RE: 25% Cessna L-19/0-1 Bird Dog build
I am glad to say that I am making good progress on my Birddog rehab. I decided to make new elevators and a new rudder to lighten the tail. I have finished them and got them glassed yesterday. I have moved the servos in front of the CG and have installed new push rods. I made a repair to the fuselage needed from the crash and the whole fuselage has been sanded down to a light coat of primer. Now on to the new wings. Charlie
Posted on: 9/2/2012 3:40 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11214847

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Peter I while back you were looking for trailer suggestions. I too got a trailer this summer and after a lot of reading of posts on how to configure the plane hold down I came up with this. I used a 3" x 3" angle iron mounted to 2" x4" wood vertical supports. The angles are bolted to the 2"x4"'s with lag bolts. I velcro the landing gears to the angle iron. So far it has worked out great. By adding 2"x4"'s at different locations and moving the angle iron, I can reconfigure for different planes.
Posted on: 8/27/2012 8:25 AM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11207602

RE: 25% Cessna L-19/0-1 Bird Dog build
A fellow club member built a 25% Birddog and it tip stalled on the second flight with the usual results. He never got around to fixing it and I decided to buy it from him. I checked the wings for washout by putting an incidence meter on the wing root and one on the wing tip and found that it didn't have any. This explains the short flying life. I am building new wings for the plane and making several changes that I learned from my Birddog. The plane as it was flown was very heavy at over 30 pounds. It flew on a G-62 as mine did. Charlie
Posted on: 8/26/2012 1:20 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11206648

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Jim The Avenger looks great. I love the paint job too. We all look forward to video of the maiden flight. It is interesting reading your info on painting. I have had about the same experiences and ended up doing pretty close to the same steps with the same equipment as you describe. The PPG store recommended a gray high build primer called Shop Line JP202. A quart of primer with hardener costs about $32. It is enough for two coats. I have switched away from the PPG finish paints to Klass Kote epoxy paints. Klass Kote costs about the same as PPG. It is available mixed in Federal Chip colors and does not need a clear coat since it is epoxy. I have been really busy finishing the Beech and working on re-habbing a Vailly L-19. Charlie
Posted on: 8/26/2012 1:03 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11206636

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Boyd, Sorry to hear about losing your Corsair. When a older model goes in it is like losing an old friend. I lost my 16 year old Ziroli AT-6 to aileron hinges pulling out this spring and I lost my Great Planes Extra 300 Tuesday evening to "no power over trees". On a brighter note.... I am loading the trailer tonight to go to Warbirds over PA. I am planning to fly both of my Skyraiders tomorrow and I would like to fly my Ziroli P-38 on Sunday. All I need to do is get someone to help me get it out of the basement. Larry, We are all waiting anxiously for news of the first flight. Just check, check, and double check all of the critical items. Charlie
Posted on: 7/27/2012 1:24 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11171495

RE: Kellogg's AD5 Skyraider Build
So this is where this thread went...... I took my Skyraider with the folding wings to Warbirds Over Delaware last weekend. I got a flight on it on Friday but couldn't make it back on Saturday to fly again. Delaware RC runs a great event each year. I had an interview with SKS videos and hopefully they will include some footage of the Skyraider on their WOD 2012 video. July 28 and 29 is Warbirds over PA in Quakertown, PA. I plan to fly both of my Skyraiders there if the weather cooperates. Maybe Larry will venture down from NY with his Avenger for the event? Charlie
Posted on: 7/20/2012 12:27 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11162682

RE: Grumman TF-1 / C1A
I scanned the C1-A fuselage side view into the computer and I am thinking of making a second version of the plans with the C1-A fuselage cross sections. As far as I can see the only differences in the plane will be the center fuselage formers will be a little deeper at the bottom. All of the rest of the ribs and formers look to be identical. Perhaps I can show an alternate cut line on the fuselage former templates to build the C1-A version of the plane. I need to get some other projects off of the building table so I can start building up the elevators and wing sections for the Tracker. Charlie
Posted on: 7/17/2012 1:35 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11158922

