Guys,
I did a search but could not find the thread that I remember reading on the old RCU about a guy that was building a very large turbine powered SR-71 plug in his basement. Does anyone remember this thread or plane? I would love to hear how far along the plane is. Also, I am wondering if anyone knows a fellow by the name of Cliff or Chris Christianson (spelling?), I remember being at the Woodland, CA jet fly-in back in '93?, he had a fiberglass fuselage on display. I would love to get ahold of one of those fuselages. I would love to have a single engined Hot Spot sized SR-71. I will post a couple of pictures of me holding the fuselage. Just let me dig them up.

Does the name Chris Cambell from Missouri ring a bell with anyone? I have heard he is building a large one, but I am not sure if this is the one that I am referring to. The builder of the plane that I am seeking is documenting his building progress on his website. It is the website address that I am looking for.

His name is Lance Cambell , here is his web site.

http://www.mmrca.org/lance/


William

Wow thats awsome.
Does anyone know where that SR-71 stands right know as far as completion. It was more than a couple months ago that the site was updated.
Rusty

Well, I figured the cat would get out of the bag sooner or later here.

Even with a few months between updates, progress continues every week down in the shop. This is just a massive undertaking. In a week or so, I should have the next segment up, which involves detail work on the wing tips and outboard elevator. I've got those 3 pieces primed and sanded, and am now applying the panel lines and corrugations that are in certain sections of the airfoil. After another coat of primer over them, and sanded back down, I'll have my first 3 parts ready to try to make some molds off of them.

I thought it best to learn the mold release, mold making process on a few of my smaller pieces, instead of putting the big fuse plug at risk that has taken 1 and a half years to construct.

Timetable when this beast will be done..... I have no idea... I just know that I get 15+ hours a week done on it, and it will be done, when it's done.

Thanks, to those that have been droping by keeping tabs on the project..... 2 years in so far, and still having fun.

Lance

Cliff Christenson lived in Chico and has built a number of large scale models. I used to go up from Sacramento and fly my Byron Kfir at their flying field. He was a meticulous builder and his pet project was going to be the SR-71. He was raising a family and was in and out of model building for a number of years. I last talked with him at Woodland in '96 or '97 where he told me he had just finished a 12' non-flying static model of the P3 Orion. I have since lost track of him since that time. Hope that helps.

Roy

Excellent!! Perfect!! That's exactly the project that I was looking to continue following. I had lost the web address. My hat's off to Mr. Campbell!! Also, thanks for the update Molar Mender, that's the guy I was seeking. Here are some pics of that Jet meet in Woodland that I was referring to. Do you know if Cliff would/is still offering the fuselages for sale. I would love to have one. I think it would be awesome to have a turbine ( say, P-120?) centrally mounted in the rear like a Hotspot.

last two

Lance,

Great work, man! I'm doing some large projects myself, and know what you're going through. You seem to have the ingredient in your personality which will make this project a success... Patience!

Great job on your initial thoughts on alignment, your rotatable stand, etc.. Looking forward to updates, and of course the eventual flights. Looks to me like you'll have a real beauty when you're done. BIG=GOOD!

I'm Cliff Christensen. I'm surprised that any one can even remember back that far! I live in the San Diego area and have for the past 5 years. I'm still building jets, the latest project is a 1/8 scale U-2. That makes the wing span about 156 inches. I've done a lot of research and am just now preparing to make the mold. I hope to make it my first turbine. The SR-71 that I made a few years ago is back in the R&D mode. I built the plane from some plans that I got some years ago and was never really happy with the end result, so I've been making the changes and hope to mold in the near future. Even though San Diego is a great place to live, I've yet to find a good place to fly jets(I'm not military).

Thank you sir! Yes I did hang on to the memory of seeing that SR-71 fuselage in Woodland. My favorite jet and I start drooling every time I look at those pictures. Please let us all know when work resumes on the SR-71, as I am sure I am not the only one that would love to get their hands on your plane. Thank you RCU!! I have been seeking all the above information for quite awhile now. All I had to do was get off my lazy butt and post my questions and ALL of them were answered. I love it when a plan goes through!! (A-Team)