You guys probably know this... The 110 gallons were made out of craft paper to save aluminum.
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Fly low, fly fast, turn left -
Yes, from the Bowater-Lloyd company in England. Dan made the design to look like the paper tanks. Also made 108 gallon tanks some paper, some steel. I think most of the steel tanks came from the USA.
Good eye! Most people wouldn't know that! Appreciate your post, nuts-n-volts. I like the work you do on rc models.
DavegeeComment
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[QUOTE=davegee;n451859]
Hi Dan: great job on designing the 110 gal. tanks. I have a few little adjustments to make to be sure they separate cleanly when commanded to as the bombs and the OEM foam drop tanks do. I'm sure I can get them to work as well as the others did. At the least, it flew well on the airplane.
I was thinking, those pilots that flew the long range missions didn't have much maneuverablilty with those tanks on, and the moment they contacted enemy fighters, they would want to immediately punch off those tanks to be able to fight the enemy on their own terms. That's how I felt with the big tanks on, if I had had Any issues at all with them on, I was ready to flip the switch immediately to jettison them!
Cheers
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Below is a photo taken in 2018 while I was building a CARF 1:4.5 scale P-51D for the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, GA. I was commissioned to build a permanent display of the USAAF Scouting Forces in WWII. These were former bomber pilots who volunteered to fly these special missions after they had completed their combat tours and could have gone home. I had a good friend no longer with us, Lt. Col. Bill Getz, who volunteered after he had flown 31` combat missions as a B-24 pilot. The model plane I built is painted up in his colors, Saucy Shirley, after a girlfriend who promptly dumped him after he left for war!
I plan on adding this scale piping detailing to my model I flew yesterday. It's all scratchbuilt, as is the printed tank from a friend of mine. One interesting thing if you look at the tubes near the back of the tank is a clear section. That on the real plane was glass (clear vinyl for my model) to ensure that the tank would break cleanly away from the airplane when jettisoned in flight. I thought that was pretty heads-up work for 80+ years ago!
In memory of Lt. Col. Bill Getz and all the 100 Scouting Forces members in WWII. Bill was the last one standing, and he wanted a permanent reminder of what all the Scouts did in WWII. He passed away a couple years ago at 99 years of age.
DavegeeComment
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Have always loved NM, being our southern neighbor from Colorado where I spent most of my life until we moved up to northwest WY 7 years ago. We vacationed and camped in NM over the years, great place in America to see. One of my friends moved to Santa Fe just a few years ago from Denver and really likes it down there.
Happy Flying!
DavegeeComment
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I'm president of the club down here in ABQ that flies outta Balloon Fiesta Park. Just flew there this morning! We are really lucky to have such a great field. Yeah, I gotta get back up to Colorado and check out some of your museums. You guys have some very nice ones.Fly low, fly fast, turn leftComment
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It's been a goal of mine in life to get down for the Albuquerque Balloon Festival someday. We've driven past it on trips down to NM but it wasn't at a time they were doing any of that. But I do follow it often when they put up such beautiful and amazing balloons launching each year. I'm envious that your airfield is located in such a cool area. We have (I had) a wonderful field in the south Denver metro area in Chatfield State Park. It has a very large, well-run club and excellent facilities and activities. I say "had" since we left Denver 7 years ago and I haven't really been back since, to fly.
Here in Cody, WY we have a modest airfield which is probably adequate for our needs. There are better fields like in Billings, MT, which is about 1 1/2 hours away.
Cheers
DavegeeComment
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Back to the paper tanks very quickly... I read somewhere. That they did not fill with fuel ⛽ ⛽ till the last minute. Or they started leaking b4 takeoffComment
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I suppose that was probably true, Craig. One good thing about the paper tanks too, is that if they had a lot of gas in them when the pilot had to pickle them off from the wing mounts, the tanks would totally shatter when they hit the ground and spread all the fuel around in the field so the Germans couldn't use it for their side!Comment
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If I remember correctly, that was the because the resin used was not fuel proof (how many are?). Yeah, there was a limited timeframe.Fly low, fly fast, turn leftComment
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Got another test flight in with the big "paper" 110 gallon drop tanks today. Got a late start, and the weather and winds were closing in fast. I decided to try to get another test with the drop tanks on, and made it in, by the wire. Started to rain after I got back down.
Regarding the test of the tanks, they did great, and last night I added a rectangular wood piece glued in at the bottom of the tank and extending up to where the rear plunger on the pylon would compress on it when the tank is installed. That worked perfectly this time, with both tanks landing within 3 feet of each other. One tank was undamaged in the fall, and the other broke up some, especially the center tube section which is pretty thin. I think we'll print another center section that is a bit more robust, but not too much heavier than what I have been flying. I think the tank can be repaired and used for more testing. The other one is good to go. That makes 21 flights so far on this new airplane.
Cheers
Davegee
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But... breaking up is scale!Fly low, fly fast, turn leftComment
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Dave,
Print those parts (domes) that require infillwith 10-15% Adaptive Cubic Infill in the slicer program.
Adds decent structure with minimal weight.
If it is a simple cylinder, increase the wall thickness by a .25mm with each succesive reprint until breakage is no longer an issue.
Best, LB"I am having an extraordinary ordinary life."~Lucky B*st*rd~
"Find satisfaction in the process rather than an outcome."~Anonymous~
AMA#116446Comment
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Thanks, Elbee. It’s mostly the middle cylinder that is weak. I saw this just handling it, almost like an egg shell that could crack if you applied minimal pressure with your fingers.
I"ll try your suggestions on a new tank. The conical forward and aft ends are quite a bit stronger than the middle. I"ll start working on strengthening the middle section first.
Cheers
DavegeeComment
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