish to look like it was printed on the wood.  Shiny would have killed the effect.  

The Painfully Honest Mark

Very COOL Mark!!!!!

Well, when I was moving stuff around I spied this sitting on a shelf.  I had put it on the shelf to await drier weather to paint, and then forgot about it in all the other day to day things.  So, I took it down and finished it up.  I shot it with a couple of coats of flat clear because, again, glossy wouldn’t look like the original printed balsa we had as kids.  Then I made up some 25’ lines and mounted the engine, bellcrank, and pushrod.  I debated mounting the engine with the cylinder horizontal to hide it when looking side-on, but then decided to opt for ease of starting.  I may still turn it sideways someday, but for now I’m calling it finished.  Balance comes in around the 10% point, and a hang test shows a couple of degrees nose down.  Now to just put it in the rotation for flying days.





The Dull Mark

Well, this plane got the most attention of the 11 planes I brought to the fly-in last Saturday.  Everyone wanted to see it fly.  I was hoping it'd fly well, and it happily fulfilled my hopes.  As usual, I set it for minimal throws for the first flight so I don't over-control the test bird, but I had no problems keeping it in control.  It flies nice and light, but this will be another windless day plane.  Any breeze moves it around on the lines.  As usual, I forgot to start the video camera on the first flight.  And, also as usual, the engine didn't run as well on the second flight.  On the first flight the engine ran consistent and strong.  On the second flight, the engine sagged a few times.  Here's the video of the second flight.  We used up about half the tank getting it tweaked before release.  I'll have the engine tamed for the next flight, and maybe get more video then.  But I'm happy with the way ti flies.  I didn't expect anything more out of this when I designed it than a cool nostalgia plane that just flew in level flight and maybe a couple of wing-overs.  We'll see if it can do some loops for me. I might also try a 3-bladed prop, but then it'd probably make such fast circles that I fall down in flight.



The Fulfilled Mark

Mmaaaan, you're getting them all in the air. I bet you slept good that night. Looks like you've put together a capable fleet.
Rusty