tenacious101010

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I was notified today that my 1/4 scale BUSA DH-4 will be shipped oput on Monday. I have wanted one of these kits for a long time and I finally found one I could aford, sorta, but I bought it anyway. I have wanted a DH-4 since was a kid looking at my grandfathers picture album from when he was a mechanic on DH-4s in the Army air corps in the mid to late 20s. I have posted some of the pictures he took back in the day online, here is the link if anyones interested. I will be of course finishing the plane in the colors and markings of the 6th in Panama where he was stationed. There is one picture of him sitting in the cockpit of a DH-4 from the 6th, the earliest known picture of an aircraft with the emblem of the 6th which is now stationed here at macDill, where I was stationed for 15 years. Not sure when I will start on the kit but I wanted to get the thread started and learn all I can about the kit. Would love to hear from anyone that has built one of these.
Denny

http://rides.webshots.com/album/552141172xfdmUK

Warbird Man

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I haven't built one yet, but I've seen BUSAs DH 4. It's big! Looks more like a 1/3rd scale plane.

Keep us posted!

R8893

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I built one for a clubmate. It probably won't fly until the weather gets better in May or June. I thought parts fit was excellent and liked the vast majority of the wood. Enjoyed the build. Only issue was that the wing ribs were not square to the spars due to plan distortion. Had to make some wedge shaped parts to get the three sections of the top wing fitting properly. Double check your plans with a straight edge and a square. I did put pull-pull controls all the way around and functional rigging.
Chuck

tenacious101010

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Thanks Chuck, Thats great information. That kind of insight can prevent many problems before they happen. Thanks for sharing. I will check the plans before building. What engine did you choose? Did you have to add much nose weight and how much? Do you have any pictures of the engine installation? A few images from my Grampas album and a couple other DH-4 associated.
Denny
Thanks, Denny

R8893

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Denny, I'm 500 miles from home visiting my daughter now so won't have access to my DH-4 build photos for about a week. I do remember some engine photos. My buddy picked an RCGF 50cc engine based on price and recommendations from other club members. Had to rework the muffler to get it to fit. Fortunately another club member can weld aluminum. Model weighs 33 3/4# which includes 5# of nose weight. 4# of it is in the radiator; about 1# is hung off the firewall. I hope the radiator is strong enough. I mostly followed the instructions, but did some stuff "my way." I suspect you will too. For example I filled the exhaust manifold parts with two-part polyurethane foam, faced them off with sandpaper after curing, then glued them together. Then I glued some hardwood dowels into the foam so I could run sheet metal screws through the fuselage sides to attach the manifolds. Way easier than what is suggested in the manual.
Chuck

mobyal

Dick Pettit built one. I think his report/review was publiched in "RC Report" while it was still around but could be wrong there.
I'll watch this one.

tenacious101010

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Its supposed to be here Friday via FedEx!

R8893

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Here are the photos I had of the engine installation. NOte the engine is rotated 15 degrees clockwise fom vertical. With the specified downthrust the engine has to be for enough forward for the prop to clear the bottom of the radiator. Then the muffler interfered with the radiator. Had to cut about 3/8" off the muffler can.

tenacious101010

My Feedback: (97)

The kit arrived Saturday, I opened it and it is as many have described, "a box of lumber". It is a huge long heavy box. I opened it and pulled out the instructions and the plans. I will study them for a while, I need to buy a door to use as a building board before I begin construction. I am going to complete my current project and a Bert Baker BT-13 before I start on this. I have to study the images and the modification I will have to make.
Denny

tenacious101010

My Feedback: (97)

Thanks for the images R8893, my response is a bit delayed, but your help is appreciated none the less. Well, this project has been on-again and off-again. I actually sold the kit I had when I converted my fleet to electric power only. After gaining some experience with electric power, I have some 1/4 scale electric powered aircraft. I took my 1/4 scale SE-5 and flew it at the Blue Max event here in Florida. One of the sponsors of the event is Balsa USA. Well, it turns out, I won the kit of my choice from Balsa USA, you guessed it, a 1/4 scale DH-4, it was just meant to be. I have it here and plan on an electric power system. At least one of the aircrew will be heading hold goggle controlled with an video camera installed in him for a "pilots-eye" view of the flights by someone on the ground. I can also feed the video image to a large screen monitor on the ground. I had started a thread on another site, but decided to post here also, much easier to post pictures here. I have done a lot of research lately and will be able to much more accurately replicate the plane I am interested in. My project is modeled after a DH-4M2P, the "M" stands for "Modernized" and means it is the metal fuselage frame aircraft, the "2" indicates it was built by the Atlantic Fokker aircraft company. The "P" indicates it is a photographic aircraft. The DH-4 built by several different companies in the U.S. and there are slight differences between them.
Denny