What did you fly today?

[jetfool]

Davegee,
Exactly what I was looking for. Where did you get the nomenclature for the tank?

Best Regards, Rex

[Grossman56]

Nice job Dave, were you out flying today? God it was i the mid 50's and its Dec. 20th!

[davegee]

Hi Rex: I endeavored to make these drop tanks the 110 or 108 gallon type that were pressed paper and resin. They were cheap, available, and if one ever had to be jettisoned over enemy teritory, they would break apart spilling all the gas inside so the enemy couldn't use them. These were fairly shiny silver and the red straps were where the shackles were attach to the underneath of the fuselage. There were 4 sway braces, two per side with an adjustable bolt with flaired end that could adjust to keep a tight fit on the drop tank (or bomb). I kept the stock attach point for the model, it doesn't show too much and makes the drop tank strong so it won't fall off. I'll try to get some more pics of my tanks and the sway braces to you.

Here are three pics of one of my drop tanks. You can see an S-shaped black tube that connects the drop tank to the airplane's fuel supply. The glass tube (clear plastic) was designed to ensure a positive release away from the airplane when the tank was jettisoned in flight. The glass tube would break ensuring a clean separation. The P-51s used this type of arrangement, too.

[davegee]

Beautiful pictures. I see your drop tank, looking for pictures to paint details correctly, no luck for color pics yet. I know they are silver but the fueling spout and hose hook-up would be nice to add. Were the red strips typical? Didn't they use straps to help hold this tank along with the release. Did you add the stabilizing bars?
Best Regards, Rex

Hi Rex: I endeavored to make these drop tanks the 110 or 108 gallon type that were pressed paper and resin. They were cheap, available, and if one ever had to be jettisoned over enemy teritory, they would break apart spilling all the gas inside so the enemy couldn't use them. These were fairly shiny silver and the red straps were where the shackles were attach to the underneath of the fuselage. There were 4 sway braces, two per side with an adjustable bolt with flaired end that could adjust to keep a tight fit on the drop tank (or bomb). I kept the stock attach point for the model, it doesn't show too much and makes the drop tank strong so it won't fall off. I'll try to get some more pics of my tanks and the sway braces to you.

[jetfool]

Beautiful pictures. I see your drop tank, looking for pictures to paint details correctly, no luck for color pics yet. I know they are silver but the fueling spout and hose hook-up would be nice to add. Were the red strips typical? Didn't they use straps to help hold this tank along with the release. Did you add the stabilizing bars?
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

In honor of the 121st anniversary of manned powered flight (December 17, 1903), I went out to the field this morning and flew my B-2 bomber and FMS P-47D I Wanted Wings at my local field. It was a bit chilly at 29 degrees but winds very light (it's December 17 in northwest Wyoming, for cripes sake!) This was the 45th successful flight of my B-2 and I don't know how many flights on my P-47 as I built it about 5 years ago before I started keeping track of how many flights I have on each airplane. It's probably close to 100 flights so far, I would guess.

For Rex, this plane is typical of the FMS 1500 P-47 models. Very little left turn tendency on takeoff, even with the big prop on it. The 3.5" Robarts allow for "kissing" it on the runway each time with no bounce, if you do it right. Tracks pretty straight and true during landing rollout. Beautiful flyer, and it will be worth the wait until XMas to get started on it!

Both planes flew beautifully, and if Orville and Wilbur had been present, I think they would have enjoyed it. Maybe they were there in spirit anyway.

[f4u ausie]

The field is picture perfect hugh.... Did U hire a Kenworth for all those planes.. looks like Lotsa fun was had

[RCFS]

Didn't get to the field until noon today and she was getting warm and breezy. Haven't had the Pitts out in quite a while and she handles wind pretty good for an 8 year old lady.


Dave Scott will love these.

