Cessna 337
01-26-2010, 09:17 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Cessna 337
Here's my 337 that I scratch built a little over 20 years ago, and just recently converted it to a military version. I used the wing plan from a Pica, Cessna 182 kit, 85 " W.S. that I had built and designed the rest around that.
The twin tail booms are typical bulhead and stringer, sheeted , yada, yada. The fuselage is scratch built, using the cowl, front bulkhead and basic main cabin design from the 182, with a few mods here and there.
From the trailing edge of the wing rearward on the fuselage is where it is all my design from my own plans. The rear cowling was really a challenge as it has so many compound curves in it, but the first one was built using ply formers and sheeted, a real hair puller.[:@]
I built the header and muffler for the rear motor, it's a can design with the exhaust exit out the bottom.
I did build a plug and built a fiberglass cowl for the second fuselage I built up, it's still hanging , waiting for wing and finishing, a good winter project for next year.................maybe.
Last year I decided to pull all the Monokote off and glass and paint it, and also convert it to an OA-2 design. I also added a few details to the top of the cabin and made a couple of rocket pods for armament. The side window for observation was cut into the right side also, I decided to go ahead and just do it.
I'm also changing the two O.S. .91 Surpass out for two Saito .91's. They will each have their own onboad glo battery for starting purposes only. I'm also planning to change the single rudder servo to a double servo set-up, similar to twin the elevator servos.
Hopefully, I also plan on changing out the Futaba 50 mhz. radio to a new Futaba 8 channel on 2.4 ghz.
The plane has a compliment of 10 servos, two aileron, two flap, two rudder, two elevator, one throttle, and one steering.
It flies very nice and has an unusal sound unlike the "normal twin sync sound". I'm hoping to have it ready for the Multi Fly event at Ames this year.
I forgot to add that I had fun making my own decals on the computer. The nose art names it for what it does , "Suck N' Blow".
I tried to copy after the OA-2 Capt. T. Pilsch flew in Nam. with the exception of the "nose art".
The twin tail booms are typical bulhead and stringer, sheeted , yada, yada. The fuselage is scratch built, using the cowl, front bulkhead and basic main cabin design from the 182, with a few mods here and there.
From the trailing edge of the wing rearward on the fuselage is where it is all my design from my own plans. The rear cowling was really a challenge as it has so many compound curves in it, but the first one was built using ply formers and sheeted, a real hair puller.[:@]
I built the header and muffler for the rear motor, it's a can design with the exhaust exit out the bottom.
I did build a plug and built a fiberglass cowl for the second fuselage I built up, it's still hanging , waiting for wing and finishing, a good winter project for next year.................maybe.
Last year I decided to pull all the Monokote off and glass and paint it, and also convert it to an OA-2 design. I also added a few details to the top of the cabin and made a couple of rocket pods for armament. The side window for observation was cut into the right side also, I decided to go ahead and just do it.
I'm also changing the two O.S. .91 Surpass out for two Saito .91's. They will each have their own onboad glo battery for starting purposes only. I'm also planning to change the single rudder servo to a double servo set-up, similar to twin the elevator servos.
Hopefully, I also plan on changing out the Futaba 50 mhz. radio to a new Futaba 8 channel on 2.4 ghz.
The plane has a compliment of 10 servos, two aileron, two flap, two rudder, two elevator, one throttle, and one steering.
It flies very nice and has an unusal sound unlike the "normal twin sync sound". I'm hoping to have it ready for the Multi Fly event at Ames this year.
I forgot to add that I had fun making my own decals on the computer. The nose art names it for what it does , "Suck N' Blow".
I tried to copy after the OA-2 Capt. T. Pilsch flew in Nam. with the exception of the "nose art".
01-26-2010, 11:23 PM
#3
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Mississauga,
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RE: Cessna 337
Very nice achievement, i do see lots of C182 in your model...
How dose she fly, do you have any video of it flying......
I also like how you combined tail booms to the main wing, kinda different setup but practical transportation wise.
