I've read your comments in oter threads and have no doubt she's a great flyer stock. I'm not a scale purist either and don't get up a lather like: "the tire tread pattern was all wrong, and those lugs!....pleeeeze!"

But I would like to get the plane to look like the photos I've seen of the real thing in the air.

Two main things:

Get the wing where it';s supposed to be,

and the incidence to get it flying with the fuse more parallel to the ground. I've noticed from pictures the Dynaflight squatting a lot. I like the tail up look.

I will do a build thread I think

I thought about the wings when I was building my own, but I just do not know enough about building to take any chances. I have heard from people that say that if you want a great 1/5 scale SE5 that you should buy the FunAero, I did purchase thier Albatros DIII, for almost twice the price, and half the hardware, no decals, control rods, hinges, and spotty instruction manual. It is a good kit though, and I look forward to flying it (almost finished) but for 119.00 I think the Dynaflite is a winner.

FunAero has their own scale problems if you ask me, maybe worse. Look at these two photos of the nose and note the prop placement and radiator detail. Original and model.

The original SE5a also had engines that mounted with the prop exiting the lower area, I forget the name of the engine but I have seen photos of them. With the FunAero you can mount your engine inverted to put the shaft out the top or right side up as the photo shows and put it lower. The Dynaflite also has cutouts in both locations for mounting. A good reference is the Chilian Air Force, they used many SE5s in the late teens and through the 20's. I dont have the web site handy, but you can do a search. I really have to say that the FunAero is overpriced for the kit you get, in thier 1/4 scale the BalsaUSA looks just as good (only my opinion) and is 100.00, and comes with much better documentation, hardware etc. I have thier Fokker DVII and am very impressed with the kit so far(have only looked longingly at the parts, have not started the kit, I do however have a 4 stroke conversion flight tested and ready for the plane but thats another story)

By the way, I believe that picture is of a 7/8 scale replica, notice the cub-like cylider heads poking out the side.

The correct position is slightly below centerline of cowl. The furaero is ridiculosly low, almost exiting the bottom edge. Here are all original SE5As: My German drawings of a captured SE confirm the placing.

BTW, from those drawings, I have computed your wing separation should be at exactly 10.4 inches. I'm just guessing they have it at what, 11 1/2 or 12?

I have SOOOOOO MUCH information on the SE5a.. !! I'm building a Scale Masters quality SE5a so I have had to do a lot of research. There are several sources for the info on the plane. Windsock specials and squadron publications to name a few. There are two different engines used on the plane depending on when it was built. Each engine is distinct in its location with regard to the radiator. One is low, as pictured in the previous posts and the other Higher. The lower positioned engine is the Wolseley Viper and the upper one the Hispano-Suiza.
I'm attaching a pic of my SE5a in the bones..

The pictures didn't post so I'm trying again..

Bob,

Beautiful SE5, I love the instrument panel. Thanks for the heads up on the engines, I knew I had read about the Viper engine, just couldnt remember the name.
Pgitta, I will look tommorow for the hight on the wings, I wouldnt doubt at all that you are correct. They sit like a ladies parasol up there

Prop nut, thank you.. I'm just about ready to finish covering the plane. I have a few odds and ends to make. Seems as though this plane has a lot of fixtures!!..

By the way Bob,

You are a bachelor yes? My wife would remove body parts from me if I did that in her kitchen, lol.

Really nice job, Bob. SE-5's are such interesting a/c. As far as risking flight performance by lowering the top wing, I agree... If it worked on the full size, the model will typically follow suit. Remember the old Top Flite kit? Very scale, and a good flier too. Ground handling was always interesting. I'd end up on the wheels about 50% of the time. I learned quickly to mount the Lewis gun with small pieces of fuel tubing.

John

Ok, email me everything you've got

I found a few things, but not much in the way of free drawings. Did find a couple though. One from a Russian site and another a German drawing of a captured SE5A. No doubt they were very interested in disecting her.

Your plane looks fantastic. I'm going to get this one looking scale from 20 feet, and if I can get her up and down a dozen times in one piece, THEN I'll start the detailed stuff. I will add little strips of balsa for false wing ribs at the leading edge though before I cover it.

Prop nut, nooooo I'm not a bachelor but the island was the only place I could get a decent photograph of the completed plane. I have an understanding wife..

John, I still have one of those OLD TF kits.. New in the box! I believe that kit was Dave Platts first design when he came to the US...I doubt if I would part with it now.. its a collectable.. of sorts.

pgitta, lol you want all my stuff? My stuff is in books... for the most part. I find it's usefull to buy books on a subject you either are building or plan to build "some day". There is some stuff on SE5a's on the net but most lack a lot of information. One site, The Memorial Flight association has a complete build of their replica SE5a on their site. I have used it extensively and that''s the plane I am building mine after.

My plane started life as a Duncan Hutson kit and has been extensively modified to represent my chosen subject. I have been working on it, on and off, for about 3 years. Much of that time has been devoted to design changes, fabrication of the "details" and information gathering including the proper paint colors. The last one I have agonized over extensively. Since I plan to compete with the plane my documentation needs to be right on. Any way, all has been sorted out.. finally!

