GallopingGhostler

Here is my Carl Goldberg Swordsman 18 profile CL with same era OK Cub .049-A installed in the nose. I am grateful to plowboybill with the Ringmaster Brotherhood for giving me a needle valve to complete this engine.

Don B.H.

I flew a lot of those back in the 70s

GallopingGhostler

It will be first flight for this one. It's been a while and I am excited. Now figuring on building a stooge, like the idea someone came up with, which was a special sock that held the right wing. Pulling on the lines removed the plane from the sock and off she went. Think I'll do it towards the ground though so it can take off on its landing gear instead of suspended several feet up. I'm wondering if the OK Cub can put up enough thrust to pull that off, feel a little doubtful, but will know more when I run the engine.

The other idea is some type of pinned clamp that temporarily holds the tail wheel, pull a string and it releases.

Don B.H.

We would bend 2 loops in a wire and drive it in the ground then lock the rear wheel down with a nail then pull it out with a string, off they would go
I dont know about the OK .049 I never had one but the Cox and Tester .049 sure pulled a lot of planes around for me.

GallopingGhostler

Thanks. Yes, that'd work. I know what you mean. Cox reedies and Testors .049's were strong engines, especially on higher non-racing content stuff. I loved the way they'd accelerate to speed. Really liked Black Widows (prior to Estes stuff).

gcb

George,

I'd go with the tailwheel release.

The right wing launcher requires a good power to weight ratio. If you got that from Rusty's videos note that he is using Tee Dee's which have at least twice the power of the Cub. OTOH, you can fly the Cub on shorter lines.

George

GallopingGhostler

George, that's what I figured and hence why the reluctance on the wing sock stooge. I think that I wouldn't want to go shorter than 25 feet (7.6 m) on the CL lines. I remember a high school friend who flew a Wen Mac plane on 15 feet, nearly screwed him into the ground. Even the Cox old reed valves on 30 feet was enough.

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

Some of those old Wen-Mac planes needed the short lines because they barely flew with power, and needed the whip effect to keep flying. A friend of mine in the mid-60's used to fly them in the street all the time. Takeoff would be a bit of a ground roll and then he'd pull the handle back and the plane would lurch into the air. It wouldn't do much more than climb and dive a bit...even do touch and goes. When the engine quit, you could whip fly a few circles and make a nice landing.

I had another friend in the late 50's who flew a Scientific Zig-Zag with an OK Cub he made from the kit you could buy at the time. We usually flew it from a hand launch, and it was quite capable of pulling the model around. Don't remember the line length though. However, with that plane, once the engine quit, it sought the ground very quickly. That was also my experience with a lot of the Scientific "hollow log" airplanes...except for the Golden Hawk. That one would actually glide a bit. I usually flew on the 30' Goldberg handle and line set.

Right now, I have a partially-build Stunt Man at my desk. It will likely be the 5th or 6th one I've made over the years. That one and a "Lil Jumpin Bean" are my two faves, and I have both NIB!

GallopingGhostler

Those are some interesting bits of history from your life, Bill, thanks for sharing. Yes, I remember those 18" wingspan 1/2-A's. After the engine quit, they'd more or less just mush and fall out of the sky without much glide. I still have an unbuilt Scientific Piper Cub Cruiser and a Sterling Beginner's Hellcat. Latest acquisition of a few years ago was Estes Star Wars X-Wing and Y-Wing .049 kits.

I gather then that the OK Cub is probably okay, will know more on its maiden flight. I also have a Goldberg Little Toot with one of the last Testors McCoy .049 with black mount/tank (late 1970's) I built some time ago. AFAIK, performance of the later McCoys was on par with a Cox Babe Bee. Will know more when I maiden it also.