Thats great news Duane, please let Gaye know how appreciative we all are as fans of Ed Kazmirski.

Hi Duane. Great detective work and perseverance locating Gaye. I sure hope she adds some more little known "Tid-bits" to the KAZ story. Col. Chuck Winter

That would be my hope as well. She has had a health setback, and will require some time to recover, (which explains the delay in her responding), but I hope to keep in touch with her, and learn as much as possible (as she is able).

Duane

Question:

Does anyone know of another large-scale pattern design prior to the Simla? As we know, Simla was designed and built in early 1965. We have what we believe to be very early photos of it dated May 1965. In addition to Ed, some of his airplane buddies, (such as Kurt Dimberg and Les Fruh), built their own large-scale pattern models at the same time...but were there other large pattern designs prior to 1965?

I don't think so. If you have evidence of any large-scale prior to Simla, I'd love to know about it, and hopefully see a picture here.

Thanks

Duane

Hi,

Large-scale patterndesign around 1965 an prior - is it wingspan You think of?

Is about 2 meter / 79 inchor moreconsidered "large" in this context?
[Duane: I edited my post but You managed to quote just before I changed to above - butit made your ansver more clear so in end all was good]

Ed's Simla had first wingspan96 inch (2430 millimeter), later 102 inch/8,5 ft (2590 mm) as far as I have understood, and the Simla replica has 102 inch wingspan - right?

/Bo

Is 170-180 cm / 67-71 inch considered ''large'' in this context? No-larger than 67-71". Ed's Taurus was 70"


Yes to your second figures, I mean 2-meter, (78") or larger. When I talk about "large-scale", I mean something at least as large as the current 2-meter pattern planes or the size of our current FAI models. The Simla was originally 102", (8-1/2 feet or over 2-1/2 meters), later shortened to 96".

It was the first plane I know of to have plug-in wings and adjustable stab, (remember everyone else was holding their wings on with rubber bands back in 1965). Simla was a ground-breaking experimental aircraft way ahead of its time, (and the available engines).

Duane

Hi Duane, actually not a predecessor but a contemporary of Simly might be the [link=http://www.matt-rc.li/englisch/modelle/superdelphin.html]Super Delphin[/link], designed by Fritz Bosch and flown by Wolfgang Matt at the 1967 WC. Since we know that the WC participants and especially Ed and Fritz Bosch discussed their developments, I think it's likely that not only Ed, Les Fruh, and Curt Dimberg concurrently built big models but also other modelers, especially Fritz Bosch since he was an experimenter like Ed.

UStick,

Do You know if it was any drawings made on Super Delphin?
It seems it was developed into the smaller Wolfgang Matt Super Star, wingspan 1600 mm / 63 inch(image below from Simprop catalog 1975).

/Bo
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Sorry Bo, I don't know of any plans. Even that "kit by Fritz Bosch" seems a bit obscure. Maybe he meant kit by Simprop since Fitz Bosch was Simprop's CEO back then. I agree the Super Star looks like a scaled down Super Delphin, but hard to tell without plans. Maybe you find it in an old Simprop catalog?

Bit more Super Delphin info. Dennis Hammant (UK) also flew a large model called King Spectre at the !967 WCs.

Ray

It's nice to know that Fritz may have been influenced by Ed as well, and tried out his own version of the large pattern model. Bosch's model works out to be about 2-meters, (79in); maybe it was an early ancestor of the 2-meter planes to come. Still, Ed was 2 years ahead on the concept, (though Ed's plane proved to be a bit too large in wingspan.

Interestingly, Vic Husak's "King Altair" was also designed about this time, (one of Ed's flying buddies), and the "King" had an 80" wingspan with a low, (instead of mid) wing. The "King" construction article was published in the April issue of Radio Control Modeler, (RCM) magazine. The "King" is a very nice flying plane as well.

SIMLA ARTICLE NEWS: I heard from Model Aviation editor Michael Ramsey, and the Simla article will be featured in the March issue. It will have the fitting title, "Ed Kazmirski's SIMLA". There are no details yet of exactly what material or photos they decided to use and what wasn't used.

Duane

Ray...You've done it again.

I hope they, (the editors), like the concept of including the contributor's photos, and that your handsome "mug" is featured in the final article along with UStik and PIMMNZ. I'll have to check on that.

Duane

I don't know why I didn't do this earlier, (except that we hadn't been in contact for 3 years, and once the Simla Team got started I wanted to wait so he'd be surprised), but today I finally contacted my friend Jim Hamilton about the Simla project. Jim was the person I was referring to way back in post 1144 on page 46:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_76...46/key_/tm.htm

Jim and I had a lot of catching up to do since our very first (ill-fated) attempt to re-create Ed's Simla. This is going to "blow his mind", maybe we can get him to comment about his own feelings back from our short-lived attempt in 2007.

Duane

Bo, UStik, Wolfgang credits the Super Delfin (developed from the Delfin, crashed at an earlier WC) as the inspiration behind 'Superstar'. The 'SS1' article in an early RCM&E indicates that
Ssuperstar was a smaller, cleaned up Super Delfin. Seems that the same problem of getting enough power to fly the larger airframes was common. My best guess is that, for the europeans at least, the FAI engine size limits tended to restrict the model sizes that could be competitive, and as the FAI ran the Worlds, then everyone competing had this restriction, hence the proliferation of the 60", .60 engine models.
Evan

























.r

check this one out on the image base. It states 1967....????

http://www.trentonrcflyers.com/patte...yDavePlatt.jpg

Really "unique" looking plane...it looks about 2-meter size, (about the same size as the "King" which was actually designed about the same time as the Simla). Kaz still is the leader with the Simla in early 1965.

Dave Gierke designed a great big 80 inch model called the Raven about 1968.
Chris...

Don't know if the "Raven" was a "pattern-job" or not, but that's what I'm looking for...to see if there was a large-scale, (approx 80" wingspan) pattern plane designed prior to Ed's Simla in early 1965. I don't think there was.

Duane

Chris,

I think you may be referring to the "Brazen Raven" by Dave Gierke. Published in May 1971 Flying Models. Or was there an earlier version?

Ray

Here's an interesting shot I came across in the 1962 MAN Annual. Seems to be the Orion/Taurus link design (the "Flop") mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. Sorry about the ugly line down the middle but it was printed across two pages.

According to the caption this is, dare I say it, the "Oldest Taurus on Earth"

Happy Christmas to all our readers

Ray

Thanks Ray, this really is a Christmas gift!

Ahh, yes-The famous 'Flop'. there had to be another piccie of it. And Ray is just the guy to find it. Good find, now go and have Chrissie, merry xmas to all...
Evan.

Hi,

At least I found the "Mini Delphin" (wingspan 143 cm / 56.3 inch)in Simprop catalog 1973. Maybe there isa Delphin or Super Delphin in earlier Simprop cataloges - I will keep searching.

/Bo

Some more Delphin info from RCM&E August 1966.

Ray

Hi Ray,
You know it may have been that late but the picture in your post is not of the airplane I'm remembering. It was a low wing trike geared, elliptical winged model with a typical Gierke super paint job and finish.
Chris...