Today it was warmer, 39F, with no wind so I took the Camel out for a flight. Guess it was too cold for the Fokkers cause I did not see any.

I'm putting skis on my SE5a, then just need a day without 30mph winds to try them... Haven't seen a Folker around here for some time...Froze up I'm thinking ?....Don

Hey Murph--- When did ww1 bipes learn to do the "headache"? (Not sure if I can spell "lomcevec"!!) Lee W. Palm Beach

HAHHAHAA. they learned that as soon as I maxed out the throws and took the sticks....:D:Q:D:Q:D

Decisions-decisions!
 

HMMMM Do I build my SE-5 plan and bust your butt, or the D-8 and become your wingman??? Lee

Well.....I have an SE5a and a DVII.....so either way works for either plane...LOL

I also have a DR1 in progress;-)

A Bristol fighter to build too....

Hmmmm looks like I have some decisions to make also....:D
I guess I better stop being lazy and get to work building...

decisions!
 

Hmmm-- maybe my Sopwith Tripe--- I'll think of SOMETHING!! Lee:confused:

Hun
 

Beware the Hun in the Sun! :eek: Wait a minute. I am the Hun in the Sun!!! :eek::D I will put the wind up your tails and fill you full of lead! Martin

Just make sure the lead isn't in the seat of your britches or your slow rear end will get shot down!! By no other than the triplane flyin' Texican!! Steve

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAH HAA

Good one Steve.:)

Keep on Dreaming!
 

You Texicans and Californians are having pipe dreams again! :rolleyes: It's well known and established that certain WWI pilots, located in the war choked skies over South Jersey, possess superior flying skills compared to any Texican or Californian fledgling pilots. Why just look at my kills! :D I hold you red triplane pilots in complete contempt! :eek::D Von Martin

Von Martin.........Priceless!!!!!

my RED bi-plane will be here tomorrow,WE PLAN ON USING THESE FOR SONIC COMBAT....HEY YA'LL WATCH THIS

I've heard that the WWI pilots over NJ just choke!!! Steve

Got My First Bipe
Lanier Dvii,whats Agood Watts Per Lb On A Bipe
Io Have A 250 Watt Dualsky
3530 14

Oh Yeah!
 

You Texicans will choke on some bullets!!! :D Martin

300 watts per pound.....haha just kidding.


120 or so would likely be good for scale flight....personally I like them to be way overpowered though

Murphy,

120W/lb is actually overpowered, the basic rule of thumb for power/weight ratio is:

50 - 60 Watts/lb minimum

70 - 80 Watts/lb for scale flight

80 - 100 Watts/lb for mild aerobatic

100 - 120 Watts/lb for unlimited aerobatic

this rule has worked well for all my planes including the bipes and tripe

AD

Yep...I over estimated a bit.:)
I looked up my E-flite literature...It says:

70-90 watts per pound for slow scale fight.
and
90-110 watts per pound for fast scale flight.

Personally I prefer more power than that.;-)

MurphyBub::I agree,Sometimes you need "more power" to get your leg over the fence with things go south at one mistake high, if you like less power, thats cool, just keep your thumb out the throttle! I like fly'in "scale" most the time but have'in it when you need it can save your butt, ( and plane), Like you I always over-do a might,,your bub, steve

Murphy,

I mostly build scale these days, currently working on a 1/6 scale J-3 Cub diecut kit from Sig that dates back to the 60's, adding as much scale detail as possible. It requires a little more skill to fly some aircraft at their scale power/weight, I agree it's a good idea to build in a little more power to get out of trouble. My Fokker DR-1 is very true to scale it's touchy on takeoff and difficult to land. If you attempt a turn during takeoff it will torque over and nose in as the full scale one's did.

to approximate the scale weight you divide the actual full scale weight by the cube of the scale.

if you use the same correlation for power you get little lower Watts/lb than the rule of thumb.

1Hp = 750 Watts

for example:

scale weight for the cub is ~ 6 lbs

the standard Cub is a 65 Hp

65 Hp x 750 Watts/Hp = 48,750 Watts/(6)**3. = 225.69 Watts

so if the cub finishes at 5 - 6 lbs the scale power should be 38 - 45 Watts/Lb

AD

All that extra power sure helps when you accidentally stall without sufficient altitude!!! Steve

Stall
 

Not if your tail is full of lead Steve! :D:eek: Martin

Hacker
 

A 200 Watt Hacker motor works wonders! :D Martin

I Started The Lanier Dvii Today,almost Done,used A Dualsky 3530 14250 Watt,2-32 850mah 25/50 Vampowerpro Lipo's,10x4.7
My Friend Is Building The Se5a
Brushed 400 & Gearbox,1 2s 1320 ,10x4.7

Knock off landing gear
 

It seems to me that a wire landing gear mounted on a plywood base and
held in place with velcro would save a big repair job after a "bad landing".
Has anyone done this? I am a beleiver in parts that soak up shocks
and do not destroy the main units. For example use rubber bands to hold
on the wing--never use screws, unless you fly like a pro.

