What did you fly today?

[davegee]

I had the new Spitfire and the old Bearcat up this morning, whew, is that Spitty hard to see in a blue cloudless sky! I put a new 760 kv motor in the Bearcat so I wanted to ensure I had properly aligned the motor to the fuselage. All worked out perfectly.
So I'm going for Lasik eye surgery on the 23rd of July, I'm really looking forward to it, hopefully no more glasses but at least no more cataracts. Maybe those pesky airplanes will be easier to see!!

Grossman56

Best of luck on that, Dan. A good friend of mine helped develop LASIK surgery and the use of the Excimer laser as a Navy ophthalmologist back in the 80s. I've been familiar with LASIK through him since the mid-'80s. Amazing developments and they're still improving techniques and machines to help people see better. I'm sure it will go great in your case. I myself had a procedure called PRK in one eye. It worked great and that was 20 years ago.

Cheers

Davegee

[Elbee]

Congrats, sounds like the perfect Win-Win.

[Grossman56]

I had the new Spitfire and the old Bearcat up this morning, whew, is that Spitty hard to see in a blue cloudless sky! I put a new 760 kv motor in the Bearcat so I wanted to ensure I had properly aligned the motor to the fuselage. All worked out perfectly.
So I'm going for Lasik eye surgery on the 23rd of July, I'm really looking forward to it, hopefully no more glasses but at least no more cataracts. Maybe those pesky airplanes will be easier to see!!

Grossman56

[davegee]

Thanks Dave and LB! I'm just happy to have it behaving better in flight. Now just need to finish up the Shuttle..

That would be AWESOME!!

Good luck with that. Keep us posted on HS!

Cheers

Davegee

[F106DeltaDart]

Wow! Great picture and perspective of you standing next to this beautiful airplane! Per my last email to you, it has and will probably always be one of my favorite airplanes with its iconic lines, size, and power. Congrats on the best civilian aircraft award, richly deserved, I'm sure!

Thanks Dave and LB! I'm just happy to have it behaving better in flight. Now just need to finish up the Shuttle..

[davegee]

[ATTACH]n405344[/ATTACH]




Dave, find attached a G-Code file for the the 'attach point' fillers.

These are plugs. for lack of a better term. designed to 'look' like something.

The forward 'plug' should be there if using a bomb rack, the rear is simply there to cover the hole.

The "V" won't be seen really and is easy to grab with a pair of forceps.

These should have been with the other files, but I overlooked 'em obviously.

I will post these on Prusa Printables later today.

Best, LB

Thanks, Elbee! Funny, I did print them up with all the other parts for the bomb rack a while ago. I didn't really know where they went, until now. I'll paint them up and stick them in place when not using the bomb rack.

Thanks!

Dave

[Elbee]

Brewster Bomb Rack Off.zip

....The attach points inserted into holes in the fuse fit flush and can be covered with a flat plate, if so desired, when not flying with the Brewster rack/bomb......

Dave, find attached a G-Code file for the the 'attach point' fillers.

These are plugs. for lack of a better term. designed to 'look' like something.

The forward 'plug' should be there if using a bomb rack, the rear is simply there to cover the hole.

The "V" won't be seen really and is easy to grab with a pair of forceps.

These should have been with the other files, but I overlooked 'em obviously.

I will post these on Prusa Printables later today.

Best, LB

[davegee]

davegee

No Hanger Queens here, my friend.
Otherwise, it is nothing more than a lump of foam and paint.

Sadly, I have been retesting ALL the OEM servos since I found my right aileron fluttering. So far so good.

The next step is permanently wire all the new lighting to quick disconnect connectors.

Voltages vary by color, but I have soldered in resistors to run all on 6volt +/- a smidgen.

This should finish the wiring work then it is back to fading and weathering.

I have found a method I like, more on that when the results are in.

The decals worked out well, but truly a task for long cold Winter days when the weather sucks.

I needed to chart sizing for scaling as I reprinted almost everything at least once trying to get a match between font sizes and millimeters.

But I digress. Best, LB

I wish you all the very best whenever you do your test flights on your Corsair. Hopefully you can get someone with a good camera for some classic in-air shots when you do fly it! If I lived closer to you, I'd be happy to do it myself!

