donnyman

ET pilot

Our conversation about building had me looking for pictures of my home, Not one on my computer. To be honest it bugged me and I went about making corrections so bear with me (not trying to boast or anything) But I am very proud of what I have accomplished.

The front of my home-----the back showing the second floor shop and the new shop--------------my daughters place and garage.

OK, now I feel a little better!

jimbrock2

84 years old. About 65 years ago I built a control-line version of the Curtiss Goshawk. I think it was powered by an Ohlsson 23. Now in the midst of building another one, to be powered by a Zenoah G-45. Must be about twice the size...45/23. Joke.
Jim Brock, Houston

Carlos Murphy

My Feedback: (72)

One of my favorite C/L planes was a Ring Master with a McCoy blue head .35 on pressure.
Had about $50.00 worth of MonoCote on it from all the repairs. I didn't have a Monocote iron, I used a big spoon with a dish towel wrapped around its handle and heated it over the stove.

ETpilot

donnyman, that is looking good. As builders, there is a lot of pride in things we build. Especially for those who build correctly in accordance with code and proper building techniques. I live in a no code area. As a handyman, I have had to fix the many mistakes of others. My house included. The electrician decided a ground wire was not needed for overhead fixtures. So he just cut it. I had to splice in some ground wires when I found the mistake. Lots of stories here in fixes I have done.

This storage building will help free up my workshop space. As you say you can never have enough space. My RC building area is growing a bit. I'm on my third RC airplane build and now facing a how to store them problem. The Ugly Stick is in the storage building. My LT-40 wing n fuselage are on the building table/cabinet I have. For the Debonair I'm flying, I store the fuselage on my table saw. The wing I have in a cardboard box cradle that sits on a trash can. I need to come up with a better system.

And yep. My storage building may be my last major build.

US Navy Reserve MCPO Retired.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I have built a couple of storage sheds in my time. The first was a skeleton of 2 X 4s with a 2 X 12 roof beam and a skin of T31 siding. It had a 32" X 72" HC door with window and three window samples installed for ventilation. It started out life as a playhouse until my 4 boys out grew it then I took it over for storage. It had electricity for a light and a single outlet. The roof was decked with 3 tab shingles over heavy felt roofing paper. The ravages of time and the weather eventually broken down the floor and the bottom of the siding so after 25 years it was retired. The replacement was purchased as a kit from Lowe's (OK I got lazy). I added some reinforcement to the flooring and the roof is 3 tab shingles over 35 lb roofing material with a positive roof vent installed in the peak. I whole heartily recommend adding this type of vent with some vents in the bottom of the walls you get a nice airflow going unless you are planning to spring for A/C. Here are a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure. The shed is considerable fuller than in the last photo. I used the shed as an excuse to take everything out of storage in the attic so I wouldn't have to climb the ladder. No just guess where I hide my extra kits and a few not started/unfinished projects?

Mike

donnyman

Cool I love it when a necessity is resolved by ingenuity, It's my bet you enjoyed the hobby more then. I remember when I had to make do is when I had the most fun.

When I was flying ringmasters we used silkspan and dope and people would poke holes in it and be surprised that it was paper.

donnyman

ET pilot

What you said about the electrician is the primary reason I did my own design and build. many so called professionals cut corners that result in inferior products just to save a nickel but cost 1000's in the long run. "to code" is a minimum standard I have always feared and attempted to exceed it when I could. I built in a no code area also but all the work done was by me or supervised by me. for me and mine, "good enough" isn't I did it all myself except the slab on the house and now wish I had been a bit more stringent with it.

donnyman

Well your shed is neat and in order, no way I show you what the inside of my shed looks like. I have like a second floor (loft) in the shed that holds my kits an stuff. this shed will be torn down soon.

donnyman

Sounds interesting, can you post some pictures so we can watch? Is it a scratch or kit?

KC Air

We have a one-car attached airplane hangar, and park both cars outdoors

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

It looked like that after I first started filling it. Now its jam-packed I'm lucky to open the door without anything falling out!

vladtepest

Not sure I belong here I am only 43 but reading all the posts about the tissue paper planes reminds me my first try at making a plane. I was 8 years old and spent most nights looking for reruns of the " The Black Sheep Squadron" loved the looks of the Coursair don't know why. But one day while out hitting yard sales with my mom I came a across a kit for the Coursair and used my money to buy it. What a dream come true I get to own my own maybe smaller than the real thing but it was mine. When I got home I pulled the box open to inspect what it all came with and it was all there even a tube of cement to get it started. So I commence to tap the plans to my moms dinner table and grab her sewing kit and steal all the straight pins out of it. well while reading all the instructions I notice it was not only rubber band power it could be converted to control line with a gas engine. NICE!! but I couldn't afford the motor and I wanted it to fly on its own. So I get the big idea electric motors can turn a prop and all it takes is a couple of batteries. So I go grab an old battery powered car that wasn't working properly and yanked the guts out of it I then reconfigured the fuselage nad engine compartment of my plane to receive my electric upgrades and started on the problem of putting on the skin. I didn't know what dope was so I asked my grandfather who informed me it was used to make the paper stiff. I couldn't afford to get store bought but I knew elmers school glue made tissue stiff so I mixed it 50/50 and tried it. worked pretty good. well know I had my plane together and ready for its maiden flight so outside I go. When I get outside I turn the switch on it takes off out of my hand flies about 20 feet the motor stops and it nose dives into the concrete. I played around with trying to get it back together even making the rudder ailerons elevators where they move but my brother got mad at me for taking up all the table space and crushed it with an encyclopedia. RUMBLE IN THE FRONT YARD. I sure miss that plane wish I still had it with the miniaturization of things these days that plane would be a must see at the airfield these days

