CL size limits

[Gary Dowler]

Ok, my ADD addled brain has come upon this question.  The Ole interwebs seem to hold few answers that I can find, but then my Google-Fu is often weak.

What is the largest CL airplane that you know of that has been built and flown?

[RknRusty]

Ok, my ADD addled brain has come upon this question.  The Ole interwebs seem to hold few answers that I can find, but then my Google-Fu is often weak.

What is the largest CL airplane that you know of that has been built and flown?

I came prepared to answer the title in your subject line, which is Size limits. In stunt contests the AMA 2017 rules state: "Maximum weight for any Control Line Precision Aerobatic model is 3.5 kg (7 lbs, 11 oz)."


Also the power plant size is addressed in the paragraph in the picture below.

As for gargantuan oddities flown at club fields and exhibitions, there are some monsters out there. Someone else can fill us in on that. I know Dan Banjock's Flite Streak is a big one. I've heard tell of a super giant Ringmaster. And some multi-engine warbirds, all flown by guys way heavier than I am.
Rusty

[John Rist]

The largest scale airplane allowed is 20 lb.  Some of the 4 engine bombers come close to this.  I had an 80" wing span Eindecker once.  I am sure their have been ships flown bigger than this.

[Air Ministry .]

There was a picture in Aeromodellor around 58 or 60 , of a 1/2 scale Zlin Trainer ( like the akrobat )
Said ( mayve showed a picture ) of FIVE blokes in a scrum to hold it , in the center . 

[peabody]

Cranky Frankie Marino regularly flew a 1/4 scale Piper Cub at the GSCB field.

[Randy Cuberly]

I remember a B-36 scale competitor in the late 1950's that was said to weigh 43 lbs.  It used 6 K&B 29s.  flown on 70+ ft lines (either 4 or 5 lines to control different functions.  I remember seeing it fly in Dallas and two big guys flew it.  One guy on the handle and He wore a belt and the other guy held onto the belt with both hands.  I don't know whether or not all that was really necessary, but that's the way they did it.  Getting all six engines running was a chore in those days but they had two people starting them simultaneously.  One guy on each bank of engines

It looked like a circus act and some of what they did was probably more for show than necessity.

It flew very impressively with throttles and retract gear.

Randy Cuberly

[peabody]

In an early '90s AMA Rule Book there was a statement in the Control Line General section that Control Line models should not exceed 64 ounces. Scale CL fell under the Scale rules.
I spent several hours in the AMA Museum searching EC and Safety meeting records looking to see when / how the rule was abolished. An exclusion mysteriously appeared in mid-90's Rule Books.

[Avaiojet]

I remember a B-36 scale competitor in the late 1950's that was said to weigh 43 lbs.  It used 6 K&B 29s.  flown on 70+ ft lines (either 4 or 5 lines to control different functions.  I remember seeing it fly in Dallas and two big guys flew it.  One guy on the handle and He wore a belt and the other guy held onto the belt with both hands.  I don't know whether or not all that was really necessary, but that's the way they did it.  Getting all six engines running was a chore in those days but they had two people starting them simultaneously.  One guy on each bank of engines

It looked like a circus act and some of what they did was probably more for show than necessity.

It flew very impressively with throttles and retract gear.

Randy Cuberly

That's amazing! How does a model like this stay together for the pull test?

What are they using for lines?

CB

[pat king]

For single engine, the Ringmaster 2X is an 84" span airplane. I think Dan Banjok's big Flite Streak is about that size.

Pat

[Gary Dowler]

I remember a B-36 scale competitor in the late 1950's that was said to weigh 43 lbs.  It used 6 K&B 29s.  flown on 70+ ft lines (either 4 or 5 lines to control different functions.  I remember seeing it fly in Dallas and two big guys flew it.  One guy on the handle and He wore a belt and the other guy held onto the belt with both hands.  I don't know whether or not all that was really necessary, but that's the way they did it.  Getting all six engines running was a chore in those days but they had two people starting them simultaneously.  One guy on each bank of engines

It looked like a circus act and some of what they did was probably more for show than necessity.

It flew very impressively with throttles and retract gear.

Randy Cuberly

A tremendously experienced scale moderer I have know for over 40 years has on the drawing board a 96" KB-36 with 6 Enya's set up in pusher configuration. Perhaps the same model you speak of was his inspiration as he was getting active in the hobby about that time.

[Randy Powell]

I was thinking about the Sweeper or Paul's B-17. But they are only huge, not stupid huge.

[De Hill]

In the late 1950's, I remember an article in Model Airplane News about a double size 
( 104" span ) Super Duper Zilch. It used a lightened Power Products 2 stroke engine for power.

[Steven Kientz]

Search Sh for c124 Globemaster to get the story on this plane, as for the woman she is way older than I.

