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RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Below is a link to the video of the maiden flight of Chris Graham's 1/9th scale EDF A-10 Warthog. There are still photos of Chris' A-10 just above and earlier in this thread. He has done a beautiful job on this composite aircraft. A kit version will be available soon, but I'll leave it to Chris and his business partner (and maiden flight pilot) to say more about that when the time comes. The plane came in around 24 pounds, but the acceleration and flying speed are great. The landing was dead stick, though, due to the use of old battery packs that failed at the end of the flight. The nose wheel got stuck and didn't extend, so she suffered a little runway burn on the nose at landing. All-in-all, a great job. Congratulations again, Chris! Paul http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4909569319905689514
Posted on: 2/8/2009 9:15 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8454567
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
[quote]ORIGINAL: cgrcjet Hello Paul Here are a few pics before the maiden on sunday. I am still working on the video and will get it to you as soon as i can. chris [/quote] Beautiful, Chris. Very nice. And congratulations again on the successful maiden flight. Keep me posted if I can help with the video somehow. Paul
Posted on: 2/4/2009 1:34 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8437930
RE: George Miller F-4 Phantom Plans Needed for Reference
You know, I usually speak (or write) before I think. So as to not offend my current flying buddies, we do have a very nice field here Prior Lake, MN, and the guys are great. I was actually referring to the awful landing of my A-10. Not only was I to the left of the runway, but I overshot as well. With the nice wide cement runway and flat overshoot area in Ocala, the damage might have been a whole lot less. I love my field here, too. Come join us! Paul
Posted on: 1/31/2009 7:16 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8424088
RE: George Miller F-4 Phantom Plans Needed for Reference
Hey Dave, How's it going? Say Hi to the gang for me in Ocala. No, I'm not building an F-4. It's actually George Miller himself who wants to get some design info from the plans. He sold his business, and everything associated with it, years ago. He's getting back into RC and built a beautiful EDF F-4, but it has some flight characteristics he's not happy with. He wants to retrieve some of his earlier design data. By the way, my A-10 WILL fly again. I sure wish I was in Ocala when I made the maiden. I love that field. Later, Paul [quote]ORIGINAL: BirdofpraY UH oh... are you building a F-4? sure like to watch your build progress... Dave [/quote]
Posted on: 1/31/2009 6:48 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8423986
George Miller F-4 Phantom Plans Needed for Reference
I'm trying to locate a set of plans for the George Miller F-4 Phantom, or someone who has a set that can provide some info from them. If you have set for sale or otherwise, please send me a PM. Thanks, Paul Marsh
Posted on: 1/31/2009 9:17 AM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8422361
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Progress photos and a few comments on my ducted fan trainer. I wasn't real happy with the engine, fan and gas tank all hanging out in the open on the Sunspot, so I decided to make a nacelle to house everything. If it looks really funny when it's all said and done, I won't use it, but it is coming along nicely! The modified Force One requires all new fins and elevons, so those were made from scratch; not a big deal except that I forgot to buy trailing edge stock for the elevons. I used a sanding disc on my table saw to shape them. I also used the sanding disc to put the proper angle on the fin rails and fin bottom edges. In keeping with the Sunspot theme, I stayed with transparent covering over the wing area, but went with red instead of yellow. In keeping with the A-10 theme, I went with gray for the rest instead of white. Paul
Posted on: 12/15/2008 10:46 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8250037
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Well, it's not an A-10, but it does qualify as being part of my A-10 project. I have checked myself into ducted fan rehab and am taking DF 101. This is my build of the Sunspot which I mentioned in a previous post. It's a conversion of the Balsa USA Force One, changing it from pusher prop to ducted fan. I'll use this to get the experience I obviously need running ducted fan engines. Once this build is done, I'll get back to the A-10 rebuild itself. As far as the Sunspot goes, renamed the A-9½ Piglet (sorry, couldn't resist), it's a very straight forward build. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves. Paul
Posted on: 12/9/2008 9:59 AM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8171119
RE: Hobby Warehouse (Sky Hobbies) Closing
I got a copy of the flyer in jpg format. Here it is... Paul
