Steve Percifield

My Feedback: (14)

The original Immelmann maneuver was designed to provide the attacking pilot a chance to make another strafing run. In those days, attacking pilots would dive on their pilots, preferably from the rear to be unnoticed, . After firing on the target plane, and to not over shoot the victim, the pilot would pull up, perform the rudder wingover and the 1/2 rudder roll after the wing over , and be in a position above and behind the target to make another attacking run. It was not an evasive maneuver. If the target had turned after the first attack, the attacking pilot could adjust his flight path after the wing over to compensate by turning less or more on the recovery roll.

TFF

One thing to remember in scale competition is that when flying you are doing two things proving the plane can fly a maneuver in a scale manor and the pilot is flying the plane through the scale maneuver. If you saw every loop done in WW1, you will find some were not round and some were. Those guys were flying to stay alive. If a round loop kept them alive it was damn round, same if it was pinched at the top. What you are showing is how it would do it if the pilot did it. No more no less. If you do a non- standard maneuver, you will probably score well. Many times I have seen Bob Underwood describe his Circle of Death, and only when the bombs did not drop was the scores bad.
If you got a Fokker pulling an outside loop and 4 point rolls, the scale realism score would be a big goose egg. It will also not score well because it cant do it with modern precision; if you dont tell the judge he will try to score it as a pattern plane. Dave Johnson tells a story like a stream of conscious of the pilot as he flies, to put the judges in the moment. If you were describing a loop for a Sopwith Camel to a judge, you would emphasize that the engine does not throttle on the real plane, so at the top, throttle should NOT be cut. The hard part comes as you have to pilot the plane through the last quarter of the loop with extra airspeed it will have. Pilot through the maneuver is what will score well. Landing the Camel, if you can pull off "engine blipping" you have added color and detail to what most will be a straight in vanilla landing.
The difference between a 7 or a 9 score out of 10. 6-7s are easy to get; 8.5s-10s are the people really in the game. I like what FAI does which is weigh the value of a maneuver. Something simple is valued as simple.

abufletcher

As someone who doesn't compete (and probably never will given my situation), I'm not concerned with how a maneuver might look to a panel of judges. But I do judge my own flying in the sense that I (usually) know what I'm trying to do and how the model should be moving throughout. It the model is off of the "line" that I expect, I "feel" it. Sometimes this feeling is distinctly uncomfortable. Another aspect of scale flying that interests me, and that I can do since I don't fly in competition and usually fly alone, is learning to "throw the maneuvers" going in any direction (left or right, inbound or outbound, or diagonally). You don't usually see a diagonal loop or an edge-on Immelmann. Of course there's a reason for that. IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS to fly perpendicular to a crowded flight line. But as I said, I'm often the only person at the field. And, of course, I don't do any in-bound moves with the model headed towards me! But I do like to be able to perform maneuvers in different orientations.

TFF

First of all you are contestant, judge, and jury. You do all those things otherwise you would not care how it flew. You are researching, you are perfecting, you are judging.
The difference is at a contest, the throngs, of desperate for scale action ,want and wain for the messianic flight of perfection. Brothers and sisters who understand that the flight is a time machine to the era and location. A bubble of a dream; a moment to transcend the mundane clunky world we really live in. Everywhere else, everyone wants their plane to be a helicopter.

Jaybird

Finished up my BUSA 1/6 scale nieuport 28C to the point of being flyable during the week but had to wait until early Monday morning for anything less than 15-20 mph gusty winds! This morning it was overcast and a light breeze out of the south-southwest. I had a couple of hours to try and test fly before family arrived for memorial day activities. I had gotten the engine running well the day before but it wasn't happy when I tried it at the field. It took a while to remove the cowling to make adjustments but after that it ran better. The KVMA club photographer was there and got some in flight pictures and made a wonderful video (thanks Joe!). It needed a fair amount of down trim to keep it from climbing but other than that it was pretty well set. It certainly isn't overpowered with the Saito 50 but it may need further adjustment and tuning. Landing was pretty straight forward and didn't seem to want to nose over as my other WWI planes do.

Video can be found here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHk7...ature=youtu.be

Added some pictures.

Jaybird

rowarrior

I love your plane...i am in love!!!

jwrich

My Feedback: (17)

Very nice Jay Looks great, you are right about the power, awesome

Rich

Steve Percifield

My Feedback: (14)

Jaybird, good looking aeroplane, good job!

Jaybird

Thanks everyone. I can't wait for the next calm evening to fly it again.

Best wishes to those headed to Rhinebeck this weekend or any other early aviation events coming up.

Jaybird

rowarrior

good luck Jay, she is a stunner...i may need one of those in my life soon!!!

hey, i made another little video over the weekend! I hope you guys like it https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs1...VR4DOlNRAQQYcw

Jaybird

Finally got my Nieuport 28 and Hangar 9 Fokker D-VII to field on the same day for some photos.

