RE: Siemens Schuckert D.III 1/6th scale
Epilogue Several weeks ago, I contacted the San Diego Air and Space Museum about donating my Siemens Schuckert for their WW-I display. They were very interested and, last Monday, I took it in. Yesterday I dropped by to “visit� it in its temporary display spot. They will add some information/signage later but I appreciated the fact that they got it into view as soon as possible. It has flown about a dozen times and was always fun to see in the air. My landings never were worked out and there was always some repair, at least restringing the LG cross wires. I was able to pull the RX, Saito72, tank, on-board glow system and most of the digital servos – for use elsewhere. The original RCV engine was reinstalled, as were the two dummy Siemens Halskey cylinders displaced by the Saito. It feels good to know that it will be viewed everyday by many people, contributing to the museum’s efforts. My thanks to all who were part of this project. I couldn't have done it without you. (I still have another set of NC cut wood parts from Chris… humm….)
Posted on: 7/16/2012 9:24 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11157302

RE: New project?
What is the deal?? Again, I searched and searched on line for good ARF prospects. I actually found a number of them but everything is "out of stock"! There is a mind-numbing selection of possibilities for models these days but the down side is that very few of them are actually available at any one time. I can understand that local companies will order a container from Asia and, when it comes in, they have the merchandise - at least for a little while. There is something wrong with this system....
Posted on: 7/14/2012 12:23 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11155103

RE: New project?
Thanks to all for the response. I was especially interested in the GP Mr Mulligan idea and am looking into it. I love the scale look of this plane and the overall size is good.... not sure yet about the engine fitment and ground handling. Any more ideas, please?
Posted on: 7/13/2012 12:34 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11154052

New project?
I pulled the parts from my Siemens Schuckert D.III (now donated to the San Diego Air and Space Museum) and they are available for a next project. I like SCALE planes, probably an ARF. A Monocoupe or Mr. Mulligan would be great, or a P47 Bubbletop, FW190 or ZERO… If it isn’t a good scale rendition I am not interested. If it doesn’t fit the size of a Saito 72 then there is no point. What do you think?
Posted on: 7/10/2012 2:22 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11150399

RE: CD ScaleDesigns Albatros CI build
After going through the book on Poly Fiber (Stits) coatings, I am convinced one can use the notch method but keep the slits farther away from the edge, and heat work the fabric over the edge avoiding the obvious slits in the final results. This model is fantastic by the way.
Posted on: 6/23/2012 6:04 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11129199

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
FANTASTIC! You are da man.
Posted on: 5/21/2012 12:39 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11089097

RE: Laser Cutting and design question
The laser kerf probably doesn't make much difference on many parts but on slots, tabs, notches for stringers, etc. it does. Another thing to watch for if the laser cutter supplies the wood is the actual thickness of the sheet. "1/8" sheet is usually enough less than .125" to make the tabs too loose.
Posted on: 3/10/2012 8:12 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10994121

RE: Clark Y Airfoil
... also a good section for relatively high lift for us builders who don't build as light as we might.
Posted on: 2/5/2012 11:56 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10945256

RE: Drawing an ellipse
I just have to say that the last one (Lnewqban) is geometrically good and gives a true ellipse. The first youtube method is really really tedious and requires extreme accuracy to get it right. The second method, which has one true radius at the ends and another true radius for the sides is simply a horrible approximation of an ordinarily elegant curve. The tangent method is interesting but I don't think produces a true ellipse, just a smooth curve.
Posted on: 1/17/2012 12:08 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10913741

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
[quote]ORIGINAL: geezeraviation The Datafile indicates that the 45 degree application was used on the upper wing and the material was applied spanwise on the lower wing. There seems to be some unsureness of how the under surfaces were done but belief is that it mirrored the upper surface. Bennetts drawings and notes agree with this as well. Doc [/quote] And all the ailerons were done span-wise too.
Posted on: 1/3/2012 1:30 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10889847

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
I assume you are placing the lozenge diagonally on the wing? Your model is coming along fantastically!
Posted on: 1/3/2012 8:58 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10889411

WW II training videos
http://www.rogerdodger.net/videos/ww2/zero.html Some interesting old training movies..
Posted on: 12/16/2011 12:24 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10862605

RE: Stupid truck ad
I see the similarity but I wouldn't call it a rip off. Besides it is much better done than the BB video.
Posted on: 10/15/2011 8:54 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10765810

RE: Stupid truck ad
The big problem with this commercial is that it isn't really funny or entertaining, just lame. Also it is a rip off of this classic piece, which is very well done, gives a real sense of speed and danger - all in all a great video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpx6o4gvmXE
Posted on: 10/12/2011 10:19 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10761609