Posted on: 12/8/2008 1:55 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8225191
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
[quote]ORIGINAL: Gry101 Paul, Way to go on actually getting your bird in the air. I am still struggling with mine. Sorry for the end of the first flight though. Looked great in the air. I am about ready to pull out the pumps and go pressure from the pipes too. The plane looks fixable from my novice kit builder eyes. The A-10 that Precision Cut Kits has are the one from my order through them so it is the right one. They digitized the plans. I hope that you get back on the horse. Andrew [/quote] Hi Andrew, It's good to hear from you. I know you were close to your own maiden flight, then... nothing. I feared the worst. I'm glad to see you're still taking it slow. You can learn from my mistakes. I think you'll have more luck with a simpler fuel installation. It seemed to help me, at least in the short run. I'm building that modified Balsa USA Force One right now. Maybe I'll experiment with the pumps one engine at a time after I get that up and flying. In any case, once I'm comfortable that I can keep each engine running from take off to landing, only then will I fly the A-10 again. Paul
Posted on: 9/22/2008 8:01 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7980741
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
[quote]ORIGINAL: moxjett Hi Paul, I'll have to wait to convert the VHS tape to DVD when I see my folks agian. They have a VHS to DVD recorder, so I'll make you a copy then. I did record a small video with my camera recording the TV of just the A-10 part. I edited out some of the flying, but it's most of the A-10 segment. The link is below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw7-kVcxwbM [/quote] Mark, Mr. Miller sent a copy of his video catalog and allowed me to digitize and upload it. I broke it down into segments, which can be viewed either on Google Video directly or on my web page below. I'm one of the lucky ones who signed up on Google Video before they bought YouTube, and when video size was almost unlimited. For now, I'm grandfathered in. I think YouTube and Google Video both limit new users to 10 minutes per file. This video catalog runs almost 3 hours in its entirety, and a few of the segments are over 30 minutes long each. It is interesting to watch. Thanks again for letting us know about this video and for posting the clip. Link to all clips: http://miller-a10.home.mchsi.com/videocatalog.html Paul
Posted on: 9/9/2008 9:32 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7938276
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Hi Chris, Not to worry. I remember you well. In fact, I was going to try to get in touch with you recently to find out how your project was coming along. I do hear from a lot of people about the A-10; mostly from my web site, which parallels this thread, but also from RCU. More often than not, these folks are wanting to go EDF. I think of you and your composite build every time. Since I hadn't heard from you in a while, I was afraid that your project had stalled. Obviously, it hasn't. Your work is fantastic. If you do decide to kit this plane, I don't think you'll have much trouble finding buyers. I'll e-mail you offline regarding your generous offers. However, I have a feeling you've opened up the floodgates. You'll have more offers of beta testers than you ever imagined. Don't be surprised if a few checks come in the mail as down payment on future kits. I've never understood why this size A-10 hasn't been available when you consider the fact that the Mibo Jets 1/6th scale model is on it's 3rd (or 4th?) generation design. If there's a market for that scale, why not 1/9th? I've toyed with the idea of somehow kitting it, but you've left me in the dust I'm afraid. Paul
Posted on: 9/4/2008 8:38 AM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7918822
RE: Hobby Warehouse (Sky Hobbies) Closing
Whatever is going on, I too hope they work it out. It's a great store. Short of that, though, it seems like it's a viable business that could be sold rather than let go under. I wonder if anything like that is going on behind the scenes as well. Paul
Posted on: 9/4/2008 8:22 AM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7918798
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Hi Rolv, I suspect that the 75" reference on Precision Cut Kits website is a typographical error. The wingspan is actually 78" as stated on the plans. Just to be sure, I measured the plans again before responding. Let us know if you start your build. Paul
Posted on: 8/31/2008 10:47 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7906691
