A friend of mine once said that these turbine things are "just a flash in the pan". Well tomorrow Im going flying 'Old School'. I finished this plane when I was 14, could not get dad to ever work on it. Well around now would be it's tenth birthday. So tomorrow it will fly again!!!! Just got done ground running the engine, and all systems are "go".

Some specs are:
O.S. .91
Byron fan
BVM mixture control
24 oz tank with 2 oz hopper
#5 Byron pipe
rossi offset header
BVM pipe coupler system
Spring Air gear
Dubro wheels
Old Futaba servos
grass brakes
sloppy steering
Tape fixed rudder to prevent flutter
Dual elevator servos with one piece yoke
Lots of nyrod

I hope to get some more photos tomorrow of this great bird.

I had three of them, it's still one of the greatest models ever made.
Want to go REAL nostalgic? Put in fixed gear, Futaba G-style servos, a Byron Sure-flow tank system, and a side-exhaust Webra 60 with no pipe!

What a trooper you are Dustin! LOL

I remember my dad's as one guy would run with his hand on the top of the fin to help it off the ground! LOL Pretty crazy, but it worked.

Good luck, lets see some video of the flight(s) tomorrow?!!

I've got one of those too! I bought it at the Liberty Bell Jet Rally last year, and was gonna refinish it....Came complete with OS. 91, Byron Fan, servos, etc......
One of these days its gonna fly again!
Good Luck with it....
Blair

Hey,I just flew one of those two weeks ago to get my turbine waiver sign off

I first saw one of those at the field when I was like 13 in the mid eighties, and decided to do anything necessary to scrape the $1000 or so up to get one going. Of course I dident even know how to fly very well yet let alone make $1k

I remember drooling over the Byron catalog for hours. And that wonderfully complex sure- flow- Byron whatever fuel system.
And their fan system with " Unobstructed air flow"

Really high tech stuff....

All the old Byron stuff flew great. I had a Mig 15, Sabre & 16.. Rossi .81 and good times. We even went to the show at Byrons HQ in IDA GROVE (1986).. How fun that was..

DA

That was the first jet I ever flew!
Great memories just like my first girlfriend!

It is a strange thing.
Here in England years ago, when a turbine flew everyone stopped and watched.
Now when a DF starts up and flys.....everyone stops and watches.. what goes around comes around

I still have fond memories of DF, i flew them as far back as 1978, but i would not go back to them now...turbines rule..[sm=thumbup.gif]

Well it flew twice today!!! Both flights with zero maintenance. The best part was I got to relive many characteristics of the old byron planes, here is the list;

A take off that reminds me of "the little engine who could" I think I can, I think I can.....
Horizontal stab flutter, ah no big deal it will go away when it slows down...
Engine missing, then realizing it's actually too rich... go figure.
The nasty inverted suction durring rolls.

All in all it was a fun day, and the old plane will go back in storage for a few more years.

That's the delusion, though. You get in two good flights with no maintainance, and get complacent...next flight will be a blown plug or pipe coupler...
At least with the Byron F-16, you can get it down from almost any attitude safely. What a great bird.
"Unobstructed air flow?" Yeah, SURE! Except for the tank, nosegear, servos, pipe, engine, throttle linkage, etc, etc....

Dont forget the photos! ( before you put it away....)

Sorry too late, I didn't take any photos. It's already put away, is there any specific photo you would like. (install) I didn't have time, I kept getting TX's handed to me. Thanks guys! I only took a break for lunch. P.S. it's funny to hear people squirm when you take their scaled out spitfire inverted down the runway...... Thanks Chuck!

Nothing in particular, just dont see many anymore...........Have fun....