Brakes, Brakes and Brakes
 

Ye Ha, a ghost of the past.

Three weeks ago Tower released this 'Ghost' in the form of a rework of an old type of very simple pull lever spring coil compression brake from Dubro.

This type of brake was pretty common in that past with units not only from Dubro and Williams Bros as well as some from names long gone. OK I have been impatiently awaiting these things for some time now as there has been nothing like this available for what? twenty years, maybe more Dunno. And yes I am fully aware of a number of jet wheel and brake systems, I have a pair of BVM units on an airplane but come on what were talking about is four hundred bucks or more, what I am talking about is a super simple unit to use on good old 5/32 or 4mm vertical struts.

And Cost Ten Bucks (a wheel)! I know these things can work as I first used this type on an airplane in the late sixties and another in the seventies (that one was a pattern type called a Cobra). My most recent was a trusty old Bill Evens Scimitar flying plank. That one lasted until up to ten years ago an I had used a single on the nosewheel , can,t even remember which brand but it did work as that little ship which was a fast lander and that simple brake worked great with full down. Never was comfortable with the full down application so these days definitely will use a dedicated channel.

My LHS has had four sets of them on back order for me now for a while and I was really excited to receive them the day they went off the backorder list. So will post of the first set of pictures and the first test airplane a little later this evening. Since this test ship is at least another month away from a maiden (Other stuff on the bench too) and in keeping with posting protocol my question is:

Anyone else using the new DuBro #3370 and anyone still actively flying with this or any of the vintage brakes of this type?

John:cool:

Here is a link to the new Tower listing :

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...akes&search=Go

And I will get some photos up of the test ship in a hour or so:)

You going to bring them out to the field tomorrow and let us drool over them John?

Hey Jason Welcome to RCU, No sorry that ship will not be flown at our local field for a while but tested at the Secret Area 51 lake I think you remember:o

I just posted up a long winded reply but lost it loading pictures so see ya in the morning anyway and here are some more pictures of the test ship. Now remember y'll got to finnish up your cross country ship soon cause we got some traveling to do:cool:

John

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Theres allot of great products Dubro used to offer and no longer does.

Like the 1/4 turn quick release fasteners, i would love to get more of those (like 100+)

Hi Thomas, Ya I agree Dubro is often overlooked but their stuff is consistantly good at least that is what I have noticed. Another of their fine products that I love is a Tool. Specifically a Z bender tool, a two step device and it is the best I have ever used and it was discontinued few years back in favor of a heavy bench device. That I am sure is a fine tool however the old two step bender is superb. It would only work with standard soft 2/56 rod ends. Perhaps that is why it was discontinued in the meantime I selfishly hang on to mine and it is never loaned out:cool:

The test airplane is in the meantime making rapid progress.

John:)

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Those DuBro brakes are great! I've never done two brakes but think some kind of 'equalizer' might be needed so that differential braking doesn't occur. If needed, I'm thinking a spring on each lead from the brake to the one pull actuator from servo. Waddaya think?

Hey ARUP long time no see, thanks for the reply. I suspect that differential is not going to be a problem anymore than what it is when using a separate servo for each elevator halves. The reason I choose to set up this way is there would be no buried cables and the would be far less cable friction. Every thing will be completely in the open for quick easy adjustment (beyond the adjustability electronically with each little bitty servo on its own channel.

I have no idea how they are going to work out but if successful I will fabricate a simple fairing over the servo to satisfy the purist;) I definitely will come back with a report good or bad and feverishly working toward that first flight.

If successful there are a number of airplane types I have that would benefit from inexpensive brakes like these. Am particularly interested for some of my multi engine ships which often have trouble slowing down after landing with residual thrust. I lost my six engine (.25's) Senior Telemaster for this reason and strained it through a fence after a nice landing.

John

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2008264

That's some Telemaster! Too bad it ran into fence. Those DuBro brakes work great! I haven't been on the forums too much. Been building and flying vintage scale sailplanes. Not too many folks interested in those. I've posted a couple of threads here but the number of hits are dismally low. You can get 10,000 hits all day every day for a crappy warbird but no one seems to appreciate a finely crafted (in my opinion) vintage scale sailplane which take more expertise to fly! Oh well... I'm having fun. Too bad others 'don't get it'!