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Coolers, Thanks for the great links. Your A-10's (plural, I'm jealous) look very nice indeed. Can't wait to hear about your maiden flight with the big bird. I also appreciate your comments about crashes and actual damage; pretty much right on. So, here we go... Damage Assessment It seems my initial reaction of doom and gloom might have been a bit premature. I picked through the pieces this weekend and found that a whole lot more of this plane survived than what didn't. I believe I can fix both the fuselage and the wing. I'll have to cut out a panel from the bottom of the fuse to rebuild the nosewheel mount (shown removed below) from the bottom up. The cockpit came loose, but I think I can reposition it without having to remove it first. Only two formers need repairs. The wing will take some work, but I should be able to save it. One flap will have to be rebuilt and, as you said Coolers, I'll have to make new spars to reattach the separated sections. I'll need to rebuild the main gear mounts on both sides. On the "good" side of the wing, this means having to cut away some of the pod, to be reattached later. So, "good eyes" to those who said it looked fixable. I actually do have a fleet of A-10's myself. Photo below. Thanks, Paul
Posted on: 8/25/2008 9:06 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7885654
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Thanks again guys. I'll take a serious look at things this weekend. Maybe I can coble it back together for now. We'll see. Regarding building, there's no question that the state of the hobby today, meaning ARF's, electrics, park flyers, etc. has brought a lot more people in to it, and there's nothing wrong with that. I went the ARF route to get my son going and to get myself back in the air after I lost a plane. I do think, though, that a lot of people are missing a side of the hobby they might otherwise enjoy. I don't know that there's anything that can be done about that. I guess people just have to discover it themselves. Strykass, I was searching the web for the Balsa USA Force One kit (see my post above re. a ducted fan conversion) and came across your CAD designs for modified versions of the Force One. Did you ever build one or more of those designs? Pretty neat stuff. Link to his Force One thread: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7615699/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm Paul
Posted on: 8/20/2008 9:49 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7868098
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
[quote]ORIGINAL: FOShowNoClass Give it a break, get the cores cut, and get on with it! Good luck! Will [/quote] I think that's pretty much the plan now. Thanks Will. And thanks for following the build. Paul
Posted on: 8/19/2008 9:52 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7864637
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Hi Guys, I appreciate the encouragement. Seriously. The wheels are already turning in my head. I haven't taken a close look at everything yet, but I think I'll have a set of foam cores cut for a new wing. All of the hard points survived as did the wing tips. The gear seems fine, but it will need close inspection. The fuselage will take some fixing. The nose gear did some serious damage up front, but probably nothing that can't be fixed. I've worked with foam cores once before, but nothing like this. If anybody can point me in the right direction to get some ideas on spars, landing gear cutouts and supports, etc., please let me know. When the time comes, I'll do some digging myself. Maybe it's a matter of duplicating everything but the ribs from the original plans. In the meantime, I need to turn the clock back and learn more about ducted fans. EDF is a possibility, but I'm challenged now with these d_ _n engines, and EDF will have to get a lot more affordable at this scale. Very early on when I first started looking into this project I came across the Sunspot (see photo). It's based on the Balsa USA Force One, which runs about $69. The conversion plans are about $9. I think I'll build one and fly both engines on it (one at a time, of course). Coolers, you mentioned following my build for two years (thanks, by the way). Here's a short timeline (no pun intended): Plans purchased in May of 2003 Parts laser cut in July of 2003 Rest of wood bought in Feb. of 2005 (job changes, etc. put things on hold) Between '03 & '05 built missiles (was working in Atlanta, but lived in Florida; only had room to work on the missiles; however, the A-10 plans were taped to my rented room walls so I could study them) Main build started in Feb. of 2005 Entire build all but complete in Nov. of 2006 (21 months) Project sat until Dec. of 2007 when I could buy the engines Maiden flight - Aug. of 2008 Rebuild begins in head - Aug. of 2008 Rebuild begins for real... Thanks, Paul P.S. Coolers, I certainly don't want to make you nervous about your A-10 (photos please). I've heard from a lot of people building the Miller A-10, and might have even encouraged a few to start. I am a little upset that my mishap might discourage them. But maybe they'll be more cautious, now, too. There's little question that this was pilot error; mainly I needed to know more about the engines and I botched the landing.