Jaybird

rowarrior

Hi Jaybird... I am drooling uncontrollably !!!! I need a N28 pronto! LOL

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

Jay, is your N28 a 1/6th BUSA kit? Looks great. Should be a lot of fun to fly.

thosmosis

A flight with my Albatros from last weekend.

https://youtu.be/R6BE5U-P7sE

Jaybird

Yes, it's BUSA 1/6 scale kit. I have contributed to a build thread here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2267961

It is fun to fly and a challenge too. Take-offs are the biggest challenge as it is really squirrely on the ground if not handled correctly. Sometimes I get a good straight run but not often. In the air it is fun but I have to pay attention. The shallow dihedral on only the top wing makes it less stable than other planes I have that size. Loops and stall turns are great fun but not aileron rolls. Barrel rolls can be done but altitude it your friend. Spins are fast but it recovers nicely. The easiest thing to do is the landing. It so much better behaved on touchdown than my other WWI planes.

Jaybird

geezeraviation

My Feedback: (3)

Here are some pix of a 1/6 N28 I have been working off and on for a couple of years in between other projects. It is a combination of BUSA plans and Bergen Hardesty drawings. The landing gear is scale in appearance and operation, the skid is functional, it uses pull pull for both rudder and elevator. The position and number of stringers is correct and the wing while not a true scale airfoil is undercambered. The weight of the complete airframe including engine, complete radio w/2 aileron servos, fuel system and wheels is 3.6 lb The fuel dome is also functional and opens to expose a bit of the forward top of the tank and fuelling port. Abu inspired me to build small, I fly a ten year old 1/4 scale N28 and a 5 year old 1/3 scale N28.


It's been a fun project and keeping the weight down while adding the details I wanted has been a challenge.
Doc

Jaybird

Very nice. I especially like the windshield (which mine is noticably lacking!) I didn't like the kit method but haven't come up with anything better. I figured I'd fly it this season and add more details over the winter. The landing gear is intriguing as well. I thought about doing something more scale than the BUSA system but again couldn't figure that system out.

I don't know what mine weighs dry. The Saito 50 is just about right but sometimes I wish i had a little more power.

Good luck with the rest of the build!

Jay

geezeraviation

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks Jay, we'ren the middle of listing the house to relocate from Houston to eastern Tennessee and it may be a while till I get back on it. It's very near covering and just needs a day or two with sandpaper to bring it there. Once covered the surface details need to be added and ,and, and, well you know. I can provide patterns for the windscreen frame and any help you might need in figuring out the landing gear. It's got split axles and there's very little metal in it the way I did it, durability may be an issue, time will tell. A lot will depend on the landing"tecnique". lol Both of the bigger ones are pu$$y cats and fly a lot like a Cub. Good everywhere but poor roll authority with out lots of power.
Doc

Jaybird

Hi Doc. I'd be interested in the windscreen patterns.

I didn't make it to the Rhinebeck Jamboree this weekend in Rhinebeck, NY so I took my collection WWI planes to the local field this afternoon.

Jaybird

c-130RCpilot

Not sure where to post this request, so pardon me. Could someone help me with specs for the Balsa USA 1/4 Fokker DVIII ? I've acquired a completed bird with no paperwork. I'm in need of the CG location, recommended control throws and suggested wing angle of attack. I've read where a wing angle change slightly shimmed at the rear is a big improvement. Thanks for your help!

rowarrior

Hi C-130RCpilot

You know? I have the specs on the 1/6 scale and i know would be applicable to yours, HOWEVER, in my experience, the BUSA guys are super awesome and would not mind giving you the info over the phone if you call them and explain that the specs for your bird were misplaced and you have it ready to fly.

if for any reason it does not work, let me know.

geezeraviation

My Feedback: (3)

c-130 RC pilot, It's 4" back from the leading edge of the center section, Its in technical specs on the website. Go to their site select scale models then 1/4 scale models then select the Fok D VIII icon and its in technical specs (small print above the picture).
Yer Welcome Doc

FireBee

My Feedback: (34)

Sir Percy, Abu,
check out these maneuvers from a Great War training manual if I recall a French pilot. So for fun I put my1/4 Fokker D-VII through number 105. The spiral loop. But what I really did was fly an avalanche like an IMAC, a loop with a snap roll. It was cool thoug and she came out pretty good each time.


I think 106 shows the Immelmann and how you end up in a shooting position on you foe. Cheers.

abufletcher

Thanks for posting those. I need to start practicing these with my junk ARF! I'd like to be able to turn in any direction after the half roll at the top of the Immelmann but my thumbs get super dumb if I don't just stick with the same movements.

geezeraviation

My Feedback: (3)

Practice practice practice, I fly an eight manoever routine for the Scale Masters at least twice every flight with the airplane Id compete with. Spent a day working the Masters last month and decided I could do this and will be in the thick of things next year.
Doc