Sopwith Snipe Project - Page 22

Nick · 19 July 2008, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tengew

nick
are the tear shapes relatively the same on all sopwith air craft ?
if they are it just might be cheaper to have a set of dies made and roll your own teaming up with the other makers it just might save a few bucks for you

Couldn't say for sure Tengew about the dimensions, but several other Sopwiths the Undercarriage is actually made of wood, not steel. No doubt some others may have the same streamline dimensions. However I've already finished the undercarriage and don't really fancy doing it again just yet. Maybe down the track I'll look at doing just that.
Looking at the pics of Dick Day's Snipe it would appear he has done the same.
My thinking was if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me.
I've tried to keep it as accurate as possible but sometimes the budget requires you to make a choice.

Cheers, Nick

tengew · 19 July 2008, 11:05 PM

I fully understand.
When I was in high school I built the airframe for a Fokker DR.I.
All I had to make this was a book called fighting triplanes it had a few line drawings a few sketchy dimensions and some photos of the skinless air frame
By the end of the school year I had it done called the faa guy out to inspect it and he was quite shocked I was able to do what I did the one little problem was not the welds or the strength it was the tubing I had used what my neighbor had along side of his garage 1 inch schedule 90 pipe my air frame weighed more than the finished plane did kind of popped my building phase that why I love this group so much get to see others face what I did and over come the lil problems

brinesharks · 20 July 2008, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick

Couldn't say for sure Tengew about the dimensions, but several other Sopwiths the Undercarriage is actually made of wood, not steel. No doubt some others may have the same streamline dimensions. However I've already finished the undercarriage and don't really fancy doing it again just yet. Maybe down the track I'll look at doing just that.
Looking at the pics of Dick Day's Snipe it would appear he has done the same.
My thinking was if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me.
I've tried to keep it as accurate as possible but sometimes the budget requires you to make a choice.

Cheers, Nick

I think your approach is very sensible - I could bust a gut trying to get things 'authentic' but I would be an old man before it flew! Budget is also a very real issue for me. The Nieuport 17/24 uses a fair bit of tubing, more than on the period Sopwiths. However I still think buying the available oval tubing will be easier in the long run.

Joe Perkel · 20 July 2008, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick

Couldn't say for sure Tengew about the dimensions, but several other Sopwiths the Undercarriage is actually made of wood, not steel. No doubt some others may have the same streamline dimensions.

Cheers, Nick

Nick,

Ditto the Tabloid and the Babies that were on wheels.

Here is the Tabloid on wheels, and I do have these drawings. My thoughts recently are to do both undercarriages for the project, (wheels as well as floats).

1, to make sure there is enough uumph to drag the floats up into the air and,

2 to give the plane options.

I happen to like this gear configuration with the skids, it gives the machine a bit of an archaic presence!

When I finish this, I'll be able to sit in it at the nursing home!

Nick · 20 July 2008, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Perkel

Nick,

Ditto the Tabloid and the Babies that were on wheels.

Here is the Tabloid on wheels, and I do have these drawings. My thoughts recently are to do both undercarriages for the project, (wheels as well as floats).

1, to make sure there is enough uumph to drag the floats up into the air and,

2 to give the plane options.

I happen to like this gear configuration with the skids, it gives the machine a bit of an archaic presence!

When I finish this, I'll be able to sit in it at the nursing home!

That really is a pretty aeroplane Joe, and the early style of undercarriage looks great.

Out of interest the Snipe prototype appears to have had a wooden undercarriage as in this picture of the 4th one.

They then went to steel undercarriages with the production models

Nick

Joe Perkel · 20 July 2008, 07:22 PM

Nick,

Self explanatory question as per above. I'm seeing something similar on my wing plan view with no other confirming detail. I was under the impression that this would be done with individual pins for each pin joint.

Awaiting potential acquisition of my missing wing root details for the Baby, so maybe wont have to extrapolate from the Pup.

These images of the Snipe are spectacular, they look like a period sales brochure, or advertisement in the equivalent of a 1918 version of Aerospace Weekly!

Nick · 20 July 2008, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Perkel

Nick,

Self explanatory question as per above. I'm seeing something similar on my wing plan view with no other confirming detail. I was under the impression that this would be done with individual pins for each pin joint.

Awaiting potential acquisition of my missing wing root details for the Baby, so maybe wont have to extrapolate from the Pup.

These images of the Snipe are spectacular, they look like a period sales brochure, or advertisement in the equivalent of a 1918 version of Aerospace Weekly!

Joe,
Yes that's the joint rod. There is a tube between each joint box in the wings. The joint rod just slides in and is attached at the top of the trailing edge.

Cheers, Nick

brinesharks · 21 July 2008, 01:03 AM

Joe - my two cents worth, the Sopwith Tripe has the same pin system. The rear section of the pin is flattened and drilled so that screws can be used to hold it in.

Joe Perkel · 21 July 2008, 02:35 AM

Nick & Bryan,

Thanks, I will be looking at this closer on the Pup and, hopefully soon, my new details.

One more detail for comparison sake. I see an evolution in the leading edge nosing between the early Schneider (shown here on the center section) and, the Pup, not quite so fancily scalloped. (I have to go back and correct this on my wing model).

What did the Snipe and Tri-plane do here? On the Baby, this is fabric covered, yet thin ply skins were used elsewhere, why not ply skin the leading edge and, why so fancy on this piece of nosing?

j ferguson · 21 July 2008, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick

Joe,
Yes that's the joint rod. There is a tube between each joint box in the wings. The joint rod just slides in and is attached at the top of the trailing edge.

Cheers, Nick

Doesn't this make it likely that you assemble the wing to the mounts, align the daylights out of everything and THEN drill the holes in the attachment fittings?