Comet Flicker? Strange control?

[Robert McHam]

Looking at the picture you can see both flaps in the up position but the elevator is neutral. What's up with that?
Did this plane have no elevator control?
Item number: 320491482682

I have to say it isn't mine but I would love to get a closer look at this thing.

does any one have a clue about it?

Robert

[Brian Massey]

Picture? 

Brian

[Jim Thomerson]

I don't think it had elevator control.

[Robert McHam]

Picture? 

Brian

Sorry, here you go. The stab/elevator is all one piece as though meant to be solid?
My question is this: Was the only control of this plane through the manipulation of the flaps only in this early model from the 1940s?

Quote by Jim Thomerson: "I don't think it had elevator control."

Jim that is what I'm thinking. I find this to be quite unusual!

Robert

[Brian Massey]

Hey, that is interesting! I guess it would fly, but not sure how much real control you would have. I would guess it was one of "those" experiments that along with the rear steering motorcycle just didn't make it.

Brian

[Dick Myers]

Hi Guys,

That was just a drawing, at that time in the early days of UC most didn't get into the air anyway!!!
Most of us couldn't get the engines to run on those two pen cells.


Dick Myers

[Tim Wescott]

I just saw one of those the other night at a club talk.  It had flaps and a really weird arrangement to couple them to the lines -- either someone at Comet wasn't very smart, or some smart guy at Comet was trying to sidestep Walker's patent.

I suspect you'd have enough control for upping and downing, but almost certainly not enough for round-rounding.

[Dan McEntee]

  I have a Comet Whizzer kit with the same controls. It was a way around the Jim Walker "U-Control" patent at the time. I can't imagine just how borderline out of control these models must have been. I had another 1/2A Comet kit as a kid called the Schmoe, or something like that, that used a wierd bell crank and a thin music wire pushrod that went through a small aluminum tubing back to the elevator. Another way to circumvent the patent and avoid royalties to Walker. If you examine the paper work, you might find that the model was designed by Carl Goldberg, who was working at Comet at that time.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Robert McHam]

I just saw one of those the other night at a club talk.  It had flaps and a really weird arrangement to couple them to the lines -- either someone at Comet wasn't very smart, or some smart guy at Comet was trying to sidestep Walker's patent.

I suspect you'd have enough control for upping and downing, but almost certainly not enough for round-rounding.

I was thinking the same thing Tim. Up and down gently but no sudden movements.

So there was no elevator used as I was thinking?

Someone needs to start a thread on unusual arrangements like these and do some on line show and tells!

unfortunately I do not have this kit, nor do I want it however the picture made me very curious about it's control and have never seen anything like it till now.  How I would like to see the plan and instructions of this kit close up! I do love the unusual but do not always have to have it!

I sure would like to see pictures of the Shmoe's (if that indeed is the name of the plane) arrangement.

Robert

[LARRY RICE]

I have a Polks catalog from 1949 and several models use only flaps, none seem to use both elevator and flaps.
Larry

[Robert McHam]

I have a Polks catalog from 1949 and several models use only flaps, none seem to use both elevator and flaps.
Larry

I really did never know this. I wonder how many more don't?

Robert