Cold Duck - Build
02-08-2008, 11:24 PM
#228
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RE: Cold Duck - Build
The Cold Duck was my first scratch built, tail dragger with retracts plane. I put some retracts in it but couldn't get my home made servo arm extension just right to lock the retracts up and down. ( every cent of paper route money went into the Cold Duck ) I ended taking the retracts out and bending my own landing gear and made sure the wheels were about even with the leading edge so it wouldn't tip over on our grass field. My Cold duck had a new Webra .61 Blackhead that I got for Christmas in 1971. I biult the plane over the winter in Indiana then flew the crap out of it the summer of 1972. It was screaming fast ! The wing popped off one flight. For some reason I had it way up in the air. The wing fluttered down and the fuse went straight in. I knew it was destroyed. I walked a fifty yards into tall grass and picked up the wing. Not a scratch. Walked another fifty yards and there was the fuse with 12- 18 inches of its the nose buried in soft mud. The fuse didn't have any damage either. I cleaned the engine up, reglued the wing hold down plywood and was back in the air the next weekend. Great flying in those years. Nowadays I fly open class , thermal duration gliders but I do have my eye on a Patricia. Glass fuse and precovered balsa foam wing. I may have to build another pattern type ship from the seventies. I have the radios for it....
02-10-2008, 09:14 AM
#230
RE: Cold Duck - Build
ORIGINAL: SGibson
The Cold Duck was my first scratch built, tail dragger with retracts plane. I put some retracts in it but couldn't get my home made servo arm extension just right to lock the retracts up and down. ( every cent of paper route money went into the Cold Duck ) I ended taking the retracts out and bending my own landing gear and made sure the wheels were about even with the leading edge so it wouldn't tip over on our grass field. My Cold duck had a new Webra .61 Blackhead that I got for Christmas in 1971. I biult the plane over the winter in Indiana then flew the crap out of it the summer of 1972. It was screaming fast ! The wing popped off one flight. For some reason I had it way up in the air. The wing fluttered down and the fuse went straight in. I knew it was destroyed. I walked a fifty yards into tall grass and picked up the wing. Not a scratch. Walked another fifty yards and there was the fuse with 12- 18 inches of its the nose buried in soft mud. The fuse didn't have any damage either. I cleaned the engine up, reglued the wing hold down plywood and was back in the air the next weekend. Great flying in those years. Nowadays I fly open class , thermal duration gliders but I do have my eye on a Patricia. Glass fuse and precovered balsa foam wing. I may have to build another pattern type ship from the seventies. I have the radios for it....
The Cold Duck was my first scratch built, tail dragger with retracts plane. I put some retracts in it but couldn't get my home made servo arm extension just right to lock the retracts up and down. ( every cent of paper route money went into the Cold Duck ) I ended taking the retracts out and bending my own landing gear and made sure the wheels were about even with the leading edge so it wouldn't tip over on our grass field. My Cold duck had a new Webra .61 Blackhead that I got for Christmas in 1971. I biult the plane over the winter in Indiana then flew the crap out of it the summer of 1972. It was screaming fast ! The wing popped off one flight. For some reason I had it way up in the air. The wing fluttered down and the fuse went straight in. I knew it was destroyed. I walked a fifty yards into tall grass and picked up the wing. Not a scratch. Walked another fifty yards and there was the fuse with 12- 18 inches of its the nose buried in soft mud. The fuse didn't have any damage either. I cleaned the engine up, reglued the wing hold down plywood and was back in the air the next weekend. Great flying in those years. Nowadays I fly open class , thermal duration gliders but I do have my eye on a Patricia. Glass fuse and precovered balsa foam wing. I may have to build another pattern type ship from the seventies. I have the radios for it....
SGibson,
Thanks very much for sharing your experience with the Cold Duck. It is really neat to hear these stories after all these years. It was pretty fast with my old Veco 61 and after seeing how ballistic my new one is with the RJL 61, I can imagine how yours flew with a Webra. As you know the airframe is built extremely light so I’m amazed that the fuselage survived the crash.
The sixties and seventies were heady days for R/C with so many people trying new design ideas and scratch building. I could hardly wait to get my RCM every month to see the latest designs. Great memories and isn’t wonderful that plans are still available so we can revisit all of it. Looks like you have a great collection of radios too!
02-21-2008, 10:35 PM
#231
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RE: Cold Duck - Build
If anyone is interested in a scan of the Cold Duck build article from the June 1971 RC Modeler magazine, let me know.
Can anyone explain why I can't simply upload the page images as jpg files here?
Brian
Can anyone explain why I can't simply upload the page images as jpg files here?
Brian
12-28-2008, 11:57 PM
#232
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RE: Cold Duck - Build
I ran across this thread while searching for BPA info and was immediately transported back to 1971. I was in the Navy with little money for RC but had a well-worn Heathkit radio, a new Irvine .61 twin plug from my last North Atlantic mission, and a desire to fly a pattern ship. I built it as per plans (taildragger), covered the wings with the suggested alternate material of paperboard instead of balsa - not easy but it worked with contact cement - and used Carl Goldberg mechanical retracts and a modifed servo. For my first flight I wanted a large field, so I drove to a Navy Auxiliary Landing Field at Fentress, VA - sailors were allowed to fly models there on weekends. I was very glad I did this, as the plane was so fast it was nearly out of sight before I got it turned around! In fact the speed attracted a lot of attention, so much so that 2 guys set up a speed trap and timed the model at just over 100 mph a few feet off the deck - pretty heady stuff for those days. I have a spare set of SpringAir mains, so I will build another one, Orange of course.
01-02-2009, 01:39 PM
#234
RE: Cold Duck - Build
I just spent the better part of my morning (at work no less!) reading this thread. I'm a little young to know these "Golden" days of Pattern (Born 4/5/71), but I've found that I learn a great deal more about construction techniques by reading these build threads. I've built several kits in the last twenty + years, but you guys have so much to offer in the form of design and technique that I, for one, truly appreciate.
8178 - The fuel tank modification is one that I'll incorporate into my next build and probably every one after that. I also like the idea of the hardwood trailing edges on all of your control surfaces. Nice touch! I have one question for you about hinging and covering. When you've cut the recesses into the leading edges of the rudder/elevator/ailerons, how do you apply your Monokote around those recesses? Do you seal the covering down into them or cover over the void and then cut them open to install the hinge? I hope my question is clear.
Thank you again for the wonderful build thread and for showing a (slightly) younger generation how to "build" and airplane rather than "put one together".
(I was also pleasantly surprised read that you were the original designer. Congratulations on such a beautiful design that has withstood the ages.)
TJ Rohyans
8178 - The fuel tank modification is one that I'll incorporate into my next build and probably every one after that. I also like the idea of the hardwood trailing edges on all of your control surfaces. Nice touch! I have one question for you about hinging and covering. When you've cut the recesses into the leading edges of the rudder/elevator/ailerons, how do you apply your Monokote around those recesses? Do you seal the covering down into them or cover over the void and then cut them open to install the hinge? I hope my question is clear.
Thank you again for the wonderful build thread and for showing a (slightly) younger generation how to "build" and airplane rather than "put one together".
(I was also pleasantly surprised read that you were the original designer. Congratulations on such a beautiful design that has withstood the ages.)
TJ Rohyans
01-02-2009, 07:17 PM
#235
RE: Cold Duck - Build
TJ,
Glad you enjoyed the build thread and thanks for the kind words. Yes, I Monokote over the hinge recesses, slit the Monokote and with the tip of my Monokote iron, iron the Monokote down into the recess. If you liked the Cold Duck build you might also find my Blue Angel build on this forum interesting too. It is a little bit more complex.
Glad you enjoyed the build thread and thanks for the kind words. Yes, I Monokote over the hinge recesses, slit the Monokote and with the tip of my Monokote iron, iron the Monokote down into the recess. If you liked the Cold Duck build you might also find my Blue Angel build on this forum interesting too. It is a little bit more complex.
01-03-2009, 06:30 AM
#239
RE: Cold Duck - Build
ORIGINAL: 8178
If you liked the Cold Duck build you might also find my Blue Angel build on this forum interesting too. It is a little bit more complex.
If you liked the Cold Duck build you might also find my Blue Angel build on this forum interesting too. It is a little bit more complex.
I was wondering this morning though, why back in the early days, some kind of an attempt at recessing the rubberbands into a channel wasn't persued to get those ugly things out of the slipstream when everything else seemed so advanced in regard to aerodynamics?
