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RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
The mind is a wonderful thing to lose. I don't remember that ad, but that's definitely the "Big Zlin." Ken
Posted on: 10/18/2009 4:45 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9183220
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Yep, and that's the newest wing of the Air Force Museum in the first photo. Ken
Posted on: 7/9/2009 9:00 AM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8918593
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
I knew Leon Shulman when I was a kid in New Jersey. Reminding someone of one of his designs is an honor. The son-in-law accompanied me to the flying field yesterday evening, so here are a few flight shots.
Posted on: 7/7/2009 5:38 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8914181
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
Here's the picture I promised four months ago of a new old guy design, with both the old guy and the new design. And it did fly before the Fourth of July.
Posted on: 7/7/2009 5:31 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8914164
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
The first two flights of the Relic happened Thursday evening. It flies very well. Not quite docile, but still very well behaved. It will putter around holding altitude at 1/3 throttle. A little more juice opens up mild aerobatics like loops, wing overs, etc. I suspect it will climb like a free flight on full power, but I didn't try due to a low ceiling. It does level itself if you release the stick, so it should make a good trainer as hoped. A storm blew in during the second flight and it got quite windy and gusty. I had to quickly retrieve long dormant flying skills to get it down safely, but it helped me out by being crisply responsive to control inputs. It came home in one piece and unscathed. Thanks for your interest. It was a fun build, and the flying yesterday evening, although a bit more than I bargained for on the first time out of the chute after 15 years or so, was a joy. Ken
Posted on: 7/3/2009 5:25 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8904125
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Got in two flights this evening before being chased by rain. It flies great! Very responsive, but not touchy. Very solid in the pitch axis, although it needed a little down trim. It will cruise around all day at 1/3 throttle. Adding power allows loops, immelmans, wing overs, etc. It's not real happy to complete a roll, but that was expectable with the polyhedral and the flat bottom airfoil. The engine ran perfect. Started on first flip both times, idled beautifully, and ramped up instantly when asked. I'm glad I added the outriggers. It likes to lean over in a crosswind on the ground, but the tail skids and outriggers keep any wing or tail tip from scraping the ground. The wind came up during the second flight as a storm neared. The landing was an adventure, but control was excellent and quick and dropping wing tips were very easy to pick up. Sudden sink was easliy arrested also. I'll have to reduce rudder travel a little to put it in trainer mode, but for now it's a blast just the way it is. All in all, a smashing success! No inflight photos because I had the field all to myself and I wasn't about to put the transmitter down to take a picture. Maybe next time if my son-in-law comes out with me. Thanks for your interest while it was being built. Ken
Posted on: 7/2/2009 7:55 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8901924
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Ran the engine in the plane yesterday evening. Got the throttle trim set right, verified that there were no problems with the fuel tank and plumbing, and dialed in the carburetor settings for a reliable slow idle and good transition between throttle settings. Nothing vibrated loose and the radio kept working. Those are still good things, right? I also remembered to weigh it. Came in at 3 lbs 4 oz. I think that's reasonable for 480 square inches. I may have an opportunity to make the maiden flight some evening this week, and if not, then on the Friday holiday. Thanks for your comments Mr. Matthews. No, it's definitely not a beginner's building project. But if it gets someone interested because they were able to fly it easily, then they can start with an ARF or a simpler kit and become a part of a great hobby. Ken
Posted on: 6/29/2009 11:07 AM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8890616
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
The Relic is ready to fly. I'll let everyone know how it went sometime within the next week. Ken
Posted on: 6/27/2009 4:05 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8886130
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Ready to go! Almost. It was a little tippy in the breeze as I took these pictures, so I think I'll add outriggers at the second dihedral break before I test hop it. The first photo gives you an overall view of the color scheme. Transparent blue Monokote, yellow LustreKote, white trim Monokote, and 1/8" black trim tape. The vinyl graphics on the wing were ordered online form a sign lettering outfit. Time will tell if they stand up to glow fuel exhaust. Side view is next. You can see all the servo wires hanging down inside the fuselage. The fuel tubing by the wheel comes down from the breather nipple on the back of the crankcase. I had to route it all the way to the downstream side of the wheel opening so it wouldn't pollute the inside of the fuselage with oil. The next shot shows the other side. The pushrods are 3/16 dia. carbon fiber. The antenna runs through a nylon tube inside the upper corner of the fuselage and exits next to the rudder. It's very hard to see in the photos, but the wing lettering is outlined in yellow. That's the way it was ordered from a zillion fonts, colors, and sizes available. Comes on a very easy to use transfer sheet. A little pricey, but so much easier than individual letters and numbers. Next one has the access-for-choking hole visible. Down-facing carburetor intake is a pain. Prop is a 9-6, only because they were out of 9-5's and the 10-4 wood one I've got doesn't clear the slots in the spinner. Didn't want to file it open and mess up the balance. Not sure why I included the last shot. It mainly only shows that the fin is off vertical a hair. Another fond memory from the good old days... everything fits perfect until you glue it. Our flying field is closed this weekend, so I'll add the outriggers and give it a go sometime in the next week. I'll post some comments on how well it flew or on how small the pieces were. Ken
Posted on: 6/27/2009 3:56 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8886108
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Way too much business travel lately! Covering, painting, trim tape, etc., are all finally finished. Engine and RC equipment will go in tonight and tomorrow. Our flying field is on the Air Force base and is currently closed due to an activity at the site, so no first flight this weekend. I should be able to post some photos of the completed model Saturday or Sunday. Ken
Posted on: 6/26/2009 9:02 AM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8882408
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
The wing is done except for AMA number. Fuselage needs one more coat, then trim. But I am losing the rest of this week and the coming weekend to business and family obligations. So probably no ready-to-fly photos until the weekend of the 27th. Ken
Posted on: 6/16/2009 3:13 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8856911
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Weather hasn't permitted much at all this week. Only primer on so far.