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Noah I am glad to hear that the Avenger wasn't damaged to bad and that the pilot survived the ordeal. It is always amazing how the smallest detail can become a critical failure. I went to Warbirds over Delaware this weekend with the Avenger and my folding wing Skyraider. I got two flights in on the Avenger Friday. I dropped the torpedo off the end of the runway on both flights to avoid having to retrieve it from the active runway. On the first drop the front of the torpedo got a little damaged and a little epoxy weight came out. On the second drop the torpedo didn't separate from the plane cleanly and for a second I thought it was going to hit the elevators. It fluttered around under the plane and then fell away without incident. The Skyraider got one flight in on Friday and I had to call it a day. WOD was a great event and it was run very well as usual. Larry, How are things coming along. We all are waiting with excitement to see those first photos. Charlie
Posted on: 7/16/2012 1:05 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11157601

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Chris, Glad to have you add to the build thread. I think Peter covered the steps needed to set the W-6 ribs. After they are set in place sand the rib profile to match the adjacent ribs. As for the the engine size, I have flown both of my Avengers with 3W75 engines and feel that they had sufficient power. Watch the Youtube video and see what you think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tpOricl4xo&feature=plcp I think 100cc is way more than you should need in this size warbird. I am certain that Larry will have more power than is needed with his DA-85. Charlie
Posted on: 7/6/2012 11:57 AM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145512

RE: T-28 Dave Platt
Boyd Try this link: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_11122299/tm.htm It is listed as Grumman TF-1 / C1-A. Sorry for not being more explicit. Charlie
Posted on: 6/26/2012 1:05 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11132744

RE: Grumman TF-1 / C1A
Nav-Air The Squadron Signal book is #100. It has been out of print for a long time. You can find copies on ebay if you want a hard copy. Send me a PM with your email address and I will see if I can help out. I have checked the model out using several design calculators and they predict a fair to good flyer. They also predict that the G-38's will be sufficient. Now all I need to do is build it and achieve the target weight. Charlie
Posted on: 6/22/2012 3:13 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11128124

RE: T-28 Dave Platt
Dean Thanks for sharing your landing light details. I have been following the T-28 thread for some time. I am building a Z D-18 and had made up a similar landing light. When I saw your photos I decided to rip mine out and build yours in. I have one side almost complete and am started on the other side. My light is actuated by the flap deployment. I will post a couple of photos here when I get them finished. Boyd, I have been posting in the "Scratch Building" forum with a guy about the Tracker. You should join in. Charlie
Posted on: 6/21/2012 2:04 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11126912

RE: Grumman TF-1 / C1A
Nav-Air, I lived on the other end of town on Lollar Rd. The info on the roll input at 20 degrees is helpful. I have asked several pilots about the action of the spoilers with no success. I spoke to Carl about his S2 and he told me it didn't fly well. I do not know if he had the spoilers built in. I do plan to incorporate the two stage rudder. I haven't figured out how to actuate it yet but I will during construction. It isn't as easy as it sounds and will probably require mounting a servo in the rudder mixed with a second servo mounted in the fuse. The wing area is 1377 sq. in. with a weight projected at 45# to 50#. The plan that I have been working on is for the S2-E. It has a much larger elevator and rounded wing tips. I figure that if Grumman added the larger elevator to the later models, it must have been a good idea. I have a drawing that compares the profile of the fuselage of the C1-A to the S2-E and the main difference is a more rounded belly and the door location. It is in the Squadron signal " S2-F Tracker In Action". Charlie
Posted on: 6/21/2012 1:46 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11126891

RE: Grumman TF-1 / C1A
nav-air, It is a small world. I lived in Hatboro until 1979. I have drawn my plans in AutoCad and scaled them for 127" wing span. This makes the wing center section just under 48" so that it will fit into a minivan. I have plotted the airfoils from the full scale, 63A420 at the root and transitioning to 63A415 at the tip. I am hoping that the plane will work with G-38 engines but may have to go to 50cc depending on the finished weight. The wing is very narrow compared to most warbirds. The biggest concern is the roll control. The full scale used spoilers to make all large roll inputs and the very small ailerons only provided limited control authority. Charlie
Posted on: 6/20/2012 5:13 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11125832

RE: Grumman TF-1 / C1A
Nav-air, What size Trader are you looking for? I have been working on drawings for the Tracker for some time. I would have started construction by now but I can't get the retracts made to finish the plans. Charlie
Posted on: 6/18/2012 1:24 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11122667

