Hobby King 1875mm B-17G Flying Fortress V2

[davegee]

I did a lot more testing on my landing gear detail mods today. For the mostpart, they worked beautifully, but on occasion, something was binding in one or the other, enough to where the gear would not extend. That is definitely a NO GO! So, I removed my detail parts and will think about going about it a little different way that will be workable 100% of the time. I still plan to come up with a scale addition like I've been working on, but it just can't be something that might interfere on occasion with the proper operation of the gear. One time is too much!

I think it is possible to come up with a better design, but in the meantime while I'm doing that, I'll be prepping the airplane for an eventual maiden, weather permitting, of course. I'd like to do it before the end of the year if things come together. Most everything is done, CG spot on after putting about 3.5 oz of lead weight in the nose (due to retractable tail gear, gunner figure in the tail, etc), still have taxi tests to do, but I've got good results on most all other things that need to be checked perfect before putting her in the air.

Cheers

davegee

I'm reminded of a video I saw years ago about the development and testing of the massive A380 Airbus. They were coming to a critical point in the ground testing where everything had to work to get certified up to that point. The A380 is somewhat similar to the B747s although instead of 18 wheels, the Airbus has 22 wheels. On one of the critical ground tests, they had the aircraft on jacks in the massive hangar, and did gear swings up and down using the hydraulic systems. Unfortunately, one of the gear sets for the mains got stuck on a gear door and wouldn't come down. In desperation (and if I was Airbus I would have cut this scene out) they put a HUGE glob of industrial aviation grease on that gear door and then the gear sorta slid through that junk and came down properly. It flunked the test that day, but they eventually got it working properly.

So, I always remember even the "big boys" have their problems with things like landing gear, so it gives me positive feelings to keep pressing on with whatever I'm struggling with!

Davegee

[Elbee]

davegee

PMAP, Brother.

Positive Mental Attitude and Perseverance works 99% of the time.

Best, LB

[davegee]

davegee

PMAP, Brother.

Positive Mental Attitude and Perseverance works 99% of the time.

Best, LB

I totally agree, Elbee! Thanks!

davegee

[jetfool]

Davegee,

Sleep on it, a solution will come to you. Plane is looking awesome
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

Davegee,

Sleep on it, a solution will come to you. Plane is looking awesome
Best Regards, Rex

I'll do just that! The rest of the airplane is getting close to final prep at the field and a maiden flight. I had a complicated scratchuilt lunar module I built over a 2 year period 1987-89 that I had to figure out the complicated geometry of the landing gear from folded up to extended for landing. Back then as you well know, there was no internet, no personal computers like we have today, and all phone calls were long distance charges! Here is a link to the LM models, which have been on display at the Seattle Museum of Flight since 1996. https://www.museumofflight.org/exhib...mission-models

I'll figure something out. I'd like to fly it a few times, then possibly donate it to the 351st Bomb Group association in honor of my late father in law Fred Wiese, who passed away last March at the age of 102 years old. He was the "Last of the Mohicans" of his crew to pass on. .

Cheers

davegee

[f4u ausie]

Dave wish I was a master. Like your good self
Unfortunately I'm more of a jack of all. U no the rest
.. great work.. as always U will sort it. Fine wine takes time did I C somewhere the corsair had an amount of grease in the wheel well. to help those grippy tyres(not b so grippy) I'm sure ya father in law. Would b looking down in amazement at your persistence b safe. Off to fly now

[jetfool]

f4uausie,
Glad you're enjoying flying. Getting 5" of snow here today. It looks beautiful from inside looking out. LOL
Best Regards, Rex

[Elbee]

I C somewhere the Corsair had an amount of grease in the wheel well. to help those grippy tyres(not b so grippy) :

...and a greased piece of plywood in the rear of the wheel wells to stop the wheels from spinning after retraction.

Maintainers and maintenance chiefs seem to be quite the innovative group.

Best, LB

[davegee]

Dave wish I was a master. Like your good self
Unfortunately I'm more of a jack of all. U no the rest
.. great work.. as always U will sort it. Fine wine takes time did I C somewhere the corsair had an amount of grease in the wheel well. to help those grippy tyres(not b so grippy) I'm sure ya father in law. Would b looking down in amazement at your persistence b safe. Off to fly now

Craig: I have a sincere appreciation and respect for your level of expertise in all things mechanical, painting, etc. You would be a good one to have around as a neighbor to give me tips on fixing up my house, or anything else. You take care, my friend.

Cheers

davegee

[davegee]

...and a greased piece of plywood in the rear of the wheel wells to stop the wheels from spinning after retraction.

Maintainers and maintenance chiefs seem to be quite the innovative group.

Best, LB

I did not know that about the Corsair. Cool info, Elbee! In the airlines, they are called "nose wheel snubbers." They are something similar that slow down and stop the rotation of the nose wheels when they are brought up into the nose wheel well after rotation. So, on some of these airplanes, the nose wheels are spinning at 200mph as the gear is retracted and they hit the snubbers. In the cockpit, you can Definitely hear them and feel the vibration and loud noise as the nose wheels go from that speed to stopped in just a few seconds. When you look at them inside the landing gear wheel well on the ground, they are covered with rubber dust and dirt from repeated stopping of these fast-moving tires. I'll never forget that noise and racket they make when they come up just below your feet in the wheel wells.