Posted on: 6/12/2009 9:21 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8847850
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Covering finished today. Monokote and wingtips still aren't made for each other. Paint and trim this week, weather permitting. Maybe some ready to fly pictures this weekend. Ken
Posted on: 6/7/2009 10:20 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8834020
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
David, I don't mind the plan being posted. The original plan from the MB article appears several places in RC Universe. Now on to your questions: Wow, you're asking me to remember back 31 years for details of a one-off building project. I'll give it my best shot. - Yes it was square stock, but it had to be carved on the outside and hollowed on the inside to the contours shown in the fuselage cross sections on the plans. I spot glued them on initially, then carved and sanded the outside. I then popped them loose and carved and gouged the inside so that about a 1/8 to 5/32 wall thickness resulted. Then they were glued back on permanently. It was never an easy airplane to build in the balsa version. You can use triangle stock, but you'll have to extend the fuselage sides up to the top of the canopy rails and down to the bottom of the lower rails or you'll have nothing to glue the triangle stock to. As I recall, I contoured the fusealge and canopy separately and finally glued them together only after sanding. If you don't do that, it's very hard to carve and sand the concave discontinuity between the fuse side angle and the canopy side angle (See Section B on the plans). - Yes, everything was contoured to fit the around the firewall shape shown (See Half Section A on the plans). I believe the firewall was glued to the flat fuselage sides first. Then the 3/4 square was shaped as described above and glued to the fuse sides and the firewall. Finally, the top block and bottom sheet were shaped and glued to the fuselage and firewall. You can put square or triangular notches in the firewall, but make sure you have plywood firewall wherever a motor mount bolt goes. - I think I cut away the lower cross member of F4 to make room for the flap linkage. - The flaps are a constant chord, but the wing is highly tapered. This makes the inboard end of each flap a smaller percentage of the local wing chord and the outboard end of each flap a larger percentage of the local chord. The result is the outboard end of the flap is thicker than the inboard end. The plans are correct - the deepest rib goes outboard. - Our aileron well covers were Trim Monokote. The servos were mounted to a plywood floor in the well. - The first Brushfire had a flying stab using a Giessendanner (sp?) mechanism. The nylon control arm that came with it didn't fit inside the narrow fuselage at that location. So we drilled a hole for a threaded rod control arm in the square aluminum bar that was the spar for the two stab halves. It worked great until the stab came off in flight and totaled the airplane. The aluminum bar broke right at the small hole we drilled. You're never so stupid as when you're being smart! I haven't been following the hobby as of the last 20 years and have no idea what kind of flying stab mechanisms are available these days. Can someone else help out here? - Yes, we ran 11 or 11 1/2 inch props. The Brushfire was very solid on its gear. You should have no trouble lengthening it some as long as the wire diameter isn't too flimsy.. - Balsa Brushfires ranged from 8 1/4 to over 11 pounds. It all depended on how much hollowing you did, whether the wing was built up or foam, and if it was foam, whether or not you you included the lightening holes in the cores. Fiberglass versions with cut out foam wing cores could come in at less than 9 pounds. The span was 65 inches. Good luck with your project. That engine and the size you've settled on should be a show stopper. Ken
Posted on: 6/2/2009 6:25 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8820593
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
A handful of pre-covering shots of the Relic. It's mostly covered now with just the wing to go. Then painting. Haven't weighed it yet, but it feels about right. Fourth of July deadline looks doable. Ken
Posted on: 6/1/2009 9:49 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8817949
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
I'm going to try it as is with the just the tail skids. If it's "tippy" I'll add outriggers.
