RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

I agree with the Aeromaster it is the best size and weight for a .60 size biplane ever, my uncle has got one that has a O.S. 90 Fourstroke on it and the plane and engine are at least 17-20 years old and still flys surperb.

RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

Tinman,
You're definitely lucky to have found a Sportster Bipe. I bought mine built quite a few years ago at an auction, and have flown it a lot. This past fall in some severe wind it had a hard landing that bent the gear (no big deal), but also snapped a spar on the bottom wing.

I've started stripping the covering and will rebuild her, but I sure wish I had a kit for down the road some day. [&o]
Dennis-

RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

GP Super Aeromaster. I had one, built by the master Gale Helms, and foolishly sold it.

Looking for a NIB kit now; without any luck so far. Two pals are at Toledo as we speak, with strict instructions to find one...:D

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RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

There is a NIB Super Aeromaster kit on "FleaBay", even as we speak. It is currently at $103.50. ;)

RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

Thanks, Bob. I missed it. I have been looking every day.

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RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

Found it, Bob. Thanks again.

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RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

I'll throw another old favorite in that you haven't mentioned. Its not in the same catagory as the Lazy Ace or Aeromaster, but the now discontinued Ace 4 dash series (4-40, 4-60, 4-120) bipeplanes were great flying sport airplanes. They were easy to build and were great Kit Bashing models. I still have a 4-60 bipe kit stashed away for someday.......:D

RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

Three years ago I built an Acrostar from an RCM plan I found when I did one of my rare workshop cleanup's. I put an OS 61 FX in the nose and it was fast, aerobatic and landed like a trainer. One of the guys in the club made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and I am now building my forth one. Everyone in our club wants one when they see how it flies. I highly recommend this plan for any bipe lovers.

RE: Aeromaster
 

The Aeromaster is a real classic, I miss mine. I did the top long-bottom short wing combo, for looks more than anything. (I bashed mine into a sorta-scale Great Lakes).

It's a great flyer, if you keep it light; no need to overpower it. And with the stock lower-wing-only ailerons, it does roll slowly ("Stearman-like"). The solution is not necessarily to add ailerons, but use the rudder! It rolls great with a little rudder added in. Also, the Aeromaster does beautiful, predictable snap rolls; I've flown at least five different ones, and they all snap great and come right out where you want them.

Hmm... (wondering where those old plans are).

RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

I've got a GP super sportster bipe and love it. I have flown it for years. Had an ACE 4-60 bipe and liked it too but wore it out rather quickly. You could see the wings flex in a snap roll. Also have a standard Lazy Ace and a hog bipe. The hog is underpowered and the Lazy Ace is overpowered! Anyway, my favorite is the GP sportster.

RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

Anyone out there built a Bucker Jungmeister? I recently purchased a set of RCM plans #738 of a 1/4 scale Bucker Jungmeister designed by Dave Platt and published in 1978. I've been told by long time R/C pilots and full size pilots that the plane is the about the sweetest thing to ever take to the air. They have a ton of history behind them as well. I am surprised by the relative simplicity of the construction and have already begun cutting rib templates and preparing a materials list. I e-mailed Mr. Platt asking if any changes from the plans were needed and he replied within 30 minutes telling me to build as drawn.

RE: PLANS and BIPES: Your Favorites From The Past
 

Being a WWI afficionado I have a lot of types to choose from. Not all make good RC models. Currently building a Fokker D-VII, 49" span. Easiest one f the WWI types because it doesn't have any flying wires. Size will fit in my Ford Ranger fully assembled so will mount the wings permanently. Real airplanes have two wings and some have round engines as well.

There IS my small ABBABIPE...
 

Dear Damifino:

The PIPE here AGAIN...and I ALWAYS like showing off photos...

http://www.biplanes.de/images/daves_...abipe_port.jpg

http://www.biplanes.de/images/daves_...babipe_top.jpg

http://www.biplanes.de/images/daves_.../fot_ora_3.jpg

of my 'flying tribute' to the greatest "mixed-gender" music act of ALL TIME (nearly 400 MILLION recordings sold since 1973)-Scandinavia's ABBA!