Posted on: 8/18/2008 11:24 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7861218
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Thanks for the comments, guys. I'll try to take them one at a time: Gary; I am going to give the A-10 project, if not the plane itself, a rest for a while. I'm pretty sure I'll either rebuild this one or start from scratch. I just might be able to salvage the fuselage, but I'll need a new wing. All of the expensive stuff is still intact, so what I'm really facing is time and motivation (well, I'm motivated, so that's not the right word, but I hope you know what I mean). Dean; I only lost one engine. I was right on the edge of attempting the go-around or letting her land. Who knows, if I attempted a go-around I might have had a worse accident, or I might have saved it. A better pilot would have saved it either way, I think. Strykaas (sorry, don't know your real name); I'm sure the engines, or at least one, were too lean. I was clearly out of my depth here. I didn't have enough experience to know how rich to go on the ground. I leaned them to peak RPM, then backed off, but not enough it seems. Regarding wind, after moving to Minnesota I came to the conclusion that I either learned how to fly in the wind or I wouldn't fly at all. The wind you saw was nothing, trust me, child's play for this area. The erratic flying you saw while I was in the pattern was my fooling with trim. It had a nasty pull to the right (or was it left?), so I would relieve pressure on the stick, watch what happened, then adjust. Unfortunately, my son stopped filming for awhile. I actually had some pretty nice passes. As far as the sink rate and landing go, I blew it, clear and simple. So, here's the plan: 1. Win the lottery. 2. Go turbine. Just kidding. I'll return to this project in time. Right now I'm going to get my sport plane back in the air and convince myself I still know how to fly. Then, I'm going to start to look at basic, single-engine ducted fan planes. I was advised early on to do this first, but of course that wasn't going to happen (Is there a lesson in there somewhere? Hmm...). By the time I get back to the A-10, maybe I'll stick with nitro or maybe I'll be able to consider EDF; turbines will most likely remain out of reach. Thanks again, Paul
Posted on: 8/17/2008 9:55 AM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7854986
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Well, it's one of those good-news/bad-news things. The good news is that I got to fly my A-10. The bad news is that I won't be flying her any more. Certainly not anytime soon, and most likely never. Take-off was a little squirrely and she started to get away from me. At one point I was sure I lost her. I got her back over the field, but by this time I was shaking so bad I realized I was in no condition to attempt a landing. I just flew the pattern until I calmed down a little and then started to adjust trim. I made a few more circuits and wanted to bring her in. I was a little too hot and wanted to go around, but had lost an engine. I cranked in full flap, but by then I think it was too late already. She was sinking fast and hit hard. From a distance I knew something broke, but I had no idea the damage was so extensive. The wing is a total loss, but I think even the fuselage might be beyond repair. My son was more devastated than I was. I tried to explain that the whole experience was great and that these things happen. I would do it all over again, and probably will. On the drive home, though, my first thoughts were that I would probably sell the engines, fans and gear and move on. But that was then, and this is now (8 hours later). My wife is already telling me to rebuild it, or build another A-10 (sorry guys, she's already spoken for; my wife, that is). I just might do that some day, but I think I'll go with something less ambitious in the meantime. Anyway, here's a link to the flight. It's a little shakey; my son was as nervous as I was, apparently. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvJHc90vOLE The missiles came off for the flight, but I wanted a good picture of the final build. Paul
Posted on: 8/16/2008 9:16 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7853662
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
[quote]ORIGINAL: George Miller I do not have a unit that converts VHS tape to DVD, but if you or anyone is interested in working form the masters, I will try to work with you on that. The only thing I ask is that it is not done with the intention of making money off of them. I do understand the expense involved in making copies. [/quote] I can convert directly to DVD and/or computer file. I'd be happy to digitize these tapes and, if you have no objection, upload them to the internet. I can break them down into small segments. Other than a blank DVD, there's no cost involved. Once digitized, I can return the master tapes and make DVD's all day long. Let me know; you have my e-mail. I'm heading to the garage now to secure those pipes and nacelle hatches. If my videographer-son gets back from his camping trip soon, we'll be off to the flying field. My plan now is to fine-tune each engine independently then, well, we'll see. Paul
Posted on: 8/10/2008 1:47 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7829956
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
[quote]ORIGINAL: A10FLYR Cute little piggy! :) [/quote] Yeah, my son said pretty much the same thing: "Gee, it doesn't look so big outside." Kids (and guys with bigger toys), you gotta lov'm.
