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Author Topic: Combat graffiti idea  (Read 1709 times)

Offline Paul Smith

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Combat graffiti idea
« on: March 03, 2019, 01:48:27 PM »
Back in the early 60's an effective combat plane was a kit Top Flite Flite Streak, done in clear dope with the canopy left off.

The Streak seemed oversize to guys who thought small wings & thin airfoils were the way to go fast, but the Slight Freaks did OK.  Maybe their thinking about wing area and thick airfoils was a decade ahead of the game.
Paul Smith

Offline Tom Luciano

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Re: Combat graffiti idea
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2019, 05:23:01 PM »
Paul,
  That's interesting you say this. At this past years vintage festival, a competitor flew a flight streak with a MK 6 on it. It flew very fast and turned amazingly well. It was an absolute hoot to fly!

Tom
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Offline Paul Smith

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Re: Combat graffiti idea
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2019, 06:27:30 PM »
Righto.

I recall some guys with Flite Streaks and even a Combat Streak using pressure Johnsons in combat (what we now call Fast) with good results.
Paul Smith

Offline GERALD WIMMER

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Re: Combat graffiti idea
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2019, 03:30:59 AM »
Hello
The Top Flite Flite Streak is a nice looking model but how does it hold up given the rough treatment of combat flying and does it repair easily?.  ???
My own experience is that some vintage combat models are easy to repair when they have thick section LE and TE's that can be glued or doweled reinforced easily but lighter construction gets tricky but probably not as hard as modern construction with all that spruce or carbon.

I was hoping to try a Flite Streak with a Fox 40C frame to get a sense of speed rather like the old days combat flying rather then the current 20-25 size stunt orientated versions people build now.
Regards Gerald

Offline Paul Smith

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Re: Combat graffiti idea
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2019, 04:07:17 PM »
Back in the day we didn't expect planes to last forever.

With VooDoos and Combat Cats at two for $5 and Flite Streaks and Ringmasters at $4 each, we just broke them and bought more.

Also, back in the day, everything was just single elimination.  And if you broke your plane you often lost, so you only lost one or two planes per contest.
Paul Smith

Offline Bob Mears

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Re: Combat graffiti idea
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2019, 07:43:03 AM »
Hello
The Top Flite Flite Streak is a nice looking model but how does it hold up given the rough treatment of combat flying and does it repair easily?.  ???
My own experience is that some vintage combat models are easy to repair when they have thick section LE and TE's that can be glued or doweled reinforced easily but lighter construction gets tricky but probably not as hard as modern construction with all that spruce or carbon.

I was hoping to try a Flite Streak with a Fox 40C frame to get a sense of speed rather like the old days combat flying rather then the current 20-25 size stunt orientated versions people build now.
Regards Gerald

Back i the day we didnt have CA and Gorilla glue. You can repair anything with CA and Gorilla glue!
Home of the control line combat museum.

Offline C.T. Schaefer

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Re: Combat graffiti idea
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2019, 05:07:55 AM »
My FS is about 20 years old and uses a good old .36x with bladder. Turns on a dime and tops out near the ton.  TS

Offline phil c

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Re: Combat graffiti idea
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2019, 09:08:41 PM »
It always mystified me why folks would buy Flite Streak kits and then leave off the good bits that improved performance- the tips and the flaps.  They added a bunch of area for minimal weight.

The original Barnstormer, about 1950 I think, and the Flite Streak, a few years later used the built up wing with a fixed flap.  It wasn't until maybe 10 years ago several people looked at that kind of airfoil with XFoil.  The configuration was also tested by NACA.  Turns out the thin, fixed flap actually produces more lift than a smooth, symmetrical airfoil without the separate flap. Which is a big reason why the stock Flite Streak can fly as well as it does.

I'm kind of surprised that F2D guys haven't used something similar.  The current planes are essentially One Design combat with only two variations- whale tail with an attached flipper vs. a stabilator on a small extension, and either a straight trailing edge or a curved one to add some square inches.
phil Cartier

Offline Paul Smith

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Re: Combat graffiti idea
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2019, 10:17:50 AM »
Phil, you are correctomundo, sir.

Back in the day, some people made planes smaller and with thin airfoils in the misguided belief that they would gain advantage by going faster.

Later on, it was realized that bigger airplanes with thick wings lost little or no speed and turned better.

For example, models like the 35-size Voodoo and Nemesis worked very well as 15-powered F2D's and later F2D planes were even bigger.

Today the 300 square rule in slow combat, racing and profile carrier has become a complete joke in taht winnig models are much bigger than the minimum.
Paul Smith


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