Don, I agree on certain points but disagree on others. Shock absorbing landing gear would look good and work, but you have to keep it attached to the fuselage. If you set it up so that the landing gear comes off on a "bad" landing, you're going to tear up the bottom of the fuselage and who knows what the landing gear is going to tear or poke into as the fuselage grinds over it. Better to install some kind of shock absorbing feature at the axles and wheels. Rubber banded wings look "funky" especially on a scale or semi-scale plane and they hold the wing on so tight that they're not going to "give" if you come in on a wing tip or cartwheel. I've done both methods (rubber banded wing mount and screw down mount) and with the rubber bands, you're constantly having to make sure that the wing in mounted in the correct position before applying the final rubber bands. With a screw mount, you line everything up and make sure the wing is mounted correctly while building the plane then you set the screw mount up. From that point on, the wing is going to mount in the same place every time. If you rip the wing out during a "bad" landing or crash, it's not that difficult to replace the piece of plywood that holds the wing on.

Knock off parts
 

Cookie,
Your comments are valid for the kind of models and sort of flying that
you probably do.....heavier models on a runway at a club field.
I fly mostly foam scratchbuilts at a park with grass surface.
They are not large models and not a lot of work to make. The rubber band
wing mounting is practical, but ugly. At a hundred feet distance, no body
sees the ugly--just a nice flying model. As an old man, I don't want to
waste time and will sacrifice beauty for practicality.
Thank you for your comments. You are correct.
Don

Don, I understand completely. I like to fly the little Harbor Freight bipes at the local park on the grass. Our "flying field" is sanctioned be AMA but it's a dirt and rock runway (yuck), so sometimes I prefer to fly at the park with the nice cushioned green grass. From the looks of that biplane in the little picture below your name, it looks like you've done some pretty good looking building.

I tried this on my foam Sopwith tripe. Seemed no matter how soft I landed(in grass) the landing gear would come loose and tear chuncks of foam out of the fuselage. The plane weights 15oz.

Here is what is keeping me busy on these cold windy days.

Don,

From one "old man" to another, WW-1 planes are inherently hard to land. They are prone to "nose over" when the wheels touch the ground. This is the price one pays to fly WW-1 planes. I have a number of these and when one does land well I'm all smiles. I use a nylon 4-40 screw to hold my bottom wings in place. Mostly the screw shears. Land into the wind with these machines with some power on and your landings will improve.

Ken

Yah, my Grandson gets a kick out of it when one of my Biplanes flips over on landing. He has to report the "mishap" to his Dad, my Son, who then also gets a laugh out of it. Moving the landing gear forward to at least the leading edge of the bottom wing, helps to prevent it from flipping onto it's nose on landing. My little Harbor freight bipes are going to flip no matter how well you land it on grass.

A trick
 

Here's a little trick I use when it comes to using nylon bolts. No matter which size you use the technique is the same. I take a drill bit and hold it along side of the nylon bolt. I generally go a little smaller than outside diameter of the bolt, leaving plenty of thread on the nylon bolt to bite the threaded hole in the body. Then I drill a hole down the center of the nylon bolt. This will allow the bolt (which is slightly weaker now) to shear in case of a bad landing and still have the ability to hold the wing(s) on. This prevents the plane from sustaining severe damage in some cases on those less than perfect landings. :) Even saves a tiny bit of weight! :D Martin

As another "ancient one" (82), I started modeling in 1936 (3rd grade) and during the 30s we often built models WITHOUT gear, and just let them nestle into the grass or weeds! You'd be surprised how minimal damage was. Of course, you would have to convince some people that WW1 planes had retracts!!! But if you are just having flying fun, who needs the gear!! Lee Robinson W. Palm Beach.

Just Finished My First Bi Plane Today
Lanier Dvii,3530 14 250 Watts,30amp Esc, & "2" 3s 850 Mah 25/50 Lipo's

Can't Wait To Fly Her

All these years and I never gave that "trick" a thought. Will certainly do the screws...if I can find a drill bit.

Take-offs are optional, landings are mandatory. Ken 100271:$

Suggestion: when looking for drill bits for the drilling, find a GOOD hardware that carries NUMBER drills. They have many very close steps in sizws, so that you can find the best drill for each bolt size. Get an inexpensive dial caliper, and using the very sharp tip, measure the minor dia. (bottom of threads) and select the drill closest to what you want. Lee

A suggestion: find a GOOD hardware store, and get a set of NUMBER drills. They hacve many close steps in sizes so that you can really get close on your hole size. Also, get an inszpensive dial caliper, and measure the minor dia. (bottom of thread) with the thin tip of the caliper. You can then home in on a good hole size for each bolt, since you can go just a few mils one way or the other to find a desired "break" point. Lee W. Palm Beach

Many thanks
 

Many thanks Oh Ancient One for YOUR tip on my tip! :D I like your suggestion/explanation better than mine! :D Martin

GAD!! I thought I'd lost my first post, but now I have two! Sorry! And mine was intended to support your suggestion! Lee