Henpecked

Anyone use a tailskid? This plane has a tailskid instead of tail wheel. Only one I've had is on a Sig Hummer. It worked well but the tail/fuselage length is much longer than the Corsair. Debating to make a tail wheel or go with the skid. Please share your experiences!

eroc144

My Feedback: (1)

If you're going to add landing gear, then I'd use the tail wheel vs the tail skid. If you're not using landing gear, then I'd skip both.

I built the Pica FW190 last summer and have an unbuilt Pica F4u kit. Given the size of these planes and the difficulties getting such small wheels to roll on grass fields, I skipped the wheels entirely on the FW and will hand-launch and belly land both planes. If my main field was paved or some other solid surface then I would have used wheels, and then would have strongly considered retracts and flaps. Pica kits have a high wing loading, and having flaps for landing would be a welcome addition with the added weight from wheels, retracts, etc.

EG

mgnostic

I tried the FW 190 with wheels and unless you are constantly on pavement it isn't worth the trouble. Any wheels that are small enough to look "right" are also too small to roll well on anything less than a putting green. I've built 5 different 1/12 scale warbirds including the Pica FW190 and the Zero. I find that the wing loading isn't significantly higher that other planes of that type but it is higher than the average 1/2A plane (except maybe some of the speed ships). I've had my best luck with a light fiberglass finish rather than iron on covering. If one is careful and mops up the excess resin with toilet paper you can do a lightweight finish that will hold up to repeated "gear up" landings.... and um...other things. For what it is worth I wouldn't bother with the rudder either, especially if you aren't using the gear. The toughest part for me has been hand launching these little birds. as eroc144 mentions the wing loading is relatively high and they need a little speed to get going. Some folks use a dolly or a catapult launcher but mostly a really good heave into the air will do it. Take a look at the "combat" threads elsewhere on this site. Even though the 1/12 scale combat isn't as popular as it once was there is a tub of information on these little birds, especially in some of the older threads. There is a lot to say about these little birds...do this, do that, don't do the other thing, ect, but they are affordable, you can put a couple of them in your subcompact car and they are a total hoot to fly.
Good luck with yours.

digital_trucker

I put a dubro 1/2A steerable tail wheel on my Q-Tee. We fly off a fabric runway here...turns out the plane is so light the tailwheel isn't effective anyway. Long story short, given the light weight of these planes, it's not going to get enough traction to make a difference. However, if you're going for the scale look of the thing by all means put it on

tangerine-jack

I've built dozens of 1/2a WWII warbirds over the years and found that detachable gear is the best. Build in a wood block in the correct scale location and drill a 1/8" hole. Construct your landing gear from 1/8" wire and balsa (or any favorite method you may choose), stick it in the hole in the wings. When it comes time to fly, pull the gear off. Use fiberglass cloth on the belly of the plane for landings. Your plane will look way better on the flight line with the gear on, and will fly a lot better with it off. Retracts are IMHO too heavy for any 1/2a, but if it floats your boat then go for it.

Henpecked

Hey, thanks for all the great ideas and replies. Am going with removable mains and gotta have a rudder or ya cant stall turn, hammerhead, super snaproll, etc. Have a catapult I've been using for years. Still hit hard pavement occasionally though. Myself, I would never be able to glass as light as I could monokote. There wouldnt be any glass and resin left. I'm not sure what a Q-Tee is digital trucker but till ya get some speed across the tail, try up elevator to add more tail control maybe? I'm sure before this plane is dead it will be tossed at least once! Cause I still see pavement now and then big enough for these smaller planes I think it has to have gear. Removable to grass land. Might want to catapult or toss as well. No combat aound here that I know of; Gettysburg area. So, who's used a skid? If I remember correctly it sucks. Been doing this awhile and I think I remember its very dicey till ya get speed up.

digital_trucker

The Q-Tee - is a 36-inch span parasol. Adding up elevator does nothing whatsoever. The whole problem is that the surface of our runway is slick enough that there's not enough weight on the tailwheel to make it 'stick'. I just set it down on the runway pointing upwind (with the tailwheel just off the runway in the grass, holds it back at idle). I give 'er the gun and am in the air in roughly 10 feet. This thing can take off ACROSS the runway.

mgnostic

Inre fiberglass: I've been happiest with the 1/12 scale birds that I've fiberglassed. It adds a lot to their durability. I used very lightweight glass cloth (.75 ounce I think it was) that is very like gauze. If you can find it there is a product called Kwik Poly. It is a resin but it has a very thin water like consistency. It set up very fast so you mix it up an ounce at a time. If you brush on just enough to wet out the cloth it produces a strong light finish. Use just enough to fill the weave and go easy on the paint. I Have a four year old Arsenal VG-33 from RCM plans that has led a hard life including skipping off the ground at full throttle and occasionally skidding across the runway on landing. The down side to this finishing technique is that Kwik Poly can be hard to find. I place an order with the distributor and he said he would ship today so I am waiting to see how long it takes to arrive. I've seen it advertised on sites catering to blacksmiths (for hoof repair) but they tend to be more expensive than ordering direct. Here are pictures of my Arsenal and my Pica Zero