Thanks again,
TJ
01-03-2009, 08:55 AM
#240
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RE: Cold Duck - Build
ORIGINAL: TJR1
I just spent the better part of my morning (at work no less!) reading this thread............
I just spent the better part of my morning (at work no less!) reading this thread............
8178, I know this one doesn't have retracts, but how do you account for the fact that it came out so much lighter than the Tiporare, for instance?
Tom
01-03-2009, 07:09 PM
#241
RE: Cold Duck - Build
Retracts , the heavy OS 61SF ABC-P and pipe add some weight to the Tiporare, but the biggest weight impact is that the Cold Duck design uses very, very light construction. The fuselage has very little plywood e.g. the firewall, the thin former at the front of the wing and the plate for the wing bolts is the only plywood. It’s strong enough for flight loads but does not handle minor crashes well. As an example the fuselage uses only 1/8” light balsa sides with bracing only where absolutely necessary. When you think about it, trying to design an airframe to withstand crashes doesn’t make a lot of sense because it’s hard to determine what type of crash to design for. My idea was to design it light so it would have excellent performance with the 61 engines we had back in 1969. It flew well with the 60s vintage engines but it really comes alive with a modern 61!!
01-04-2009, 09:14 AM
#242
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RE: Cold Duck - Build
ORIGINAL: 8178
Retracts , the heavy OS 61SF ABC-P and pipe add some weight to the Tiporare, but the biggest weight impact is that the Cold Duck design uses very, very light construction. The fuselage has very little plywood e.g. the firewall, the thin former at the front of the wing and the plate for the wing bolts is the only plywood. It’s strong enough for flight loads but does not handle minor crashes well. As an example the fuselage uses only 1/8” light balsa sides with bracing only where absolutely necessary. When you think about it, trying to design an airframe to withstand crashes doesn’t make a lot of sense because it’s hard to determine what type of crash to design for. My idea was to design it light so it would have excellent performance with the 61 engines we had back in 1969. It flew well with the 60s vintage engines but it really comes alive with a modern 61!!
Retracts , the heavy OS 61SF ABC-P and pipe add some weight to the Tiporare, but the biggest weight impact is that the Cold Duck design uses very, very light construction. The fuselage has very little plywood e.g. the firewall, the thin former at the front of the wing and the plate for the wing bolts is the only plywood. It’s strong enough for flight loads but does not handle minor crashes well. As an example the fuselage uses only 1/8” light balsa sides with bracing only where absolutely necessary. When you think about it, trying to design an airframe to withstand crashes doesn’t make a lot of sense because it’s hard to determine what type of crash to design for. My idea was to design it light so it would have excellent performance with the 61 engines we had back in 1969. It flew well with the 60s vintage engines but it really comes alive with a modern 61!!
Tom
05-30-2009, 08:28 PM
#243
RE: Cold Duck - Build
Looks like the Putfile site with my video bit the dust! Here is a link to the Cold Duck first flight on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ9XBDeeGFA
04-15-2010, 08:52 PM
#244
RE: Cold Duck - Build
Well, my July 1971 issue of RCM magazine arrived today in the mail. Only 38 years 10 months late. Picked it up on the bay. Gee, three great build articles in one magazine, readable plans without a magnifying glass.
Jim
Jim
04-16-2010, 06:34 AM
#245
RE: Cold Duck - Build
Thanks for the memories Jim! Waiting for my RCM to arrive was a pretty exciting time 38 years and 10 months ago. With encouragement from my flying buddies, I started working with RCM in fall of 1970 and submitted the article, plans and pictures the first part of November. I received a letter from Don Dewey accepting all of my materials at the end of November. Then the long wait for the publication. R/C magazines were so huge back then and the main communications medium for RCers.
04-16-2010, 04:23 PM
#247
RE: Cold Duck - Build
ORIGINAL: doxilia
What were the articles? Aside from the Cold Duck I assume.
David.
What were the articles? Aside from the Cold Duck I assume.
David.
Kits and pieces – Mooney Chaparral
Designs – Pegasus, Cassutt Special and Cold Duck
Coverage of Toledo 71
Building technique – Molded balsa ply fuselage
Article on aerial movie making and much more.
12-06-2010, 04:53 PM
#249
RE: Cold Duck - Build
My next build is scratch built reproduction of a MK Blue Angel 60 kit and can be seen here http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3973867/tm.htm