Cox .020 freeflight

eons ago I built a SIG cub rubber free flight plane. Was flying in the yard just fine then a wind pushed it to the far end of the yard. Not a problem but my dad had just lite the garbage in the burn barrel. You guessed it......when it flew over the burn barrel it went up like the Hindenburg with the clear dope on the silk covering. Total loss.......

Ken
That's truly a beautiful plane. I'm just getting into free flight. Do you have the name of that plan and/or the plans? Does it have a DT on the inboard side? I thought I saw a line going to the stab. Love the orange!

Duke I don't know the name of the plane. I can certainly find out. Yes, there's a DT on the plane. The snuffer tube is in the center of the fuse. The link from the hook to the stab is a piece of Dacron with a small rubber band . We need more room around here. Ever since 911 the field we would go to has been off limits to the public. Ken

Thanks Ken. If you can't find the name of the plane, no biggy. I'm going to send a link to a friend who has been flying free flight for years, maybe he'll know the name also. I really love that plane, evne the paint scheme and colors!

I like the plain balsa finish with the touch of orange setting it off.

Free flight is the game I practised before control line but I did have a few problems. All self inflicted.

Forgetting to light the fuse, relying on any old string to act as a fuse without testing it, putting too much fuel in so that the plane went out of sight (luckily on that occasion it came back into sight a short while afterwards), inmpatiently launching in unsuitable weather, not test gliding one first........................ Still at 9 or 10 years old (Mind you I'm not much better now!)

That is a pretty plane, Ken!

I would like to know the name of the plane and if plans are available.

Might the plans be on OuterZone?   http://www.outerzone.co.uk/

ian1954 wrote:........................ Still at 9 or 10 years old (Mind you I'm not much better now!)

I keep hoping with age comes wisdom.  It hasn't worked out so far.

ian1954 wrote:I like the plain balsa finish with the touch of orange setting it off.

Absolutely agree! Reminds me of the Guillows gliders and rubber powered, but much cleaner.

Now for the dumb question: How does a dethermalizer work? I vaguely remember the only 1/2 A ff that I built having one in the plans , but being a silly 10 yo kid, I never installed it. I watched that plane circle lazily for probably an hour and followed it for three miles until it got over a forest and I couldn't follow any farther. That engine was the first and only one flip starter I had as a kid.

Dethermalizer --

The stab was usually built so that it would pop up at about a 45 degree angle when the trailing edge was released.  A rubber band on the leading edge provided the pull and a string between the trailing edge and fuselage would limit the travel.  The trailing edge was held down by a rubber band, one end hooked to the TE, the other hooked to the fuselage.  A fuse, dethermalizer fuse, was inserted between the rubber band strands and usually into a metal tube -- called a snuffer tube (the tube would extinguish the fuse before landing -- field fires were not fondly looked upon).  The fuse would burn at a fixed rate and normally had marks on it so you could estimate burn time.  Before the plane was launched, the fuse would be lit and when it burned up to the rubber band, it would burn the band in two and release the stab.  The model would go into a high angle stall and float to the ground.  I've attached a pic that will help you visualize it's operation.

For others, a timer could be used to pull a pin releasing the stab. texastimers.com will give you a peek at several timer types available. Multifunction timers are available to control engine runs and dethermalizers.

That is a nice looking plane there Ken. I agree with Ian as well. The simple wood finish with the orange accents really make it stand out!
If you get a chance, please post some flight video.

Shawn

Ken, that's really neat .020 powered profile cabin bipe your friend Dan has there. Speaking of .020 free flights and clear dope finished in orange dope trim, I built the Goldberg Ranger 30 some 20 years ago, powered by .020 Pee Wee, still have it. I scanned and donated the instructions to Outerzone along with my photos. Someone else had made patterns of all the parts, if someone wanted to build it.

http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=3830

Very nicely done Ranger. With the introduction of the smaller radio gear, the addition of RC to these size planes is certainly within reason.

I second that, she's a beauty. Ken

Here's one of my orange free flights-

stevej wrote:Here's one of my orange free flights-

Steve, neat contest FF. Is that a Satellite 1000?

http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=3725

I built a Guillows Super Cub 195 some 40 odd years ago. 24" wingspan and covered in lightweight nylon powered by the adorable Pee Wee 0.020.

