Well, plans keep getting bigger.....

This fall, near the end of flying season, I was given a Byron Originals Pipe Dream kit, a giant scale "trainer" of late '80's vintage. Zenoah G38, an older but serviceable Futaba radio (7u, computer, 1 model) and most of the things I needed to complete it. I rounded out the parts needed, built the plane and did some of my usual edits to the original plans. Little things like full span flaperons, and best of all, a bomb drop arrangement I designed and built for it. I built 2 linkages for the drop mechanism, one that allows 2 bombs to be carried and dropped separately, and another that releases both hardpoints at once, for carrying bigger things.

I completed her the day before the first snow struck. Since then we've averaged more than a storm a week, it seems. All set up, engine roughly tuned (to be fine tuned on THE DAY), computer computing, everything tweaked. Frustrating.

Maiden is still weeks away (snow. cold. wind. rain.). And yet the Pipe Dream has found another purpose, not entirely unimagined.

A friend of mine designed and built a high speed electric plane, should be pushing into the 100mph+ range. It's quite small, about 1.5# with a svelt 30" wingspan. Minimal drag means no wheels, so it's to be hand launched. And there's the rub. It's stall speed is better than 25mph, so that'll be tricky.

We've rigged up the Pipe Dream and it's bomb drop mechanism to work as our launch system. 500' will give alot more time to get the 'lecky all trimmed out before the ground rises up to smite it.

I added a tail fin bracket to constrain the plane's yaw tendencies, and adapted a high-tech shoe-lace to the bomb release. Used the Y linkage I'd built previously to achieve simultaneous release of both shoelaces. I set the electric to about -2 degrees incidence to aid in the release. Plan is take off, climb to altitude, slow to just above stall, and release the lecky for high speed passes galore!

Whaddya'all think? Is this gonna work? CG is good, the 'lecky moves it back about 1/4", and I've set it so it's at a safe forward position under all conditions. We'll maiden the PD first, then maiden the 'lecky via the pipe dream. I'll have the flycamone watching the lecky for it's maiden, should get some cool drop footage.

Hope you enjoy the pics!