Holy molly I like the warbirds too but, but vintage sailplane scale models? Hoo rah, Now that trips my interest too and I apologise for missing your threads.

So tell you what how about you just post some pics if you like right here, its gonna be a little while before that maiden with brakes just yet and I sure don,t think anyone else is gonna mind. I will get back in this thread though with the report on the brakes.

You see my first full scale solo was in 1959 with a prewar Baby Bowlus at El mirage lake Ca. towed up on a 1300 foot cable behind a 46 Ford flathead V-8. Here is a picture of that day. Also are some pictures of my RC Bowlus that was not built by me but by the father of one of our members in 1976. Only had one test flight to date and I need to cut out the ailerons which are framed in under the cover but not used so it will be full house.

John

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I've never had a plane that actually needed brakes but back in the day I bought one or two sets of the old Dubro style which was basically a plate that rubbed on top of the wheel. At that time there was no such thing as a computer radio and I never had more than four servos in a plane so I hooked it up to down elevator. They worked but were pointless from a practical viewpoint.

But I've always liked lots of "features" just because I like tweaking and adjusting different little bits of mechanics. So I'm always game for bomb drops and such.

That's an interesting 'color' to the Bowlus in the first pic! Do you remember the colors? Mine can be seen in the gliders and sailplanes forum.

Hi CafeenMan. This test airplane is a small turbine and of course to be able to fly it at the home field or any AMA field brakes are mandatory. However for some of my multi engine glow airplanes these inexpensive brakes are looking mighty attractive and that is the real goal for my use if they pan out:cool:

ARUP I distinctly remember the color like it was yesterday and it was Orange just like the model except for that black around the cockpit was washed out flat black. That airplane at the time belonged to my fathers best buddy and my childhood hero. At fourteen legal age for a glider solo (still is) this gentleman took it upon himself and his club mates to start training me. Dual was done in a Birdcage side by side Pratt Read and come time for the solo it was done in the Bowlus because it was considered so much easier to fly. I earned my keep by driving the flathead ford tow car all day long in the desert on weekends.

It got real exciting when the fellows would hang on just a little to long and the rear end of the old ford would start sliding all over the place as the wheels starting spinning and you did not dare to let off the throttle.

Later in the Army Overseas I got word from my pop that his friend was killed at El Mirage in one of the fellows old flat topped Laister Kaufmans that had an experimental extension of the fuselage. Well doing aerobatics over the field it failed and both were killed. The only time I ever knew Kirk to fly a glider without a parachute. I was devistated.

The little test ship is moving along fine, engine is now installed and currently working on packaging in the fuselage hopefully that will be simpler without the retracts or air systems.


Here is a coupe more photos. OK,OK the second on is a gag. Did i mention I love the Dubro Smoothies:):D

Johnhttp://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2009385http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2009386

OK in a bit of a rush last night just before dark when our rc field was deserted I did some taxi test with the first startups of the engine and was without the wing tips. The ;application of the brake tends to be all or nothing so its a matter of adjustment on the servo end points adjustment but this seem on this first outing to really decelerate the airplane quite well from medium fast taxi speeds and no pull to one side or the other.

The runway surface is desert hard pan (compacted earth) and so far am delighted with them still some issues to deal with before first flight but for now I could not be happiers with the brakes:cool:

John

When I used the original Dubro brakes "back in the day," they were really grabby the first few times then seemed to run in a bit and become more proportional. Like others, I used down elevator to control them on a trike. Did not ever use them on a tail dragger.

Hey RC Fanatic thanks for the response. That's good to know. I just don,t recall much about my last brake on the old Scimitar but it was just the nose wheel of course other than it worked. It to used full down and of course it was a trike. I never like that as it was just counter intuitive right after a touchdown. Have this one set up on the left side slider of a Hitec A9. Looks like it may be three or four weeks yet but I will be Back good or bad.

John