Take-a-part Barnstomer

[Dennis Toth]

Guys,
I have dreams of maybe getting to the Nats to fly OTS next year and am just beginning my Barnstormer. I've been to the Nats a couple times once with a completely built ship and once with a take-a-part ship. The take-a-part was lots easier to transport. I'm thinking that the Barnstormer is a fairly simple ship to do as a take-a-part as I think only the wing needs to come off. When I did my last take-a-part I used the PW Impact approach which works well. I was thinking that doing the wing with this approach is simpler than the TomM panel removal method. Anyone have any other approaches for take-a-part construction?

Best,  DennisT

[Russell Shaffer]

For a small airplane I have been toying with the idea of building the wing in one piece and bolting it on from the bottom RC style.

[Dan McEntee]

  One year at VSC some one had a Barnstormer ( I think it was) that came completely apart and fit into what looked like a large brief case. It was a work of art! I think it was sized so that it could be carried on board an airliner, but not sure that would work out these days. Some one out there may remember who that was and will have photos but I know I wasn't able to take any of it at the time.
    A model like that with removable wing panels, and a removable stab would make for a quite small package. The one I described above was all held together with 4-40 socket head cap screws and required one tool to assemble and take apart. removing the engine for transport is optional and may help out.
  Good luck and have fun,
    Dan McEntee

[john e. holliday]

That was Bic Brannon who owned manufacturing companies that made clarinets.  I was privalaged to launch his plane several times.  Do not know what became of him.  Also there was a lot of hardwood in the construction and it was still very light.

[Randy Cuberly]

That was Bic Brannon who owned manufacturing companies that made clarinets.  I was privalaged to launch his plane several times.  Do not know what became of him.  Also there was a lot of hardwood in the construction and it was still very light.

I remember that airplane and Mr Brannon as well as the young man that came with him that worked in the clarinet factory.  Both very nice people and incredible craftsmen!  I guess after making a clarinet from wood and metal model airplanes would be easy.  Brannon's airplane was indeed a work of art!

I got to know them pretty well while reworking some props for them at my house.  No idea what's up with them now!

Randy Cuberly

[Ara Dedekian]

         It's been a bunch of years since I've flown with Bic Brannon. The precision and engineering of his take apart plane was really impressive. At the time he manufactured very high quality flutes in southeastern Massachusetts and may have branched into clarinets. The young man who worked at the shop would have been David Chang. See the District 1 column in the Sept-Oct issue of Stunt News.

Ara

[Mike Haverly]

I "think" the model Dan is referring to belonged to Claus Maikas, a Don Still Stuka.  I saw that one, it was gorgeous.  He was at VSC in 2009.   There is a picture in Stunt News, July/August 2009.

[peabody]

Bic's airplane had two sets of wings....one an OTS legal Barnstormer and another set that had more chord, I believe, along with a little bit of sweep in the LE
Have fun!

[Randy Cuberly]

         It's been a bunch of years since I've flown with Bic Brannon. The precision and engineering of his take apart plane was really impressive. At the time he manufactured very high quality flutes in southeastern Massachusetts and may have branched into clarinets. The young man who worked at the shop would have been David Chang. See the District 1 column in the Sept-Oct issue of Stunt News.

Ara

Of course...David Chang.  Thanks for the reminder.  David is a very nice young man, and I do believe it was flutes that they made not clarinets although the manufacturing process is very similar!
It would be very interesting to know what has happened to David and if he is still flying Control Line!   He certainly showed a lit of promise those years ago at VSC!

Randy Cuberly