[Dan McEntee]

  Anyone remember Stanton Hobby Shop in Chicago? I was able to get there once,  and there was a giant DeHavilland  Comet airliner in there hanging from the ceiling. I had lead outs that looked like they were made from 3/32" music wire! I think it was Dyna-Jet powered? I think this has been discussed before and some one on the list here know a lot about the airplane.
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[richardhfcl]

Dan,
     After it's removal from the ceiling at Stanton's the DH Comet spent several years as a static display aircraft by the Chicagoland Circle Cutters'
Show Team.  It now resides in a Pacific North West airplane museum.  Despite an urban legend that the model once flew, there has been no
evidence to date.  (A photo which was said to show it being flown was never located.  Examination of the engine compartments where the Dynajets were mounted also did not show evidence that the engines had been run.) It would have been neat to see fly, though!

[Dan McEntee]

Dan,
     After it's removal from the ceiling at Stanton's the DH Comet spent several years as a static display aircraft by the Chicagoland Circle Cutters'
Show Team.  It now resides in a Pacific North West airplane museum.  Despite an urban legend that the model once flew, there has been no
evidence to date.  (A photo which was said to show it being flown was never located.  Examination of the engine compartments where the Dynajets were mounted also did not show evidence that the engines had been run.) It would have been neat to see fly, though!

    Hi Richard;
    Got any specs on the airplane, at least wing span?  My memory is getting foggy on it but it had to be at least 8 to 10 feet across. I remember seeing cracks in the wing root fairings and such. Would have liked to have taken a photo of it. How many jet engines in it? What a task that would be to get them all lit at the same time??
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Jim Svitko]

  Anyone remember Stanton Hobby Shop in Chicago? I was able to get there once,  and there was a giant DeHavilland  Comet airliner in there hanging from the ceiling. I had lead outs that looked like they were made from 3/32" music wire! I think it was Dyna-Jet powered? I think this has been discussed before and some one on the list here know a lot about the airplane.
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

I remember Stanton's Hobby shop in Chicago.  One of the best, if not the best, in the city.  No longer in business from what I heard.  Not sure when they closed.  I don't remember much regarding what was hanging from the ceiling.

[richardhfcl]

Dan,

     The Comet originally had four Red Head Dynajets in it.  Last we heard it was in a flight museum in Seattle painted

to match a full scale Mexican Airways Comet on display.  Although I don't know for certain the size of the model, a 10 or 12 ft.

wingspan sounds about right.

[Will Davis]

Dale Campbell built a 2x Brodak Buster model for control line  a few years ago, it has a 81,inch wingspan with a 20 inch cord. It is a very big model,

When you double the size it gets real big fast, model flys good.with throttle, and other options, not very maneuravable ,   it takes a trailer to get it to the field  since it is not a take apart,

This is at the top end of flyable size limits I would think .

[Robert Zambelli]

Here is a photo of the Sweeper after I restored it.
Compare to the Nobler!

Bob Z.

[Avaiojet]

Dan,
     After it's removal from the ceiling at Stanton's the DH Comet spent several years as a static display aircraft by the Chicagoland Circle Cutters'
Show Team.  It now resides in a Pacific North West airplane museum.  Despite an urban legend that the model once flew, there has been no
evidence to date.  (A photo which was said to show it being flown was never located.  Examination of the engine compartments where the Dynajets were mounted also did not show evidence that the engines had been run.) It would have been neat to see fly, though!

I'm digesting this. 

CB

[Steve Helmick]

Dan,

     The Comet originally had four Red Head Dynajets in it.  Last we heard it was in a flight museum in Seattle painted

to match a full scale Mexican Airways Comet on display.  Although I don't know for certain the size of the model, a 10 or 12 ft.

wingspan sounds about right.

The thought of "us" having a Mexican Airways DH Comet on display interested me enough to spend some time online researching various NW Aviation Museums looking for it. "Museum of Flight", "Pearson Aviation Museum", "Evergreen Aviation Museum", "Skagit County Aviation Museum"...nothing. There are a shocking number of Aviation Museums around this area, several I've visited and not listed above. Anybody got any leads to offer on finding the 1:1 scale DH Comet?  Steve

[Jim Dincau]

http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/de-havilland-dh-106-comet-mk-4c

[Randy Cuberly]

Probably the most beautiful airliner ever in my humble opinion!  Cockpit certainly is sparse by today's standards!

Randy Cuberly

[Fred Cronenwett]

If you are talking CL scale, 104" span, 1/3 scale Spacewalker at 20 lbs, I flew the 1/4 Scale Morrisey Bravo at 17 lbs with a .90 four stroke. My b-29 comes in at 13.5 lbs with a 96" span.

Ed Mason flies his C-124 Globemaster with four OS-25FP's. Chuck Snyder flew his 15 lb Hawker Typhoon at the Nats this year. I like to keep the models between 8 and 12 lbs, the 15+ lb models have some serious line tension.

for CL stunt those sizes are way too big and are typically smaller than those listed above. A 60 powered flite streak was donated to our club and it weighed about 5.5 lbs. I don't consider that big but other club member thought it was huge.

Fred

[Avaiojet]

Fred,

I enjoyed that video. Thank you.

Looks like 70' lines and .018. Correct?

CB

[Fred Cronenwett]

Yeah they were 70' lines, the square pad is a 75' radius out to the edge....it's getting repaved!

Fred