Just wondering whats on offer in the way of large scale Cosmic Wind, Bridi use to make a 1/4 scale version a few years back, does anybody make a large Cosmic Wind now days?

Cheers-

If you can scratch-build, I've posted plans for a slimmed-down 1/4 scale Cosmic Wind ("Little Toni", but you can paint it green and call it a "Ballerina" if you like) ... surf to http://www.home.earthlink.net/~stinger4/. There's a choice of ModelCAD or .DXF formats. Also proposed rules if you want to run it against the Great Planes Shoestring, World Models Midget Mustang, etc.

Duane

I believe Dave Bridi (aka Horndog Aircraft) is still making them. They are larger than 1/4 scale. Its 42%. Look under Lil Toni aka Cosmic Wind.

http://www.madera-race.com/horndog/g...s/littlton.gif

The other one that guys were racing was the Paul Steiner Cosmic Wind. He had two versions. Both were 42%. The original won the first F-1 Race at Madera. About three years after that, Steiner made a new version with a slimmed down fuse.

Mluvara may know how to get a hold of Paul Steiner because they belong to the same club.

Strega

Thanks guys for the input, I had one inmind to suit a YS 140 DZ not so much for serious racing just fun and scale. I was hoping to find one similar in size to the Bridi 1/3 scale I guess. I remember seeing that one perform well on a O.S.90 2 stroke many years ago, the size was great for me also... eg not to big! and still glow power, although 42% may still be an option? what span would that be?

19.5 ft x 42% = 98.25" Your going to need a bigger engine or a smaller airplane. :-)

The 42% racers that I saw were being flown with 4.4 c.i. (75cc) A3, Husky or Aerrow gas engines, but I guess the Zenoah 445s on glow are the dominant F1 engine these days.

I found this with a little searching. This might suit your engine choice.

http://www.hacker-model.cz/news/tony.htm

Strega

Marty,

Mine is a 64-in. span, 750 squares, 8.5 lbs flying weight. You could use all standard radio gear and hardware. It's designed for a .90 2-stroke, so the YS 1.40 4-stroke would be slight overkill but not out of the question. The aerobatic performance with a .90 was a pleasant surprise. I'll bet you could hover it with the 1.40.

I pulled a mold from my built-up prototype, so if you just can't find what you need anywhere else, write me back and maybe I can put together a fuselage, wing cores and plans for you.

Duane

G'day Duane Thanks for the offer, much appreciated and i may take you up on that.
I am currently waiting to here back from Hacker on availability (thanks for the info Strega) their 1/3 scale Comic Wind looks great and I am really after one of these ARF's
The Y.S. 140 DZ would be awesome in this model, although not ideal for max speed, I would be only fun flying and the odd scale rally so for me the sound and big prop 4 stroke power is ideal...

http://www.hacker-model.cz/shop/default.asp

Cheers

Dave Bridi (son of Joe) still kits the Cosmic Wind and if you want one that large, contact him. Paul Steiner really hasn't been making any in a long time. I had one of Paul's for a few years. It was a great airplane...



Paul just seems to busy to be making kits. He built a 42% plug and mold for a Gee Bee that he's about ready to try flying again and working on other projects.

I believe that Great Planes had bought the old Bridi smaller cosmic winds along time ago and kitted them for a period. Some are still around. You might look for one or put a wanted ad out. I see them from time to time.

Michael

A company in Germany makes a Cosmic Wind in two different sizes. Here is a link http://www.modellbau-kuhlmann.de/cosmic_wind.htm

Thanks Duane

I just came across your plans and I going to build it - thanks alot.
BTW is it scale or semi scale ?

Thanks
Tim

Tim,

I took all the outlines from the Mendenhall drawing as closely as I could, except that the fuselage is narrowed to about 2/3 of the "museum scale" thickness so it's a little less draggy and follows the same width-to-height ratio as the model Formula 1 racers we're used to such as the Terry Prather kit. Call it a semi-profile if you like; this one is still 4-1/2 inches across at the cockpit, which leaves plenty of room for the radio gear. And the height of the fuselage is reduced just enough to fit the formula specs, but the difference is barely noticeable.

