GrahamC

I know this is really a r/c forum but I am hoping someone here might have a 1/2a controline speed pan lying around they are not using and would like to find it a good home. I want to built a 1/2a speed plane to the vintage speed rules, I have a suitable TD 049 but need to find a speed pan for the plane.

Don't know lest I ask.

cheers, Graham in Embrun near Ottawa Canada.

burtcs

Graham:

I know this is a stupid sounding question, but why not make one out of pine or fir. They did use them.

regards - Steve B.

combatpigg

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Sign in at Delphi Forums at the C/L Speed venue and ask around over there. The N.A.S.S. website has a listing of venders, too. It seems to me that Bill Hughes would know, he might even sell them?

vicman

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Whats cooking here Graham? First a pitch gage, now a pan. You got a bug to get over?

GrahamC

Steve,

When I was wee lad of about 13 back in the mid 60's I did just that, make one from wood. I found a nice piece of rock hard maple and used that after much hard work. In the end the plane didn't fly very well, barely made it around once, but then again I was only 13 but all in all it was a minor success which spurned me on to other things

As you have stated, many old designs where in fact made entirely of wood, some even had wheels in the 30's and 40's. So it is not entirely out of the question yet. In fact I have even considered making a wood pattern from which to make a sand mold and have a try at casting my own.

cheers, Graham

GrahamC

Good suggestion and I am slowly pursuing that venue as well as keeping an eye on eBay. I haven't asked Bill yet, last I heard he was overseas at the world cup in alessandria italy - came in first in F2A.

It also seems that there are still pans available for the larger sizes as they seem to have the most interest - FAI, 21 proto, B, D etc.

I will find one, just a matter of asking in the right place.

cheers, Graham

GrahamC

Yes actually. Seems I have gotten stuck in a bit of a nostalgia kick lately and have been revisiting old interests, spice of life, trying something old that's new again sort of thing - to keep the creative juices and interest flowing.

For the last year or so I have been hosting the Perky Old Time Speed postal event and that has sparked more interest in going fast again. I thought I had my fill when I tired of F5B but the embers where still burning. I have a 1/2a proto profile on the go at the moment and the idea of Vintage speed caught my imagination as well. I don't have anyplace to fly the bigger speed types but can manage the 1/2a stuff. I have plans for a Grogan design from the 50's called the Orbit that will fit the bill. Published plans show a Thermal Hopper but the cut date for engines for vintage speed (US rules) is 1964 so that includes the TD 049 - now if I could find a Thermal Hopper at a decent price (not collectors prices!).

Once you're bitten by the speed bug I guess you never get over it.

cheers, Graham

flybug

Ok people, what in the world is a speed pan? Where I come from it's an old, beat up looking car with a state of the earth high speed engine under the hood; but I'm sure that is not the case here right. Share the knowledge

MJD

My Feedback: (1)

It's the belly part of a C/L speed model fuselage, they were typically cast aluminum or magnesium, or fliers carved their own out of hardwood such as maple. It forms the backbone of the aircraft, incorporating engine mounting beams, hard points for wing, bellcrank, and tail surfaces attachment etc.

MJD

GrahamC

Darp speed pans are ones that are still made, smallest for 2.5CC engines for FAI F2A

http://www.ayrproducts.com/pans.htm for a photo.

MJD description is right on but a photo will help.

Many years ago I used to buy speed pans from SIG - Tatone brand. That was back when control line flying was very popular.

Someone made a statement the other day that I found interesting - "Today, there is more spent each year by the RC crowd on servos alone than all of what is spent on control line flying". I don't know the source of this statistic or whether or not it is true, however it does have a ring of truth to it.



cheers, Graham

matchlessaero

Graham, oddly enough, I have an old 1/2 A speed pan drilled and tapped for a TD .049....

I'm really not sure however about shipping to Canada....

PM me for more details...

GrahamC

PM sent

cheers, Graham

MJD

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Nothing to it. Mark it as model airplane parts, aluminum, value it at 10 dollars on the customs sticker to appease customs, and stick it in the post. No sweat.

MJD

flyinrog

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MJD, I think what he means is what, would cost me $3 to ship to Matchless, would cost me $16 to ship to Canada...Rog

flybug

MJD thanks for sharing, would have never known. CL at least at my field/club is just a definition in the books of history; I guess I came into the sport too late to know about it[]

MJD

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Here ya go! Knew I'd find a picture somewhere.

combatpigg

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It would be interesting to know what the lift off and landing speed is for a 1/2A speed plane. I'll guess about 40 mph?

mylamo

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CP , Back in '57 or so I flew 1/2 A speed and
had a hard time making good dollies. I had
the good fortune to have a very tall and very
good hand launcher. Thermal Hopper on 60
per cent with a nine inch wing span model.
I don't know what the stall speed was but we
managed to get a good launch every time.
The secret is to keep your tobacco right in
the middle and do not blink.

combatpigg

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Thanks, Ralph......it's posts like yours that make me feel like a kid again [almost ]. I was in diapers when you were out there with your 1/2A rocket! A hand launch with a 9 inch wing? You must have had Bob Feller for a flying buddy?

MJD

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Slightly OT but a while back I responded to a quip by someone that FAI speed models don't even fly on the wing, it's all centrifugal force. Thinking that was BS, I calculated the speed necessary for the aircraft to lift off the ground solely due to centrifugal force, and it was something like 108 mph or so. Considering how anemically the motors run before unloading with airspeed and staging to the pipe methinks the wing serves some purpose.

MJD

flybug

MJD, a thousand words just by looking at the pictures. Thank you very much, interesting stuff indeed.[sm=thumbs_up.gif]

Andrew

FB --

Aside from providing a flat and true motor mount plus the structural backbone for the plane, the pan also served as a pretty good heatsink -- the motors were fully cowled with only the head fins exposed and a fairly small air intake opening in the front of the cowling.

GrahamC

mylamo's description of launching his plane in the 50's gave me a vague recollection of having a photo of just such a hand launch of a speed plane.

taken from the 1955 Air Trails Annual of a picture from the 1954 US NAT's where Bob Groth of Clevland launchs a McCoy .60 powered speedster flown by Al Stagens.

Must have been a real kick launching or throwing a plane like that with a growling .60 engine at full bore; talk about grabbing a tiger by the tail!

cheers, Graham

Andrew

Graham --

That's an interesting picture -- I've never seen a speed plane launched by hand, only launched with a dolly. It was probably exciting at both ends of the lines.

mylamo

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If not launched fast and straight it quickly
becomes a wild yo. That is a one way yo-yo.
If launch is correct, the launcher hasn't got
much time to watch. Throw and run to your
right!
Ralph