Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
03-31-2005, 01:47 PM
#1
Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
Back in the early 90s, when practically everyone in our Atlanta RC club was still flying pattern aircraft, there was a guy that built and flew a FK Speeda. I think it was a FK glass and foam version of the Blue Angel. What a beautiful aircraft! It had an OS 61 SF ABC pumper long stroke engine with a pipe for power and trike Spring Air retracts. It was super fast and so graceful, with incredibly large loops and could do a slow roll from horizon to horizon. I loved that design but try as I may I could not get a kit from the US distributor, Mutchler’s hobbies located in Corydon, Indiana. I had one on back order for many months and finally in mid 1992 gave up and ordered a Great Planes Tiporare from Tower for $180 with shipping. Later on I ordered an OS 61SF ABC Pumper long stroke #17712, a pipe and header and a Sullivan flex mount to go with it.
By 1992, competitive pattern flying with Tiporare class rocket ships had decreased, but I didn’t care because I loved the way these aircraft flew and considered them the zenith of pattern aircraft design. Apparently there are many that agree with me because Tiporare class kits on ebay sell very well and demand premium prices. I’ve also seen post on RCU about flyers whishing that the SPA would create a venue for flying these ballistic missiles.
I started building the kit right away and by August, the build was moving along pretty well only to be interrupted by our relocation to Iowa. Iowa has a super great winter building season that last at least ten months or more, so when we got settled in I had a lot of snowy cold days to work on the Tiporare.
I made pretty good progress on the Tiporare in Iowa. The wing was sheeted, joined, the center section glassed and the stab, rudder, and the Spring Air trike gear installed. By May of 1994 we had paid or dues in snow and ice country and were given the gift of returning to Atlanta.
During the summer and winter of 1994 I got the fuselage and wing center section painted and the wing, stab and rudder Monokoted. By mid 1995 the OS 61 and radio gear was installed and it was almost ready for flight. At that point, much to my dismay the yellow Perfect Paint demons attacked my beautiful white Perfect Paint and turned it ugly YELLOW. Not so perfect! The white (now yellow) paint was used as the base color on the fuselage, wing center section and main gear wheel wells. Disheartened, I removed the un-started engine, radio and retracts. Sadly, I let the Tiporare collect dust in the shop until I was recently using some Top Flite LustreKote, MonoKote matching paint, on my Howard Engineering Kwik Fli III build ( http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/Howa...2434444/tm.htm ). I did some research on the white LustreKote paint and discovered that it did not yellow. I had the paint solution I needed and it was time to get the Tiporare airborne! The first order of business was ordering a new Futaba 9C Super PCM radio with digital servos and some white LustreKote. The first radio installation used Futaba S148 BB servos so the digitals should drop right in.
My reason for starting this thread is to provide the RCU forum with some information on the pattern rocket ships of the late 80s and hopefully get some inspiration from those of you that flew/fly and love these airships.
Image of the Tiporare with yellow/white paint before starting my paint work and the 1991 Great Plans catalog showing the Tiporare, IIIusion and Dirty Birdy 60.
To be continued…
By 1992, competitive pattern flying with Tiporare class rocket ships had decreased, but I didn’t care because I loved the way these aircraft flew and considered them the zenith of pattern aircraft design. Apparently there are many that agree with me because Tiporare class kits on ebay sell very well and demand premium prices. I’ve also seen post on RCU about flyers whishing that the SPA would create a venue for flying these ballistic missiles.
I started building the kit right away and by August, the build was moving along pretty well only to be interrupted by our relocation to Iowa. Iowa has a super great winter building season that last at least ten months or more, so when we got settled in I had a lot of snowy cold days to work on the Tiporare.
I made pretty good progress on the Tiporare in Iowa. The wing was sheeted, joined, the center section glassed and the stab, rudder, and the Spring Air trike gear installed. By May of 1994 we had paid or dues in snow and ice country and were given the gift of returning to Atlanta.
During the summer and winter of 1994 I got the fuselage and wing center section painted and the wing, stab and rudder Monokoted. By mid 1995 the OS 61 and radio gear was installed and it was almost ready for flight. At that point, much to my dismay the yellow Perfect Paint demons attacked my beautiful white Perfect Paint and turned it ugly YELLOW. Not so perfect! The white (now yellow) paint was used as the base color on the fuselage, wing center section and main gear wheel wells. Disheartened, I removed the un-started engine, radio and retracts. Sadly, I let the Tiporare collect dust in the shop until I was recently using some Top Flite LustreKote, MonoKote matching paint, on my Howard Engineering Kwik Fli III build ( http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/Howa...2434444/tm.htm ). I did some research on the white LustreKote paint and discovered that it did not yellow. I had the paint solution I needed and it was time to get the Tiporare airborne! The first order of business was ordering a new Futaba 9C Super PCM radio with digital servos and some white LustreKote. The first radio installation used Futaba S148 BB servos so the digitals should drop right in.
My reason for starting this thread is to provide the RCU forum with some information on the pattern rocket ships of the late 80s and hopefully get some inspiration from those of you that flew/fly and love these airships.
Image of the Tiporare with yellow/white paint before starting my paint work and the 1991 Great Plans catalog showing the Tiporare, IIIusion and Dirty Birdy 60.
To be continued…
03-31-2005, 09:48 PM
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RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
I'd have flown it as it was. Waiting 13 years isn't really my style. (I'm living proof of why ARF's are popular.)
04-01-2005, 07:36 AM
#4
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RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
Mike you going to Buff's this weekend? Looks like we'll get blown away on Sat with 20-30 mph winds. I was going down there today for some practice but looks like that'll be a wash out.
