Davey Slagle's new C/L plane

[Ara Dedekian]

       I've been holding out posting the photo below of Dave's C/L ship until it was flown but it doesn't seem to be happening. It's one of Dave's own RC designs and was converted to C/L with the intention of installing a throttle servo with power going down the lines. I told him 2.4 GHz was accepted in C/L now and convinced him to go that route.

       These days, he's more interested in designing and building and not so much in flying except when he's finished a new design. The RC plane is a redesign of the C/L bipe. He took the 7 degree upper wing sweep out and made it straight. All incidences were 0-0 degrees and the airfoil was kept semisimetrical. Dave's in his eighties so I stayed close by to take over if the need arose but he fired it up, took it off and put it through manouvers that left the IMAC guys envious. Not only the speed at which he flew them but the manouverability of the plane was astounding. He designed it for 10g's. Landings were as impressive as the flights as weight was kept down with the open bay construction. He's still got it going on! The straight wing made the plane squirrely as compared to the previous version with the sweep. (as per the planform of the Bucker  Jungmeister)

       I wasn't able to examine the C/L conversion closely so I don't know how the bellcrank was installed or what type. Seem to remember it had a .75 for power. Throttle hadn't been installed yet when photo as taken. All I could think of was the Brodak video of Dan Banjock(sp?)flying his giant Bi-Slob when the Z-Tron throttle failed.

       I flew a Buster/Fox 36 plain bearing after his flights which reminded him of how he taught Bob Palmer to fly two planes at once after Bob had seen him do it. Lots of stories he likes to tell.

       Stay tuned
       Ara

       Dave Slagle won Stunt at the 1946, '47 and '48 Nationals begining when he was 14 years old.

[Tom Niebuhr]

That's am impressive looking bipe. I would love to see the C/L version. I don't think that the upper wing sweep would hurt the C/L bipe.

[FLOYD CARTER]

Thanks, Ara, for the news about Davie slagle.  I don't think he's "in his 80's".  He flew at our field back when I was a teen-ager, and Davie was 7 or 8.

I'm 81, so that makes Davie in his early or mid-70's.

I don't hold it against him if he wants to fly R/C.

Floyd

[Will Davis]

Great reading for anyone that is not familiar with the First Walker Cup winner.  Good to see him still modeling

https://www.modelaircraft.org/files/SlagleDavis.pdf

[Dwayne]

Very nice, would really like more info on the engine.

[Will Davis]

Very nice, would really like more info on the engine.

I found this info. Below ,

I do not know  who is the author,  maybe Don Hutchison ,


........
Davey Slagle did win the Nats in 46, 47 and 48. His airplanes were powered with a Super Cyclone engine, I would question the use of a Delong 30 if you want to be able to do the OTS pattern. Here are the criteria for the 1947 event.

Precision: Take off, Overhead flight, wheel touching, landing, spot landing(dead stick).

Aerobatics: wingover, vertical dive, stall and recovery, inside loop, consecutive inside loops, square lop, inverted flight, outside loop, inverted inside loop, inverted outside loop, pair of spectacles, rolls ( full, half, half and reverse, Cuban eight, immelman), flying two planes at once, waltz or formation shift.

Novelty: Unassisted takeoff, pick up glider, pick up other object, release (glider, sign or parachute), laying smoke screen, retract landing gear, carrier flight, dive bombing, balloon bursting, motor control, multiple motor, remote control.

A lot of this is what Jim walker was able to do with his Fireball airplanes, hence the above.

In 1948 the pattern was changed to be close to the OTS pattern we now use except it did not require the horizontal eight to be vertical at the intersection and there was a special maneuver toward the end of the pattern. One of them involved flying the model through a three foot square wall of sheet balsa doused with gasoline and set afire. Not sure what rules they used at the 48 Nats as I think the novelty etc. was still in there for that meet.

Note, the biplane behind the Checkalaroma is Moitle, a 1944 design described in another 1946 Air trails. It was the first decent stunt model design that used a symmetrical airfoil and could do outside maneuvers. I built that airplane and it flew very well, OS 35 FP power. Left the engine in it when I sent it up to Muncie.  