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
glazier808, thanks for the video link. Chic, I have watched numerous full scale Avengers takeoff and land from the three point stance. The guys making the three point takeoffs have an airspeed indicator. Without it I am not ready to try it. The Avenger model brings the tail up all by itself and will fly off with a click or two of up trim. Same thing for landings. I always wheel land the model. Trying to hit the three point landing requires working very near the stall point. Charlie
Posted on: 6/10/2012 1:59 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11113492

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Noah you brought up my worst fear of having the models in a trailer. I ordered my first trailer which should be here in three weeks. I am very worried about getting to an event and opening the trailer to find a pile of balsa. I am thinking of getting one of the "backup cameras" and installing it inside the trailer so that I can check on things after going over a big bump. I am hoping to be able to transport three planes stacked vertically in the trailer. Sorry to hear about the damage to your Avenger. It is easy to look at the finished plane forget that they are as fragile as they are. I have had some of my helpers forget it too. One time one put his thumb through the rudder moving the Avenger in the pits. Another kneeled on the wing while helping to unloading the van. Stuff happens. Charlie
Posted on: 6/3/2012 6:46 AM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11104618

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Grover I am sure that your Avenger is a nice addition to the museum. Congrats on a nice looking model. Charlie
Posted on: 5/31/2012 4:09 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11101688

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Larry, the Avenger paint job is looking good. I am anxious to see her finished up. Maybe you will have her in time for Warbirds Over Delaware. I am planning to take my Avenger to the Imlaystown NJ giant scale gathering this weekend. I had it out this past weekend for some check flights and all went well. Noah, Really 20 mph plus? I get nervous when the winds are over 10 mph. Charlie
Posted on: 5/21/2012 3:16 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11089324

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Peter I found that two of the fittings in the air valve were leaking a little. I removed them and put ZAP-A- GOO on the threads and reinstalled them. I then tracked down a TEE that was leaking a little. I am still hunting for another small leak. I plan to replace all of the plastic tees with the Robart brass tees too. They are expensive but may avoid a wheels up landing one day. I found that the canopy worked OK without extra stiffening by pushing on both sides. There is a drawing of the assembly on the photo CD in the "Canopy Sections" directory. I learned that the canopy worked better at 40 to 50 PSI. I have the same tail wheel problem on my Skyraiders. Sierra Giant Scale's tail wheels do not lock in the down position without some air in the system. It makes a mess of the fuselage around the tail wheel cutout since the tail wheel is not centered when it folds up it catches on the edges of the opening. On my second Skyraider I added some 1/32 ply around the opening to keep the balsa from getting all dented up. I also put a piece of wood across the opening to keep the tail wheel down when it is going to be sitting for a while. Charlie
Posted on: 4/24/2012 12:56 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11055116

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Awesome work Peter. Are you going to make the canopy air operated? I have spent most of the day hunting for a small air leak in my Avenger. I divided the air operated devices into two systems. One operates the landing gears and the other operates the canopy and bomb bay doors. Unfortunately the leak is in the gear system. I also added a Electro Dynamics battery backer to the flight packs. Charlie
Posted on: 4/23/2012 1:39 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11053873

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Larry, the Avenger is looking good. The plane really starts to take on its own personality when you get to the painting stage. The offer for you to do the first flight at the Quakertown field still stands if you want to. Noah, I thought we might be seeing you at some events in the northeast. I am sure the clubs in OK will enjoy having a new member. I did not see Sam's post and didn't know that a new ARF Avenger was hitting the market. I seems funny that it is 108" wing span and uses Sierra Giant Scale retracts. Oh well, I guess we will see more Avengers at the warbird meets. There is still nothing like the satisfaction of building your own warbird. Charlie
Posted on: 4/21/2012 1:57 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11051275

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Thanks for the updates guys. I was getting worried that other things were getting in the way. Noah, I am glad things worked out OK. Staying current is important in models too. I hope my first flight of the year is less exciting. There are a lot of warbird events in the Southeast PA area. I fly in Quakertown, PA. at Buc-Le Aerosportsmen, about 90 minutes from Hershey, PA. Larry, I printed out the plans for the S2F for the first time this week. I have a lot of work to do to the plan before I start construction. When I see the plans printed, I notice a lot of things that weren't apparent on the computer screen. I am still waiting for Sierra Giant Scale to bless me with landing gears. We are looking forward to those Avenger photo updates. I have been working hard on my Ziroli D-18 Beechcraft. I hope to be glassing in three to four weeks. Charlie
Posted on: 4/12/2012 2:17 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11039336

