Flying today, partly good, partly bad

[Gary Dowler]

So way back in the 80's this young guy who shall remain nameless scratch built a F7F Tigercat 1/2A. Mr Nameless never completed it until this past year. 
It made its first static runs last fall, and all looked good. Today was its day.
Got both engines running well, and off she went. Nice takeoff, stable in the air. Felt good for a profile scale bird.   Even remained stable and solid when the inboard engine quit.  Was harder to keep her up with one engine, bit we managed ok for about 5 laps. Then on the down wind side, with one engine out, she settled a little quick and made a 3 point landing, and the inboard wing failed. Outboard nacell broke off as well.
This revealed the foolish use of butt joints in the wing, and this being held together by 34 year old Ambroid, the combination of which didn't survive the hard landing.

It was glorious for about a minute and a half.



Gary

[wwwarbird]

 Butt joints in the wing? Where?

[Gary Dowler]

Butt joints in the wing? Where?

I had long forgotten that all rib/le and rib/TE joints were simple butt joints. Same with the joint of the main spar and the nacelles. 

[Peter in Fairfax, VA]

You've got to give some credit to nameless guy for being creative.  Not everyone scratch builds a 1/2A TigerCat.

[wwwarbird]

 Got a couple .15's lying around?

 https://stunthanger.com/smf/pdk-llc-laser-cut-kits/profile-scale-f7f-1-tigercat/

[Gary Dowler]

Got a couple .15's lying around?

 https://stunthanger.com/smf/pdk-llc-laser-cut-kits/profile-scale-f7f-1-tigercat/

I have one, a Thunder Tiger 15 RC, still new in the box. Another to match it and.......

[john e. holliday]

Hate to a plane come to an end like this or is it going to be rebuilt?   With the tricycle gear, like the Tigercat which I have the Brodak one for 15's, when the inboard engine quit it too did not want to stay air borne.   My son stopped it with a rag into the out board engine.