Posted on: 8/10/2008 9:45 AM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7829373
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Hi Doug - It's good to hear from you! I thought you shelved your A-10. I'm glad you're working on it again. If you do decide to go EDF, keep us posted. Mark - Thanks for taking time to copy and upload the Miller video. Very nice. Well, I had a much better day at the field today. I think this is verification of the K.I.S.S. principle. I dumbed-down the installation to the bare minimum. No pumps, no crankcase pressure, just fuel lines straight from the tank and pressure taps off the pipes. I ran both engines, one at a time, mostly at a mid-range throttle setting, very rich, for 5 minutes each. I did run up and down the throttle range a little. No problems at all. Then, I got both engines running at the same time and leaned them out a bit, going to peak throttle once in a while. I decided to taxi around a little to get some idea of what kind of power I'm getting. Below is a link to some video of the run-in and taxi. If you watch it, keep in mind that I never went to full throttle during the taxi run. I was surprised at the acceleration. It's a shame that you can't see the wind storm blowing the grass behind the plane in the video. I would have been more tempted to actually do the maiden flight, but one pipe was wagging a little, which pretty much shredded the o-ring seal. I'll need to support the pipes from the side to keep them steady. I only taped the nacelle hatches closed for the taxi run, too, but one of those popped open. Details. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vZcUDBA2T8 Paul
Posted on: 8/9/2008 11:03 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7828411
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Andrew - Thanks for the info on the pumps. For now, I'm going to run without them. We'll see how it goes. I was out last weekend, but didn't get far. Just little things, I hope. I'll try one more time this weekend. If I can't get the engines to run well, I'll have to pull them from the plane and bench-test them and sort it out before mounting them back in the plane. It's the only thing between me and the maiden flight, now. The B-B's coated in epoxy glue worked out great as couterweight in the nose. They can't get any further forward, except for the B-B's I poured into the back of the gun barrel! The final weight, dry, is 24.4 lbs. according the scientifically accurate digital bathroom scale. If my wife knew I had that thing on the garage floor she'd kill me. She probably wondered what inspired me to clean it that day (the scale, that is)! Anyway, I've been saying all along that I thought it would come in close to 25 lbs. It looks like I'm a better estimater than builder; it would have been nice to have it come in lighter. Mark - Thanks for your note. I'd love to see that VHS tape if you can get it converted. I still hear from Mr. Miller on occasion. He got into HO trains in retirement after a little burn-out with planes, but his big HO project is now finished. He's been bitten by the plane bug again and has gone right to EDF. His current project is a very nice, dual EDF F-4 Phantom II. I'll see if I can post some pics on the electric forum and put the link here. Stay tuned. No predictions on the maiden of my A-10; I'll only disappoint anyone interested, not to mention myself. Paul
Posted on: 8/9/2008 8:16 AM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7825676
RE: Hobby Warehouse (Sky Hobbies) Closing
I just went by and saw the "Reopening July 21 for Going Out of Business Sale" signs, but there was another sign on the door dated 7/21/08, a restraining order barring the owners from selling or controlling inventory or anything else. Paul Edit: I read the top post first and missed the explanations later in the thread. I now see what the controversy is. Thanks.