BrightGarden

Good childhood story, vladtepest - The Formative Years. Time to rebuild - relive the glory!

donnyman

Vladtepest

Cool move using the electric motor, that's what made the corsair truly yours! I am constantly making changes to my models, one of the things about our hobby that's so much fun especially if it works.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Vladtepest,
Your story is similar to how I got started. I was 10 when I bought that first Comet kit and I still blame it for my hobby career! A few years back I found it on Ebay and purchased it again, needless to say it was a lot more than $1.00 I paid for the first one!

donnyman

After 50 days of scorching heat it rained .......sure felt good! Probably just enough to keep the grass from dyeing and cause it to grow faster. the good thing isI actually got to spend some time in my shop yesterday. Putting aluminum foil on my "stang" which is a piece of work.

My biggest problem is keeping the foil from wrinkling, and I havent gotten to the compound curves yet. I was looking at Flightmetal but it seemed too expensive. so it's plain old foil for me. My legs felt as if I walked a hunded miles and going down the stairs killed my knees. I intend to be at it again today.

ETpilot

Donnyman don't know if it was the same rain system. But I got some rain n wind yesterday. Today I went to put some things in storage and found that the wind had blown my plastic sheeting to pieces. The plastic was flapping in the breeze but I did not see any water inside. Fortunately I had another piece of plastic that I could use to cover the door opening. A storm was building fast so all I could do was just nail the plastic in place. As I got back to the house the wind front hit and shortly thereafter a heavy rain storm came thru.

I now need to put the siding up fast so I can build the doors. No more messing airplanes until I at least get the two doors openings closed up.

donnyman

I am in the same situation, there isn't much left to complete the main portion of my building so I intend to ask my friend to assist me with it. I would like to have it ready before the cold weather moves in.

donnyman

When we first moved here we lived in the garage while I built the house. Once in the house, the car got a place in the garage and momma ain't having it no other way!

Joe Fisher

My Feedback: (4)

We bought our 30 acres in 1988 for $13000. In the 1930 the previous owner put a box car on the land and moved in. He added leantoos Then eventually put a roof over the hole thing. It had 6' ceilings. And 2 fuses out on the pole. There were extension cords sticking out of the plastered walls. We had to drive out the skunks and squirrels. I put up a temporary service entrance and just stapled the wires to the ceilings and walls. Then I built our house and hanger shop. I drove every nail I dug the footings with pick and shovel. In 1993 we moved into our house.

smoketrailcharlie

nice job Joe Just shows what a person can do if you put your mind to it .Greetings from northern Idaho.Smoke trail Charlie

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I had a coworker years ago who did something similar. He bought a piece of land and but two shipping containers on it. One for storage the other as a makeshift house to live in. This gave him a place to live while he made payments on the land. He planned at some point to build a traditional house but being single with limited income this worked out fine.

donnyman

The cost of getting a home built to my satisfaction was well beyond my means, so I built it myself.

What bugged me was the negative remarks of people I knew that said I couldn't do it or I'd never get finished and a bunch of other b.s. but now they see my completed, no mortage, completely out of debt self and wish they had listened or done the same, some of them lost their home to the latest real estate/economy ripoff.

When a person puts their priorities in order and exercises patients there is no end to what can be accomplished. I get frustrated when I hear "I Can't"

J. Fisher
You have done yourself proud, and you are living my one time lifes dream, I did not pursue private aviation when I got bored with flying full size birds.

donnyman

LOOK OUT HERE IT COMES!!!!!

Our hobby is being commercialized on a level that may very well cause us to have to get formal training to pilot our models,

Schools are popping up all over the place to teach drone piloting, some even offer degrees. how long do you think it will take before they say we (modellers) are a danger and need their training??? I fear R/C as we know it now as a free hobby will become a pay to fly business. The Air Force is lookig for 400 drone pilots as we speak ........ gentlemen the drone industry is about to crowd the skies. Here come the RULES!

Joe Fisher

My Feedback: (4)

I think we are all here the same in that I get satisfaction from building and flying. When I was a little kid in California flying my vitamin 1/2A at a school yard all of the other kids had Cox plastic. An adult looked at my my crude little airplane and said " If you didn't build it it is not really yours."