Sam
How dose she fly, do you have any video of it flying......
I also like how you combined tail booms to the main wing, kinda different setup but practical transportation wise.
Sam
01-27-2010, 09:04 AM
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
RE: Cessna 337
Mark , Sam,
Thanks for the comments, I appreciate the feedback.
It was a fun project, just something a little different. The tail booms are tied into the wing with 1/4" ply wing rib doublers that lock into the main spars top and bottom. The first two boom bulkheads are center notched to slide over the 1/4" doubler, the others are located on the 1/4" spruce stringers and epoxied in. Then the entire boom assembly is sheeted with 1/16th " balsa. I built a second set of tail booms along with the other fuselage, getting another one ready to complete. I also have the wing center section and the right wing panel assembled, and that's where it ended, now hanging overhead down in my shop. That was many years ago, I'd better check all the glue joints if I go and finish the second one.
I'm thinking now that a full length 1/4 " lt. ply tail boom doubler with lt. ply bulkheads at the same locations, but instead of the 1/4" spruce stringers and sheeting I would use balsa fill, sand it to shape and glass it. The sheeting of the tail booms isn't a fun project.
The servos for the rudders , elevator and flaps are located under removable panels on the bottom side of the wing. Just talking about this project just might inspire me to get the other one down and finish it. I won't make the mistake of Monokoting it, and will glass and paint it right from the git-go. I'm thinking a nice red, white and blue paint scheme like I did the first one in Monokote.
I was fortunate to have a full scale hangared at a nearby airport so I had "hands on" for measuring and looking when drawing my plans, it sure helped.
I will say that removable tail section would make transportaion a little easier, but I didn't have any troubles with loading it into my station wagon, and it now fits into our new van, although it has to be vertical in the van.
Sorry, I don't have any videos of it flying, but it does fly very nicely and moves right along. The new Saitos should haul it around without any troubles. The very first O.S. .90's were on CH ignition units and worked very well. I later updated to new O.S. .91 Surpass's without the ignition units. The two, new Saitos on my giant Bobcat are going to find a new home here shortly.
Now, let me see if I can find that other fuselage and wing panel...........................
Thanks for the comments, I appreciate the feedback.
It was a fun project, just something a little different. The tail booms are tied into the wing with 1/4" ply wing rib doublers that lock into the main spars top and bottom. The first two boom bulkheads are center notched to slide over the 1/4" doubler, the others are located on the 1/4" spruce stringers and epoxied in. Then the entire boom assembly is sheeted with 1/16th " balsa. I built a second set of tail booms along with the other fuselage, getting another one ready to complete. I also have the wing center section and the right wing panel assembled, and that's where it ended, now hanging overhead down in my shop.
That was many years ago, I'd better check all the glue joints if I go and finish the second one.I'm thinking now that a full length 1/4 " lt. ply tail boom doubler with lt. ply bulkheads at the same locations, but instead of the 1/4" spruce stringers and sheeting I would use balsa fill, sand it to shape and glass it. The sheeting of the tail booms isn't a fun project.
The servos for the rudders , elevator and flaps are located under removable panels on the bottom side of the wing. Just talking about this project just might inspire me to get the other one down and finish it. I won't make the mistake of Monokoting it, and will glass and paint it right from the git-go.
I'm thinking a nice red, white and blue paint scheme like I did the first one in Monokote.I was fortunate to have a full scale hangared at a nearby airport so I had "hands on" for measuring and looking when drawing my plans, it sure helped.
I will say that removable tail section would make transportaion a little easier, but I didn't have any troubles with loading it into my station wagon, and it now fits into our new van, although it has to be vertical in the van.
Sorry, I don't have any videos of it flying, but it does fly very nicely and moves right along. The new Saitos should haul it around without any troubles. The very first O.S. .90's were on CH ignition units and worked very well. I later updated to new O.S. .91 Surpass's without the ignition units. The two, new Saitos on my giant Bobcat are going to find a new home here shortly.
Now, let me see if I can find that other fuselage and wing panel...........................
