DICKEYBIRD

so here's a pic of another plane in my Cox powered aircraft hanger. I call it the "DinkyBird." 300 sq. in, 16 oz. 4 channels, NACA 2414 wing airfoil, NACA 0009 stab airfoil, Fuji film canister tank. The engine is a hybrid: Medallion .049 crankshaft & case, TD front housing with TD venturi bushed down to .063", "Surestart" cyl. with .005" shim under the base, Ace throttle sleeve, Texaco head with 4 gaskets. Results: Turns a Cox 7x3.5 @ 10,500 rpm, idles @ 4800, will 4-2-4 like a Fox on a good day! Very quiet, smooth, slow speed, scale-like aerobatics at half throttle.

Remember: "He who dies with the most good Cox engines wins!"

cortacesped

DB:

First of all, Sorry for my lack of knowledge, but I have to ask: Is this your own design or is based on a plan ? Really good looking Airplane. Regards.

Claudio

Japanman

Hey DB,
you must have to extend your house every couple of months to house all these new planes you are making...

Thats a really nice lloking plane[8D]

J.M

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

VERY NICE DB! The way you describe it, that would make for a good article if you could give the reader an A to Z approach to setting up the entire plane, power and all. I see lots of very nice carpentry there, I think some modelers are intimidated by stick building, fear of the unknown.

mclintock

My Feedback: (3)

The structure of that bird looks sorta like the mini telemaster-

Are the wings screwed on?

I bet that smoothie engine is quiet...

Looks great!

DICKEYBIRD

Thanks guys. Sorry to take so long to respond but I'm going through a huge change at work and can't respond from there.

I thought I had gone nuts cuz I didn't remember posting that DinkyBird pic at all. Then I looked at the date on the thread and saw it's over 2 years old![X(] Next thing ya know, somebody'll resurrect the "OK you Norvelites" thread!

The DinkyBird is a scale model of my 2nd scratch designed (r/c) plane built in 1982 called the DickeyBird II. It was a 75" span .40 powered floater/flap-trainer that ended up taking a special place in my heart. It was great fun to fly and had a multitude of "missions" in it's career. It flew on floats, snow skis, carried a Super 8 movie camera, a still camera, dropped bombs & eggs at funflies, had an onboard roman candle and bottle rocket launcher. It entered and won innumerable funfly events and logged a ton of hours equipped with cyalumes in the night-flys our club used to hold back "in the day."

The original DickeyBird II has been hanging on the wall for at least 15 years with its transp. orange MonoKote so brittle you can't touch it without it shattering. When Brian Pate & I decided to rekindle our 1/2A flying about 10 yrs. ago, I decided that I had to have another one, just smaller. I scaled it down exactly from the original and just lightened it up to preserve the original's leisurely flying characteristics. It's amazing how well it accomplishes that....the de-tuned Medallion with the 7x3 1/2 runs very similar to the original's OS .40 FSR with an 11x5 prop. It's so similar, I just had to call it the "DinkyBird" even though I had to get "special permission" from Brian to use that name. He had built his own OS .10 powered kinda-look-alike version not long after he saw the original fly and had to call it DinkyBird as a clever play on words. He always was pretty slick with aircraft names.

The little Cox powered DinkyBird is itself getting "long in the tooth." Man, I'm feelin' OLD!

Oops, I digressed! Yup, the wing's screwed on with 2-56 nylon bolts and yes, a throttle sleeved low compression Medallion makes a quiet little buzzy sound at 1/2 throttle.

C/P it would make a good mag or internet article but there's only a VERY rudimentary side view of the fuse on butcher paper plus I have several other articles started on other planes that have CAD plans and construction pics to do ahead of it. Maybe someday though!

ps: Larry Driskill flew it at this years's S.M.A.L.L. in Little Rock but I think he was too sky-high on howling r/c Lite Hawks to "like really mellow out, dude" with the DinkyBird! He was also a little paranoid....he said nobody ever stuck a transmitter in his hand before and said "here, you fly it."

DICKEYBIRD

Now ya done got me started!

Japanman

Well, you caught me out there, DB.
I didn`t see the date on the thread.[sm=RAINFRO.gif]

JM

cortacesped

I liked this model since I saw it on the "show your 1/2 A models" thread, so the other day looking for information about it, I made a search and found this thread from two years ago. As I said before It is a really good looking plane !!. Regards.

Claudio

Larry Driskill

Yep, I flew it. But it was far from a fair test of the plane as I had never flown anyone's RC plane, except my own. Heck, I'm a Controlline pilot dabbling in RC to grow new brain passageways and to make sure I expose myself to new challenges and develop a couple of new skills here in the second half of my alive and livin' days. The folks at home had seen me fly RC and weren't likely to hand me their transmitter and go sit in the lounge.

Thinking maybe Melton had no idea that his super little DinkyBird was at real and serious risk I thought maybe he should know his had just dropped me into uncharted territory. His was an unexpected and appreciated gesture. I'd like to fly it again when I 'm a bit better RC pilot and can do it more justice..

MartialArtist

The ACE throttle sleeve you're talking about lets you control the speed correct? Where can a new guy like me that is getting into cox engines get one of these?

DICKEYBIRD

Unfortunately Ace no longer makes them, at least the last time I checked anyway. There are still some available here & there in older hobby shops. Cox used to supply them as well but I don't think they're available new either. Check around at hobby flea markets and on ebay. Good luck!