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Building Tips and technical articles. => 1/2 A building. => Topic started by: dennis lipsett on February 16, 2007, 09:16:50 PM
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I like to build 1/2A planes from my youth but as you well know most of those have gone into history never to re-appear. Two of my favorites were the Sterling 1/2A P-38 and the Demeco A/2. A P-38 kit on the bay never goes for less then $100.00 and I'm too cheap to pay the price, but a generous winner of one traced the parts for me. I also got plans for the A-2. So in a moment of nostalgia I was looking at these and while they are nice they are a little too small for todays motors. No one wants to fly a P-38 on baby bees and only do loops with it and the A/2 as designed won't fit Cox motors on it.
Now to the point I am going to increase the size of these just slightly to accomodate more modern motors and of course they should fly better with more wing area. Heck I'm not even the first on the A/2 a fellow club member is doing the same and has his just about done. If I manage to get this done who else would wnat to fly a twin that will fit in your car. I think that Frank carlisle should have a 1/2A LA Heat to fit in his truck, how about it Frank.?
The beauty of 1/2A is that you could have every plane you ever wanted without needing another house just to house them.
Dennis
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I'm in, Dennis. I'm thinking Norvel .061s and big. And colorful and aerobatic.
Can you get a couple pics of your club members' model? It would be nice to see. y1
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Man, twin .061s oughtta pull 400 sq. in. or more, easily. Mount a couple on a Nobler and see if they'll fly it!
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Man, twin .061s oughtta pull 400 sq. in. or more, easily. Mount a couple on a Nobler and see if they'll fly it!
You know I was looking at the Sterling 15 sized P-38 and I believe that I can redo that one and use 061's. It will certainly save me some time on outline. I also have a built one with 2 os 10's You don't want to know how well that one goes.
dennis
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For my next project after I finish the 35 size Barnstormer to complete that series, will be.
A Scale P-38 powered by two Cox 010 TD's. Thinking of about 25 inch Wing Span. Just big enough that the 3 x 1 1/4 props will clear the center fuselage.
Next after that may come a Scale C-7A Caribou powered by two Cox 020 Pee Wee's also about 25 inch span.
Clancy
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You know I was looking at the Sterling 15 sized P-38 and I believe that I can redo that one and use 061's. It will certainly save me some time on outline. I also have a built one with 2 os 10's You don't want to know how well that one goes.
dennis
post a picture man!!! y1
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I recently scored a Sterling P-38 and 2 Medallion .15s. I have read several posts in the past that these models were way overpowered with most modern .10 -.15 size engines like OS FPs or Fox Schneurle .15s . I also have a pair of Medallion .09s on hand.
The question is - Would the 2 Cox Medallion .15s be too much, and should I opt for the .09s, or will the .15s be managable with lower pitch props - say an 8X3 APC?
Another thought is to go Downrange of a Fox Hurl event and score a couple .15X engines and do it "Old School" as shown on the plans.
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I recently scored a Sterling P-38 and 2 Medallion .15s. I have read several posts in the past that these models were way overpowered with most modern .10 -.15 size engines like OS FPs or Fox Schneurle .15s . I also have a pair of Medallion .09s on hand.
The question is - Would the 2 Cox Medallion .15s be too much, and should I opt for the .09s, or will the .15s be managable with lower pitch props - say an 8X3 APC?
Another thought is to go Downrange of a Fox Hurl event and score a couple .15X engines and do it "Old School" as shown on the plans.
Actually the old P-38 was designed around the Fox steel fin 15, sometimes called the rocket 15. It wasn't too powerful and was pretty tractable. The 15X is a different motor completely it is faster and it takes fuel/ I built one with 2 OS15FP's when I returned to C/L and thet was a reat lap burner. I liked it but no one else wanted to fly it, too fast for them. Second one I replaced the fuselages,plywood doublers to 1/32, sized it for OS 10's changed wood that was too heavy, got rid of all luan plywood and ended up with a lighter model, The OS10's fly this one just as fast as the 15 version.
So logic dictates a further reduction of wood sizes and mass to accomodate 2 Norvel 061/074 motors. I wonder if I reduced the structure enough if I could send it out to the 1/2A twin scale contest that they are having. Nah too much work to do that.
Dennis
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There was a really neat looking 1/2A twin in Model Airplane News about 20 years ago: maybe called Blackhawk? Anyone remember that one?
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Hi Dennis.
I think the .15 size Sterling P-38 would be a perfect size for two Norvel .061s as long as it is built like a "1/2A Model". Reducing the wood sizes, and keeping it light and I'm betting the two .061s would haul it just fine!
Bill <><
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There was a really neat looking 1/2A twin in Model Airplane News about 20 years ago: maybe called Blackhawk? Anyone remember that one?
Hi Jim,
You so kindly sent me a copy of the article and plans when I was looking for it. I got the plans blown up but they wern't exactly right. It somehow got to the back burner. It is however one of the neatest 1/2A twins ever published. Another design that pushes the Grumman XF5F to newer sexy levels.Too bad that M.A.N. is now CRAP and you can't get any plans from them.Wish someone could buy the masters from them. Knowing those guys though they would charge you more then you could ever hope to recoup. I'm not lying about that either.
Dennis
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Hi Dennis.
I think the .15 size Sterling P-38 would be a perfect size for two Norvel .061s as long as it is built like a "1/2A Model". Reducing the wood sizes, and keeping it light and I'm betting the two .061s would haul it just fine!
Bill <><
Bill, I'm already sizing it up to put on the board after the Don Hutchinson P-38. That plane and the F5F and the AR-9 are my facorite twins. I really would like to shrink Jack Sheeks AT-9 down to 1/2A size. F.M 1976.
dennis
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I have a set of plans for the Piranta. The plans show a TD style motor but the picture has the newer Cox Black Widows.
Another one of those "One of these days project".
Jay
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http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=1855.0
This one (and it's twin :), yes two were built) look like they fly nicely. At least I enjoy watching them go. They are an all original design.
Note the bottom picture is twin .15, but still looks impressive in person.