Grossman56

Here's the model for RealFlight https://forums.realflight.com/index....rcfs_av.31505/ https://youtu.be/1UI-CEwOghE

[Hugh Wiedman]

Video and a few more Pics

Avanti @ 2:20-3:00
A-10 Arctic @ 3:00-4:20

[Hugh Wiedman]

What did I fly? To quote Keith Urban "a little bit of everything". We just finished our premier 5 day event Jets Over Miami. It was an outstanding event, great sponsors, limited to 50 pilots (filled up in August) from all over Florida, the Caribbean and C & S America, max flying at any one time limited to 3, free pilots lunches each day cooked by other members, and got super lucky with the weather; 50-60 at night, 70's in the day, clear skies and best of all winds calm to 10 mph max! Kinda unusual for this time of year. Of the 50 pilots, all were flying large turbines except 2, me and RudyD54, and we did a pretty good job of representing Freewing EDF's. I had my Mig, Su-27, 90mm 8S Eurofighter, 90mm 8S F4 Jolly Rodgers, F18 Tiger & F18 Canadian, A-10 Arctic Thunder and the new FMS 90mm Avanti with TV nozzles. Rudy had his Mig, F14, F22, twin 90mm A-10 and B1 Bomber. It was "interesting" flying around with those massive turbines, but no issues encountered.

Attaching a few photos of the event and a video that RC Chaser did (part 3) which oddly featured my A-10 Arctic and a bit on the Avanti. Said oddly because there were so many outstanding turbines, of the 3 videos he posted, my A-10 had the most flight time on it and the Avanti the second most. I've known Fernando for a while and he's a great guy so maybe he was just doing me a solid.

[davegee]

Dave great pics. Again... Yeep that f4 looks incredible. Streaking past.. but U must b on your game.. with it.. I've lost half the length of the runway.. how dare they put mounds of dirt on their build site.. lol. So got to find a club I'm happy with at this stage plenty of runway 4 prop stuff and the Avanti. Have fun b safe

Hi f4uausie: Yes, I have had numerous times we got kicked off our "ideal" flying site due to construction. For instance, in Denver Colorado where I grew up and lived until just 5 years ago, we were constantly being displaced by new homes, businesses, etc., because of all the explosive growth. At a reservoir state park, we still have a flying field, a pretty good one, but just beyond the border of the park, they have planted entire new neighborhoods and a huge change to the quality of the flying that we do. No more turbine jets and even electric jets you have to be very careful not to stray outside the tight confines of the field now. I guess they call that "progress."

Hope you find a better club and site to fly from. You would think there must be Someplace on the continent of Australia where we could fly our rc planes undisturbed! Good Luck!

Cheers

Davegee

[f4u ausie]

Dave great pics. Again... Yeep that f4 looks incredible. Streaking past.. but U must b on your game.. with it.. I've lost half the length of the runway.. how dare they put mounds of dirt on their build site.. lol. So got to find a club I'm happy with at this stage plenty of runway 4 prop stuff and the Avanti. Have fun b safe

[davegee]

Had a gorgeous day to fly today in northwest WY. Brought my LOU IV P-51D for four flights and my B-25J Cactus Kitten for 5 flights.

I did a parafrag bomb drop with the B-25 on one of the flights, dropping 5 "bombs" which landed in a line about 10 feet long from first to last pattern on the ground. They were released roughly15- 20 feet above the ground. The real planes carried as many as 50 to 75 of these light (23 pounds each) but very destructive and deadly bombs that exploded on contact like hand grenades, blowing apart into hundreds of shrapnel pieces that would wreck vehicles, airplanes, runways, ships, or personnel.

The P-51 LOU IV was just flawless today. I've had issues with its twin Hun Hunter, which I think has a problem with the tailwheel strut not staying screwed down with the set screw, causing it to make some gyrations on the landing rollout, usually at very low speeds but dragging a wingtip sometimes when it ground loops. I have ordered a whole new tailwheel retract and strut and hopefully that will allow for more straightforward takeoffs and landings like LOU IV did today.

[davegee]

Don't normally fly thru the week.been waiting for a light winds window .. for 90mm Avanti maiden. 2 flights good.. trimmed and got a feel now..very easy to fly.. love the slow flight my f4 definitely cannot do that

True on the F4, F4uaussie!. Mine had a hard landing that I decided not to fly it anymore, and harvested all the usable parts from it. I haven't given up on buying a ARF+ and flying that around someday, but I have too many planes in my fleet right now. But I loved how it streaked by when I fliew it! It needed to fly fast.

Davegee

[f4u ausie]

Don't normally fly thru the week.been waiting for a light winds window .. for 90mm Avanti maiden. 2 flights good.. trimmed and got a feel now..very easy to fly.. love the slow flight my f4 definitely cannot do that

[davegee]

Davegee,
Beautiful aircraft and panoramic background.

Best Regards, Rex

Thanks, great morning to fly!

d

[jetfool]

Davegee,
Beautiful aircraft and panoramic background.

Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

I took out my FMS P-47D Penrod and Sam for some flights this morning. That makes it 42 successful flights for me on the jug, and the other plane I took out today was the E Flite P-51D Hun Hunter from Texas and it logged its 52nd successful flight. I still have some tailwheel issues with the P-51, so I am going to change out the whole retract/wheel unit that I think is sorta worn out. Just can't tighten the strut in the retract enough to keep it from moving if a turning load is put on it. I think this will probably fix that problem. I don't think I have the same issue with my LOU IV P-51D.

[davegee]

Got two more great flights on my Freewing F9F Panther this morning. These flights today tested out the printed nose gear doors and the detail on the tail end, the tail hook and the tail skid, both printed pieces that survived, literally without a scratch, which is good.

So, the plane has 7 flights on it so far, and I'm starting to get in the groove with it now. Even with our rough runway, the airplane seems to do well negotiating those pitfalls. Gear and doors retract great, and it really has presence in the air, even for its diminutive size. I think Freewing did a really good job with this one!

[davegee]

Hey Dave, Beautiful Birds!

I'm no aerodynamic guru, far from it, but I believe the ground loop on landing appears on several tail dragging warbirds, always counter clockwise when slowing down. It's my opinion this is from either the prop wash circling the plane counter clockwise (similar to that effect on take-off) going around the top of the front of the fuselage, under the mid section and then coming up and around on the left side of the rudder, thus pushing it into a left circling loop. Before slowing down, the rudder still has enough air flow traveling down the centerline keeping it relatively straight, but on slowing that air flow is diminished and the prop wash takes over. Or from the centrifugal force of the prop slowing down, either, both or neither. But then I still believe in Santa! Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it instead of blaming my inferior piloting skills whose had way too many drinks!

Hi Hugh: I agree with your analysis. Most of my ground loops are counter clockwise, usually near the end of the landing roll. But I have some that are clockwise, too. Sometimes, I think the problem lies with the Robart replacement tires rub on the gear strut, slowing down that side momentarily, making the plane turn in the direction of the rubbing wheel. It doesn't do that all the time, but I can see rubber dust on the strut coming from the tire where it rubbed after taking a look at it after landing.

On my Corsair and FMS P-47 aircraft, they land straight as a dime almost every time. On takeoffs I have to use a lot of right rudder to keep them straight, and it is much easier to do on those aircraft than the P-51s. Still, all in all, especially in flight, the P-51s are marvelous fliers and are capable of all the scale maneuvers you'd expect of a warbird. I have fun with all these airplanes, although a little heartburn, sometimes!

Glad to hear your weather in Florida has gotten better for you to fly some more. Funny, I always think of Florida as being one of the best places in the world to fly RC airplanes, but I know that there are a lot of systems that come through, not to mention hurricanes!, but good to see you have a window of opportunity to fly your beautiful brids again.

Cheers

Dave