Cheers

davegee

[davegee]

f4uausie,
Glad you're enjoying flying. Getting 5" of snow here today. It looks beautiful from inside looking out. LOL
Best Regards, Rex

We're light on the snow so far in northwest WY, but we have been tortured by days on end howling winds. Today it is nice and calm, but they will return, that is guaranteed!

Cheers

davegee

[Grossman56]

Our DC 3 had the same thing in its retract bay. I would think that once airborne, hitting the brakes would do the same thing, but this takes one thing off the pilot and copilot's list so that's probably why.

Grossman56
(Dangerous Dan)(

[Grossman56]

The Cheyenne turret is coming along, better and better with each version. Dave printed V2 and it's pretty cool,

The top piece detaches from the bottom and I made some indents so the pieces fit nicely.
When we started to critique it, there were some changes that had to be made to the top portion. I purposely made the bars thick in an effort to get the danged thing to print. The one thing I didn't do that definitely had to be there was to shave off the sides to make it hexagonal rather than square. So try try again. Good news was that the bottom portion looked great
So V3 Was inevitable...

I sent Dave the file for V3 and of course, got the 'did I' curse of every designer, so I'll open the file and check off everything, so far, so good though.

Grossman56
(Dangerous Dan)

[jetfool]

Wow! It has come a long way and will be perfect when you finish and add to the plane.

[Elbee]

Grossman56,

Good lookin' design, Dan.

The devil is in the details, as "they" say.

Remember that CA adhesives weigh nothing, so printing in several parts to get better quality is many times a plus with some designs.

Just a thought.

Best, LB

[Grossman56]

I agree and so much easier to play around with two focused pars, then join them to correct the overall dimensions.
I think we may have a winner with V3B, we'll soon find out.


Meanwhile the Tigercat has been sucking a lot of time as well as the wife recovering from surgery. She's doing well and the operation went 'perfectly' to quote her doctor.
Once the Tigercat is done, it's on to the Corsair to replace the retracts with the upgraded version and some touch ups. Then, it's on to either my Freewing P51 to get the L/G back in place and try try again. I think I finally figured out what was wrong, a faulty A3L. I tried to use it in a different airplane and the programming wasn't working right at all. I ordered a new 10 channel Lemon with a built in gyro for her. Then on to the P51B as I now have some spare parts from BBD. Sometimes, I just don't have enough time to go to work!

Grossman56
(Dangerous Dan)

[davegee]

I took my Heaven Can Wait to the field for a series of runup, taxiing, and just familiarization tests at the field. What I found was dsturbing (for me.) Our field has a paved E-W runway and a shorter N-S runway, adequate for most of the flying we do there. There is often times some winds, usually crosswinds that have to be dealt with. What I found this morning with even a very light and changing crosswind for taxiing, is that this huge 1875mm wing weathercocks to the point that I don't really have control of it. Plus, the steering of my retractable tail wheel is pretty sloppy to quickly compensate like most tail draggers need to do for directional control for takeoffs and landings. My FMS P-47s for instance, which use the same tail wheel mechanism, don't exhibit tthe issues I found this morning with the B-17.

I did get some high speed taxiing in, but the airplane was barely controllable, departed the runway several times and nosed over. On one occasion the #2 prop struck the ground slightly, but it is still not operating and I"ll have to figure what is going on there.

In summary, it is a very nice looking plane, a fitting tribute to my late father in law Fred and his crew, but I'm pretty sure if I had tried to fly it today, it probably would have crashed.

So, I'm going to rethink flying it. It might be better to find a home with the 351st Bomb Group Association and hang it somewhere there for many others can appreciate it.

I took a few pics this morning during the test runs.

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

Davegee,
She looks beautiful, wish it would fly someday but understand the connection to your father-in-law. If in a museum many people would get to admire and hope would realize what our fathers/ grandfathers went through to have what we have today.
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

Davegee,
She looks beautiful, wish it would fly someday but understand the connection to your father-in-law. If in a museum many people would get to admire and hope would realize what our fathers/ grandfathers went through to have what we have today.
Best Regards, Rex

Thanks, Rex. Since this is a "tribute aircraft" the idea of experimenting with a highly erratic aircraft and crashing it after the first or second flight trying to get it figured out would be very undesirable. I'm disappointed that it wasn't up to par for a flight this morning, but I think it's good to explore whether a collector or a museum might be interested in it to hang it on display.

This aircraft (the real one) was flown on two consecutive missions in two days by my father-in-law and his crew in late 1944. The first mission was to Kaiserslautern on the German/French border (now home of Ramstein Air Base) and a subsequent bombing mission the next day to Munich, Germany. I was taken by the coincidence that almost exactly 70 years later, I flew a fully loaded military troop charter on a 747-400 from Baltimore to Kaiserslautern, but after holding overhead for an hour for them to try to clear the runways of ice so we could land, we diverted to Munich. In our case, we fueled up and landed in absolutely horrible weather and icy conditions at Hahn Air Base, near Frankfurt.

I'll post the future of this airplane as things pan out, hopefully.

Cheers and Merry Christmas to All!

Davegee

[quitcherbitchen]

found some of my Cheyenne mod pictures.