Building Model Airplanes

[Jimbo357mag]

I haven't been very active on the forum or even with reloading and shooting the last year and the reason is that I have gotten back into building and flying model airplanes. After 10 years of loading and shooting and talking about guns etc. I have kinda wore it out. Anybody else feel like that? No? Well I haven't given up my guns and stuff but just cut back on some of the activities and instead I went back to something I used to do a lot of, no not fishing, I still do that but I picked up model airplanes again. I spend a lot of time building, flying, talking on model airplane forums and way too much time watching all the airplane videos on YouTube. :D

I wanted to share a couple of 'Build Logs' that I have posted on a model airplane forum. I hope you will look at them. Lots of pictures and lots of videos. I take you through the build process and up to the maiden flights. I hope you enjoy. :D

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3378859-Great-Planes-Trainer-60-Modified-Finished

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3291079-Top-Flite-Cessna-182-Kit-Build-Finished-and-Flying#post41687419

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Looking good.
I have always enjoyed building models. I started with stick models in 1950/51 when my Dad was in Okinawa flying in B-29s over Korea. Built a gazillion U-Controls in the 50s. Stick and plastic in the 70s, I built all of the 1/32 WWII Fighters and most all of the Bombers in 1/48 scale that were available. I then started RCs with Son in 1982he flew them and I built and crashed them. I built a bunch of RCM 40s and 60s,now or was Great Planes, with K&B 40s and 60s on them. Son still has his first one from 1982. I'm sad to say my 60 ate a fence post then a sad ending in 2002 :wink: The last RC I built was a Hangar 9 1/4 scale J3 with a 4 cycle 90?? on it, which is still flying, in 2002 for Grandson. Grandson and I have built a few 1/48 scale warbirds but recently we have moved on to building a full size Cub.
A long time ago. :D

 

[BDM1]

I know what you mean by getting tired of some interest, i go back and forth a couple times a year, between guns and fishing, and other small interests. Sometimes we just need to take a break. I am 65 years old, but i am currently painting and putting back together an old bicycle to start riding a little. Fall is a good time for that. Your model airplane hobby is a great one, i love to watch people fly those things. The red and white one is beautiful, looks like the real thing. Enjoy!!

 

[kmoore]

We should all keep busy doing things that bring joy/happiness/fulfillment in our lives. Those look like nice planes you built.

 

[roashooter]

I cycle through phases (hobbies) as well.....when the heat is unbearable...my shooting/reloading takes a break...and I spend time with other interests...one is also rc aircraft. It is sad that more than a few great kits have disappeared....replaced by the "foamy" ready to fly. I enjoyed the days/weeks I crafted a wooden flying machine. I am amazed how advanced the electric field of powered RC craft has expanded. When I first tried building a balsa framed aircraft...it was powered by a very heavy "can" electric motor with an equally heavy NiCad battery pack...giving a short flying time...with low power....and any mistakes in landing...the battery pack would destroy the airframe.
Now I have a few "stick" built cubs....with "outrunner" motors.... very small/light "Lipo" batteries that give great fight times with very impressive power to weight perfomance...

 

[wwb]

Late 50s / early 60s I flew control line planes - RC back then was way too rich for me.

Last plane was a P-38 with twin McCoy 35s. On its last flight, the bellcrank pulled loose, the elevator went to full down, and it buried itself somewhere near 2nd base on the ball diamond where we flew. That was about the same time I discovered cars and girls.... never got back to model airplanes.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Thanks for the kind comments. I have lots of stories about control-line flying and mistakes, goof-ups, and crashes at the field. ...and yes electrics have become a big part of the hobby lately including drones etc. I stick mainly with the 40-60 size glow engines and build and fly the old fashioned way. The Cessna 182 has a .91 cu. in. four-stroke engine which I really like.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Late 50s / early 60s I flew control line planes - RC back then was way too rich for me.

Last plane was a P-38 with twin McCoy 35s. On its last flight, the bellcrank pulled loose, the elevator went to full down, and it buried itself somewhere near 2nd base on the ball diamond where we flew. That was about the same time I discovered cars and girls.... never got back to model airplanes.

 

[SAJohn]

All of my interests wax and wane with the exception of just two; this forum, with all of the interesting people and ladies. :)

 

[WendyZXZ]

That is great Jimbo! Very nice work and looks and sounds fun.

 

[WestTex]

Just loved model planes as a kid.

Tissue covered stick models.

Then plastic kits.

Then Cox ..049 c/l.

Then R/C.

But I was arrogant and stubborn. If I couldn’t build R/C scale (especially WWII) then it wasn’t worth it to me. Last was long ago Byron Originals Kit.

Good times.

 

[gramps]

The last “kit” I worked on was a full sized Cessna 150 Ranger in Kotzebue, Alaska. I was the gofur, for the A&P! Kept him in rivets, held parts together etc. as a kid my brother and I built a couple control line planes to house the rather large Cox engine he bought. With the planes destroyed, we mounted it on a block of would that was affixed to a skate. If that contraption had had wings it would have flown? Good Job Jimbo, and thanks for sharing!
gramps

 

[Colonialgirl]

Sadly all the "Hobby Shops" and balsa wood models seem to have disappeared. I STILL treasure the 2nd place Brass cup for Semi-scale I won at the contest at Camp Humphreys in Korea a long time ago. It was for my Semi-scale Fokker D-7, complete with a pilot wearing a scarf. It was a control line model and flew beautifully. Sadly when transferred home I had to leave it behind.
I loved flying control line and doing the loops, cross overs and flying upside down. Did you ever try control line combat ?

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Did you ever try control line combat ?

