VK Navajo???
 

Does anyone remember the old VK line with the Navajo that looked like Cessna. Every Navajo I've ever seen were Piper twins. Could that be why it was not around long? The Cherokee looked like the Piper, but i never understood the reason behind A Piper name on a Cessna look. Does anyone know if the Navajo was a nice flier? I never seen one in the air but I have seen a few on web pages from the past. Even those pages have little to say about them. I have the plans from a kit an giving some serious thought to ressurecting one. Maybe its time.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

Now 43 years later I still remember the VK Navajo as absolutely the worst kit I ever bought.
It was worse than the Sterling Kits of that era - and they gave birth to the term "die crunched"!
Why bad? wood selection, and many of the parts were too little to trim down to the size
required. It was so bad I called VK once to tell them what a lousy kit it was - but there was not answer.
It lasted four flights, the old F&M radio quit - again. Down elevator, no control, from high enough
for me to think "I hate that bleeping airplane anyway" before it hit. . Total loss.
Yep - still at it!

RE: VK Navajo???
 

Eloy,

So a VK kit was/is worse than a Sterling kit? And I thought Sterling kits were the worst of the bunch! This is bad news indeed. I have a NIB VK Corben Super Ace that I was planning to build sooner or later (probably later), and will be using OS .40FS for it. The Corben Super Ace is a just loverly aircraft, but......a lousy kit is a lousy kit, even if the subject is nice.

Doug  

RE: VK Navajo???
 

Here's link to a guy building a VK Navajo as a floatplane.
He's doing a great job..
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1762112

RE: VK Navajo???
 

I guess we all have different definitions of a lousey kit. I have built the VK Cherokee 60, Sopwith Camel. Nieuport 17 and the Corbin Super Ace. All are/were great flying airplanes. While the WWII planes were "builders' kits" they were not bad in any sense. The Cherokee and the Corbin were were straightforward balsa kits no more difficult to construct than a Sig, Goldberg or Top Flite kit.
JMHO,
Walt

PS I'd LOVE to get my hands on a Navajo (VK version of course)

RE: VK Navajo???
 

I have the plans an looking them over there should be nothing touchy about the handling of this plane. I looked over the build an it seems to follow the plans I am looking at. Nice size an easy power setup. Of course my build will be from scratch, but I believe I could make a few changes with no effect on the design.
I flew the Nieuport 17 decades ago an my personal feeling is that it was not much more than a high shoulder trainer. Not difficult to fly but not an areobatic child either. Some what tame compared to most planes of the day. I think I could easily say an RCM Trainer is far an away a better plane in all respects.
I still am confused over the name, I did a search an still nothing came up in Cessna style as a Navajo. Hopefully from the factory knows more.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

The VK Challenger is a smaller version of the Navajo. Maybe there is no reason for the name other than V.K. liked it.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

He (Vern Krehbiel) must have had the need for speed, since one of his earlier kits was the Mach 1, which was followed by a smaller version call the Compact.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

Missed that on the first read: the full scale Navajo is a PIPER. I think JFK Jr went down in one, either that or a Saratoga.
Walt

PS agree on the Nieuport and the Camel. Both fly like high wing trainers. Like the full scale ones, they'll loop,roll, do immelmans and split esses, but that's about all.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

Oh yeah, and cool chandelles.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

I have one built in 1969 but never quite finished. I plan to fly it. It has a 14.5% semi-symmetric airfoil, very little dihedral, nicely proportioned barn door ailerons; the stab has a symmetric airfoil about 0-0 with the wing; the engine has considerable downthrust. Projected weight is about 6 lbs, maybe less, with 675 sq. in.

Looks like a perfectly good sport model with quite a lot of capability to me. The RCG thread referenced above is really excellent, and someone else joined in and has already flown his. Sounded like he was fairly inexperienced and found it to be more capable than he expected and not so trainer-like as it might look.

I expect with good power it could be a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Jim

RE: VK Navajo???
 

I had been looking for a kit for years with no luck until last month. I was at our local hobby shop when one of the guys who flies with me asked if he could have the keys to my van as he a something he had to leave in it for me. It was a NIB Navajo kit he bought me as a present for building him a plane last winter that I didn't charge him for doing. I'm looking forward to building it one day now.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

Ron,

That's PGA Hobbies? I'm in Southern MD right now and probably will make a stop there on my way north to Newark. I have the earlier Challenger plans and a kit. They are basically the same airplane with subtle changes.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

It's GPA Hobbies and they just replaced their manager who was not a R/C modeler with a old employee who is. Big changes coming for all the local modelers at GPA.

RE: VK Navajo???
 

Uh yeah, that's right. Spent too much time in West Palm Beach! ;o)

Finally I have bought my drawings by a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain. 194 cm wing. Up to 2 x 40 2 stroke can put in 60 or convert to EL. you also get short kit of this sign ingested, there are 2 x large drawings and a manual that describes it :) The drawings are very good, is not for a novice when comes to construction, but the model is easy to build but you must have some experience with construction :)


Happy Me: D

Sounds nice, but it's got nothing to do with a VK Navajo. The VK is not a scale model of anything and certainly not a Piper.

Mine is framed up, covered and primed, but it is in line behind a couple of other projects. Later this year or next.

Jim

I think the Navajo was loss when VK Models was sold to Proctor. I have a scanned copy of the 11 page 1976 VK catalog talking about it. Span was 64" recommended engine was a .40 to .46.. From the description it was patterned after the Cessna 150 but not particularly scale. Send me your email in a PM and I will forward the catalog. I was always interested in the 65" Cherokee but it's gone too. The Cherokee was described as "Semi-scale" the same would apply to the Navajo.

Mach I - An ungainly looking shoulder wing multi that featured a cavern for the radio.
Compact - Reduced size Mach I for single channel
Cherokee - Scale like multi for pattern and sport flying
Cherokee Babe - Same as above but scaled down for smaller engines
Corben Super Ace - Sport scale.

Some laser cutters are offering short kits for some of these.

I thought you were taking pictures in my basement. But I only have kits for the Mach 1 and both sizes of the Cherokee. I just reproduced the plans for the Babe and plan to scratch build it for a E-Flite Power 15 and a 4S pack. A trip to a hobby shop with the plans in hand where they actually have balsa is something of a novelty these days.

Now that I think of it, VK kits were quite a mixed bag. I think the WWI scale models were brilliant. Not easy to build, but way more accurate than the BUSA kits are now, and they were strong and light. They build into great looking, good flying models. The Navajo and Challenger are just OK, a little clunky looking compared to the elegant Cessnas that probably inspired them; I don't know how they fly. The Cherokees don't look much like Pipers, but they were good sport models.

Flew a Challenger on rudder, elevator and motor years ago. It was a very easy and aerobatic flyer.

Would you know who is cutting the short kit the larger Cherokee? All I can find is the Cherokee Babe.

Nah, farmed them off Ebay listings. I have the Cherokee kit, a Cherokee Babe that needs a refurb, a Challenger kit, plans and some parts for the Mach I and Compact. I had the Corben years ago; it was a nice flyer but could be goofy on take off. It seems the wing blanks out the vertical fin and rudder making it squirelly if lifted off too early.

Right now I'm working on the VK Fokker DR.1 kit. I received a partially built kit from a friend on this forum. All it cost was reimbursing him for the postage and even that was my idea not his. The project original owner had passed away (in his 80s) and he already had a Triplane and he knew I really wanted it. It's fun building a stick frame fuselage again. I had bought a Fourmost miter sander sometime back and it is coming in handy. Here is what it looks like.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXG876&P=M

I am thinking now of going back and ordering the angle sanding blocks.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJVA4