Thanks Duane - that's what I intended to express.

Forgot a sidenote: I had to choose the colors for the paint scheme. There are no pure colors in reality, and both white and red got a bit "dirt" so they don't look unreal. There's no pure black in reality, either, meaning there's always some reflection. Remembering the blue shine seen on all color pictures of the Taurus, I tried black with a bit blue reflection. Grey reflection would mean all three RGB (red, green, blue) values the same (0 is black, 255 is white). RGB 0,0,47 gave the intense blue shine seen on some pictures, but looked exaggerated. I settled on RGB 0,0,31 what looks black in most cases but gives a blue shine in the reflexes, at least in the simulator. (See pictures above.)

Free Bird,

I am interested in that decal.If you show a picture of it in a post it will do for me.
Sometimes later I show you the name on my Taurus, I also still haveto makethe black dash wider.
Please give the dimensions of the name, height, length with the picture.

Thanks Cees

UStik and all- Here is the picture of Ed taken later in life while on travels as a photographer. It looks like a very "natural" pose doesn't it?

Ed seemingly led a very a very full, and interesting life. He traveled extensively both during and certainly after his R/C career ended. Unfortunately there is no date on the photograph, but I would guess sometime during the early 1990s.

In addition to this photo of Ed, Chuck Noble included several of the photos we called the "Carrier Photos". They are the same small 3X3 size as the Simla pictures I received earlier, but dated two years earlier in August 1963. As was common in he early 60s, they were in black & white.

Hope you enjoy the photo; it shows once more that Ed didn't "fade away" after R/C, he just moved on to new interests which he proceeded to excel in the same waythat he took R/C "by storm". He won numerous awards in photography, and had pictures published in many travel magazines. A lot of his artwork is still available on the Noble Auction site. It tends to be on the "bold and artistic" side rather than just a collection of landscapes or portraits. I picked up a few of his photos-checkthem out, (Noble Auction).

Duane

Here are a few still pictures taken in Lexington as the Taurus-2 stretched its wings once more. As with all "new" planes, it needs to be fully trimmed out.

The decision hasn't yet been made whether or not to stay with the vintage Super Tigre .56, or convert over to another engine, (such as an OS .50-.60), that was specifically designed to fly with a muffler. Right now the ST is not running/idling reliably...it has a little over an hour's worth of fuel that has been run through it, and should run better in the future. The carb on that engine is "weird", and not the best in the world. I have 3 ST .56 engines, and the carb on each seems to be a little different, almost like they were trying to find the right configuration to use. We may swith-out carbs to see which works best.. It seems common to drill out the stanbdard size hole to allow more air.

We will also do some experiments with modifying the add-on Tatone muffler by drilling it out some to allow more flow through. I was just told yesterday that the Tatone model I have is an "engine killer" in that the expansion chamber is supposedly not large enough and the engine has to work harder, thus they tend to run HOTTER. I also have a different brand of add-on muffler that is much more flow-through to test as well.

While not wanting to "overfly" the Taurus, I am looking forward to fine-trimming the plane and getting the engine peaked to be able to see just what theTuarus-2can do. Flights are relatively short on the six ounce tank that Ed called for, (maybe 8 minutes), so each flight will have to have a definite purpose in mind.

Duane

A few more pictures of the first flight:

Thanks for the photos Kingaltair, really pretty model in the air, as if I didn't have enough to do... I have a compatriot who is also really interested in a Simla, so maybe plan/kits will have to ship to NZ... Tell Cees the Myers plan shows 41/2" dihedral under one tip at rib 12. Which leads me to the fact that I have a full PCM Taurus kitted and I'm starting to build. If I complete that, then a new 1" longer fuselage for my TF Taurus and clip the wing tips 1" on that model, then I can take a crate pic too... As for UStiks Reflex Simla, well I'm jealous too, that is one pretty airplane, whatever span you choose. Wonder what you guys would say if I mentioned retracts for Simla? Just think it would look so smooth with the wheels up...
Evan.

Hi Cees, Hope these close-up pictures help you. Col. Chuck Winter

Chuck that will do, perfect,
I show you the result in the near future,

Thanks Cees

Free Bird, hope you read this message,
You see I have my name for the plane, so thank you for the offer, but this one is the most original for me.

Cees, here's the decal from the kit. I don't have measurements, sorry.

FB

Free Bird,

Thanks,anyway, but what I did write you, I will use the pictureChuck shows me.

For me it is proved Ed did fly (one of) the first "preproduction" Tauruses from Top Flite, sosome details are "scratch"" made and so also the name probably with characters glued on.

Pictures of this Taurus we seefor promotion activities in articles (MAN) and magazines and as I see nowalso on the plans of the kit, that was the reason I did ask Chuck in the first place.

When we take a close look at the picture of Chuck we can see the name Taurus on the nose isn't your decal, as I expacted.
This is for me the first time I can see the details to copy the name.



Cees.

No problem!

UStik...aren't you something with those virtual depictions of yours. I hope the real plane looks as good as your "model".

OK Evan, you build yours with retracts, All you have to do is figure out how to do the necessary engineering, as I'm quite sure the original didn't have retracts, so Jeff doesn't have to "mess" with it. I've never had a plane with retracts so I don't understand how they are installed, but it would probably be no big deal for someone with experience with them. There certainly would be enough room for them in the wing.

