Very cool. Subscribed.

Rob

OK, finally got a balsa order from Tower in. First looks not bad. Hope to finish up the wing this weekend. Duane, I will try to measure some weights.

Bob Harris

OK Bob

I'm hoping that the Perigee will be my winter project---keep up the good work

Duane

OK, got my balsa order and finally in town this weekend so I need to catch up with Nick!! I also was reading Nick's post on what everyone wants in a build thread so I am going to show the techniques I used on the wing build again.

Here are the pictures of the right hand wing panel being laid out. Note this kit uses a 3/32 plywood spar instead of a balsa spar like the original. This poses a little problem because it is not as flexable as the balsa one. I used small finishing nails to jig the spars into place as well as some plywood blocks nailed down.

I also maid up a 90 degree ply scale to insure the ribs and spars are in the correct location. I will add this to the laser parts. Check it out.

Bob Harris

After all has dried I cut the 3/32 balsa sub leading edge and add the preshaped trailing edge balsa. The extended tabs insure they are correctly positioned. After the have drier I lightly sand the top to remove any high spots. This I use a Great Planes 22 inch Easy Touch aluminum bar sander. I then temporarily tack down the sheeting drawings to the 1/16 balsa. Cut it out and install them on the wing.

Duane I want to supply these already cut for easy installation but that will be a Dan call. Anyway after the top sheeting is installed I install the cap strips. Now its time for the bottom of the wing.


Bob Harris

Looking good. My balsa spars snapped at least 4 times total. Ply would be a good alternative, at not too much of a weight penalty. The finished wing is really a "D" tube LE.

Yep Nick, the balsa spar in the original kits was die crushed! Very very weak. the wing appears quite strong now but again I had to jig up the spar because of its stiffness.


Bob Harris

Well installed the plywood dihedral braces on one panel the added bottom sheeting. I cut out 3 wing saddles as per Nicks suggestion. I did not have any wing warping issues but I feel it makes for a sure flat wing and also makes it easy to sheet. Next joined the wing halves together. I then sheeted to other wing bottom. Now to sand the leading edge location and add leading edge and wing tips.

Bob Harris

OK, got the bottom wing sheeted and leading edge and wing tips on. I just used a 1-1/8 square balsa wing tip and sanded it to desired shape. Installed the aileron torque rods and temporarily attached the ailerons for rough sanding. Cut the back of the torque rod blocks to fit the wing saddle. Fit looks good. Now to assembly for a test fit.

Here are some assembly pictures. A truely beautiful bird! Can't wait to get her silked and doped and painted like the original!! Seeing how it's going to take a while to get her finished up I was wondering on a final weight. I decided to try to calculate by weighing the airframe with engine and acessories. I had included 4 servis, 500mA pack, receiver, 2 each 3-3/4 dubro tires and 1 each 2 inch (only ones I had!). 2 complete rolls of monokote (1 is seven footed) Fuel tank (a bit larger than needed but again the only one I had), landing gear, hardwood pushrods, and linkage wire. See pictures. Looks like 4lbs 14 oz. About 1 lb more than I had planned but I may be able to reduce it a bit more with smaller servos and battery pack. Of course some of the wood choices were not the best but I feel pretty good about the weight. I'm not the lightest builder because I do use the wood glues more and CA less. I also have quite a bit of finish sanding to do before the doping process so maybe a few oz will disapear!!

So anyway here she is with the only thing left is adding the dowels for the bolt on wing. The kit is complete for the VRCS approval so I will be sending the cut files and plans to Dan at Wing Mfg/Early RC models next week. Duane, Dan should have some kits ready as soon as he finishes up on the canopy mold and wire bending jigs.

Thanks guys for all the comment and help. I will post some finish pictures sometime. Most likely next spring!!

Bob Harris

Nice job, Bob. Makes me itch to finish the fuselage. Nice weight, too. I would love to meet in person and compare the flying qualitie of each. Maybe, just maybe............

Thanks Nick, Looks like you are dooing a great job too! I am still considering the formed tail! Did you taper the rudder also?

Bob Harris

I haven't taken sandpaper to the rudder yet, but it will taper to about 1/16 at the TE.

What are you doing for a canopy? I found a 10 1/4" bubble at Great Planes.

Nick, Dan at Wing Mfg/Early RC Models has several vacumn form machines and usually makes his own molds. I have a line on an original canopy which I may be able to borrow for Dan to duplicate. If you can wait a few weeks Dan may have something ready.

Bob Harris

Thanks, but already ordered.

[X(]Oh My Gosh... Look at all those Transmitters

Glad you mentioned something...I missed them while drooling over the wing...That is Awesome!!!!

