H5487

Hey Jim,

My employer's firewall has blocked my access to your FAQ sticky.

I'm building a 77" Ziroli Stearman with a fuselage length of 59". Does the 75% rule apply to biplanes the same as monoplanes; therefore resulting in an optimum float length of 45"? Also, how would I figure the distance between the floats since biplanes typically have shorter wingspans than monoplanes per fuselage length.

Thanks,

Harvey

JimCasey

My Feedback: (1)

Harvey,

There is nothing specific to biplanes in my website.

75% guideline for float length still applies.
You're right about the float spacing. Go at least as wide as the landing gear spacing. Stearmans still have plenty of wingspan, but it won't hurt to cheat the floats out a bit.
If a typical plane has a wingspan 20% greater than the fuselage length, then 25% span spacing would be 30% of the fuse length. (It's a SWAG, but what else is there? )
Nobody squeezes the floats closer together on a clipped-wing cub!
Since you have a beautiful scale subject, you might research a specific Stearman on floats to match his spacing.

Good luck,

H5487

Hi, Jim, thanks for your reply. Yes, I already did some research (I'm a member of the Stearman Restorer's Assn) but so few Stearmans were floated from the factory, little to no documentation exists. Just this sole photo of one (of six built) for the Argentine Navy in the late 1930s.

Harvey

JimCasey

My Feedback: (1)

I hit "google images" for Stearman on floats. Hit a few images:
Here's another

and this one solves the question about float spacing

Or this:

And a Waco from a videogame

The same videogame has a travelair

and a pretty good link with several pics. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%26start%3D324

JimCasey

My Feedback: (1)

I hit "google images" for "Stearman on floats". Hit a few images:
Here's another

and this one solves the question about float spacing

Or this:

And a Waco from a videogame

The same videogame has a travelair

and a pretty good link with several pics. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%26start%3D324

H5487

Hmmmm... Thanks, Jim, but unfortunately not a single picture or link could be opened. (I'm working with a very narrow bandwidth at this end.) I'll have to wait until I return home.

Harvey