It will definitely look great with retracts......good luck!!!

Duane

How much difference does it make in the drag, Ustik?  My son and I have duplicate planes (Gulfstream IIe, same weight, power, etc.) and like to fly them together.  His has retracts and at half throttle is easily able to catch mine with fixed gear.</p>

I can't imagine having a plane as nice as a Simla with fixed gear.  It may has well have cabanes and wires.</p>

Andy</p>

Oh come on now........no retract snobbery please.

Ed "imagined it" and flew the plane without them just fine. I'm all for retracts, and I admit they would look cool, but don't make a second class citizen out of somebody who doesn't decide to use them. Even if I wanted them, my home field would tear them apart in short order, so it's really not an option for me.

Duane</p>

Well I think the original short legs and small wheels don't even look that bad. They somehow match the slender fuselage.

The drag values are all guesswork. My estimate for the fuse is 0.0041 with the glow engine sticking out. The landing gear with 1" longer legs and 3" wheels makes for 0.0034 drag. Not much difference. (Drag values are square meters referring to dynamic pressure.) The Simla wing is draggy, but a low-drag wing (airfoil) would have even less drag than the thin fuse.

I wish I could at least make pictures as good as Ed's. You should be right with the dating. The camera seems to be a N90 (www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/n90s.htm), built since 1992.

That lens looks like a major upgrade compared to the one in the "link". I don't know how you can tell them apart at that resolution. I wasn't even sure I read the word "Nikon".

I have an almost new N80, that has turned into a museum piece since switching to "digital". I started with a Nikon digital but now have I now have a Canon 40D with 18-200 IS lens

I would have loved to talk to him about his photography as well. Have you been to the Noble auction site to look at his artwork??

Duane

Looked at the pictures when they were on fleabay together with the trophy. I can't read Nikon as well, but I find the shape of the "viewer" and the white stripe on it characteristic for the N90. The small display between Ed's fingers and the buttons on the other side match as well. I can't make out the lens, but there's a hood on it, maybe for wide-angle.

Maybe you'd find the link<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> How to use the N90s digitally</font> on the N90 page interesting. Your N80 is no longer a museum piece. I even dug out my old FM manual exposure/focus.

Gents,

Because I read al lot "off topic" posts I show you a for me very interesting picture.

Belgium Genk august 1963, The Taurus fuse of the crate, left side, Top Flite, and the wings of the Oldest Taurus on Earth, Contest Taurus of Ed, crate left side, proved in the past in this thread.

We cannot see this but believe me this is the combination without brakes owned by the VRCS now.

Also it is the promotion Taurus fuse on which the name is disappeared now.

The reporter is not correct, it is only the fuselage of the M.A.N. January 63 Taurus not the wings.

I want to fly with my Taurus for a period with the name on the nose! Just I did it in the past with several (Dutch/USA) “flag� colors.

Cees

Fitting retracts to Simla wouldn't be a problem, and it looks gorgeous with them up. Thanks UStik, just gotta work out how many kits will be needed over here...
Evan.

Hi Taurus Guys, I keep digging into myarchivesand have come up with many of thetempletsI made when I was cutting foam cores. I cut cores for all the major pattern airplanes. I was one of the pioneers of foam cutting. The most popular wing cores were Taurus. I cut so many Taurus cores I had to make templets out ofaluminum. More pictures to come. Col. Chuck Winter

Hello Chuck,

I see you have all your building activities very well organized!
One question, did you foamcutting alone or with two persons, one on the root side and one on the tip side?

I have the possibility of vacuum bagging to glue doublers but never did make a foam wing.
Alsways "handmade" ribs with the fred? saw (dutch : figuurzaag).
I use a computer to calculate and print all the ribs.
My program can calculate ribs with different airfoils on root and tip,
First picture also visible a own design Horten glider (Flying wing) which is calculated with 4 different airfoils in one wing.
(bell shaped Horten lift distribution),

Off topic but interesting for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjXr5w3M4mc


Some pictures,

Cees

Hi Cees, I taught my wife how to help me with the foam core cutting. I'll post some pictures of  foam cutting "Jigs" that I designed to cut out landing gear area so I could drop in and glue a tapered wood gear block in place.  I sold the wing cores with the landing gear blocks installed.  I also sold special contact cement to glue the balsa to the cores.  I believe I was the first to have a water base latex glue for glueing balsa to foam.  A product called Sorgum came on the market many years after I had mine out.  I also had a wing covering material that was better than balsa wood or obechee wood.  I could could wrap my material around the entire wing.  My "Quick Series" of airplane could be built in approximately 20 hours.  Sorry, too many stories. Col. Chuck Winter

Chuck ,

For me it are never "too many stories" was in the airforce as armament and ejection seat specialist F5 (Freedom Fighter), but also know F 104 and Thunderstreak)

I am thinking of building my next Taurus the plane Les Fruh did fly.
Your pictures give me the inspiration and information to make a foam cut wing for that plane the first time.
So, show up the pictures. it's for the Ed Kazmirski Taurus variant,

Cees

Hi Cees, I forget to answer your question about Vacuum Bagging.  WOW I have vacuumed bagged wings from small  Formula One to 12 foot gliders and Giant Scale Racing aircraft.  It's a great system but you have to know what your doing or it could be a Disaster.   Col. Chuck Winter