This nice one IS "in the hangar" undergoing a thorough REMOVAL of all the OIL SOAKING its structure had during its years of flying from 1983-1985, when it was flown a LOT...it IS going to take QUITE A WHILE before it's "all cleaned up inside" before I can fly it again (somehting like 2005)...but I already have a fully broken-in Saito FA-30 four stroke engine for it, and it HAS appeared at RC fields as far away as Maine, Connecticut, and even (in that LAST photo) at http://mindscraps.com/s/otn/funny/rolling_eyes.gifOLD RHINEBECK AERODROMEhttp://mindscraps.com/s/otn/funny/rolling_eyes.gif!!!

My 1/6th scale Rhinebeck Fleet Finch bipe...built and flown in about the same early 1980s timeframe...

http://www.biplanes.de/images/daves_photos/fleet_3.jpg

...is ALSO in need of restoration, but IT just needs its new and ALSO all-broken-in Saito 56 four stroker installed in ITS nose (THAT requires a new INTAKE system to be fitted-so the Perry 2020 carb I have for it can sit BESIDE the engine, and NOT behind it!)...and a FULL restoration of its elevator surfaces, as well as a GOOD checkout and restoration of the "tail group" as a whole!

The ABBABIPE Jungmeister was built from Gordon Whitehead's plans that appeared in the January 1982 RC Modeler magazine, while the Rhinebeck Fleet was built from the September 1980 AMA magazine plans that had been re-drawn to allow the plan set to build up a VERY close copy of Rhinebeck's Fleet biplane!

I've got the same EXACT planset of the Dave Platt 1/4th scale Jungmeister as you have, Damifino, and I'm hoping to start on one of THOSE...but with COMPOSITE TUBING framing in the fuselage...next Winter.

I've also got the Dave Boddington plans for the AVRO 504 Giant Scale WW I bipe he created plans for some TWENTY years ago (just check at http://www.biplanes.de/show_old_rhinebeck_02.shtml to see how MUCH my German Email buddy LOVES this dear old bird's design), and I hope to soon be ordering a set of plans, number 328, from the AMA magazine that builds up into the Giant Scale Bristol Scout WW I bipe from 1914/15...THAT one was designed by an OLD buddy of mine from twenty years ago, HANK ILTZSCH, and since he and I way back then belonged to the same RC club, I got to see almost the ENTIRE development of that great old plane...but mine's going to be a Bristol Scout C version, instead of the later "D" version the plans actually "build up into"...and I've got Windsock Datafile No.44 to document the changes!

With ALL the CLUTTER around me here at my mother's house (here I am, 46 years old and I'm STILL at home...go figure LOL) from the 15 years I've lived at my current address I've GOT to start getting things "sorted through" so I can get a REAL "modeler's workshop" going, and have at ;east a few MORE planes than "just my old reliable Swizzle Stick"..

http://www.biplanes.de/images/daves_photos/swiz_3.jpg

...to fly when the weather gets NICE (but NOT too HOT) up here in New England in future years!

(That small, 42 inch wingspan Jungmeister of mine is a VERY HONEST aircraft...so "no HORSING it off the ground" on takeoff...and it's been the most AEROBATIC aircraft I've EVER had, so getting IT back into the air for 2005...along with the easy-going Fleet Finch of mine...is going to be a PRIORITY once the clutter is properly dealt with!)

Now if I can only get my pair of FMA Ch.03 Quantum-8 receivers all CASED UP in plastic boxes for usage in that dear ol' Swizzler of mine...just got my GENERAL class Ham license upgrade on Tax Day 2004...and I'm PUMPED UP http://smilies.********.org/contrib/anym/pump.gif to even get THAT "grizzled old Swizzler" up THIS year!

Yours Sincerely,

The PIPE! ;)

RE: There IS my small ABBABIPE...
 

Ballgunner,

The Fokker DVII is my favorite WWI plane. Are you building from plans or a kit? Curious to know what it is.