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Hey where did you guys go? I thought that we would be seeing some glassing pictures by now. Maybe even some primer painting going on. Peter? Larry? Charlie
Posted on: 4/11/2012 1:37 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11037927

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Peter Your side strut is great. They will add a lot to the look of your Avenger. Thanks for the S2-F links Ray. I have been trying to learn more about the aileron and spoiler controls. I asked at the Naval Museum but didn't get a good understanding. On airliners the ailerons are used for small corrections and the spoilers come up when needed for large corrections. I expect the S2-F works the same way but I haven't been able to find out for sure. One Stoof pilot that I spoke to explained how he would use the spoilers to walk a high approach down. I think I would want an airspeed indicator for that though. Kwik I too have done the gear switch thing. My JR 12X radio allows a "Warning" to be programmed which inhibits the TX until the switch position is corrected. I will add "Check the retract switch" to the checklist. Thanks for the idea. Charlie
Posted on: 3/19/2012 1:33 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11007243

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
That is a good video Larry. I had not seen that one, thanks for the link. It looks like Grover may have the next Avenger finished at the rate he is going. It is looking very good. My father was an engine mechanic on the S2-F while they were in Navy Reserve service in the late fifties. I have been planning the S2-F build for a number of years having drawn the plans in 2008. Unfortunately I can't finish the plans without the landing gears to get the structure right. I sent drawings of the landing gears to Darrell two years ago and spoke to him last week about them. He has a hard time building one or two sets of custom landing gears due to the setup costs. He promised to take another look at the Tracker gears for me. My design criteria for the Tracker is that it has to fit into my minivan so the wing center section is 47" making the wing span 127". I made a trip to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola last month to get some more photos of their Tracker and ask some questions about the aileron controls. I hope to start construction when I finish my Ziroli D-18 in late summer. I expect it to take two years to build the prototype. Charlie
Posted on: 3/17/2012 6:35 AM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11003831

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Chic I included a pre-flight / first flight checklist on the last page of the Avenger instruction manual. I am attaching a list here for your reference. [b]Preflight and first flight checklist[/b] Double Check CG. Test retracts with wing in place [b]Before engine start[/b] All batteries charged Outer wing retaining bolts in place Check that hinges are secure elevator -rudder -aileron Check that canopy and crew door are secure Fuel filled Air filled Frequency Pin Select Avenger model in transmitter Rates set on transmitter Range check Check controls for proper direction Check flap operation, do outer flap sections extend equally? [b]After engine start[/b] Smooth idle, good transition, steady high end Range check with engine running I hope this helps, and if anyone has any additions I will be glad to add them. Charlie
Posted on: 3/15/2012 1:44 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11001478

RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
The details that you guys come up with are great. I discussed the side gear strut with Darrell when we designed the gears. He felt that it would add to much to the gear to be practical. When Nick Ziroli had Robart make the gears for his Avenger back in 1996 they did incorporate the side strut as a functional part. Their gear was totally different in design and construction and Robart refused to make the gears for me. I made a side strut as a static part for my second Avenger. Attached are the photos. Just be sure to have an item on your preflight checklist to be sure that it is removed before flight (you do have a preflight checklist don't you). Charlie
Posted on: 3/12/2012 2:18 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10997375

RE: ZIROLI 114
Sam, I too had a twin beech for many years, actually I completed it in 2000. After seven years I lost it to a battery failure. This fall I cut a kit and have been making good progress building it. Hopefully I will be able to finish it for next summer. I can't remember if there were any written directions that went with the plans. I know some of Ziroli plans had notes on the prints and some had printed directions but I can't find any directions for the Beech. Do you have any? I am looking forward to seeing your build. Charlie
Posted on: 2/14/2012 1:59 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10958949

RE: Kellogg's AD5 Skyraider Build
Steve Thanks for posting the Skyraider information to the thread. It is nice to have the info handy in this thread. Are you making any progress on your Skyraider? Thanks Larry, If you keep going on your Avenger as you have been you will have a model to be proud of. I have been following your Avenger build and it is amazing how you get things done with the small amount of time you have to spend on it. Charlie
Posted on: 1/27/2012 1:24 PM by Author "Firebar" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10931021