Bipe Flyer

I'm starting a new project to take to a float fly on the first weekend of June.

I've always liked Ken Willard's designs, so I've decided to build a Drake. Not the 1/2A FF version from 1951, but the .15 sized RC version from 1980.
I searched around the internet and found the plan at Uncle Willie's Plan Page http://www.myunclewillies.com/ He sent me a high res tiff for free.

64stang

Great looking airplane!!! Will Uncle Willie's Plan Page send anyone of their plans over the internet for free???

flybug

This is a project I wanted to see long time ago. I want to learn how to seal and water-proof these water birds. Please keep us posted Bipe

mclintock

My Feedback: (3)

Hey, I've got like six different brousers on my mac, and every one of them crashes on myunclewillies.com.. Any body else have that happen? Oh wait I have another in the classic folder.. maybe that works..

Oh got it, java- man java bites, I suppose he was keen to turn on every possible feature on his site and something clashed.

Bipe Flyer

Uncle Willie sells plans, but he gives this one away free.

I cut and sheeted the wing core on Saturday night, trimmed the wing and started framing the fuselage Sunday and installed the torque rods and started mounting the wing today. The plan is R/E/T, but I'm adding ailerons. It is also supposed to have a rubber banded wing, but I'm bolting it on. The plan shows a flat bottom wing, but I'm going with an NACA 2313 airfoil to make it a little more aerobatic.

subarubrat

My Feedback: (1)

That would be really cool as a twin with two Norvels or the like in nacels like a PBY.

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Clint, would that be a "big mac"? They don't agree with me either.

Bipe, that sure is a very nice choice! Most of the Ken Willard stuff is cute, but that one takes the cake.

Bipe Flyer

Hmm, anyone notice something weird about the h-stab and elevator? Could be a bit tricky to get this to work.

BMatthews

Wassa' problem? A little notch in the rudder to allow for the elevator joiner passing through. Or am I missing sumthin' ?

hfenn

The stab is labeled elevator and vice versa.

Wazmo

That's because the rear-most surface remains fixed while the rest of the fuselage rotates up and down.

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Uhhh, is your horizontal going to float inside a hole? The vertical looks like it has a big hole in it! Wassup with that?!

Bipe Flyer

Hfenn spotted it. I guess even the best designers can make a mistake. I've done similar things on my plans, but usually someone points it out immediately.

Thanks for the tip Wazmo, you've solved the problem for me.[sm=lol.gif]

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Looks like a fun project. In real life, having a prop spinning right in front of the windshield would give me the WILLIES! I would not build the rudder/fin with the big hole, it looks like something HOMER SIMPSON designed. This plane looks like a good candidate for cloth and WBPOLYU on the fuselage.

Bipe Flyer

I wont be putting the hole in the rudder, although I've seen lots done that way. I will use a wire joiner for the elevator halves and extend the rudder hinge line past it.

BuzzBomber

My Feedback: (4)

looks like another winner bipe!

Bipe Flyer

OK, they're built and I think I have them labelled correctly now.

Wazmo

Is water-based polyurethane a suitable material for something that spends a lot of time in the water? Is it water-proof when it cures?

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

I wouldn't use WBPU for a top coat, but it is great for applying the cloth and filling the weave with talcum added.

Bipe Flyer

I'll be using Ultracote. I used it on a flying boat before with no problems.

Wazmo

I put my Ultra Stick on floats and noticed after a day flying off the water the Ultracote got pretty slack on the fuse and I had to shrink it down again. Could be there were some nicks where water got in, or maybe it was just the humidity.

mgnostic

Silly rabbit, tip fins are for kids

Bipe Flyer

Rudder/elevator detail.

Bipe Flyer

More progress.

Andrew

Andrew --

You're starting to build as fast as CP -- it's really looking good.

On your next set of photos, how about placing a rule close by to give us a sense of size. When I looked at the original plans some time back, I wondered about the fuselage cross section just forward of the stab -- is it pretty stiff?