MJD

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If'n you are referring to my claim to be designing one for PJ power and attempting to build it this year.. No sir it did not! The thing above is nearly an ARF. Everything else is off the bench.

I'll have you know that yesterday I drove the 300 miles back home (at a calculated 15 miles per gallon [:-] - first time I worked it out, ouch) from a recon mission to our capital city, wherein lies a Museum, wherein lies... the real thing. One of five known to exist. It was in their workshop for restoration work - all the better - so shucks, they had to let me in there instead to look over the bits and take photos and measurements. And I hooked up with the mechanic doing the work who has reams of info. I'll tell you this - forget all your dreams of machismo and bravado. One peek at this thing and any sanepilot's answer would be "thanks, but NFW". Of course, they'd be escorted to the cockpit at gunpoint anyway, but not without a hissy fit. In person it is way smaller than I envisioned, although I could quote the rough dimensions it is another thing to stand beside it and absorb the actual scale, and imagine the poor sucker having his/her teeth rattled out in an aircraft whose wing loading could be measured in tons per something..

Last night I stumbled upon the V-1 stuff from Operation Crossbow on Youtube - just search the title, there are two flight sequences on two separate clips. Never saw it before! And I never knew that Nazis spoke Spanish. Anyhow, I think the special effects guys must have liked the project, looks like they tried hard on a moderate budget. The sound is the real deal - bless 'em for dubbing in real Argus noise, thumbs up the moment I heard that.

As to that prop thing in the pictures - at first I held the two together as a bit of a joke, a bench racing "ha ha". Then the problem was that I realized it would actually fit, and the idea started to grow on me. When I weighed the parts together and realized the wing loading would be perfectly within reason even with added beef, it really started to make sense. Then I tried the tank and it popped into the fuselage like it was made for it. Done deal. (What to do with that outrunner now.. the QM?)

I'm still gonna do that 10cc all-out thing I've been designing, but I wanna go fast now [sm=crying.gif] and this is the perfect answer. If it holds together it will be a rocket. I better get it clocked on the first flight, you never know how those landings will go when the knees are knocking full bore.

The wing is as strong as you could hope for, and the stab is on par. Perfect, perfect live hinging with a gap wiper to keep the airflow clean as possible. Those aileron linkages were a must - the wing is one piece andset up for outboards. But I'll form some shrouds over those best as I can. I put HS5125 digital skinnies in there - do you guys figure they're up to it? I'm not sure what to think - these are not large ailerons, and these guys are good for 42 oz-in on 4.8V and I intend to use 6. I think that's lots for well-designed ailerons of this size, but am not totally confident in my "gut feel" for these speeds. I do worry about the aileron size - 1.2" x 12.5". Though they are inflexible, and I can make the linkages zero slop - once I replace the horns on there now and tweak things a bit.

No flying today. I left on Friday afternoon and the ground was clear and spring was here. I got home last night to black ice on the roads and a full foot of snow since the night before blech . 1/2 mile from home I wathced a lady in the car in front of me approach an unplowed downhill 90 and backed off and watched as she predictably accomplished the first 5 degrees of the 90 before sliding off the road and 30 feet down into the ditch. I made around in a Ford pickup with an empty bed (yes I stopped). City drivers out of their element, duh!

MJD