Posted on: 8/5/2008 2:55 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7811834
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Andrew, Glad to hear that the damage isn't all that bad. I've come close to causing similar damage moving it around. I did most of the building in my basement and have had to carry it up and down the stairs many times; slipped once and nearly had a cow, but no damage, thank goodness. We'll be pulling for you this weekend, but don't get too anxious. If it's not right, don't attempt the maiden. Another day will come. Paul
Posted on: 7/23/2008 11:44 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7765568
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Hi Andrew, No maiden flight yet either. Sorry to hear about your RC troubles, and your fingers! I had a nasty accident myself a few years ago. I did get my A-10 out to the field to run the engines, but it didn't go so well. Vibration was bad, so I have to get the fans in better balance, and one blade started to rub the shroud after the engine ran a little. The vibration on the one engine I could run caused the Perry pump set screw to change, so I've decided to run without the pumps next time. Neither engine ran long enough to get an RPM reading as yet. The hardest part of this exercise was getting the plane in the car! Thank goodness it's a short straight ride to the field. I'm very close now, but it's been slow going; lots of distractions this year for some reason. I still have to put the nose weight in, so I don't have a final weight. I settled on copper BB's for the counterweight. Not sure why that never occured to me until I saw them at the sporting goods store. Keep us posted. I can't wait to hear how your maiden goes. Paul
Posted on: 7/20/2008 10:10 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7753201
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Bela, The entire sequence of photos of the build from start to [near the] finish are organized here: http://a10.home.mchsi.com/a10gallery.html I hope this helps. Thanks, Paul [quote]ORIGINAL: bela Wow Sinister! those are just the type of pics i was looking for. great for walkaround detail purpose. I would like also to get some pics from you if possible. my address is ajawan2000@yahoo.com if email is a problem, a great site is www.yousendit.com they allow you to send zipped folders up to 100 megs in size. thank you in advance. [/quote]
Posted on: 5/28/2008 11:07 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7553741
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Hi Gary, You could be right. I used them on another setup, but it was probably a cooler system overall. I'll have to rethink this. Thanks, Paul [quote]ORIGINAL: grbaker Paul, I don't think the nylon tie straps will hold up to the heat of the pipe. I tried to use them one time on a Byron F-16 and they melted right off. Good to see some progress on the A-10 [/quote]
Posted on: 5/27/2008 10:25 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7549009
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
Hi Ron, Your A-10 looks great. I'm anxious to see mine in the same pose! I'd like to say it's been a strange spring, but if spring arrived I missed it! I'd also like to say that it's the weather's fault for any delays with my A-10 project, but that would be a stretch. However, I am, right now, in the final stages of installing the engines. I just haven't gotten around to posting an update. If all goes well, I hope to do the engine run-in this weekend. The maiden flight will depend entirely on how that goes. If I have to do a lot of tweeking to get the needed power, it could be a few weeks more before the first flight. Here's what I've been up to, along with some pics. First, I had to drill and tap the engine crankcases for pressure to operate the Perry pumps. I've been told that the pumps really shouldn't be needed, but that they won't hurt and could help, so I decided to go ahead and use them. I even called O.S. Engines before taking the plunge (I wasn't real crazy about drilling into brand new engines). I had already decided to mount the pumps as you see in the photos. This configuration puts the pumps directly in line with the carburetor as well as out of the main air stream in that they are masked by the engine itself somewhat. The tuned pipes came with a pressure tap on one side of the bevel on the engine side, so I drilled and tapped another hole directly opposite and used those to secure piano wire that wraps around the engine. Finally, I had to cut an engine clearance hole in each nacelle hatch. The hatches have since been repainted and hinged to the other nacelle halves. Now, I'm running the throttle linkages and fuel lines. I'll post pictures of the final installation soon. After that, the only thing to do is determine how much counterweight is need in the nose and place that. I've been trying to find lead shot, but so far I could only find 50 lb. bags for shotgun shell reloading. I'm open to ideas! Thanks, Paul