Take care,

Dave

[davegee]

Nice work Davegee, looks fantastic. Thanks for being Elbees Beta-tester on his designs. I trust Elbee's designs and your flight reports I plan to add the bomb rack and bomb to mine this winter, also planning to add Elbee's cowl flaps but with a simpler spring loaded operation. I won't have to remove as much foam and the airstream will allow the flaps to open and close. ME THINKS?
Keep us updated on your flight reports P.S. Wife says it's time to move Corsair out of dining room, so taxi test and maiden are approaching. LOL

Best Regards, Rex

Sounds great, Rex! Do you have your 3D printing apparatus up and running yet? I think you'll find this to be a pretty straightforward project with the parts well designed by Elbee. Easy on, Easy off, as you choose once you get it finished.

I'm not sure that the airplane that my model represents (VMF-215) even added these racks as I think they were almost exclusively air to air fighters and bomber support in the Solomon Islands, but it was still worth "plumbing" my model with the attachments in the bottom of the fuse just to test the concept, which of course worked beautifully. The attach points inserted into holes in the fuse fit flush and can be covered with a flat plate, if so desired, when not flying with the Brewster rack/bomb.

Please keep me in touch with your progress on your bomb rack plans. You shouldn't have any concerns about it, in my opinion, after today's test flights with the rack and bomb on my airplane.

PS: just tell your wife that she can place a nice bottle of wine as a tasty accent on either side of the wings of your Corsair on your dining room table. Very classy! (LOL)

Cheers

Davegee

[Elbee]

F106DeltaDart That is just so very cool Outstanding. Best, LB

[davegee]

Had a great time flying the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at the Waco Big Bird event this weekend. Got in flights #2 and 3, and with a large open flying box and an 800 ft runway, this model is in its element. Very relaxed and easy flying. 6 min flight times, with a 30% reserve. Had the gear hang up on a door on the first flight, but on the second flight, all the gear finally cooperated! At the end of the day, I also took home the best civilian aircraft award. Thanks to the HOTMAC RC club for putting on a great event, and to Richard Guy and Randy Larsen for the photos!

Wow! Great picture and perspective of you standing next to this beautiful airplane! Per my last email to you, it has and will probably always be one of my favorite airplanes with its iconic lines, size, and power. Congrats on the best civilian aircraft award, richly deserved, I'm sure!

Best,

Davegee

[F106DeltaDart]

Had a great time flying the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at the Waco Big Bird event this weekend. Got in flights #2 and 3, and with a large open flying box and an 800 ft runway, this model is in its element. Very relaxed and easy flying. 6 min flight times, with a 30% reserve. Had the gear hang up on a door on the first flight, but on the second flight, all the gear finally cooperated! At the end of the day, I also took home the best civilian aircraft award. Thanks to the HOTMAC RC club for putting on a great event, and to Richard Guy and Randy Larsen for the photos!

[jetfool]

Nice work Davegee, looks fantastic. Thanks for being Elbees Beta-tester on his designs. I trust Elbee's designs and your flight reports I plan to add the bomb rack and bomb to mine this winter, also planning to add Elbee's cowl flaps but with a simpler spring loaded operation. I won't have to remove as much foam and the airstream will allow the flaps to open and close. ME THINKS?
Keep us updated on your flight reports P.S. Wife says it's time to move Corsair out of dining room, so taxi test and maiden are approaching. LOL

Best Regards, Rex

[Elbee]

davegee

No Hanger Queens here, my friend.
Otherwise, it is nothing more than a lump of foam and paint.

Sadly, I have been retesting ALL the OEM servos since I found my right aileron fluttering. So far so good.

The next step is permanently wire all the new lighting to quick disconnect connectors.

Voltages vary by color, but I have soldered in resistors to run all on 6volt +/- a smidgen.

This should finish the wiring work then it is back to fading and weathering.

I have found a method I like, more on that when the results are in.

The decals worked out well, but truly a task for long cold Winter days when the weather sucks.

I needed to chart sizing for scaling as I reprinted almost everything at least once trying to get a match between font sizes and millimeters.

But I digress. Best, LB

[davegee]

davegee

I am impressed with what you've done here.

Flying with a new addition of anything is challenging or at the very least adds a bit-o-angst.

Let's call you "the test pilot of novel innovations" and know that I am grateful of your consideration.

Looks pretty-dang awesome, I must say, especially on someone else's Corsair.

Many thanks, Dave.

