FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

That would be fascinating!

David John Davis

I'd be prepared to bet that the Sopwith Pup would end up the nicest aeroplane to fly with the triplane being the most unstable. Just like the real ones.

mgnostic

You would probably win that bet.
There seems to be a pretty noticeable divide between the models of rotary powered planes and those with inline engines. As with their real life counterparts the Spad, Se5a and Fokker D7 are heftier while the Sopwiths, Nieuports and rotary Fokkers are a bit more floaty. I've had the opportunity to fly formation with a triplane. It had a bit more horsepower than my N-17. The Fokker had a 30cc engine versus the converted Homelite in the N-17. The Fokker had a clear advantage in looping maneuvers but neither airplane is going anywhere fast. I've not had an opportunity to see one first hand but I understand that the D-8 presents a few challenges to fly. I still want one though.

David John Davis

The Sopwith Pup has a large tailplane at the end of a long fuselage. This makes it more stable than many of its contemporaries. The real thing was, according to many pilots of the day, a delight to fly. When they introduced the Camel, they made the tail area smaller to make the aircraft more agile. They did the same to the later Sopwith Triplanes. I've only ever flown model Pups and I have to agree that they are easy to fly.

I still want to build that triplane though.

GallopingGhostler

Triplanes always had a bit of mystic about them. When piloted with skill, they are an awesome sight to behold. That goes true for all biplanes, but with the tripes even more so. One not modelled much but of beauty is the Albatross Tripe.

The one biplane that has always caught my eye is the Gloster Gladiator. It was amazing at the start of WW2, how many countries still had it in their air forces. It had a few victories, but was vastly outmoded in the onset. However, it does make for an impressive appearing model with its enclosed cockpit in common wealth sand and spinach colours.

The US had its forerunner of the F4F Wildcat as a bipe, but was rather tubby looking, nothing in beauty as compared with the Gladiator. I've heard it nicknamed "Gladys".

mgnostic

The book "Germany's Triplane Craze" by Jack Herris has some info on the Albatros triplane. It looks like pretty much every German manufacturer tried their hand at a triplane. Some like the Pfalz Dr.II had potential but other companies look like they were just phoning it in. Lot's of opportunities to build something unusual though

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

The Pfalz Dr.II was a good looking airplane. For a time I looked at some of the quadruple wing aircraft like the Armstrong Whitworth F.K10 and the Naglo D.11. The Naglo D.11 was nice looking, you could see the Albatross influence, but I think I would have left off the bottom wing and made a Triplane out of it.

David John Davis

While taking the dog for her walk at about 07.00, I heard a cuckoo! I just had to put Frederik Delius's "On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring" onto the gramophone once we'd reached home! The lizards have been active in and around my footpath for several days now and the temperature is forecast to reach 22C tomorrow! Spring at last!

David John Davis

While taking the dog for her walk at about 07.00, I heard a cuckoo! I just had to put Delius's "On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring" onto the gramophone once we'd reached home! The lizards have been active in and around my footpath for several days now and the temperature is forecast to reach 22C tomorrow!

Spring at last!

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I see you have reach the point in old age where you repeat yourself.

We have had rain all week, the ground is saturated. The flying field will need a few days of sun to dry out.

David John Davis

It looks like I've missed the BUSA triplane kit too. I was always brought up to be cautious with money and wanted to wait until 3rd May when I could be sure that my pension was in the bank, before paying for the kit, but the advert has been withdrawn from the site so it's probably been sold. When you snooze you lose! 150€ was a very reasonable price for the kit. They're well over 400€ here if you can find one.

Looking at it another way, I've saved myself 150€ and I won't have to build two Fokker triplanes now!

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I built the VK kit it isn't a bad kit but you don't want one too old, the stringers get brittle and the spruce turns rock hard. I tossed the plastic turtleback and decked it with balsa.

David John Davis

There's a Flair Fokker Triplane on a well-known auction site but I think I'll give it a miss. The David Hurrell triplane is much more true to scale.

David John Davis

I sold two kits, and an engine to a club-mate yesterday, partly to clear the decks, partly to fund the 1/4 scale triplane project. The kits were a 1/6 scale Fokker VII and a 1/6 scale BE2e and the engine was a red Irvine 40, black carburettor, made In England.

It's a public holiday here in France today, I'm going flying, practising for La Coupe Des Barons.

mgnostic

If those are your culls, your keepers must be pretty impressive.

