1/4.5 scale Corsair

[Trevor Wood]

Robert - Thank you for your comments on the Corsair and your view on 2.4G equipment ,I guess it has been the few unexplained incidents reported on various sites,plus a couple of total lock outs I have witnessed first hand which has tended to make a few people,myself included hold back on moving to his form of control for larger models following many years of trouble free use on 35 meg,but the apparent benefits against interference and hence safety and security of control are compelling.

I am currently finishing up the radio and equipment installation on the Corsair,tidying wiring runs and air lines etc before tackling the cockpit interior,instrument panel etc prior to inviting final inspection of the build under the over 20 kg scheme.

Trevor Wood LMA687

[robert ellis]

thats scary as to what youve seen on the 2.4 gig scene,.,.it would put me off! but ive nver had any probs nor has any one i know who flys with it..ive hd major probs with 35mghz untill i went over to 2.4,,,i guess every one can tell a differnt story,,,as for your corsair will it be finished in a factory fresh look.,of a real tired looking corsair,,,,i always think a well used,.weatherd one looks nicer that way.,,lots of oil streaks,,paint chips,,dirt,,ect..i did put a small foam one together for my 9 yr old to fly,,which he does realy well!,,

[Trevor Wood]

Robert,the incidents I have witnessed involved an electric model and and a turbine powered model,both ended up complete and expensive write offs,however since I had not had the opportunity to view the radio installation within these models or view the positioning of aerials,condition of batteries and the type being used etc I could not comment as to whether these had influence,my own considered opinion now on 2.4G comes from speaking to individuals for whom I have respect and who I know take care in the positioning and installation of equipment within their models,their experience of this form of guidance has been exactly as per your own,hence my decision to try it given the apparent benefits and security.

Yes,the corsair will be weathered to portray the particular full size aircraft being modelled,although it is always somewhat difficult to 'attack' a newly painted finish I have to say,but a pristine warbird does not really look right to me,however as with everything it is all down to personal taste.

Will be posting a few more pictures soon,have nearly completed the detailing of 6 prop blades,a set to use and a spare for the Solo unit,this company in Canada has unfortunately ceased trading and is offering the business for sale,it means at present that no additional blades will be available so the 3 blade scale prop unit will have to used with great care.

Regards Trevor Wood LMA687

[Trevor Wood]

A couple of pictures of the completed prop blades which have now been detailed with the necessary placards and Hamilton Standard logo's,each blade is constructed from composite reinforced timber following trials by Andreas Geitz of Composite ARF on the prototype Corsair who found that the Moki 250cc radial was flexing a standard wooden non-reinforced blade under load.

The assembled unit gives a 32 inch diameter prop with variable pitch,this is set at 14 inches for the Moki,these Solo prop units are of excellent quality and manufactured to the highest standards and tolerance,those following Phil's build of his truly magnificent 1/4 scale electric Spitfire will note he is also using one of these units.

I have started to weather the Corsair which in my view is somewhat of a tip toeing exercise, since although I subscribe to the '' well flown,shot at and survived look'' over a museum finish,it is very easy to go too far and end up with something which can be less than convincing.

Will be moving onto cockpit interior etc in due course but don't expect anything in the same class as Phil is creating with his unique Spitfire,inspiring stuff to all of us.

Trevor Wood LMA 687

[Trevor Wood]

Thought you might be interested to see the full size version of the particular aircraft I am building,it served with VF - 17 squadron 'The Jolly Rogers' between 1943 and 1944 and was known as ''White 15'',it was the mount of Lt (jg) Daniel.G. Cunningham who scored 7 kills,Dan survived the war and was in demand as an advisor on a number of movies,he passed away in April of 2006.

The picture is of him in the cockpit of #15 with his 7 kill markings and clearly shows what lengths the ground crew went to in trying to seal the panels around the fuel tanks with layers of duck tape in an effort to stop leaking fuel and oils spraying over the windshield and into the cockpit - great.

I will post a similar shot of the model in the near future.

Trevor Wood LMA 687

[sean smith]

Hi Trevor,with regard to mounting of your receivers. Futaba recommend that you mount them on foam blocks so air can get around and under the receiver. From the Futaba FASST Receiver Tips: Tip: To keep the receiver cooler use small foam blocks (like standoffs) so that there is an air channel around the receiver.


Sean.