One oddity I've noticed since posting the plans is, Mendenhall seems to have increased the height of the vertical fin. A recent photo of the Ballerina, one of "Little Toni's" sister ships, in a British museum (thanks to Don Stegall for forwarding it to me)shows that the fin on the real airplane is unquestionably shorter than on the drawings. I've seen other folks' models that appear to have been based on the drawings rather than the real airplanes, and they, too, seem to have a disproportionately tall fin. The extra fin area does no harm, of course, but last Sunday night after I got home from flying it, I whipped out my Zona saw and chopped an inch off the top of the fin. It now looks about right compared to the photo ... and, more importantly from my point of view, I can now slip it in and out of my Subaru Legacy wagon without bumping into the cross-beam that I set my wings on.

For anyone who just tuned in, the plans and the proposed formula specs (which recently passed the initial vote of the AMA R/C Racing Contest Board) are posted at the following site:

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~stinger4/

Sorry about the remedial site design -- I've been so busy pulling together airplanes for the "real" AMA events at the Nats in July that I haven't yet trotted out the Web page software to make it look like anything. But the "Readme" file explains what it's all about.

DHG

Here's the photo of the Ballerina ...

I know about the NATS Push ... I'm in a big push and things are getting jettisoned already. I had hoped to go up to Bowie to watch and report on the race, but I've got so much to do just to get the Q-500 program in order, that I'm probably going to have to miss the race.

One interesting note is that at least one set of three views shows the area from the wing trailing edge to the tail as a flat area with effectively a right angle to the sides. In this photo of #5, that area is definitely rounded. I think the originals (Little Toni and Minnow) had a flat area, because I've seen pictures where they looked like the drawings.

When dad came out with the second version of the Stegall Minnow and it was rounded back there, there was a big deal about it. Of course, when he came out with the Stegall Super Minnow that was concave in the area behind the wing, there was an even bigger controversy.

I now have the molds for all of the Stegall Minnows but the first one. At some point I'm going to make some. I'm still in the process of acquiring all of the templates and tooling.

BTW, what name was the Cosmic Wind #7 given?

Thanks for the info -

I built a rubber band Cosmic wind many years ago as a kid. I still remember it was Race 4 - N21C and was a browny colour.

If you have any pictures to share of any of them I would really
appreciate it.

Tim
South Africa

I have to find the links that I have not yet put onto www.PylonWorld.com ...

A cool painting that shows the Minnow (#4), the Swee' Pea, and two planes that I haven't identified (although they are well known) is at http://jnperformance.com.

Don,

As far as I know, #7 was #4 after being sold and repainted. #4 (the most famous and most-modeled) was red or brownish-red with cream trim. Mike Helsel of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area consistently used this color scheme on his "old" Formula One racing models for 20 years or so. (Mike also happens to hold the AMA record for the "old" F1 at 1:04 or so, a record which ought to stand for some time since the event is no longer flown. )

My prototype Cosmic Wind, pictured on my remedial Web site, has the correct base color (blue) and the correct race number (#7) and registration number (N20C, same as when it was the red #4) ... but I took some liberties with the color scheme. Apparently the new owner succumbed to temporary insanity and painted it solid blue without the trademark "minnow stripe" down the side of the fuselage like on the red, green, and gold Cosmic Winds. I corrected that oversight on my model. (Another )

BTW, I'm told that one of the Cosmic Winds was actually entered in an International Aerobatic Club contest, once, back in the '60s or '70s. So it would be legal for IMAC. And that's good because the darn thing does terrific akro. Spectators sometimes ask me if it's a Chipmunk or CAP.

DHG

That's cool that a Cosmic Wind was entered in an aerobatic contest.

About the real planes ... I heard that the #7 was built from parts from the Minnow plus parts from 2 others that had been started. Or that may be the Ballerina story ... can't remember for sure.

