Dave Brown Ilusion
 

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Probably rather rare.

Anyone know what plane was before and after his Ilusion pattern plane?

/Bo

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

1981 WCs - Tiporare

1983 WCs - Illusion

1985 US Nats - Challenge II


Ray

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

And he flew my Challenge II design at the 1985 Worlds.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

He sure did Tony - and so did you :D

Ray

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Nice picture! I actually flew a Challenge III, which was the .61 powered version. Just a bit slimmer fuse in the top view. BTW, I built that model for Dave.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Tony,

I remember the inside cover of FM (maybe RCM too) back in those days. DB was shown with the model which was described as being designed and built by yourself - world engines?

What's powering the Challenge II in the picture - why did the fuse go from side to narrow? Interesting evolution.

What was your experience with the Illusion 750? How did it compare to the Tiporare 720 in flight?

Hey, looks like you might be able to have another T720 sometime soon!

David.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

In the Challenge II the O.S. 1.20 was side-mounted, so the fuse was wider to hide more of the motor. The Challenge III was intended for a 2-cycle with an inverted engine and the pipe in a channel down the bottom. So the fuse could be thinner.

It was probably me in that picture holding an ARF model that World did of the Challenge II. When I first reached an agreement with John Maloney it was going to be a Model Tech ARC, which would have been a great kit. They did the Prettner Calypso. But John changed it to that ARF and it was a terrible kit. Heavy and it came apart. The one I flew though actually flew alright, but the kit was bad.

I don't think I have ever actually flown an Illusion, just watched Dave fly his. I never felt he flew it as well as a Tipo. Moving the wing up in the fuse killed some of the knife edge capability and it took more fuse angle to fly a horizontal roll. Just my opinion.

I sure hope kits can become available for the original Tipo. I'd love to do another one.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Wow, interesting read there Tony.

Shame the W/E challenges weren't better, but damn they were pretty. I coveted them muchly back then.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Tony,

interesting history. I now recall that it was you instead of DB. Did you have side burns back then :) - trying to jog my memory...

Now that I look at it in more detail, I can see the valves off the side of the engine in the picture. Do you or anyone have any pictures of the Challenge III?

What engine did you fly the Challenge III with?

All said and done, as far as top spot WC campaigns go, the Tiporare is really a Mexican plane! :D

David.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Here are some pics of another guys Challenge II done in the scheme I used for the Reno Nats. I built that model very light for the high altitude in Reno. Still used an O.S. 1.20FS.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

And here are some pics of another customers Challenge III. And after that a nice pic of the later Challenge IV. I won the 1987 Nats in F3A with a C IV.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

When I went back to 2-cycle after running the OS 1.20, it was YS, then the OS RF series. I had some strong engines by 1987 with the OS.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Looks like John Maloney in this one.

Ray

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

I had that ARF "kit" and yep Tony is right it was crap! It did fly ok but it was so poorly put together that I was always afraid to ring it out fearing that it would just blow apart. I always like the look of the plane though.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Yep, that be John Maloney. I remember the ad now. Sure wish it had become a Model Tech kit. Maybe they'd be worth a lot on Ebay now!

I still have the plans and maybe even a set of cores. I ought to build one.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Ther was a guy here on RCU selling one of those a while back. He was local so I met him to check it out. Needless to say, I didn't buy it. What a pile. [:'(]

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Here was our old Challenge II. When my family was kicking around the idea of getting back into pattern after an extended break we acquired the kit from a family friend, Bill Ney, I'm sure Tony remembers Bill, and we finished it with fixed gear and pants.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Tony -

Those pics brought back some memories. I can't remember which version of the Challenge I flew at the 85 nats, but I remember that Dave Wilson and I had given Chip a nickname (Buffalo-Chip) that didn't sit well with the boy. In fact, we bought a Nats shirt and had "Buffalo" put on the back and presented it to Chip. In return he flicked his finger through the monokote on the top of my wing (at an open bay) that went through 4 colors. As he said, it gave me something to do that night :-) Chip and I have been close friends ever since. I should reach out to Flo and Merle and see if that shirt is stored somewhere......I could present it to him again at the 2011 Worlds :-)

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Maybe it was the 87 Nats....can't remember.....I'm getting old. It was in Mass., that I remember.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Mike,

Do you still keep in touch with Dave Wilson? Dave and his brother Ken taught me to fly pattern at Mile Square Park in '84-'85. They were great guys.

Ya, Chip could be pretty snotty back in those days. In his defense, he was younger than all his "peers" and so it must have been challenging to deal with more adult humor than he was ready for. However, he sure knew how to get back at everybody with his flying.

Ithink Ihave a picture of one of your airplanes from a contest in So Cal in about 1987-88. Is that possible?

Doug

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Hi Mike,

If it had a glass fuse it was a C-4. If it was wood, a C-2 or 3.

87 was in Lincoln, NE. Not sure where or when, but I distinctly remember a "dancing" establishment we went to and you had to wait in the car! But I could have that wrong too!

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Mike,

Here it is. I do not recall meeting you but I took a couple of pictures of your LA-1 because it was so beautiful. Mike McConville was also there with an LA-1 with his name on it as well. You guys must have traveled there together. At the same contest Chip had a mid-air with his Conquest.

Do you recall what contest that would have been?

Doug

(Can someone tell me how to rotate a picture on RCU?)

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RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Doug,

RCU posts pictures the way they are stored on your computer. Open the picture up in Windows Photo Viewer and rotate the picture with the controls at the bottom. When you close the picture, it will store the picture by saving it with the correct orientation. Then you can repost it on RCU and it will appear correctly.

Otherwise, cool dialogue!

Hope this helps,

David.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Chula Vista. I remember Chip jacked up our rental wagon and put phone books under the axels.....when we went to leave in the morning, we went nowhere....just tires spinning in the air....then we looked to the balcony and saw chip with that sh*t eating grin of his, lol.

RE: Dave Brown Ilusion
 

Mike,

Here is what happened to Chip on Sunday after he messed with you!!

Karma is a B***ch!

Doug