Aresti-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Does anybody know the biplane Hanno Prettner flew at some of the early TOC's? It was powered by twin piped OS 91s geared to a single propeller. It had straight wings, open cockpit. I read somewhere it was an "Acro Sport II" but I cannot find any info (or pics) in the net...

PatternPilot

My Feedback: (58)

If the bipe was flown in the pre turn around days I don't see why it would not be CPA legal. Also I have a Pulsar bipe kit "mint" that some day I will build.. I also have a Airtronics ACRO-Star Kit "mint" also sitting in the office...

sweet looking plane but small also only a 50 inch ws. 820 sq.

Might have to build that one to since I'm now on Team Airtronics.

Just open the box...WOW wood is great and clean cuts etc... Looking at the building info it is a copy from the April 1973 RC Modeler... This plane was based off the EAA biplane from what the building article said...

So it would be legal for the CPA and SPA...




scott

EscapeFlyer

My Feedback: (1)

Wow Scott! Coming from you, that is VERY encouraging.

I'm leaning very heavy on the J-Bipe and Acro Star. However, it seems the Acro Star and the Skybolt would be very competitive based on their history.

The Bolero is a subject most people don't know much about, so it would be a worthwhile subject for the sake of what it is on it's own. I have scored plans and a build manual for one. I may have to save this one for later.

Unfortunately, my UFO project had stalled so long I have lost some of my interrest in it. I may need to shelve it for a while to get the interrest back. I am currently finishing up a Joe Bridi RCM Advanced Trainer for my daughter and I to fly on. It looks very good. I think my daughter will be well pleased. According to Joe Bridi, this trainer is capable of flying the advanced pattern sequence of it's year. (I'll believe it when I see it!)

I think I'll build an Acro Star. Sound like fun?


Brian

Planesmen

I'm restoring an original Andrews Aeromaster my Dad first built in the mid '70's. Planning to run it with an OS Gold Head, not the FSR, in some SPAAntique events. It was sitting on the workbench this evening, nearly ready to cover. I had forgotten what a good looking profile this airplane has.

Rick H.

EscapeFlyer

My Feedback: (1)

Everyone-

Please post any pictures of your Vintage Pattern Bipe projects!

Thanks.

Brian

roncoleman

My Feedback: (14)

No one has said anything about the Hyperbipe. I thought it was said to
be a good pattern Bipe also. There's a MK Hyperbipe in the Classifieds.

RFJ

Hanno only used a biplane once at the TOC - at the last one he entered in 1988. It was a Skybolt, powered, as you say, by two geared STs.

Ray

PatternPilot

My Feedback: (58)

If i remember correct at the TOC there was a point advantage if you used a biplane....

RFJ

Scott,

10% bonus - as mentioned in post #20

Ray

EscapeFlyer

My Feedback: (1)

Pic of a hyperbipe:

PatternPilot

My Feedback: (58)

Ray.. thanks..guess I missed that... That would be cool to have that again.. I know there is talk of bring back a TOC style event in 2011.

scott

JeffH

My Feedback: (43)

regarding the Hiperbipe, A friend of mine did some test flights on a home built Hiperbipe. He said it was quite aerobatic and very very sensitive on the controls.

LS171Malibu

My Feedback: (16)

I am ashamed to say I did not build this, as I would have preferred to. Work just gets in the way, and I wanted it done for our annual Bipe fly-in. Still wasn't complete for that... I asked the builder to do both wings swept at 48", four ailerons, but as you can see that wasn't done as asked. I have heard that it fly's nice like this as well... I need to get it in the air!

Doug Cronkhite

My Feedback: (34)

Hanno only ever competed with the Dalotel once the TOC changed to scale aerobatic airplanes. In 1988 Hanno flew a Skybolt (that actually looked like one this time), and won again. For some reason, I can't get it out of my head that the bonus for a bipe was 2%, but that may have been later when they gave a bonus based upon wing area when Mr. Bennett wanted BIG airplanes (they were big then anyway).

pgilbert

My Feedback: (38)

Am I the only one who can't see pictures in this thread?

Jim_Purcha

My Feedback: (8)

No.

EscapeFlyer

My Feedback: (1)

I don't know what happened to them. I can't see them any more either!

Brian

PatternPilot

My Feedback: (58)

the RCU gremlin ate them again..

Fyg Leaf

This one should qualify. It was designed and built for pattern in 1979. 58 inch span, 55 inch length, 7 pounds, ST 61.

Unfortunately, there were never plans, a magazine article or a kit, but the original will be in the AMA Museum by the end of the month.

KB

RC_Pattern_Flyer

My Feedback: (1)

KB,

Are you the builder/designer of this model? Did it ever fly?


Are you the designer of the Fyg leaf?

Chuck

EscapeFlyer

My Feedback: (1)

It's too bad someone couldn't reproduce that model. That is a sweet bipe!

Brian

Fyg Leaf

Chuck,

Yep, it's my design and I built it. I flew it at regional meets in southwest Ohio and at one Aeroguidance Society meet in Endicott, NY. It flew very well, especially rolls and knife edge, and it had design elements that I later incorporated in the Reed Falcon and the Fyg Leaf.

