Guys,


I have finally accepted the fact that it is substantially more work to rebuild fuel soaked models with dings and aged tissue than it is to build from scratch or kit !

This J Roberts full bodied Corsair was flown in a scale comp 30 years ago and for some unknown reason the owner chopped off the hook leaving all the internals intact. Major surgery was required to fit a new longer hook and release cable actuated by down elevator instead of low throttle. This model will serve as a proof-of-concept so the finish is not that great - a combination of tissue, bare/oil soaked wood and bog/filler. I decided on vinyl lettering instead of letter masks and paint, so it's a 10 footer model. Peter Roberts (another local Navy Carrier buff) kindly made the new canopy after taking a mould of the original kit version.

This model is powered by .. you guessed it... a HP40 Gold Cup.. the standard powerplant Downunder in the 70's

It flys great.. initial testing was 'sans cowl'  though it does fly better with the cowl fitted. Flying weight is 40 ounces a little lighter than the J Roberts profile Corsair model.

The throttle action on the handle end is US style - pull back trigger for full throttle... must remember that !

Cheers,

Paul

Looks great,  makes me wish I had my Sterling Corsair back. 

great job

roger

Watch those "old" Tornado yellow props. Many are brittle and just ready to shed a blade.Bad deal to have one come apart and ruin your airplane let alone stick in your bod some place! OUCH! 

Very nice resto job! It would be a shame to slam 'er into the deck, I'd just fly it for fun and nostalgia sake. That's a really cool looking old model you've got there, I'm jealous. 

You don't have to slam a carrier plane into the deck.  It takes practice like any other event.  I have made many a landing for 100 pointers with the engine still running and not event bouncing that much.  But, I need more practice now as I think I have forgotten every thing I knew. 

You're right.. like this one.. check the position of the wheels in the first photo... a classic 'creeper' approach in calm conditions.


Cheers,

Paul

Love the sequence shots of the Bearcat.  Mine is ready to go as soon as I find the lines for it and the weather co-operates.

Notice the small deck with 5 arresting cables! This size deck is used in Australia and Europe.This photo was taken in Australia, I believe. A bit more of a challenge to land on than our U.S. 8 foot wide version. Much lighter to load and unload,smaller to store too.

Makes sense.. in the US everything is bigger !

The deck is still a pain to setup (can take longer than running the comp..).

We are fortunate to have a dedicated trailer and storage facilities which helps.

Cheers,

Paul
http://clamf.aerosports.net.au/

Your point is well taken that 8 feet is wider than a deck needs to be.

I belive that the dimesnion was specified simply because American building material come in 4' x 8' sheets and 4 feet seemed too narrow.  It probably seemed like a waste of material (and effort with a hand saw) to cut the sheets smaller than 8', so that's the size.

Of course this makes the deck bulky and heavy, which is a larger burden as particiaption declines.  Real aircraft carriers came in many sizes, including some really tiny ones.  Personally, I would prefer a 5' or 6' wide deck with the specified 4" understructure, as opposed to a full size deck layed out on concrete.