Posted on: 5/27/2008 8:56 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7548690
RE: My A-10 Warthog Project
I recently had the pleasure of hearing from George Miller himself, the designer of the model A-10 I’m building. To say that Mr. Miller is an interesting man, and has done some interesting things, would be gross understatement! I think more than one model aviation enthusiast, not to mention movie buff, would love to have walked in his shoes, myself included. Mr. Miller has been an occasional visitor to RC Universe and has already posted some information and photos, but I’ll summarize our e-mail exchanges below. Hopefully, you’ll learn some new things, as I did. Those of us who have built, or are building, the George Miller A-10 Thunderbolt II radio controlled model airplane might assume, as I did, that he is basically a die-hard hobbyist with a particular interest in the A-10, but has a means of financing his passion other than the hobby itself. His design for this plane first appeared in 1985 in [i]Scale R/C Modeler[/i] magazine. I later discovered that he had designed a large number of model airplanes. It wasn’t until very recently, though, that I learned he had turned his hobby into a successful business. Another false assumption was that it must have been Sunset Models, which I was aware had, at one time, kitted an A-10. As it happens, Sunset Models was never authorized to kit the George Miller A-10, but offered something close to it. Mr. Miller himself, though, had two businesses, "Custome R/C Aircraft" and "Model Art." Quoting from some of the correspondence I shared with Mr. Miller… [i]I sold a complete line of fiberglass kits for 22 years: the A-10, F-4, T-38, F-8, YF-22 and Al-H Skyraider. There would have been more, but that was all we could keep up with. I would not have been in business for that long if I were’t supplying good stuff. I also showed up at around 15 different Fan Flys all over the states every year. I’ve given lectures, wrote many articles and have my aircraft on the cover of about 10 model magazines. At the same time, I was under contract with Industrial Light and Magic, which is the special effects division of George Lucas Films. (I will assume that you know whom I am talking about.) I designed, engineered, manufactured and flew on location the aircraft that you see in the major movies for 16 years. They used no one else. "Indiana Jones Chronicles," "Always," "Die Hard 2," "The Rocketeer," "Alive," "Cliffhanger," "Hot Shots," "Independence Day," "Star Wars Phantom Menace" and many more. I have built some of the largest R/C aircraft I know of… I retired in 1998 at the age of 55. I sold the model aircraft business to… the owner of Iron Bay Model Company. The YF-22 is the only one [of my kits] he shows and… he says he is redesigning the Skyraider. [/i] For a brief time, Mr. Miller and I saw the uncanny possibility of being closely related. "Miller" is his adopted surname. His birth surname is "Marsh," the same as mine. In addition, his father and my family were both from the greater Philadelphia area. It seemed possible that his father, whom he had lost touch with after divorcing his mother, could have been my grandfather, but it wasn’t meant to be. After comparing other family names, though, it became clear that any close kinship was a remote possibility. Creepy, nonetheless! Mr. Miller graciously provided me with a multitude of photos, which I’ll attach to a series of posts below. He also said to give his contact information to anyone who might be interested. It’s on RCU, I’m sure, but send a PM to me and I’ll provide his e-mail address. Below are some photos of just one of a number of A-10’s Mr. Miller has built and flown. Following this will be some photos of aircraft he and his company built for a number of major motion pictures. If you’re like me, you’ll end up renting these movies (again) just to see the planes. I have had the distinct pleasure of hearing from many people who stumble upon this thread and my own web site, including A-10 pilots and mechanics, but this was surely among the most unexpected and gratifying exchanges. Paul P.S. I had hoped to have my own A-10 ready for it’s maiden flight by now, but 2-1/2 months of business travel got in the way. Imagine the nerve of my employer to put their needs ahead of my desires! Incredible.
Posted on: 4/20/2008 5:29 PM by Author "pdmarsh"
in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7396784
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