HISTORY OF THE UTOPIA
05-11-2012, 06:13 AM
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HISTORY OF THE UTOPIA
I was very fortunate to find this example of a very nice Utopia by George Albright a while back. Rossi 60 tuned pipe Rhom-Air retracts, will put other retracts in the Rhom-Air do not function any longer seals are bad. I've posted pic's of the plane and also the Brochure of the history, thought maybe some of you guys might enjoy this. Pete
05-11-2012, 11:24 AM
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RE: HISTORY OF THE UTOPIA
Hi,
A nice classic pattern plane. I suppose it was kind of Rolls Royce type of kitback in the end of 1970th and beginning 1980th when this kit was avaliable.
Some picture below of Utopia, first is from Toledo show 1978 (source MANJuly 1978) where probably the plane in the brochure you posted was on display (notice the number N 59116 in the wing), the two other pictures are from NATS 1978 (source MAN Dec 1978).
F & B (Field and Bench) review Utopia kitin MANJuly 1980:
http://www.algonet.se/~boem/Pattern/..._July_1980.pdf
It say in the review it was also available in painted version.
/Bo
A nice classic pattern plane. I suppose it was kind of Rolls Royce type of kitback in the end of 1970th and beginning 1980th when this kit was avaliable.
Some picture below of Utopia, first is from Toledo show 1978 (source MANJuly 1978) where probably the plane in the brochure you posted was on display (notice the number N 59116 in the wing), the two other pictures are from NATS 1978 (source MAN Dec 1978).
F & B (Field and Bench) review Utopia kitin MANJuly 1980:
http://www.algonet.se/~boem/Pattern/..._July_1980.pdf
It say in the review it was also available in painted version.
/Bo
05-11-2012, 11:52 AM
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RE: HISTORY OF THE UTOPIA
Bo, thanks for the link to the reveiw, very interesting. Bob, ya looks like the cover picture on RCM was taken the same day as the ones on the Brochure. At $595.00 it was not cheap back then. Pete
05-11-2012, 03:45 PM
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RE: HISTORY OF THE UTOPIA
Don't suppose that anybody out there has a set of plans I could borrow long enough to copy. I did check the MAN plans service, but no luck there.
ChiefK
ChiefK
05-12-2012, 05:56 AM
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RE: HISTORY OF THE UTOPIA
Hi,
Utopia construction article Model Airplane News March 1973:
http://www.algonet.se/~boem/Pattern/...March_1973.pdf
Plan, scale 1:1 (enlarged from above article):
PM me if you want a PDF copy to use for own private use (MAN still has the copyright I suppose)
Equipment that George Albright used in his Utopia at the 1972 Masters:
http://www.algonet.se/~boem/Pattern/Classic/Utopia/1972_Masters.pdf
If anyone has the result list from Masters 1972 we may get an indication how well it flew in the first version (in the hands of the designer).
It seems not many Utopia where built from plans according to the broschure in previous posts - who knows why - and how many kits that where sold was maybe not that many since the kit had such a high price tag. So it was probably not a very widespread plane at the contests, not even when the designwas new in 1972-1973. When the kit was released 1978-1979maybe the designwas little obsolete by then compared to other designs - Atlas, Curare, Arrow to name a few that was hard to beat as far as flying capabilities. But some success it seems to have: In the broschure about Utopia history above in earlier post they write "The four aircraft [that George Albreight had built up to 1976] had accumulated a total of forty one trophies and logged over one thousand flights."
Pete, are You going to bring Your Utopia in the air soon? That Rossi 61 FI RCwill be very good (I had such engine and same original Rossi pipe You have on your engine now - I had it first in a Mach 1 and then in a Curare). You can still get spare parts for it if You need. I had servo adjustable needle on my Rossi. The pipe was very easy to tune since it slide on the header on a gasket ringinside the pipe. Exhaust rubber gasket ring (that is used also for inside pipe but turned inside out then) etc is available from RossiEnginesUSA.
/Bo
Utopia construction article Model Airplane News March 1973:
http://www.algonet.se/~boem/Pattern/...March_1973.pdf
Plan, scale 1:1 (enlarged from above article):
PM me if you want a PDF copy to use for own private use (MAN still has the copyright I suppose)
Equipment that George Albright used in his Utopia at the 1972 Masters:
http://www.algonet.se/~boem/Pattern/Classic/Utopia/1972_Masters.pdf
If anyone has the result list from Masters 1972 we may get an indication how well it flew in the first version (in the hands of the designer).
It seems not many Utopia where built from plans according to the broschure in previous posts - who knows why - and how many kits that where sold was maybe not that many since the kit had such a high price tag. So it was probably not a very widespread plane at the contests, not even when the designwas new in 1972-1973. When the kit was released 1978-1979maybe the designwas little obsolete by then compared to other designs - Atlas, Curare, Arrow to name a few that was hard to beat as far as flying capabilities. But some success it seems to have: In the broschure about Utopia history above in earlier post they write "The four aircraft [that George Albreight had built up to 1976] had accumulated a total of forty one trophies and logged over one thousand flights."
Pete, are You going to bring Your Utopia in the air soon? That Rossi 61 FI RCwill be very good (I had such engine and same original Rossi pipe You have on your engine now - I had it first in a Mach 1 and then in a Curare). You can still get spare parts for it if You need. I had servo adjustable needle on my Rossi. The pipe was very easy to tune since it slide on the header on a gasket ringinside the pipe. Exhaust rubber gasket ring (that is used also for inside pipe but turned inside out then) etc is available from RossiEnginesUSA.
/Bo
05-12-2012, 12:10 PM
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RE: HISTORY OF THE UTOPIA
Bo, I'm just know getting around to making it airworthy, The engine look brand new, have ran it and it runs great more testing on that. the original prop that was on it was a top flight 10x7.5 don't think that size are made any longer will try 10x7,10x8 and see what it does.... Pete
05-12-2012, 04:49 PM
#12
RE: HISTORY OF THE UTOPIA
Pete,
If you'd like to try that Zinger 10.5x7.5 again, Joe Zengali gave me a handful last fall. They're still available.
Since I've been using the APC on OS's I haven't tried them but I will on the EU-1A with the Rossi.
Seems all of the McConnell models had them , he must have liked to spin them up.
Chris...
If you'd like to try that Zinger 10.5x7.5 again, Joe Zengali gave me a handful last fall. They're still available.
Since I've been using the APC on OS's I haven't tried them but I will on the EU-1A with the Rossi.
Seems all of the McConnell models had them , he must have liked to spin them up.
Chris...
