Free Flight WW1 Models

Lucky Dog · 12 March 2006, 02:34 PM

Very Cool!
Thanks for letting us know Green Knight!

Mike

stoney · 12 March 2006, 02:43 PM

Hello Jon18. I build and fly F/F rubber an electric WWI models as well as plastics. Flying Aces Club (a world wide club devoted to F/F scale) maintains a web site and a great news letter too. I wish I could show some of them here but my scanner went west and I havn't got a new one yet. Most if not all of my planes ( Sopwith Tri-plane, Strutter & Pfalz DIII et al) are scratch built from Mike Midkiff plans. If you can, come to the FAC meet in Muncie IN. and you'll see some of the best build and flying WWI scale in the world.

It ain't an aeroplane if it don't have two wings an lotsa' stings

Jon18 · 14 March 2006, 10:02 AM

Thanks for the link stoney. I went to the FAC website but couldn't find any dates for the meet in Muncie. Do you know when it will be held? I'd appreciate any additional information you could provide.

Jon18 · 14 March 2006, 10:42 AM

SL DIII

Here are answers to some of your questions:

Plans- The triplane, 1 1/2 strutter, D VII and Dolphin were all built from scratch. For the Triplane I used enlarged drawings by Bjorn Karlstrom. The wingspan is 20" and the prop size is 9 1/2" with a 3/64" shaft. They were available through Peck Polymers, but I didn't see them last time I browsed through their catalog. The plans for the 1 1/2 strutter are by Leopold & Vactav Walchs of Czechoslovakia. The wingspan is 23 1/2" The prop size is 9 1/2" with a 3/64" shaft. The plans should also available through Peck Polymers. The DVII and Dolphin were built from my own plans. The Dolphin's span is 26" and right now is fitted with the same 9 1/2" prop. The D VII has a span of 28" and also is fitted with a 9 1/2" prop (this is the largest size prop I have right now.)
I'll get back to you with the rest of the information you requested. All of these models are around 10 years old, and have just been salvaged from about 3 years in storage. So I need to refigure and remember...

Don't forget to post model photos if you have them! Here's another:

SL DIII · 14 March 2006, 08:57 PM

Hi Jon,
Thanks for the info. I like the subjects you've chosen and I'm just getting into FF myself. Here are a couple of pictures of a model that's nearly done, which I've been working on for way too long already. It's a 24" Shutte Lanz DIII built from 3-views by Bill Kerka that appeared in WWI Aero #141. Weight so far is 4 ozs., but that does not include rubber or nose weight (which it will need). Am I overweight already? Wing area is 204 Sq. In. The prop is just a static dummy carved from a piece of 1/4" plywood. I guess I'll need a flying prop in the neighborhood of 9-1/2" based on what you are using. Any suggestions for what size, or how many strands of rubber I should use?

I hope to eventually do a 1/4-scale R/C version of this aircraft if I ever can get the documentation ironed out.

Thanks for starting this thread...It would be neat to see others post their WWI FF models as well.

Best regards,
SL DIII

DJ · 15 March 2006, 05:54 AM

SL DIII, that is very cool! I still do rubber free flight. Am slowly building a peanut scale SSW DIII from a kit I got from Peck Polymers. I do a little and get frustrated with my big dumb hands and then set it aside for a while. Still do about 1 free flight a year.

Jon18 · 15 March 2006, 09:22 PM

SL DIII,

Beautiful Build! It certainly is a great subject, and I'm sure it will look even more beautiful in the air. Thanks for posting the photos!
I'm a little leery about giving you suggestions on rubber sizes and strands because so much of my experience has been based on trial and error. I find that there are so many techniques and opinions about rubber types, sizes, and lubrication that it's hard to decide which work best without making occasional errors. I still make mistakes with my own models, so I wouldn't want to give you the wrong advice. There are many books that may give you the answers you are looking for. Some of them can be found here. Good Luck, and please keep us posted on the progress!

Here are photos of some of Cole's FF models, as well as a photo/caption from the Jan. 1995 issue of Scale R/C Modeler...

SL DIII · 16 March 2006, 08:46 PM

Hey DJ...I didn't know you did FF too! Let's see some pictures.
Jon18 - Thanks for posting those pic's of Cole and his models. I particularly like that Nieuport 2-seater.

Here's a picture that greenknight sent to me a while back of his H.B. D1. I know he has a real knack for getting these things to fly great. Want to tell us about this one greenknight?

Best regards,
SL DIII

Pat Daily · 17 March 2006, 06:41 AM

Here is a shot of my Fokker DVII in flight -- 18 inches span, my plans.

Pat

greenknight · 17 March 2006, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SL DIII

Want to tell us about this one greenknight?

I built the little Star-Strutter was built from a Lee's Hobbies kit some years ago. It has a 13" span, and the color and markings are from a color plane in one of the old Kenneth Munson pocket books.

I didn't really build it with the intention of flying it much, and it was a bit heavier than optimum. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try when some indoor flying opportunities arose. I got some nice, but relatively short flights out of it.

The kit shows the early version with the tiny all-flying rudder, but makes up for this with the addition of a thin celluloid fin. Wouldn't mind building another one one of these days using some of the documentation that has come to light on Austro-Hungarian types in the intervening years.