David John Davis

At seventy-five, and having lost so many friends and relatives recently, I have decided to get rid of stuff I don't need and to draw up a bucket list of models I want to build. In fact there is only one model left that I'd like to build before my number's up, the 1/4 scale Fokker Triplane. I have a Laser 160 V Twin for it. So I am prepared to dispose of the following for the price of the shipping:

1. An Irvine 36, cosmetically in poor condition but it runs very well. The only reason I am getting rid of it is that I have three other Irvines, an SC and an Enya 50 all of which could do the same job as the 36 or a better one. I could be tempted to part with an Irvine 39 in immaculate condition but at a price!
2. An Enya 35 r/c new in box. It has been mounted in a model but I don't think it's ever been started. Two cylinder heads and silencer.
3. An Enya 15 r/c in as new condition, no box or papers.
4. An Enya 45 r/c well used but runs. The front of the starboard mounting lug is broken so that there are only three mounting holes in the lugs. Usable as is or repairable. Two silencers.
5. A Cox 0.49 or perhaps it's one of plethora of copies made by different American companies under licence. There's nothing on the engine to confirm that it's a Cox. This one has an exhaust ring and a little pipe. The spinner is anodised blue and it has a red and aluminium fuel tank. It was siezed by castor oil but I warmed it up with a heat gun and it turns.

I am getting rid of stuff in case the Grim Reaper calls prematurely. I don't want my nearest and dearest to have to throw these engines into a skip! Pictures of the Irvine, the Cox and the Enya 45 below.

Any takers?

mgnostic

The bottom motor is indeed a Cox .049. The red bit on the tank is an aftermarket tank extension. The original tank is fine for control line but a bit more capacity was nice for R/C.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

David,
if I had a way to ship them without costing a fortune I would take you up on the Enya engines, I love them. A number of years back I lucked into a NIB .46 4C both 2 cycle and 4 cycle engines were good and reliable. I have never owned a Irving but they have a great reputation.

David John Davis

My first r/c engine was an Irvine 20 car racing engine. I was given it because some kid could not get it to start and had damaged it. After many years of of owning unreliable British motorcycles getting it to run was a doddle! I fitted it into something called a "St Leonard's Models Galaxy." This was a 50" (1.27 metres) wingspan trainer. It was too hot for me so I took out the radio and engine and installed them into a Junior 60 vintage model. I learned to fly with that. Years later I built another Galaxy but electric powered this time just to prove that I could now fly one! I soon found it too boring for words and gave it to a clubmate.

I copied the above post onto a section of a well-known social media website which brings together people with an interest in glow motors. A man from British Columbia wants them but curiously he wants me to send them to an address in Washington State. I note that there is an international border between BC and WA so I was wondering whether the bloke lived in Canada but worked in the USA and if so whether this was a common practice.

Oh and Mike, I know exactly what you mean about Enya engines, I've owned several and they were all very reliable and easy to use once run in, but there's the rub! Ken Enya continued with cast iron pistons in cast iron bores long after other manufacturers had moved on. What's more, Enya silencers are not very effective so the 2-4 hour running-in process was rather noisy! Not perhaps a factor if you live in the Great North Woods but it's something of a problem in more urban areas. Besides, I hate the sound of a noisy two stroke! That said my favourite two stroke engine is my Enya 50 fitted with a genuine Enya Q Silencer. I must build that Super Kaos Junior which has been sitting on a shelf for far too long. It would go well in that!

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

It is a common practice, by sending it to an address in the USA (Usually a friend or relative's house) and drive them over the border himself he avoids having to pay import duty. I have sold stuff to Canadians in the past that did the same thing.

David John Davis

Talking of Canadians, forty-five years ago I was on my World Tour and in a laundrette in San Franciso. Having ridden a motor cycle almost coast to coast, I was washing my clothes before flying on to Australia. There were four other people in the laundrette: a couple in their thirties and two rather prim and proper elderly ladies. Judging by the dryness of the couple's skin I would have said that they were both heroin users, leastways, the elderly ladies looked at them in a disapproving manner! After they'd left, the ladies noticed the small Union Flag on my back pack and they asked whether I was British. I replied that I was and they explained that they were Canadians who had retired to San Franciso for the sake of their health because the climate was milder than where they came from. It was foggy and chucking it down with rain outside! They turned out to be sisters and as I left one of them said to me,

"Young man, you are better off under the British Flag!"

I suppose that depends upon where on the income spectrum you are but if you cant afford a washing machine, maybe they were right!

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Reminds me when I commuted to San Francisco on a weekly basis for about year as a software testing consultant. I was staying at the Witcombe Hotel on Market Street and 8th Street. A short walk away was the coolest laundromat/burger joint/bar. On some nights they would have an open mic for comics, poets, and musicians. They had the best burgers.

donnyman

Hi!
Thought I'd drop in to let you know I'm not dead (yet) but still being poked and prodded. I have one major procedure next week and I hope it won't lead to anymore.
meanwhile take care.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I wish you the best of luck Donny!

David John Davis

Nice to hear from you Donny. Best of luck.