It's funny that you mentioned that #7 was all blue because I came across a picture of it somewhere and almost didn't recognize it as a CW until I looked closer.

BTW, additional CW's have been built ... one was up for sale in one of the GA plane mags a while back ... it had a Lyc 0-320 in it though. It is probably the one that was entered in the akro contests.

Now I want one of your planes ... didn't you say you have molds for the fuselage now?

Yep. Got one fuselage mold, working (slowly) on a wing mold. The first fiberglass Cosmic Wind should be done sometime this summer. I painted the fuselage in the mold with that water-reducible Nelson paint ... dark green ... this will be the #3 Ballerina.

If it weren't for work, parenthood, meals, vacuuming, and sleep, I might actually accomplish something once in a while.

:drowning:

Some more (and verified) Cosmic Wind info ...

The planes in order of appearance

#10 - Slick - yellow with black trim - the first one built and then raced, has a turtle deck and big canopy

#2 - no info, possibly scavenged for parts

#3 - Little Toni - red with creme trim, the red has also been referred to as dark red and maroon - first to have the bubble canopy, all follow up CW's had the bubble canopy - Flown by Tony LeVier

#4 - Minnow - bronze with creme trim - flown by Herman Salmon

#4 - Miss Cosmic Wind - don't know the color - built from Minnow parts including wing and stab with a new mid-wing fuselage

#5 - Ballerina - metallic green with creme trim - Flown by Tony LeVier - possibly the Little Toni with mods and a paint job (unconfirmed, from memory)

#6 - no info, possibly scavenged for parts

#7 - French Quarter Special - metallic blue with white numbers and lettering

For some interesting info on the 1947 Goodyear race check out The Goodyear Trophy, 1947 ... You will see what the first raced Cosmic Wind looked like.

Hi DHG

Would you mind giving some advice on the construction of your
CW. I am keen to start.

I have never come across foam board here in South Africa even while searching for blue foam. (i do have blue foam now)

What could I use in place of the foam board in the construction ?
I could laminate some balsa or lite ply onto the blue foam or I could just use ply for the crutch etc - What do you think ?

thanks
Tim

Tim,

The next best thing to foam board is 3/16" medium balsa sheet. I prefer the foam board because it cuts so cleanly and has no grain. For the fuselage crutch, I would suggest building it up with 3/16" square balsa sticks (one long stick on each side, with a few cross-braces in between). Strength isn't that important; the crutch is really just an alignment jig for the other parts.

Please post photos of the construction if you can -- I didn't take any while I was building my prototype, and now I have a mold so the next one will be all glass.

Good luck, feel free to ask if you have any other questions or need clarification. I can't wait to see it!

Duane

Hi Duane

Thanks for the advice - I like the stick idea !!!

I looked at my Carl Goldberg Super Chipmunk and I realised
that the CW moments are very similiar - I could be a very nice all rounder !!!

Hope you dont mind if I dont use the S8052 airfoil !! Iam thinking of a general purpose one , actually the Chipmunk has a nice allround airfoil.

I really like your construction techniques and I will take photos.


Tim

Don- Thanks for the info and pic. of Ballerina do you have any more colour pics. or url links to pics. Especially #3 Little Toni any colour pics of #3 red and cream colours would be great...

Cheers-

Tim,

Way cool ... I picked the S8052 because it's a good, standard Quickie racing airfoil that also performs well inverted & has no bad habits. But certainly any 12% to 15% symmetrical would work fine, or for straightaway speed you could try a laminar airfoil such as the NACA 66-012 (which also happens to be symmetrical).

If you do use a laminar, I would suggest increasing the washout a bit -- from the 1 degree shown on the plans to maybe 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees. I mention that because somebody posted a comment recently about having to actually add washout to a Quickie (constant chord, normally shouldn't need washout) to avoid tip-stalling with a laminar airfoil.

Duane

Hi Duane

Do you have any dxf drawings of the fat bodied CW I would like to see how the fuz looks compared to your "fat free" version !

How about some more pics of you CW - It would be great to see some more !!


Thanks
Tim