Chuck

Well, I kind of collect the older radios systems also. Most of the units in the picture are in working order or hopefully will be. I still fly many of the older systems in their period models. I also give talks and display working systems at swap meets and such. I truely enjoy talking with the older guys who flew this stuff. Many, if given the chance can still fly it. I guess its like riding a bicycle!! The younger guys want to know how it goes up without an elevator!!

Currently in my stall are 4 single channel pulsers, 1 single channel escapement unit, a Royal Classic, a few early Krafts, 2 galloping ghost, and a few reed systems! All on 27 mHz and all still legal!!!

I enjoy tinkering with them as well as flying them. Not for the faint at heart!!! They make me appreciate the modern radios and their features. Tom flew the Perigee on reeds. My reflexes are no where fast enough to manage a ship that fast. I had my reed system in a very slow Esquire!!!

Here are a few more pictures of my stuff (junk?) Any of you guys remember this stuff?

Enjoy,

Bob Harris

YOu could pretty much do a whole thread on your transmitters......... hint hint


That is impressive. Did you grow up in this era? I started getting interested in R/C in the 70s. I was about 7 or 8 than, and there was no way I could afford a plane. But I did get to have the out dated MAN and RCM mags at the high school libary in my town. I had no idea what to make out of the electronics back then (still don't). I would love to set one of these up... but I don't know about the RO set up. That scares me[].


DM

That's right--Tom flew Bramco,(sp) reeds. What's more amazing is that he chose to STAY with reeds even after proportional systems became available. One of my early memories was watching Ed Kazmirski and Tom as he tried out Ed's Orbit proportional during one of the Detroit Invitationals. He flew it around, but in the end, stayed with what he was comfortable with. As I said in my first article, looking back it is amazing what was accomplished while using such an unintuitive system, where you had to constantly change the pattern of "blips" on the toggle switches to make the plane do what you wanted.

Another amazing thing is that the Perigee never crashed in flight to my knowledge, (I know the sister ship Apogee did on its first flight according to the Perigee article). Any old timers from the RCCD or someone who knows otherwise for sure might want to comment to confirm or change that statement. The only repairs he had to make that I'm aware of was one time when the Perigee went into full throttle while on the ground and got lodged under someone's van. The original Perigee in the AMA museum still shows the slightly ripped covering on the right wing due to this incident.

God love 'em

I remember the blue Babcock escapements (or Galloping Ghost) unit. My Dad bought it, but went to a six-channel CitizenShip reed system instead.

Duane

Actually the Babcock was an advanced escapement system using a clockwork timer to time the blips. For my single channel escapement system one push and hold of the single button gives you right rudder. This was to be able to offset the takeoff torque of the engine. Release the button and the escapement cycles back to neutral. Two quick bleeps and hold on the second bleep cycles first to right then to left rudder. Release the button and she cycles back to neutral.

On a compound escapement 3 bleeps and hold was up elevator as 4 bleeps and hold was down (kind of) Now more complex was 5 bleeps was full throttle as 6 bleeps was idle. The throttle was the separate escapement. I’ve done it on the bench but never been able to do it in the model!!! Ken Willard was a master at these radios!!

Now back to the Babcock system pictured. The clockwork timer would perform those bleeps for you depending where you positioned the stick. The stick had no potentiometers just contacts located at different points of the timer which fired off those bleeps at the precise time. Note the timer speed dial so you could calibrate the timer to the escapement speeds!!!!

Now does that make you want to kiss Mr Futaba and JR?????


Bob Harris

Vintageflyer, Well, I’m old but not quite that old. My Dad ran a small business Crystal Products in th 60’s and 70’s that manufactured and repaired many of these systems. Sometimes he would take trade ins and such. I got to fly many of these older radios. So I learned how to fly them!!

About 20 years ago Dad had collect some of these older systems and a conversation got started somehow on if these systems could be refurbed to fly again. He setup a single channel unit in a DQA and flew it all summer with no problems. I guess I was hooked then. So now I tinker with these old radios, build some of the older designs and go out and fly them. I’ve turned over the transmitter of an old reed system to a fellow who had not touched one in 30 years. One circuit around the field and he was “back in the saddle” again!!

I’ve had radios sent to me from all over the world!! I just try to keep the history alive as many of these veteran fliers are going away.

The one reason I started Early RC Models was to have these early designs available again for the younger guys to enjoy and not have to worry about the high price of a collector kit. Many of these early models were so stable and easy flying they make great trainers!!!

If you are interested in the early days of RC try the Vintage RC Society. Also the Senior Pattern Association. Both are focused on RC models of the past. A great bunch of guys!!!


Bob Harris

Here are a few of my trasmitters and stuff (junk)

That is soo dang kewl!!