Thunderbird

[Dudley_Lang]

I do not know the name or model of the Thunderbird with the inverted engine.  Does anyone know if a kit is made for this model or plans that would be available

[Steve Helmick]

RSM kits it, and calls it the '59 Thunderbird or '59 T-Bird. When Veco kitted it, they called it the "T-Bird II" (or "Two"?). RSM kits are laser cut. The building instructions are pretty much "refer to the instructions (PDF) for the Lark", which works, since the jigging and building techniques are all very similar. Cool airplane!  Steve

[John Park]

Has the RSM kit still got the differential flaps?  (By the way - a warning to anyone who wants to build Juhani Kari's 'Nakke', which also has differential flaps and looks like a cross between a Mk. 2 T'bird and a 'Grondal Nobler' - very attractive.  Whoever drew the plan got the flap horns the wrong way round, so that the long one (19mm) was on the left and the short one (17.5mm) on the right.  Built like that, it'd roll IN on you in any manoeuvre.)

[pat king]

The rolling in is just to make the flights more interesting! It also will sell more kits.

Pat

[Brett Buck]

Has the RSM kit still got the differential flaps?  (By the way - a warning to anyone who wants to build Juhani Kari's 'Nakke', which also has differential flaps and looks like a cross between a Mk. 2 T'bird and a 'Grondal Nobler' - very attractive.  Whoever drew the plan got the flap horns the wrong way round, so that the long one (19mm) was on the left and the short one (17.5mm) on the right.  Built like that, it'd roll IN on you in any manoeuvre.)

I would hope it goes without saying that you won't want the differential movement in either direction!

     Brett

[John Park]

Brett:
You bet!  Bob Palmer's differential was only 1/32", and that was bad enough - how Kari got on with twice that I can't imagine.

[Brett Buck]

Brett:
You bet!  Bob Palmer's differential was only 1/32", and that was bad enough - how Kari got on with twice that I can't imagine.

    Things were different then, back in the year 30 BW (before Walker).

     Brett

[eric rule]

The RSM Thunderbird II does have an inverted engine and does not have differential flaps.

When I first discussed kitting the T Bird II Mr. Palmer strongly suggested that I do his NATs winning 1959 Thunderbird. As he said "the differential flap was an idea who's time had not come". He told me that the 1959 version had corrected all of the deficiencies in the original 1957 version.

Eric Rule