[Jim Kraft]

The Super Cycone was a fairy popular engine for stunt in the 40's because of its light weight, (around 9 ounces) and fair power, and very good handling and running charactoristics. Jim Saftig used them in his Super Zilch model also. It was shown on the plans of many control line kits such as the Box Car Chief. They could be set up for left or right hand exhaust by just turning the cyl. and piston. They pull real good with a 12-8 prop. The other popular engines of the late 40's were the much heavier Anderson Spitfire at around 12 ounces, the Atwood Super Champions, and the Orwick 64's.

[Brett Buck]

The Super Cycone was a fairy popular engine for stunt in the 40's because of its light weight, (around 9 ounces) and fair power, and very good handling and running charactoristics. Jim Saftig used them in his Super Zilch model also. It was shown on the plans of many control line kits such as the Box Car Chief. They could be set up for left or right hand exhaust by just turning the cyl. and piston. They pull real good with a 12-8 prop. The other popular engines of the late 40's were the much heavier Anderson Spitfire at around 12 ounces, the Atwood Super Champions, and the Orwick 64's.

   One thing that strikes me when I examine some of he better early post-war engines is how nicely they are made. It's clear that the same guys were making precision devices like Norden Bombsights just a few years earlier. A mint Anderson Sptifire is a thing of beauty.

    Brett

[Steve Helmick]

I well remember cranking a friend's Super Cyke, many years ago. It had a worn main bearing, resulting in erratic timing or something. After he tired of it, I offered to crank it some, and advanced the spark a wee bit. OUCH!!! It didn't draw blood, but hurt like blazes. Very memorable!    Steve

[Jim Kraft]

I agree Brett; The Spitfires are a work of art. I have been abusing three of them for 18 years and they still run great. If you ever have the chance to look inside of an Orwick 64 you will be amazed at the mirror polish of the rod. And how Henry brazed in the wristpin bosses is something special.

The Super Cyclones were prone to wearing out the front bushing and as they get loose timing can fluctuate some. The Spitfires were pretty much Super Cyclones with all the problems fixed. They have a ball bearing on the rear of the crankshaft to keep front bearing wear to a minimum. They also have a much advanced and beefier timer.

The cool thing  about old engines is that everyone had their own idea of how making them should be done. The Atwood Champions have a rear intake through a rotory valve into the engine. Then an extra one being through the case into the front rotory valve in the crankshaft like a front intake motor.

Many ideas were tried and some worked and some did not. By the time the glow engines came out they really had the sparkers pretty much perfected.

[FLOYD CARTER]

No company could surpass the machining precision of the Arden engines, made by Micro-Built in NY.  Most had magnesium crankcases, which didn't hold up well over time.  Even the .099 had ball bearings!

Floyd

[Dennis Leonhardi]

Looks great, Thanks for posting!

Oh, and after corresponding with Davey quite a bit, I just have to add for the "You gotta learn to build first" crowd: Davey freely confesses he started flying with planes his Dad purchased from Bob Palmer! 
Dennis (the Menace),
ducking now ...
 

[FLOYD CARTER]

And when Slagle flew at our field, his dad fueled, started and adjusted the engine.  Davey just picked up the handle when all was ready.  But that's OK.  Plenty of time to learn all the other stuff.

F.C.

[Dennis Leonhardi]

And when Slagle flew at our field, his dad fueled, started and adjusted the engine.  Davey just picked up the handle when all was ready.  But that's OK.  Plenty of time to learn all the other stuff.

F.C.

Amen, Floyd!  I submit that many of us were attracted to the flying first.  I sure was.  As flying skills improved, the desire to design, build, and nicely finish models seemed to be a natural progression.  Did I mention reworking engines, blending fuel, becoming active in clubs - wait, even convincing shop owners in several towns to sponsor clubs and contests ... well, you get the point.

Starting with an ARF or an airplane someone else built is no barrier to progressing in the hobby.


Dennis
 

[Serge_Krauss]

Thanks for posting this! It's good to see the iconic Mr. Slagle making another foray into CL. I hope there will be more photos.

SK

[john e. holliday]

And when Slagle flew at our field, his dad fueled, started and adjusted the engine.  Davey just picked up the handle when all was ready.  But that's OK.  Plenty of time to learn all the other stuff.

F.C.

I did that for my son as could you see an 8 year old propping a .35 size engine.  Also he did not like to build and when got older he started pitting our racing planes and some times my stunt planes.