I have a package I'm sending out today, so I'm taking a few parts of The LOSER to weigh. Kill two birds with one stone?

I've recently been inspired by Don Hutchinson's Stearman. No surprise there.

Don's efforts and workmanship have me thinking about my idle Gee Bee Z.

Don's Stearman is really a nice model from what I can see in photos! And that cleaver bellcrank! Wow!  Kudos there!

Don, thanks for posting that great photo of your bellcrank design! That's what has me thinking!

A round bellcrank would be perfect for the Gee Bee Z! Just two clean exit holes on the fuselage side. 

So, while I'm at the Post Office why not weigh the Gee Bee Z. Does weight really matter with scale CL models?

My real modeling interest is aircraft of the Golden Era. Everything else I'm doing is fake. Well, kinda. 

I have to start thinking about this model because it'll be my first Scale CL model. Actually built for R/C but easily converted to CL. Or is it that easy?

With the KOI a few hours away, and me with nothing to bring.   

Next year could be different!    

So, how should this Gee Bee Z model be set up? What features if any?

Does the leadouts "really" have to exit from the fuselage?

Is throttle really necessary?

Electric? Do you see electric in scale?

How would one fly this model in competition? You certainly wouldn't loop it. Ground loop! That has happened.   

My Gee Bee Z is all excited because I just blew and vacuumed all the gust off it and today we go for a ride   

Charles

As for electric with CL scale, no problem I already have one model with electric power and there are countless others out there. very clean and you can detail out the cowl with no muffler sticking out.

I have converted so many RC kits/arf's to CL I have lost count, just need to put the bellcrank in the fuselage, have the leadouts go above the wing and put a leadout guide at the wingtip. make the leadout guide adjustable so you can move it fwd or aft to get the right line tension. The bellcrank location is not that important,  the CG location and leadout location determine the line tension.

The only thing with electric is that you need a quick way to get to the batteries, a top hatch in the fuselage is ideal, but not always possible. I have to take the wing off with my RV-4 everytime I need to change the batteries. Kinda a hassle but there is no other option with that model.

I would put throttle without question, for scale competition you are expected to have throttle. now with 2.4 Ghz approved you can install the radio like you would normally for RC, the bellcrank controls the elevator and you are good to go.

for competition you have 6 options to fly along with take off, 10 level laps, realism and landing, you could do the following options with that model

1) throttle control
2) 45 degree flight
3) Touch
4) Go
5) Taxi
6) Pick another option such as missed approach or others from the rule book

Touch and go count as two options by the way....

Electric is the way to go....I have sold most of my glow engines.

Land sofly,
Fred Cronenwett

John,

I just saw your reply and photo. Better late than never.

WOW! What a great looking model. 

You have compeated with this model, results, trophies?

I see nice fuselage art. Well done! Your doing?

No need for fuel proof paint with E.

Charles

Even though the judges hit me with lower "Realism" score due to the electric power all of my future CL scale models will be with electric power. I will agree that a four stroke is the closest in terms of sound, glow engines are ok in terms of realism. Electric is very quiet, but after flying at the Nats this year with glow and electric anything I take to the Nats will be electric powered.

Glow engines require a muffler which is sometimes difficult to hide, with electric that problem goes away. Also skinny cowls make installing glow engine difficult, the Gee Bee does not have that problem.

Just make sure your engine works and you can bring the engine down to a low idle and bring the model to a full stop with the engine idling. One the items that got people at the Nats this year is that the engine idle was too fast, they could not bring the model to a full stop with the engine at Idle and also make sure you can shut down the engine from the center of the circle. to get full throttle control points you need to demonstate Idle to full power and being able to shut down the motor on command.

My entire fleet has been converted to 2.4 Ghz controls, electric or glow powered. I use the Tactic 650 transmitter and using the digital trim and model memory I can shut down any engine/motor on command from the handle.

Fred

I recently entered scale with my Gee Bee Model D "Sportster".  This is really a bad choice for scale because no retract gear, no throttle, and a Stalker 51 glo engine.

My only options were a loop and inverted flight.  I'm thinking of converting to e-power with 2.4 GHz motor control

Floyd  Eugene, OR

To do well in scale you need to have throttle control and the documentation is also a source for losing points. the same model with bad documentation vs good documentation will score very differently.

Electric takes time to learn, get an ARF or an older airplane, convert it to electric and 2.4, get to know the systems then tackle the nice airplane

People have won sport scale with fixed gear and only throttle control, so don't let that slow you down. The person who won sport scale this year at the nats flew a single engine model with only throttle, no flaps, no retracts. He used overshoot, touch and go (2 options), Taxi, throttle control and 45 degree high flight as the options. A well built, well documented airplane will and can do well.

Fred

The fixed gear plane gets you clear of the punitive "no retract" penalty if they decide to enforce it. 

When this rarely used screw factor is deployed, models of retract gear planes built with fixed gears are penalized to the point you need not enter.

Hence, planes like the Shoestring and GeeBee are the only way to go, short of retracts.

The fixed gear plane gets you clear of the punitive "no retract" penalty if they decide to enforce it. 

When this rarely used screw factor is deployed, models of retract gear planes built with fixed gears are penalized to the point you need not enter.

Hence, planes like the Shoestring and GeeBee are the only way to go, short of retracts.

Paul,

John Brodak's Shoestring is a fine example.

If I was to compete in scale with a model, I would first consider the F3F-1 I started building eons ago. Problem here is the goofy retracts and the way they work. Lots of parts so not the easiest to build and pull off. The "Al Williams" G-22 could do a few lazy stunts as the actual aircraft did.

So, with detail, documented paint, retracts, throttle, plus being a biplane, The G-22 may or could be a contender?

I recently started working on my F3F-1 model again, but for semi-scale stunt and considered a symmetrical airfoil. I should reconsider this and build the model as scale.

Scale is where I would be more comfortable in competition. Gotta be comfortable.

Charles