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Author Topic: Does anyone know this model and its creator?  (Read 2280 times)

Offline Douglas Bykoff

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Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« on: January 22, 2023, 09:57:22 AM »
I received these uncredited photos of a model that I imagine is from the 60's. In addition to an unconventional design, this model has an aerodynamic/mechanical device. Has anyone seen it before?

Offline Ken Culbertson

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Re: Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2023, 10:59:41 AM »
I believe it was Harold Price somewhere around 1964.  I remember that being one of my "Dream" planes to build someday as a kid.

Ken

The plumbing in the pix is his pneumatic retract system.
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If it is not broke you are not trying hard enough.
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Teodorico Terry

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Re: Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2023, 11:14:06 AM »

Offline Trostle

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Re: Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2023, 11:59:46 PM »

 Has anyone seen it before?


Crusader by Harold Price.  American Modeler,  Jan/Feb 64.  Magazine article/plans explains/shows a retracting gear.

Keith

Offline Bob Hunt

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Re: Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2023, 07:38:10 AM »
Being from the same area as Harold I got to watch that plane fly a bit. I remember that at the 1963 (pretty sure about that date) Harold was flying it at the huge Memorial Day contest in Union, New Jersey. The gear went up at the beginning of the flight, and then came down and went up again several times during the flight. It seems he did not have the little air catching cone that was spring loaded adjusted properly and when the plane lost some speed in the corners the cone came forward due to lack of pressure and the gear would extend. Not his best performance with that plane. However, he did get the system working properly and went to the Team Trials in Wisconsin where he was almost assured of a team spot... right up to the point where he decided to do some deadstick wind flying after his last pattern. He dorked it and missed making the team.

Harold had two other models previous to the Crusader (and there were two Crusaders. The retract version and a trike fixed gear version) that had the same manta-like wing and tail. Those were his Valkarie stunters. He had one with fuse gear and one with wing gear. He flew the fuse gear version at the Nats in 1961 and might have won there if not for a tank vent that broke and cost him a finals flight. The wing gear version of the Valkarie was my personal favorite of all Harold's planes. He flew that plane for several years and then repainted it and renamed it the Ranger. Harold was prolific and extremely talented at building, finishing and flying. He was - and still is - a legend on the East Coast Stunt scene.

I went with Harold to a contest in Maryland at Bolling Air Force Base in 1967. He flew his brand new Hawker Typhoon semi-scale stunt model that had a Fox 35 in the nose. It was a very large ship for that motor, but it was extremely light. Harold fitted the Fox with a speed model tuned pipe thinking that it would work. It didn't... I launched the model and then had to throw rags at the prop as it taxied by me several times on the ground. We must have looked like the Keystone Cops during that routine! Harold removed the pipe after that exhibition and flew the ship very well in the contest. I got a severe case of sun stroke that day and was a very sick boy on the way home. My doctor told me that I was lucky (blessed...) to have survived that. I was on a diet of Karo Syrup and orange juice for several days after that. I actually fainted while doing the wingover that day and pancaked the model I was flying (a Nobler) as I collapsed. Not my favorite day at a contest. I do remember that it was over 100 degrees that day, and on the way home I was shivering with chills while Harold was smoldering from the heat. Memories, memories...

Bob Hunt     
« Last Edit: February 14, 2023, 02:00:00 PM by Bob Hunt »

Offline Jim Hoffman

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Re: Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2023, 06:45:02 AM »
Joe Dill built a beautiful Crusader and teamed with Paul Walker at VSC March 2017 in Tucson .  Paul proxy flew the model in the contest. 

The airplane had retracts but were removed during the week in a weight saving exercise .  Paul flew the model which was heavier than one would wish as well possible and gave us a flight trimming lesson as well.  I recall some very low bottoms during a practice flight.
« Last Edit: November 11, 2023, 08:56:05 AM by Jim Hoffman »

Offline Paul Smith

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Re: Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2023, 10:58:26 AM »
I received these uncredited photos of a model that I imagine is from the 60's. In addition to an unconventional design, this model has an aerodynamic/mechanical device. Has anyone seen it before?

I would guess that the device uses increasing airspeed to trigger the retraction of the landing gear, then decreasing airspeed to lower it.

The plane used a TD .010 as an air pump to work the landing gear.  The power taken from a Fox 35 Stunt for this purpose has always bothered me.  Maybe it only robbed power during retraction, then went into a free-wheeling mode.
Paul Smith

Offline Tom McClain

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Re: Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« Reply #7 on: November 11, 2023, 07:40:30 AM »
I have built two crusaders and flew the first on up and down the east coast from the circle burners to Jacksonville when I was a member of NVCL.  I flew II to at the 2000 VSC.  Both have fixed grear and the first has a GMA ABC Fox 35 and the second has a OS 40 FP.  Both are great to fly and sun well.
« Last Edit: November 11, 2023, 10:41:39 AM by Tom McClain »
Tom McClain

Offline Tom McClain

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Re: Does anyone know this model and its creator?
« Reply #8 on: November 11, 2023, 04:22:00 PM »
Dennis Toth asked me how I got my GMA ABC Fox35s to run well.  I asked George Aldrich how to break in one of his engines and he said the following:  start it and get it running at a fast 4 cycle then hold the plane vertical and then lean the needle until the engine is screaming at the fastest 2 stroke it will do without sagging. Run it for one minute that way minimum and then richen it back to a fast 4 cycle horizontally and go fly.  That seats the piston and the tapered bore chrome cylinder to each other at the top of the squish band.  Worked perfect each time on my 4 GMA engines.
« Last Edit: November 11, 2023, 07:27:35 PM by Tom McClain »
Tom McClain


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