Anybody here build model airplanes?

[tac]

BIG model airplanes?

I mean REALLY big model airplanes?

Like one-third scale?

Howsabout this one-third scale B17G four-engined bomber?

NOT radio-control, but pilot control with a real living pilot flying it.

Be amazed by Jack Bally and his 18 year long, 40,000 hour masterpiece -

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[WAW44]

Yes, amazing, but why... I mean. As much as I love flying , I would not see myself building something for more than a few years. I'll build an RV or something sure, but the 40,000 hours , how many could have been spent actually flying and not tinkering . Plus lets face it, the thing is a death trap. It's like those people that buy a boat to do an ocean crossing and then refit it for 5 + years, only to end up getting sick and selling it .

 

[Lilhigbee]

If you understand, no explanation is necessary. If you don't understand, no explanation is possible.

 

[kmk1012]

I've built several, I'm far better at crashing them though. Two of them I've crashed multiple times as I got betterish flying them. Still have yet to actually land one.

 

[tac]

I've built several, I'm far better at crashing them though. Two of them I've crashed multiple times as I got betterish flying them. Still have yet to actually land one.

My reasons for getting out of r/c airplanes was more prosaic. It was slope-soaring that caught my attention - those graceful gliders just worked their magic on me.

I built, first of all, a very nice 3m ASW19 with full 6-channel r/c - airbrakes, water-ballast dump - that kind of thing, and had a ball for about two years until a noob stole it from me for around $1500 [about two to the pound then].

So I upped the ante to an ASW22 with a 4m span, and that got stolen, too.

No, I mean it got STOLEN.

There I was, down at Sandgate Hill near Folkestone, Kent, watching my beautiful airplane doing its thing, when suddenly it stopped doing what I wanted, and began to do what a guy about 3/4 mile away wanted it to do.

He was in a layby of a busy road with a transmitter the size of a refrigerator, probably putting out half a MW. My system didn't stand a chance, and he was four miles away by road - AFTER I'd gotten to the bottom of the hill. Apparently he'd made a habit of doing this kind of thing over the previous month or so, with around ten models like mine to his credit.

See, back in those days we had to show the frequency we were operating with a colour-coded flag off the aerial, so all he had to do was the match it with a more powerful TX-er.

Well, I lost heart at that, and began to put my r/c to better use in my steam trains.

There is one more point, though, and an important one that you, Sir, brought up.

In a r/c airplane, when the system goes tits-up, you lose control and the airplane - waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up there - well, it usually crashes.

In a r/c train, when the system goes tits-up, the train comes to a gentle halt............and at anything between $5000-$10000 a pop, depending on whether I'm running Fn3 - 1/20.3 scale North American - 16mm scale - 1/19th Welsh or South African Narrow gauge - 1/32nd scale - Gauge 1 Canadian or German, that's a great relief.....
.

 

[Aero Denezol]

No planes, but I built a vintage Tamiya R/C truck during the lockdown. Always wanted one as a kid.

 

[Deerhurst]

My reasons for getting out of r/c airplanes was more prosaic. It was slope-soaring that caught my attention - those graceful gliders just worked their magic on me.

I built, first of all, a very nice 3m ASW19 with full 6-channel r/c - airbrakes, water-ballast dump - that kind of thing, and had a ball for about two years until a noob stole it from me for around $1500 [about two to the pound then].

So I upped the ante to an ASW22 with a 4m span, and that got stolen, too.

No, I mean it got STOLEN.

There I was, down at Sandgate Hill near Folkestone, Kent, watching my beautiful airplane doing its thing, when suddenly it stopped doing what I wanted, and began to do what a guy about 3/4 mile away wanted it to do.

He was in a layby of a busy road with a transmitter the size of a refrigerator, probably putting out half a MW. My system didn't stand a chance, and he was four miles away by road - AFTER I'd gotten to the bottom of the hill. Apparently he'd made a habit of doing this kind of thing over the previous month or so, with around ten models like mine to his credit.

See, back in those days we had to show the frequency we were operating with a colour-coded flag off the aerial, so all he had to do was the match it with a more powerful TX-er.

Well, I lost heart at that, and began to put my r/c to better use in my steam trains.

There is one more point, though, and an important one that you, Sir, brought up.

In a r/c airplane, when the system goes tits-up, you lose control and the airplane - waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up there - well, it usually crashes.

In a r/c train, when the system goes tits-up, the train comes to a gentle halt............and at anything between $5000-$10000 a pop, depending on whether I'm running Fn3 - 1/20.3 scale North American - 16mm scale - 1/19th Welsh or South African Narrow gauge - 1/32nd scale - Gauge 1 Canadian or German, that's a great relief.....
.

That's the kind of thing people get the holy living bubblegum beat out of them for. I do land and it's a crime to mess with other people's rigs. People will get downright violent if you even so much as put their rig back on its wheels when they don't want you to. Unless it's a race then everyone wants their rig righted yesterday!

I hope that guy got a bit of a knuckle sandwich for his actions.

A buddy of mine lost a heli because he lost visual on it. It crashed down somewhere in town. We have an idea where but never found it. Blue/green canopy wasn't exactly a good idea by the manufacturer. His second heli has exploded a few times from crashing down and he used to have a huge scar on his arm from catching it before it could explode on the pavement. Got caught by a rotor. Things like that is why I don't to air.

