Cessna Bird Dog

[Mike Griffin]

I know that Guillows puts out a kit of the Cessna Bird Dog but it is too small for what I want to do.  Has anyone ever put out a kit or a plan for the Bird Dog in control line?  Looking for something anywhere from a .19 to a .46 size...doesn't matter.

Thank you
Mike

[Tim Wescott]

Have you considered just scratch building from 3-views?  It's really not that much more difficult than scratch-building from plans, and it has the added advantage that you're not left with all those unsuitable pieces at the end that you feel guilty tossing in the trash.

[Bill Hummel]

Hi Mike, go to Outerzone plans site, type in “bird dog” , and you will get about two dozen plans.  Download the plans you want to a stick, trip to local printer for your copy.

[Dan McEntee]

   Dumas has a larger electric R/C kit that is worth looking at. You could also just enlarge the Guillows plan to the size you want.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[wwwarbird]

 Berkeley made one way back when...

[Paul Wescott]

I know that Guillows puts out a kit of the Cessna Bird Dog but it is too small for what I want to do.  Has anyone ever put out a kit or a plan for the Bird Dog in control line?  Looking for something anywhere from a .19 to a .46 size...doesn't matter.

Thank you
Mike

What about a Bob Palmer Hi-Boy, decorated and/or slightly modified to look like a Bird Dog?  I don’t know if you’re looking for a scale-scale flyer, or a scale-adjacent stunt flyer.

PW

[Mike Griffin]

What I ended up doing was ordering the Dare-Brodak kit
.  It is made for RC but am going to see if I can convert it to control line.  If I cannot, I will just make it a static display.  I just really like that little plane.
This was not for stunt, just for fun

Mike

[Mike Bush]

Mike
Dick Mathis designed a profile Citabria stunter. You could get the Citabria plans and 3 views of the Bird Dog and make the changes to the Citabria  to resemble the Bird Dog.
Just  a thought.

Mike

[Dan McEntee]

If you did want a stunt model, Don Hutchinson had a J-3 Cub in his .40 powered stunt model line. Would not take much to make it a Bird Dog also.
  If the kit is designed for R/C electric, it should be easy to add a bell crank and R/C throttle for shooting touch n goes.

  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Ed Waske]

Hi Mike, Go to Carolina Kit Cutters 54 Inch Wing Span, you can convert to Control Line.

[Tim Wescott]

What I ended up doing was ordering the Dare-Brodak kit

That looks like a lightweight floater -- it's got 60" of wingspan, and it calls out a 450 motor.  That's something that could fly on an 049 or an 061.  I think you may find that you have something that works great in still air, but will be of limited use in more normal conditions.

You could stick with the kit outlines and beef up every piece of wood in the thing -- but at that point you're just scratch-building anyway.  It's basically the same thing you'd do with the Guillow's kit.

I'd look for something that's designed for more traditional RC use, back when receivers were heavy -- something about the weight and size of the Sig 1/6 scale Cub (which calls out a .19 to .45 for RC), or a Goldberg Eaglet (which calls out an .09 to .19 for RC).

[Mike Griffin]

Thank you all for the input.  I appreciate it very much.

Mike

[Mike Griffin]

Hi Mike, Go to Carolina Kit Cutters 54 Inch Wing Span, you can convert to Control Line.

Ed, thanks for the tip.  I did go to their website but did not see an offering for a Bird Dog.  Do they custom cut upon request?

Thank you
Mike

[Ed Waske]

Mike,
 carolinacustomkits.com

View All Products
Page 2
Yes custom order
If interested I have one
Are you going to Brodaks, if so I’ll bring it up

[Mike Griffin]

Mike,
 carolinacustomkits.com

View All Products
Page 2
Yes custom order
If interested I have one
Are you going to Brodaks, if so I’ll bring it up

Thank you Ed I will recheck the website.  I will not be coming to Brodaks but I sincerely appreciate the offer.

Mike

[Myron Firmin]

Hope these help.

[Fred Cronenwett]

Converting an RC kit or plans to CL can be done. I have lost count on how many RC ARF's, kits or plans I have converted and flown as a CL model. I tend to move the CG forward from where the RC plans show.

Outerzone is a great place to find plans, you will be surprised on what you will find. Download the plans and then take the file on a thumbdrive to Fedex Kinkos to get a print made of the PDF file.

Install a line guide so that you get at least three degrees of line rake and the wings are level in flight. The bellcrank location is not critical because there is a straight line between the handle, line guide and CG of the model. Move the CG aft and keep the line guide in the same location and your line rake is decreased.

if the line guide is too low or high it will affect how level wings are during flight. My pratical limit on the weight of the model is 15 lbs, but CL scale allows up to 20 lbs. The heavy models pull more than the average ringmaster but that is why you install an adjustable line guide to control how much line tension you have. You want enough to keep it out there, but not too much that you are being dragged out of the circle.

in the video below I show how to hang the model to check line rake, you can also use the same process when looking at the front of the model to see if the wings will be level or not.

Fred

[Fred Cronenwett]

There is a set of plans for a 72" Bird Dog from RCM plans. It shows the pattern for the window glass. The only item that will require some work is a cowl for the model.

[Bill Morell]

What happened to the Ringmaster?

[Mike Griffin]

What happened to the Ringmaster?

Nothing Bill.  I was working on the wing when I had the heart attack and it got damaged pretty bad so I tossed it and have to build a new one when I get the chance.  I just have not done any building since the attack.  However, I am feeling better and hope to resume building soon.  I wanted to also build a PT19 and a Bird Dog and that is the reason for my inquiries of same.

Mike

[Ed Waske]

One more Mike, BMJR Models Birddog $185 40.5 Wing Span Product number B-339

[Robert Whitley]

If you can’t find a suitable L-19 try to find a Cessna 170 and convert it to an L-19.
That’s what Cessna did for the full size one.

[Mike Griffin]

Jus wanted to say thanks to everyone who offered help in this post.  It is most appreciated.

Mike