Posted on: 5/17/2009 9:27 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8777398
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Nice evening here in Ohio, so I shot some photos of the mostly completed structure. Yes, I know the grass needs mowing. I covered the rudder last night to see if my sealing iron still worked and if I remembered how to Monokote. I do, but mostly what I remembered is that it's a task I don't enjoy. The second shot shows a little front end detail. The tank is one of a pair of 4-oz. tanks that Tower sells for a twin ARF. You can also see the battery tray and how some shock absorption is built in the way the wheel is mounted. The down thrust in the motor mount rails is visible. There is a 2 deg. right thrust also. The hole in the cowl in the third photo is so you can get a finger in to choke the engine for starting. The FS-40 has a choke attachment kit, but the 30 doesn't. The little plate above and behind the wheel is a switch mount. And fortunately, you can't see what an unspectacular Monokote job the rudder has. Not much to see in the final shot except that a couple of nylon bolts hold the wing on. I've got schedule conflicts for the next week and a half that will keep me from working on it, but final sanding and covering will begin as soon as I'm free. Wish me luck. Ken
Posted on: 5/14/2009 8:16 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8769573
RE: Nostalgic Trainer
Mike and Masonhornet, Here's the 3-view. It's called the "Relic" both for its vintage appearance and for my status as an aging baby boomer. The paint scheme is very tentative. It's one of about five under consideration. Framing is nearly finished. Covering is a week or two away. A 4-channel radio and an O.S. FS-30 have been procured. The engine has been broken in on a test stand. I'll try to take and post some pre-covering photos of the airframe in the next few days. Thanks for your interest, Ken
Posted on: 5/13/2009 7:19 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8766647
Nostalgic Trainer
I'm a 70's and 80's pattern and TOC designer that is just getting back into the hobby after a 20-year hiatus. I've designed and am scratch building a trainer for the kids of some of my coworkers and for my grandchildren when they get old enough. The trainer is a little under 500 square inches, has rudder-elevator-throttle only, and will be powered by a four-stroke 30. If there is any interest, I can post a 3-view drawing now, some construction photos as it progresses, and eventually a flight test report. If not, that's fine. I've already had fun breaking out the drafting tools and creating the design. The construction has been enjoyable and nostalgic, both the successes and the hiccups. And I know flying it will be a low stress pleasure. Ken
Posted on: 5/13/2009 1:43 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8765789
RE: show us your gliders
Two original design sailplanes from at least 25 years ago. Elixsoar and Antiquarian (uncovered).
Posted on: 5/7/2009 10:46 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8750127
RE: Class II pattern planes
Jim, In the Classic Pattern Flying forum there is a thread called "Before the Brushfire there was..." It has info about a Class II patern biplane called the Jester from 1967. Plans are available in the thread also.
Posted on: 5/2/2009 11:02 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8732141
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
David, The construction article was in [i]Model Builder[/i] and had pictures of the second Brushfire, the first with a fiberglass fuse. By the way, there is a German flight simulator program called Reflex that has modeled the Brushfire. You can find the info package here: [link]http://time.fh-augsburg.de/~erd/Modellflug/textDownloads.shtml[/link] I flew in SAM quite a bit, too. At one time or another I had a Record Hound, Super Dolphin, a couple Goldberg Clippers, and a few others. One of the Clippers is sitting in my basement with a 4-stroke 40. My dad made an R/C sailplane by putting a Comet Sailplane wing, tail, and vertical on a simple sheet balsa fuse. Boy did it ever fly great! Ken
Posted on: 4/22/2009 10:05 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8706970
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
Found some photos of the very first Brushfire with a younger Steve Rojecki. This is the balsa and foam original that Steve and I built and Steve flew. This ship was used to cast the first set of molds for a fiberglass fuselage. The vinyl letters transferred to the molds and had to be sanded off if you didn't want them. The line drawing is the trainer I'm building for the grandkids. Everything framed up but the fuselage so far. Hopefully, it'll be happy to fly straight and level if you just let go of the controls. Rejoined the AMA and the local club so I'll have a place to fly it when the time comes. Back to the work now. The yard awaits. Ken
Posted on: 4/21/2009 6:06 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8702835
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
David, Thanks for the kind words. A couple more pictures and some additional info, and then I'll tell you everything I did wrong with that design. The first shot shows the gull dihedral which I've always liked. In the second, you can see that both the stabilizer and vertical fin are full flying surfaces with no hinge lines. The flaps are also seen, but the spoilers are hard to see. They are two bays ahead of the flap hinge line in the second quarter of the span. The airplane was covered, with three colors of silk. The deatil photo shows that all the fillets are formed by bulkheads and longerons. It was one royal pain to get the silk to adhere and be wrinkle free on those compound curve, concave fillets. Now on to all the dumb things I did. There indeed were a lot of pieces of wood. Too many. I built it to withstand winch and bungee launch loads, but I overdid it. It was too heavy. I also didn't provide a long enough nose moment for something with no engine. When I was done adding lead, it was even heavier. Then on the first landing, that slug of lead shot right out the bottom of the fuselage's nose. A sheet wood box to contain it would've helped, but I didn't want to do that because it would spoil the all bulkhead and stringer look. I learned my lesson and moved utility higher up the importance scale. The other sailplane came later, was lighter and structurally sound, and flew really well. Sorry folks. I know this is a pattern thread, so I'll shut up about sailplanes now. Ordered wood for the trainer. Targeting first flight for no later than Fourth of July. Okay, now I'll shut up about trainers! Regards to all, Ken
Posted on: 4/4/2009 6:05 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8648580
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
I'm afraid not. No sign of the molds for the cowling or canopy either. I'f I ever find a better picture, I'll post it. Seems like there might have been photos of it in the magazines that covered the 1982 TOC. Ken
Posted on: 4/3/2009 4:56 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8645698
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
That .90 powered Zlin was the first T.O.C. airplane I was ever involved with. Don Lowe picked that particular Zlin from the many types available and he specified the size and power plant he wanted. I did the design of the model version, including legal variations from true scale and the structural approach. I built it with some mold making and fiberglass help from Dave Driscoll of our USAF RPV shop. Don did very well with the airplane at the 1980 TOC. For the 1982 TOC, Steve Rojecki and I collaborated on a much larger model of a two-place Zlin trainer. Steve flew the Zlin before every round as the demo pilot for the judges. I have searched high and low and could only find one photo. It's a lousy shot of the airplane, but it shows Steve and our engine expert Don Chapman. That airplane had a tuned pipe Rossi .90 two-stroke with a belt driven gear reduction system designed and built by Don to drive a big prop at much less than engine RPM. That was the only airplane I've ever seen that people backed away from when the engine was brought up to full throttle on the ground. It happened every time without fail, even at the TOC. The engine would ramp up to a 20,000 rpm scream and everybody would back up a step or two. Steve flew the airplane brilliantly, including 3/4 snaps to knife edge and other jaw dropping maneuvers for that time. He impressed one and all, including the international field of contestants, and probably at least partially paved the way for his win in 1984 with our Reed Falcon. In searching for pictures of the Big Zlin, as we called it, I came across some photos I didn't know I had. I'm not sure what order they're in below, but they include the original Jester (no ailerons) and two sailplanes designs I did many, many years ago. A laurel and hearty handshake to anybody who can name either of the sailplanes. They are original designs that I named and were never published, so I don't see how anybody could know what they were called, but the one shown uncovered won Original Design at the Toledo Exposition one year and I flew the other one at sailplane contests in the Dayton area for one season. The internet is an amazing place and I won't be surprised if both are correctly identified. Thanks to everyone for your interest in old designs by old folks. I've been reenergized to the point where I'm designing a trainer for my grandkids. Rudder, elevator and throttle with an old 4-stroke .20 that I hope I can get running. Maybe in four months or so I can post a picture of a new old guy design. Ken
Posted on: 4/1/2009 11:15 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8640418
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
, and I definitely learned some things about bipes that helped later with the Reed Falcon and the Fyg Leaf. Ken
Posted on: 3/22/2009 10:56 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8605745
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
The trailing edge stayed where it was and the leading edge moved forward. The main landing gear mounting blocks stayed in front of the spar and therefore also moved forward. If you look carefully at the first photo, you can see that the lower wing trailing edge still lines up with the front face of the headrest.
Posted on: 3/18/2009 4:07 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8591315
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
It's a beautiful sunny evening here in Ohio, so I dug (almost literally) the only surviving aileron version of the Jester out of my basement and shot these pictures. Please forgive the stained balsa and deteriorated silk (that's right, silk and dope!). There is a decal on the wing that says AMA 1969, so the model is 40 years old! I think I was a little stained and deteriorated at that age, too. The engine is an ST .60. My dad's version (identical, but with red silk) had the .56. Ken
Posted on: 3/17/2009 6:22 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8588318
RE: Before the Brushfire there was...
. The Brushfire, Fyg Leaf, etc. didn't come along until much later after I had moved to Ohio to work
Posted on: 3/17/2009 2:43 PM by Author "Fyg Leaf"
in the forum "Classic Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8587687
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