 

[Deerhurst]

No planes, but I built a vintage Tamiya R/C truck during the lockdown. Always wanted one as a kid.

View attachment 845121

The Black Foot is a BA rig! I'm a huge Tamiya fan. I'd love to do a King Hauler, a Midnight Pumpkin, a Bruiser and maybe one of their tanks. I do scale crawling with a HiLift that is highly modified.

 

[kmk1012]

No planes, but I built a vintage Tamiya R/C truck during the lockdown. Always wanted one as a kid.

View attachment 845121

That was exactly my very first RC endeavor at the young age of 9 back in 1989! I needed help putting it together but enjoyed it for the following ten years, altering it all the time with custom bodies, more powerful motors, batteries, speed controllers. I lost interest in it though when I got my Midnight Pumpkin. That was the BA truck of the time, LOL.

 

[WAW44]

Ohh, I understand...

Pilot's Post - BOB DEFORD'S FULL-SCALE HOMEBUILT REPLICA SPITFIRE MK IX

BOB DEFORD'S FULL-SCALE HOMEBUILT REPLICA SPITFIRE MK IX

www.pilotspost.com

If you understand, no explanation is necessary. If you don't understand, no explanation is possible.

 

[tac]

I hope that guy got a bit of a knuckle sandwich for his actions.

He was reported to the police but he'd parked so's we couldn't see his plates. 'zfarazi know he was never caught. No idea what happened to our airplanes either - we are talking a LOT of $$$, even back then. My ASW kit from Robbe was well North of $1000 before the fittings.....

 

[Phred]

I do RC air. Haven't flown for three or four years though. I have one hanging over my head as I write. If I'd stop working on guns I might be able to finish this one. 1/5 scale Cub.

 

[tac]

Here's the skinny behind Jack's amazing airplane -

 

[Mikej]

No planes, but I built a vintage Tamiya R/C truck during the lockdown. Always wanted one as a kid.

View attachment 845121

I have one of those in the attic in the garage. I had a lot of fun with that when we were temporary foster parents many years ago. The "kid", (now 46) was into them and he handed his Black Foot to me when he got a new one. It looks like it's still a great, no too expensive, habit.

BIG model airplanes?

I mean REALLY big model airplanes?

Like one-third scale?

Howsabout this one-third scale B17G four-engined bomber?

NOT radio-control, but pilot control with a real living pilot flying it.

Be amazed by Jack Bally and his 18 year long, 40,000 hour masterpiece -

That's incredible. Always the "gear-head" I had to look up the engines... https://www.google.com/search?q=80+...XSN30KHa-9CEYQ_AUoAnoECAoQBA&biw=1536&bih=722
Hearing the start-up and running is the most important thing. Those motors didn't sound too far off if you take the scale into account!

 

[tac]

Mike - take a listen to THIS -

 

[tac]

And the real deal.....Sally B, this time in The Netherlands.........

 

[tac]

Sally B lives about half and hour to the South of me......................................

 

[WAW44]

I know it's not a popular view, but that Bally Bomber was a neat toy, nothing more. Before his death, the builder put it up for sale, for $250,000 which was nuts. Eventually went to $185k OBO. Not sure if it sold.

Here is some EAA discussion on this: http://eaaforums.org/showthread.php...mber/page2&s=08ace3c23d8bc3fc5fa778be2c2daa6b

4 NON-radial 60hp engines, not factory approved for direct drive, with non feathering direct drive props on a 1800lbs airframe.

Maybe other pilots would chime in, but as a pilot I would not even consider flying in this thing. It's a neat toy and a death trap, nothing more.

 

[Mikej]

I know it's not a popular view, but that Bally Bomber was a neat toy, nothing more. Before his death, the builder put it up for sale, for $250,000 which was nuts. Eventually went to $185k OBO. Not sure if it sold.

Here is some EAA discussion on this: http://eaaforums.org/showthread.php...mber/page2&s=08ace3c23d8bc3fc5fa778be2c2daa6b

4 NON-radial 60hp engines, not factory approved for direct drive, with non feathering direct drive props on a 1800lbs airframe.

Maybe other pilots would chime in, but as a pilot I would not even consider flying in this thing. It's a neat toy and a death trap, nothing more.

Interesting you say that. As I was watching that fly it looked strange to me. Seemed like the tail was sort of low, or sagging. It did look scary, but then the full size real ones don't look to nimble in the air either. I have NO experience other than my eyes and fair amount of common sense.

 

[tac]

The plane's flying attitude is what we call 'mushing' over here in CAA land. I have lot of experience in high-wing single radial-engined a/c and inverted Vs with a very low stall rate, that could, and often did, fly along 'dragging the tail' - intentionally. But the Bally bomber seemed to be doing it right off the ground in the last but one clip, and I kept internalising 'Trim! Trim!'. It looked like it was 'scooping' into the air, rather than flying into it, but hey, what do I know.

The real full-size plane was/is pretty agile, and has the horsepower to be agile with, especially bereft of a bomb-load,but as WAW44 noted, four x 60HP is STILL only 240HP in total, and there are planes smaller than than with well north of 2000HP..................