Stupid truck ad
Have you seen that TV ad where the commercial aircraft is coming in for a landing with the front gear twisted all up? Some one drives a pickup over in front of it and the plane lands with its front gear settling down into the trunk's bed. All are safe and the people in the terminal all applaud. The truck appears to be going about forty miles an hour, judging from the turn it makes to line up with the plane. It still is slightly outpacing the jet at this point. Apparently Boeing has been working to reduce their landing speeds significantly? There are lots of irritating car ads but this is one of the dumbest.
Posted on: 10/11/2011 8:13 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10759655

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
I love that scheme.
Posted on: 10/8/2011 1:11 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10754942

RE: Dyson fan technology for Custer wing technology?
“Inducement and entrainment� of the air? That sounds like the same crap pushed over the years by the Coanda enthusiasts. In fact, the Dyson fan moves a small fraction of the air of a similarly powered conventional fan and is much noisier according to the reports. As far as the air buffeting is concerned, it simply isn’t an issue unless one is really close to the fan since the air stream quickly smoothes out. The Coanda based flying machine promoters have used exactly the same arguments for efficiency because this is basically a Coanda device. The principle has been successfully used on a hi-end range hood but that is another thing entirely. http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/AH360720.html The efficiency claim for the Coanda devices is based on a report of a wind tunnel test done at IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology) which just happens to be my alma mater. I have read that report and it was clear that the ‘aerodynamist’ violated the most basic of procedures by sticking his hands into the air stream, grossly modifying the flow over the test body and distorting the balance readings (his hand affected and accelerated the flow but obviously was not connected to the balance, thus any drag produced on his HAND would not be measured). This test was blatantly unscientific yet the Coanda nuts have latched onto this wonderful fiction (I know one all too well and try to avoid him since he insists on talking about this every time he traps me in a social setting). I have seen youtube clips of several little Coanda models and they barely can get off the ground. Compare them to any of the little helis you see at the local field doing amazing things at warp speed and it is clear which technology is best.
Posted on: 9/18/2011 10:10 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "Aerodynamics"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10722564

RE: Any cool original designs out there? Lets see some pictures?
Thanks for the thought but I have given up on Magnum and all their %$#%& engines. The pix posted don't show the mods I made so I will post a couple here. They open up the airflow as much as possible but it still didn't work. Not shown in the pix are several other modifications I made to improve the airflow. That model is hanging on my garage ceiling, minus the landing gear which got torn off in the last mishap. Eventually I will put in a 2 stroke .25 and repair the plane. The new engine won't be a Magnum...
Posted on: 9/11/2011 12:50 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10711584

RE: Any cool original designs out there? Lets see some pictures?
This is a design called the Cyclone. I have two in a 65" WS version (with a Saito 91 and a Saito 120) but this version has a Magnum 36 which unfortunately tends to overheat. WS is 44".
Posted on: 9/10/2011 3:07 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10710421

RE: Bare-bones beauty
My CD Scaledesigns Pup.
Posted on: 9/10/2011 3:02 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10710416

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
There are multiple photos of SSW D-III 3025/18, a plane with an arrow on the side. I see four or five shots of this airplane in my Windsock Data File 29. If you are interested I can scan them and send them to you. There are several other machines with two photos of them as well.
Posted on: 9/6/2011 7:44 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10704999

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
On the number of louvers, I don’t think I have ever seen a photo clearly showing only four rows on a D-III. There are photos where one can only SEE four but the forward (fifth) row could be there or not, we don't know because the landing gear struts hide the area. There certainly are five row D-IIIs and here are two pix showing them. With one photo it is hard to see but if you look closely the forward row is there on the photo exactly where it should be. You can just see the inner edge of the far bank’s first row between the struts. The other pix is completely unambiguous with five rows clearly visible. I seriously doubt if the belly pan was interchangeable between the D-III and D-IV because, with the different wing arrangements and the landing gear coming into the fuselage at different points - the belly pan has to be specific to the model. The Bennett drawings clearly show these differences as you can see by my composite drawn from them. The photos are hard to read in this respect but I did find several that prove out this fact. The Woodson drawing misses this important difference. I have nothing but respect for all of the talented artists who pour their souls in the research and drawing of these old airplanes. With the multitude of aircraft variations, many making little apparent sense, it is an impossibility to catch every little thing 100%. Of course over time, they will eventually catch the obvious and important features because they learn from each other’s previous work. My hat is off to all of them for their inspired work.
Posted on: 9/5/2011 5:31 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10703181

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
[quote]ORIGINAL: Tmoth4 Whatever, I tapered the thickness of the elevator on my model because it just made sense to me. It has such a huge elevator that having it a constant thickness is asking for flutter in flight. Tapering it would reduce that tendancy. I'm going to put some sort of string on top of the ribs before taping to simulate the cord reinforcement, and I'm going to make tapes cut (or torn) from lozenge fabric. I'm thinking of buying some of the new Balsa USA printed Solartex and using that for the finishing tapes. The overall lozenge scheme will be done the way I did it before...stencils and an airbrush. Just before going to Hoosier Dawn Patrol I glued the basswood cladding around the cabane struts. Now I have to shape them. Jim [/quote] I haven't been keeping up until recently so I went over the recent photos of your progress. Your plane is amazing and is setting a new standard for this model. Also I just realized that the Gotha at the Hoosier Dawn Patrol was yours. Again, amazing!
Posted on: 9/5/2011 3:11 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10702984