I was never at the Expert or Masters level as a pilot, so the Overlord didn't generate much interest. My designs that became well known were flown by Steve Rojecki and Tony Fracowiak. At the time I built this model, Steve was flying a Brushfire and I had not yet started my collaboration with Tony that produced the Fyg Leaf.

The construction plans are going with it to the AMA Museum, so they and the airplane would probably be available for research purposes.

Ken Bonnema

RC_Pattern_Flyer

My Feedback: (1)

Can you share some of your insight into bipes.. maybe start another thread. I would love hear more about the development of the Fyg leaf etc. Its a beautiful plane and certainly holds a place in the progression of modern pattern designs!

Chuck

Fyg Leaf

Chuck,

These are photos of the design progression that culminated with the Fyg Leaf. The first is the Jester, published in 1967 when I was 17. It was a Class II airplane, that is rudder, elevator and throtlle. Next is the Class III Jester from 1969 with flattened, identical size wings and ailerons.

My dad Vince was an R/C pioneer and a prolific, well known designer. He taught me a great deal about designing a model airplane. I also had the privilege of learning from the likes of Dr. Walt Good, Maynard Hill, Howard McEntee, Leon Shulman, Norm Casella and many others of that stature because they were in my dad's circle of friends and I interacted with them regularly at club meetings, the flying field and contests.

After getting my Masters in aeronautical engineering from Princeton, Don Lowe was able to get me assigned to his remotely piloted vehicles group at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton when I came on active duty in the Air Force. My pattern design education continued from Don, Dave Brown, Wayne Ulery, Dean Koger, Dave Scully and other nationally recognized names from the Midwest. In Don's Air Force group we were learning how to design an unmanned vehicle in order to best track a target autonomously. It required an absolutely uncoupled airplane and we did numerous experiments with design variables to discover how to accomplish that. I designed the Brushfire with Steve Rojecki in 1978 to fall between Don Lowe's Phoenix 6 or 7 and Wayne Ulery's EU-1A in size. All of those designs benefited from what we learned in the Air Force experiments.

The next photo is the Overlord. It was designed to try to get those uncoupled characteristics into a biplane. It worked after some tweeks, but with me at the controls it wasn't about to make any headlines.

The TOC Zlins for Lowe and Rojecki came next, but they didn't directly add to the biplane knowledge base.

The fourth picture is the Reed Falcon that Steve flew to victory at the 1984 TOC. Design leeway was limited by TOC scale rules, so we searched a long time for a suitable candidate before selecting the South African Reed Falcon design. It was chosen because it had sweep, no dihedral, identical sized wings and was fairly evenly distributed vertically about the thrust line. We judiciously applied the 10% variation allowance to make it even better.

The next photo is the Fyg Leaf that Tony Frakowiak flew to a US Championship in 1989 and was part of the 1st place US team at the Worlds later that year. I called for Tony at the 1988 TOC and in the aftermath of his 4th place finish with an Ultimate bipe we hatched a plot to develop a biplane for FAI turnaround pattern. Pattern ships of that day were rockets that flew very far away in order to stay in the 90 degree maneuvering box. We both believed that a slower flying biplane had the potential to be flown much closer in while staying in the box, and thereby present better to the judges. We also both believed that a biplane wouldn't have a performance advantage, but that it wouldn't have a performance disadvantage either. We were alone in that belief. Our multitude of vocal detractors said that wind, especially crosswind, would kill us, and rather than presenting better, our close-in flying would showcase every little wiggle or waggle to the judges.

We won the Masters with the Fyg Leaf, and in doing so, convinced absolutely no one that we were right. That's exactly what we expected. We had grown tired of the flak before we named the airplane, so for those of you who wonder about the F-y-g spelling, the y-g stands for "you guys!' You can assume whatever you like for the F. If you look close at the photo, the N number of N4Q2 sends a message, too.

The last picture is a turnaround pattern concept I designed and carved up in pattern pine at a very small scale. Tony used it at the '88 TOC for hand flying the unknown flight maneuvers after they were handed out. Tony really liked it, so when we decided to do an FAI biplane he suggested I convert the pine airplane to two wings. That's essentially what I did in designing the Fyg Leaf, but I retained all the layout features, moment arms, control sizes, etc., from the Reed Falcon. I know the two aircraft look nothing alike, but where it counts they are identical.

Thanks for your interest in my experience with biplanes. As a poster said elsewhere, I do have a passion for them.

Ken

RC_Pattern_Flyer

My Feedback: (1)

WOW. That was an awesome post. Thanks so much. I too have a burning desire for bipes.

Here is my (Second) prototype from Mike Harrison and drawn by Mark Hunt of Insightrc.com weight is 10lbs 4 oz YS 160 power

Also check out the Area 51 bipe for the upcoming FAI Patterns!!??!?!?!

Chuck Hochhalter

Plans for a 2 meter Fyg Leaf?