This thing flew like a bird! 0.4ml glow fuel inserted with a hypodermic needle giving about 40 seconds engine run.

Someday I'd like to put a radio in one of these but I will always remember how well this little ship flew way back when.

Ken Cook wrote:                Yesterday I took a chapter from Kim's book. The weather was humid, but the winds were out of control for flying. I did a lot of engine running. I had some real hot Fox .15's that were over the top. My friend Dan pulled out this .020. I knew this wasn't the day for it but everyone else laid on the pressure and the decision was made. The prop was turned around and we decided a 3-4 second run would work. Just so everyone knows, IT NEVER WORKS. When you suggest freeflight, it means trees, rooftops, or the plane is never recovered. Our last dabble with freeflight resulted in a Dakota with a Atwood Wasp in it that seemed to run for eternity. The plane was lost and never found.  Here's the .020  . Our flight after a few glides resulted in the plane going into a tree. We recovered the plane with no damage and had some good successful flights. I just knew where this was going. You start adding more and more fuel but we didn't go there. Ken

Hello Ken, do you have a flight video of your model? I would really enjoy seeing it in action! Thank you!

GallopingGhostler wrote:Ken, that's really neat .020 powered profile cabin bipe your friend Dan has there. Speaking of .020 free flights and clear dope finished in orange dope trim, I built the Goldberg Ranger 30 some 20 years ago, powered by .020 Pee Wee, still have it. I scanned and donated the instructions to Outerzone along with my photos. Someone else had made patterns of all the parts, if someone wanted to build it.

http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=3830

It would also be interesting to see a video of this model ... if it exists, please place the link to be able to appreciate it in flight! Thank you!

We had video of the plane and others. Unfortunately, one of the guys flew this very large rotor copter which is essentially a 4' long propeller with a Babe Bee on the one end. It went very high. Seeing were in close proximity to no fly zones, those in charge at the field went into panic mode and had those responsible remove the videos and we can no longer fly free flight or even rubber powered models for that matter. I have a few free flight models currently ready to go and now I have to drive 3 hours to use them.

I found one of the videos of Dan and my son flying the Dakota which has a Atwood Wasp .049 for power. Not a long flight Dan was curious how it was trimmed due to it sitting for so long. https://www.facebook.com/PhillyFliersCL/videos/vb.513140418756097/954076107995857/?type=2&theater

Ken Cook wrote:We had video of the plane and others. Unfortunately, one of the guys flew this very large rotor copter which is essentially a 4' long propeller with a Babe Bee on the one end. It went very high. Seeing were in close proximity to no fly zones, those in charge at the field went into panic mode and had those responsible remove the videos and we can no longer fly free flight or even rubber powered models for that matter. I have a few free flight models currently ready to go and now I have to drive 3 hours to use them.

          I found one of the videos of Dan and my son flying the Dakota which has a Atwood Wasp .049 for power. Not a long flight Dan was curious how it was trimmed due to it sitting for so long. https://www.facebook.com/PhillyFliersCL/videos/vb.513140418756097/954076107995857/?type=2&theater

Thank you for taking the time and placing the video, it's really great! ... As you comment, it's a short flight, but with all the characteristic of a very stable and linear flight, without anomalies in performance, I really like it.
So you must drive 3 hours !, that's too much to give yourself a taste ... you have no possibility of another territory to fly closer ?, it's a shame to have models there to use and rest because they do not have a place nearby to enjoy them !.

I do have a school down the street. Generally, there's a lot of activities but I could get a schedule for them but there's a lot of trees. I have about a dozen .020's that are sitting dormant. In addition, I have some Jetex stuff that's waiting for some video. Ken

Ken Cook wrote:        I do have a school down the street. Generally, there's a lot of activities but I could get a schedule for them but there's a lot of trees. I have about a dozen .020's that are sitting dormant. In addition, I have some Jetex stuff that's waiting for some video.
Ken

Ken, you have many valuable pieces that you should enjoy, I do not know which way, but you should use those pee wee, they are jewels for me, some football field, or something that looks like it, let me tell you that you must enjoy them!