Best, LB

You did a fantastic job designing this up. I am still far away from designing my own parts which is my eventual goal, but am inching closer to that eventuality with each project, like this bomb rack in figuring out how it's done. I see no issues for you to fly with your scale rack and bomb if you decide to put it up in the air with your beautiful Corsair someday.

Cheers

Davegee

[Elbee]

davegee

I am impressed with what you've done here.

Flying with a new addition of anything is challenging or at the very least adds a bit-o-angst.

Let's call you "the test pilot of novel innovations" and know that I am grateful of your consideration.

Looks pretty-dang awesome, I must say, especially on someone else's Corsair.

Many thanks, Dave.

Best, LB

[davegee]

This morning the weather was good enough to do some test flights with Elbee's great Brewster bomb rack and 500# bomb for the Flightline 1600mm Corsair aircraft. Even though I'm pretty much a "nugget" at 3D printing, Elbee was nice enough to send me the G Code files to print and assemble my own bomb rack and bomb for practice. I didn't have any issues putting it together, and the "acid test" in my view was actually installing it on the plane and putting the Corsair and bomb rack through its paces to see how it went. In a word: Beautiful!" There are magnets attached to two attach points on the bottom of the fuse, and two squarish parts on the rack with magnets on them as well, and neatly slide into those slots and make for a good and solid fit. But the bomb rack is very easy to remove when not desired to fly it with the plane, due to those magnets.

I didn't see any issues at all affecting the flight of my Corsair which probably has close to 100 flights on it now that I used as a test bed for this project. There is plenty of clearance for takeoff and landing so scraping or damaging the underslung bomb and rack is a near impossibility as long as you get a good landing out of the plane and the landing gear doesn't fold up!

So, anyone who is interested in printing one of these Brewster bomb rack/bomb assemblies and trying it on your airplane, I highly endorse. Elbee, if you fly your Corsair with the Brewster bomb rack and bomb someday, I think you can be assured that it will fly as good as it looks! Thanks again for your tutelage getting me started into the world of 3D printing!

Some pics from my shop and after the test flights this morning below.

Cheers

Davegee

[DCORSAIR]

Pilots look fine DC!! the OD green flight suit is universal. The helmet is what 'might' make it an Army pilot... but who cares lol... They look like they fit in there quite well, what figures did you use?

These are the GI Jane helicopter pilots, I had to chop them up pretty good to get them to fit, well from the waist down anyway, the arms and upper part of the body fit very well actually with no mods, I'm happy with the way they look, in the air who cares anyway. I only spent like $70 for both of them, not bad for the detail they add to the cockpit.

[Elbee]

davegee beautiful tribute and wonderful 'facts of folks', Dave. Thank you, Best LB

[davegee]

I took two of my warbirds out for a personal D-Day salute, now 80 years ago to this day. My P-47D I Wanted Wings is painted up in the full D-Day invasion stripes on the fuse and the wings. The
P-51D LOU IV has the bands just on the bottom of the wings and fuse, as it looked later in the summer of 1944.

Both of the real aircraft that these models represent participated in action on D-Day in northern France. Fortunately, there was just a token German Luftwaffe resistance after major effort by the allies prior to D-Day to achieve air superiority proved successful.

The full D-Day bands, made primarily to help identify them by friendly forces on the ground were only in place intact for several weeks. It was determined after the initial push into northern France that they were no longer needed, at least on the top. In fact, they were a problem as any German pilot above these aircraft could immediately identify these aircraft as enemy, and attack them. So, orders were cut to have ground crews remove or paint over (usually in OD green) the stripes on the upper wings and fuselage. The bands on the lower fuse and wings stayed for a few more months as it was thought that they could still help friendly forces on the ground to keep from firing on them by accident. Eventually all the bands were removed by the end of 1944.

The pilot of I Wanted Wings did complete his tour and went home safely, although his aircraft later came to grief with another pilot flying it on a combat mission. The pilot of the P-51D LOU IV, did not fare as well. His name was Col. Thomas Jonathan Jackson Christian, Jr. He preferred to go by just "Jack." Incidentally, he was the great grandson of the Confederate general Stonewall Jackson of the American Civil War. He was the commander of the 361st Fighter Group "Yellowjackets." Unfortunately, in August 1944 he was leading a dive bombing mission on a Nazi-held French train terminus, and for whatever reason, he never pulled out of the dive after releasing his bombs. The French locals buried him in a nearby cemetery, although he is still officially considered MIA on the record books in the USA.