Hey you guys... Here's a very useful link to a really great organization. Check out their SE-5a!!

http://memorial.flight.free.fr/indexuk.html

John

John, that's the SE5a I am modeling. I have been in touch with them and received some information about their plane. I also have all the pictures from their web site downloaded.. Yes its a wonderful site indeed!

The Squadron book shows that there were a number of different prop height configurations, more than just two. The plane was equiped with many different engine in it's life, some with gear reduction boxes, some without, French built Suiza's, English Suizas, American Suizas... etc... All different heights.

I have that squadron book and I'll check on the different heights. From what I know (ain't much!) those, the Wosley and the Hispano, are two most common engines used.

TO add to the discusion.

"The most successful British fighter of WWI was developed in 1917 right after the severe defeat of the RFC during Bloody April. Its predecessor, the S.E.5, had very good technical parameters, except for an unreliable 150 hp engine Hispano Suiza that did not allow for a full demonstration of this aircraft's potential.
The first flight of the S.E.5a with the more powerful 200 hp Hispano Suiza engine was conducted in May 1917. One and a half months later the first mass-production S.E.5a fighters arrived at the Front. Several companies received orders for S.E.5a development: the Royal Aircraft Factory, and eight sub-contractor firms (Austin, Vickers, Martinsyde, Wolseley and others). By the end of 1917, 1300 of these fighters were due to be built; however, only about 800 planes were completed. The Hispano Suiza 200 hp engine turned out to have many drawbacks and its manufacture was continually affected by various problems. Attempts to purchase the engine in France failed because French SPAD fighters also required the Hispano Suiza in large quantities.
Wolseley Motors Ltd. had a license for building the Hispano Suiza in the United Kingdom. Wolseley's version of this engine with the name Adder was installed in a small quantity of S.E.5a's, however without success.
Wolseley's engineers modified the design of the 200 hp Hispano Suiza 8A. This engine, given the name Viper, was expected to solve the problems of the S.E.5a. In September 1917 an S.E.5a (B4862) with the Viper engine was tested and received a favorable evaluation - its maximum speed was increased by 7mph, and its rate of climb improved as well. The RFC specified the Viper as the standard engine for the S.E.5a (some previously built planes with Hispano Suiza engines going through major overhaul had their engines changed to the Wolseley Viper). The 'new' S.E.5a differed visually from its predecessor with a radiator of a new straightened form, with two sets of horizontal shutters. The Foster gun mounting now fitted directly onto the upper wing. Several flight accidents that were caused by wing failure led to airframe strengthening.
In the middle of 1918, twenty-five RFC squadrons were equipped with the S.E.5a - 15 on the Western Front, 3 in Macedonia, 2 in the Middle East, 1 in Mesopotamia, and 4 squadrons in Home Defence. Some of the most successful aces of the British Empire, including Mick Mannock, James McCudden, Billy Bishop, and Anthony Beauchamp-Proctor, scored many victories flying this type. Thirty-eight S.E.5a's were delivered to the American Expeditionary Force.
fter the end of the Great War the S.E.5a quickly disappeared from the front line, being replaced by the Sopwith 7F1 Snipe.
The S.E.5a served in the U.S. Army until the mid-1920s. Later, these planes were used in numerous 'flying circuses' and even took part in Hollywood movies like 'Hells Angels'."

I know this is a little off topic but I just finished my 1/5 scale Albatros (funaero) I purchased this to be a pair with my SE5a. Its covered with Supercoverite and painted with krylon. I did the decals on the fuse with white inkjet water transfer decals and the wing decals are Major Decal. It has a Magnum .91 four stroke, and I hope to heck I dont wreck it on the first flight (hopefully if the weather clears that will be tommorow)

Looking very nice. I'm still working on the SE5a and the modifications. I think I've just about decided not to try for the stock 5 degree incidence. It would just require more structural changes that I feel like dealing with right now.

I will set the wing at the correct spacing and reduce that downward slope from the cockpit to the nose and make it straight like the real thing. I don't know what the heck Dynaflite was thinking! other than to make the fuse higher under the wing as to not draw as much attention to the incorrect spacing.

I started a build thread in kitbuilding, but there is a distinct lack of interest.


BTW, that wing in the background, was it removed from something or forcebly detached from something?

pgitta:

I have been watching the build thread you started, and hope you continue it. Also, since I am going to be starting my se5a soon, I am interested in all the mods you guys are considering. I will be looking into making some of them myself.

well, ok then. I just didn't want to go to a lot of trouble if no one wanted it.

I wont post a lot about what I DONT change, but will share the modifications for sure.

I compared the plane to some reliable plans and found most everything is accurate according to my measurements except:

Obviously the top wing is extremely high. Should be easy to remedy.

The top of the fuse slopes down at like a 10 degree angle from the cockpit to the fuse! Why I have no idea, but that in addition to the high wind definitely gave it a "cartoonish" look someone else described. The good news is that the height of the fuse at and behind the cockpit are OK, so I'm hoping some shaving of the two formers behind the firewall will bring it back to scale. The original has an ever so slight rise just before the cockpit.

The bottom of the rudder slopes up instead of a rounded shape downward. I can only assume DF decided it would be better to have less surface to snag on landing.

All I found so far.

Thanks for that description. I will probably try to make the same adjustments. Please keep me informed as to how your build is progressing.

Available again from Tower. don't know about NHS.