04-01-2005, 10:06 AM
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RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
I am very close to posting picks of my refurbished Arrow pattern plane with supertiger .61 rear exaust and retracts. Complete strip and redo. It probably took 3 months. the servo installation has been tough because of the design leaves very little room. A lot of room is taken by the pipe and fuse is narrow. I love the retracts though. I hope to fly it Saturday or Sunday.
04-01-2005, 07:52 PM
#6
RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
ORIGINAL: cstewa
I am very close to posting picks of my refurbished Arrow pattern plane with supertiger .61 rear exaust and retracts. Complete strip and redo. It probably took 3 months. the servo installation has been tough because of the design leaves very little room. A lot of room is taken by the pipe and fuse is narrow. I love the retracts though. I hope to fly it Saturday or Sunday.
I am very close to posting picks of my refurbished Arrow pattern plane with supertiger .61 rear exaust and retracts. Complete strip and redo. It probably took 3 months. the servo installation has been tough because of the design leaves very little room. A lot of room is taken by the pipe and fuse is narrow. I love the retracts though. I hope to fly it Saturday or Sunday.
The new white paint job on the Tipo turned out super!
04-03-2005, 09:22 AM
#9
RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
ORIGINAL: jpurcha
Wasn't the tiporare just a modified curare?
Wasn't the tiporare just a modified curare?
04-04-2005, 08:38 PM
#10
RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
The Tiporare has legs! After many years the Tiporare is again settled on its Spring Air gear. Painted the wheel wells with flat black to cover up the white paint that had yellowed. Spent more time polishing the fuselage paint and it’s looking pretty good now. The main gear and nose gear are installed and plumbed. Used the ball chain trick to pull the air lines and servo leads through the wing passages. The two digital Futaba S9252 servos are installed in the wing.
04-05-2005, 05:11 PM
#11
RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
I thought it sounded like a nice tune. "Long way to Tiporare". It looks to much like Hanno Prettner's Curare, not to be influenced by this world winning design. Saw a few Curare's at the Canadian Nationals in 1978. Not to mention saturns (Ivan Kristensen) and dirty birdys.
What does the under side of the fuselage look like?
It's 12 degrees celsius today, and the snow has practically disappeared. If the weather keeps up, flying might start again in the next couple of weeks.
What does the under side of the fuselage look like?
It's 12 degrees celsius today, and the snow has practically disappeared. If the weather keeps up, flying might start again in the next couple of weeks.
04-05-2005, 07:16 PM
#12
RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
ORIGINAL: jpurcha
I thought it sounded like a nice tune. "Long way to Tiporare". It looks to much like Hanno Prettner's Curare, not to be influenced by this world winning design. Saw a few Curare's at the Canadian Nationals in 1978. Not to mention saturns (Ivan Kristensen) and dirty birdys.
What does the under side of the fuselage look like?
It's 12 degrees celsius today, and the snow has practically disappeared. If the weather keeps up, flying might start again in the next couple of weeks.
I thought it sounded like a nice tune. "Long way to Tiporare". It looks to much like Hanno Prettner's Curare, not to be influenced by this world winning design. Saw a few Curare's at the Canadian Nationals in 1978. Not to mention saturns (Ivan Kristensen) and dirty birdys.
What does the under side of the fuselage look like?
It's 12 degrees celsius today, and the snow has practically disappeared. If the weather keeps up, flying might start again in the next couple of weeks.
I’m installing the radio gear and the wing is off, but here are some images of the bottom. No gear doors of fancy stuff like that! It does look like Hanno Prettner's Curare but I don’t know the history of how it came about other than I think it was Prettner's next variant of the Curare design. Maybe one of the pattern experts can give us the history of the Tipo design.
Good news on the snow melt!
To be continued…
04-06-2005, 03:36 PM
#14
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RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
Dick Hanson designed the 'Tipo'. I think you can still get the plans.
The Magic was Prettner's ultimate pattern ship - at least in terms of complexity - flaps, airbrakes, variable pitch prop. He did a '180' after the Magic and designed the Calypso to move pattern in a less complex direction.
I wish he still competed [
]. Pattern seems to in an expensive direction, but the equipment sure is great.
Happy flying,
Will B.
The Magic was Prettner's ultimate pattern ship - at least in terms of complexity - flaps, airbrakes, variable pitch prop. He did a '180' after the Magic and designed the Calypso to move pattern in a less complex direction.
I wish he still competed [
]. Pattern seems to in an expensive direction, but the equipment sure is great.Happy flying,
Will B.
04-06-2005, 08:43 PM
#15
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RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
ORIGINAL: 8178
It does look like Hanno Prettner's Curare but I don’t know the history of how it came about other than I think it was Prettner's next variant of the Curare design. Maybe one of the pattern experts can give us the history of the Tipo design.
It does look like Hanno Prettner's Curare but I don’t know the history of how it came about other than I think it was Prettner's next variant of the Curare design. Maybe one of the pattern experts can give us the history of the Tipo design.
04-10-2005, 07:19 PM
#18
RE: Great Planes Tiporare – Thirteen Year Build
After a lot of hand wringing on how to create a removable loop in the main fuel line, for fueling the tank, I came up with these ideas and settled on the brass loop. That’s the right hand image below. The main fuel line from the tank will project out from behind the engine flex mount, connect to the loop and then another line will go back to the pump. The loop will be easily accessible behind the engine. I didn’t have much luck bending the brass tubing into a loop, so I cut up three pieces and hi-temp sliver soldered it together in a loop. After cleaning and polishing the outside of the loop I ran it through a ultrasonic cleaner a few times to make sure the inside of the tube was clean and pressure tested it under water.
To be continued…
To be continued…