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
[quote]ORIGINAL: pimmnz FSM GA drawings. Evan. [/quote] Is this the Ian Stair information you are referring to? If so, it is a rather old (1980) drawing by some fellow named H. Woodson. His interpretation of the rudder and elevator show fully streamlined shapes, not the slight modifications from flat plates that would make sense with the actual photographs. Also his statement of four belly louvers per side for the D IIIs is questionable since I have found several photos that appear to have five rows (like Bennett shows). One observation on the elevator size, I read where Dave Johnson reported a lack of elevator response on his first landing with his 1/4 scale, which ended up a little hard. I experienced the same things several times with my 1/6th scale model. I don't know if the full scale historical aircraft had the same issue but it is possible and they might have tried various solutions including playing with the size. This could account for the confusion on the photos. I doubt if that worked - they should have just looked at some of the Sopwiths which have much better elevators.
Posted on: 9/4/2011 4:34 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10701453

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
I have not reviewed the photos on that subject but the layout drawings in the Windsock Datafile 29 (drawn by Bennett) show plan views of both aircraft and a big size difference. Also he included a dimension chart which indicates a 270mm difference, consistent with what I see on the drawings. It makes sense that, with tail sizes being related to wing areas, the total horizontal stab/elevator area would be reduced on the D IV. The design of the D IV was driven by a desire to increase speed from the D III so any changes they thought would work would be used. Another confusing issue is that the early D IV studies you may see were reworked D IIIs, and who knows how complete a change they were.
Posted on: 9/4/2011 12:32 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10700967

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
Koloman Mayrhofer's Albatros D II / D III replicas on the Aerodrome site are interesting and probably pertinent to this subject. These earlier wood skinned aircraft would have been well know to the Siemens engineers and undoubtedly would have been referenced. The wood fin and stab, combined with fabric covered metal rudder and elevator have the same type of hinging and control horns. Very similar issues were faced although the air balance area is not quite the same. Koloman’s build uses a larger tube for the leading edge of the elevator and smushes it (forgive my technical terminology) toward the ends to provide the taper. The ribs at the horns indicate a similar smushing but possibly in both directions - to fit the larger tube at the front and the extremely thin trailing edge. Since the SSW horns appear to be this same kind of design, it is probable that those ribs are similarly fabricated. One thing of interest is that the non-horn ribs are smaller than the leading edge, a constant section, and they just weld them on, making no attempt to taper them to that large leading edge tube. (These photos are from the Aerodrome site and I assume it is a fair usage of them in connection with this kind of discussion) On the subject of the D IV elevator vs the D III’s, my information is that the former is a different part and quite a bit smaller in chord than the latter. Certainly the rudder and fin are different also. The issue of commonality between these aircraft is very much in question as well as differences even from one batch of D IIIs to another.
Posted on: 9/3/2011 8:53 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10699577

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
Kindly post your evidence for us to see. As for the photo of a D IV showing taper, we are talking about the D III here. There are many changes from the earlier aircraft to the later ones and for that matter, the preproduction aircraft are different from the D III.
Posted on: 9/2/2011 8:17 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10699081

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
You could be right but I don't think so. See the attached Dick Bennett drawing which is clearly unambiguous about this. Bennett is THE authority on the SSW D3. I have seen other drawings (Wylams, etc.) with taper but I don't trust them. Bennett's plan view which shows the rudder is the same as this one. Looking at the photos doesn't show any taper from what I see.
Posted on: 9/2/2011 1:33 PM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10698653

RE: Siemens-Schuckert D.III 1/3 Scale
[quote]ORIGINAL: jtisch Jim, Nice job on the photo. There must be a size limit on the photo upload as the image I have is larger. I like this photo as you can clearly see the hinges, control horns, fin fillets, etc. You can also get a good idea of how much the control surfaces ''taper'', which is what I was looking for. They are not flat plates. I also found out that not all DIIIs had tapes on the tail, although there was no consensus on when the taping on the tail surfaces started. I am still ''kitting'' my DIII, bending wires, making spars etc, hope to start on the fuse soon. J [/quote] I am not sure by what you mean by "taper". The ailerons certainly taper, the fin and horizontal stab have section to them but the rudder and elevator are flat plates made from constant section tubing.
Posted on: 9/2/2011 9:23 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10698379

RE: How to build a pilot seat?
The SSW D-III has a low seat but the cockpit pad provides additional back support.
Posted on: 9/2/2011 9:19 AM by Author "allanflowers" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10698374