Yep, back in my control-line days I tried about everything; club racing, stunt (aerobatics), combat, 1/2A combat, balloon bust, etc. I flew against a couple of really good combat flyers but I could not really compete. It takes a lot of planes, engines, props and control lines. You really tear up a lot of stuff and that is just part of the game. :D

 

[Wyandot Jim]

As a matter of fact I did fly U Control Combat. The trophy you see in my post is 1ST Place in Open Combat. Which meant I flew against the adults and Kids.
I flew Combat because I was not good enough to build Scale Planes or compete in Stunt, and Free Flight, and Speed didn't interest me. SOOOOOOOOOOOO Combat it was. Now remember in the mid 50s we didn't have combat planes or engines so we made our own. The Wingmaster was a modified Sterling Ring Master that did very good and we burnt up a lot of Fox 35s on the front of it. The Fox 35 was the best Stunt Engine at the time. Not so good for running REAL lean flying Combat. The above picture isn't the plane that I won with. The winning plane looked like Carp so was not good enough for the picture. The Plane in the picture is a Veco P-40 with a Fox 35 on it and yes it flew GREAT. At the time you could buy a Fox 35 for $15.95 and a Sterling Ringmaster for $2.95. Boy did we fly the crap out of them along with the Sterling P-51 which had flaps so it was $3.95. No we did not buy the Sterling YAX 9. :D
Most all of the Veco half arsh Stunt planes were $5.95-7.95.
Chief, Nobler and such but Boy did they look great.
Thanks for taking me back to the 50s :D

 

[gramps]

Wyandot Jim wrote: “The above picture isn't the plane that I won with.”
Am I missing something? I don’t see a picture?
gramps

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Wyandot Jim wrote: “The above picture isn't the plane that I won with.”
Am I missing something? I don’t see a picture?
gramps

Interesting!!! It is in the second post.

looks like this

 

[Daveboone]

I have long wanted to get into RC model airplanes. We have several active clubs around, and I have met quite a few RC pilots, any of which would be happy to get me involved. Darn it, just too many other things going on.
I got the bug many years ago when a friend of my dads built a twin engine float biplane, which he flew out in front of his house on Oneida Lake. I am thinking it was a model of an early Boeing?
Model airplanes and golf, both activities I have just never gotten involved in because I simply don't have the time to do all my other hobbies as much as I would like.

 

[rugerguy211]

Mastering an RC plane is beyond my ability. I can't even drive an RC car unless I am directly behind it! My brain just does not compute that way. :lol:

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Mastering an RC plane is beyond my ability. I can't even drive an RC car unless I am directly behind it! My brain just does not compute that way. :lol:

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH After you crash 10-15 times you might starting to get the hang of it.
Yea I know what you mean for sure. What I would do is take off, fly, fly bys, do aerobatics, then when time to land hand it off to Son.
I never did get that push to the low wing when landing coming at you :( :(

 

[wwb]

Mastering an RC plane is beyond my ability. I can't even drive an RC car unless I am directly behind it! My brain just does not compute that way. :lol:

Aside from the intricacies of flight, it's still kinda the same... coming toward you, right is left and left is right in either case. With an RC plane, up is still up and down is still down whether it's coming or going. That said, I'm just like you - all I have to say is it's a good thing those RC cars are built so tough.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Mastering an RC plane is beyond my ability. I can't even drive an RC car unless I am directly behind it! My brain just does not compute that way. :lol:

Aside from the intricacies of flight, it's still kinda the same... coming toward you, right is left and left is right in either case. With an RC plane, up is still up and down is still down whether it's coming or going. That said, I'm just like you - all I have to say is it's a good thing those RC cars are built so tough.

Inverted flying is really interesting, up and down are backwards, the ailerons, left roll, right roll, are the same, and the rudder is backwards. Try to imagine that. :D :D

Onboard camera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-lrjcDsBcE

 

[SteveRuger]

The last “kit” I worked on was a full sized Cessna 150 Ranger in Kotzebue, Alaska.

I can understand why you would be working on a full size Cessna in Kotzebue, Alaska there is nothing else to do there! Been there twice interesting little Island above the Arctic Circle. J/S

 

[Tensaw]

Jumbo, Good looking models. Looks like a lot of fun. I remember when I was around 11 getting a line control plane with a .049. I remember it being hard to learn how to fly it. I crashed it many times.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Jumbo, Good looking models. Looks like a lot of fun. I remember when I was around 11 getting a line control plane with a .049. I remember it being hard to learn how to fly it. I crashed it many times.

IMHO Those old heavy Cox Planes did way more harm for the Kids wanting to fly Model U Control flying than anything possible.
They were very hard to fly and didn't fly for crap when they flew compared to the 1/2A kits you could build. Yea I bought one just to see what a POS they were.
During the 50s there was a ready to fly 1/2A plane called the Flybaby that flew very well.
The joy was in flying a plane you built not one that came out of a box.
May be why I'm old school and still build full size homebuilts.
I will not take my rare Corvette to car shows because all I did was buy it. Yea we take the Camaro that Son, Grandson and I built. :D

 

[Tallbald]

Jimbo those are beautiful. As a young teen I haunted the hobby shop. passionately wanted an RC plane but at $300 plus dollars I may as well have wished for the moon in 1971. I had to be happy buying and running Cox gas engines and building plywood propeller driven cars that used Testors engines (cheaper than Cox engines by a dollar). We had a family farm I could have flown RC planes on too, but it was a kids pipe dream. Now I have more time, but still less disposable income than as a kid I think lol! And live in the city where a plane can only be flown in the north end of town and if you're a club member.
I love your photos and am happy you're enjoying those planes. Sure brings back wishful memories! Don

 

[WestTex]

And then I tried R/C helicopters - holy mother of pearl!

Waaaaay beyond any capabilities I had back then.

 

[bobski]

make sure you paint all your planes green, so when they burn, itll remind you what you just did. $$