RJConnet

Hi Guys,
I got for Christmas one of those new fangled gadgets that converts old 35mm slides to digital for storage on computer or disk. Anyway, as I was looking through some of my really old slides I ran across this picture I thought some of you old-timers might appreciate. You will notice I was so anxious to fly it that I didn't have the trim completely done or the canopy installed. Needles to say it flew great without it. It was the first time I was ever able to do a vertical eight and I was so pumped I could hardly sleep.
The Taurus was powered by a Veco/Lee .45 and would do any of the maneuvers that were popular in those days. The Rx was built from a kit supplied by Kraft but I had to buy the Tx. The servos were Bonner Duramites converted by myself with transistor amplifiers.
I just couldn't afford the Bonner Transmites.
Because the Tx afforded simultaneous operation of the rudder and elevator and the ailerons and elevator it opened a whole new world
to those of use who had been using escapements. Spins in either direction, continuous aileron rolls, even rolling circles were possible.
It was a great experience............RJ

AutoMike

simply beautiful.....

pminnick

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DITTO!!!

Free Bird

That's an awesome pic! For me Santa did one better, I got a NIB Top Flite kit under the tree which was one heck of a big surprise! Earlier this year, I was talking to one of our club members about old kits and he said that he had a Taurus but wouldn't sell it. Well I told my wife about it in passing and then let the subject drop. I guess my wife got in touch with this guy and convinced him to sell it to her. It had to be a really sweet deal or she wouldn't have bought it (my wife hates the fact that she'll buy a kit as a gift and then it sits unbuilt for several years). Sorry for hijacking the thread, just had to share.

FB

RJConnet

FB, You are one lucky guy, now where are you going to get the silk and butyrate dope to cover it with?..........RJ

Free Bird

Yea, she's a keeper!

I haven't decided on the type of finish yet, other than it's going to be the traditional Taurus scheme in red, white and black. Watch for a build thread in the Classic Pattern sub forum.

FB

Taurus Flyer

RJ,
I did find this thread, looking for information about the Taurus.
Your Taurus from the past, beautiful picture and nice story, I show you mine, recent, 2010 and I like to fly the plane.
Sik and dope, 30 years old proportional radio (Multiplex)

Cees

RJConnet

Cees,

That is a beautiful Taurus, Thanks for showing it to us. I wonder what the engine is, I flew mine with a very popular engine in the mid-sixties, the Veco/Lee .45 (7.5 cc). It was the first plane I had that would do a vertical figure eight (I was ecstatic). I wish I had a picture of mine after I finished trimming it out and had the canopy installed and all that. It probably was not quite as nice as yours but it made me very happy.
Tell us a little more about yours, how did you get it, is it really 30 years old, how does it fly, and so on?

Happy to hear from you. [8D]

RJ

Taurus Flyer

RJ,

A Taurus is always most beautyful!! especially is the past it was less easy to fly so it is normal first start flying and later make the details.

My Taurus is 6 years old. Scratch built, after I did receive plans from a member of RCU, copies of the MAN Magazine January 1963.
The radio transmitter is 30 years old, Multiplex (German) with “newer” receiver and servo’s. This was the first transmitter I bought after I did built and successful use several systems, “bang bang” (Dutch, tip-tip) and proportional. Did start modeling in 1966.

The Taurus is most sophisticated and continue in development, that's my goal, continuing the process Ed Kazmirski did start:

Data logging of several measured values: RPM, fuel level, engine head temperature, air-speed. Before a flight I can preselect 3 values to measure about 9 times during that flight. I use a Robbe “bordcomputer”(German) for that. After the flight I can read the values on a display in the turtle deck.

Airspeed controller, selectable with a three position switch on the transmitter. Position 1 normal throttle control, position 3 airspeed control, the throttle is controlled by the airspeed controller in the Taurus, the throttle stick is the set point for speed, to compare with cruise control in your car.
So the airspeed is constant and independent of climbing or sinking etc. Position 2 of the selector, cruise control is still active but on moment of tough down the controller is switched over to manual throttle control to land the Taurus.

The engine is a MVVS 10 cc (0.60), with fuel pressure controller and guarding of temperature of the glow-plug. A three color LED in the canopy shows me too low (bleu), normal (duty cycle green) or too high (red, also after flight) temperature.

Color scheme and details of this Taurus; copy of the plane Ed Kazmirski did use to win the Nats in 1962. The fuselage of that Taurus was also used during the Internats in Belgium Genk in 1963 combined with the wings of an older Taurus.

That older Taurus, I also did reconstruct with assistance of an high resolution copy of a picture I did receive of the legacy of Ed Kazmirski combined with information as result of a study of pictures, articles and data received from people, see picture 1 and 2. (picture 2 is not that scan but a picture af that picture)

This process I show in the thread: Redesign and reconstruction of the Oldest Taurus on Earth.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7950207/tm.htm

Long story? No there is much more to tell. My design process is still going on with my next goal, the Simla.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7-9WohTasI

Have fun with modeling,

Cees