[Trevor Wood]

Sean,
Many thanks for the advice,this is exactly the sort of feedback this type of forum is all about,although the receivers are in fact mounted on 1/4 inch anti vibration foam the picture probably does'nt show this that well,but it is a single solid pad and as you say air certainly cannot circulate underneath the receiver - appreciate the tip here and will make the necessary modification.
Regards Trevor Wood - LMA687

[sean smith]

Trevor,
No problem. CSM make some good foam mounting strips which are used for mounting helicopter gyros, i haven't used them myself as yet for mounting receivers but it does work very well on gyros.

Sean (LMA 2576).

[Trevor Wood]

For those interested I have started to put some time in on the Corsair cockpit interior,spured on I have to say by the inspiration gained from my visit to Wigan and from seeing in the flesh so many excellent models being put together by the members,the event was a huge success and a great opportunity to see, chat and have a laugh with so many like minded types,it would be impolite to single out particular models since there were so many present, but for myself and I am sure for many the truly superb Spitfire being put together by Phil Clark impressed,not only for the dedication in replicating so many full size features, but also for the quality of the workmanship being put into this true creation of many's favourite war bird,matched to this the inovative sound system demonstrated which I am sure was heard by everyone throughout the hotel - great stuff.

A picture of the Corsair attached with light weathering started in an attempt to replicate the amount on the full size machine being modelled,sealing tape around the panel joints have been done with micropore surgical tape,the headrest and rear armour plate have been bolted in,next up is the tubular seat frame support and instrument panel,thanks Dave Leftley for taking on the production of the instrument faces.

Trevor Wood LMA687

[Trevor Wood]

The Corsair was finally inspected on Monday without problem and weighed,I am extremely pleased that the all up dry weight has come out at 21 kg,considering the size of the model and the lump of Moki radial pig iron nailed to the front this is a good result and should make the model quite pleasant to fly,the application form etc for the exemption to test fly was received from Tony Hooper this morning and has been submitted to the CAA,so hopefully I should receive permission to test fly in the next few weeks.

Even though I have been a member of the LMA for many years this has been my first experience of putting a model thru the over 20kg scheme,I have nothing but praise for the members involved in setting up and managing this scheme on our behalf,the whole experience has been totally stress free from day 1 together with the advice and encouragement received along the way from Pete Siggins and many others - thanks guys.

Will let you know how the maiden flight goes in due course.

Regards Trevor Wood LMA687

[Trevor Wood]

Well after several months of delaying due to the 3 W's - work,wife and the weather,the maiden flight of the Corsair finally took place on Sunday September 20th at RAF Shawbury - in a word GREAT,with only just a couple of clicks of elevator trim being required the model was a joy to fly with all elements of the flight log schedule being completed without problem,the Moki radial coupled to the 3 blade scale prop was incredible both in performance and soundtrack.

My thanks to Frank Fletcher and the guys in the Shawbury model club for their help and support on the day,can't wait for the next outing to complete the necessary test flights.

Will post a few pictures when available. Trevor Wood LMA 687

[Trevor Wood]

A couple of shots from Sundays maiden flight,will post any more I may receive.

Trevor Wood LMA687

[Jason Griffiths]

Looks very nice any films of it flying

[Trevor Wood]

Jason - Weather permitting I am planning on completing the test flights this coming weekend,so will ask someone to take a few flying shots if possible,have taken the opportunity since the flights of 2 weeks ago to add a bit more scale detail in the cockpit area,completing the painting of the undercarriage and wheels etc - tasks I had to be honest put on hold until after the maiden flight.

Trevor Wood LMA 687

[Trevor Wood]

A further flight with the Corsair at RAF Shawbury on Sunday during which it decided to lose all of it's 2 litres of compressed air,resulting in the main legs remaining firmly retracted but with everything else hanging down,ie doors,tailwheel etc and despite the usual violent attempts to release the mains they remained firmly retracted,then of course when trying to retract the bits that were hanging out they decided to stay where they were - result it had to be a wheels up but doors open belly landing and just cutting the engine prior to touching down.

I have to say the above landing onto the grass proved to be a total non-event, with the only damage being to the hinges on 2 of the 4 wheel well doors,amazingly the 3 bladed prop stopped on my cutting the engine at the last second with two of the 3 blades at the 4:40 position, with no damage at all being just clear of the ground in that position - back in the workshop the reason for the total air loss was found to have been caused by an air line on the main retract unit rubbing against an area of carbon fibre during operation,it had thinned down over a 4 to 6 mm length to the point that it decided to fail at 100 psi but of course not on the ground at pre-flight checking but 10 minutes into a flight,although I had put a lot of attention into ensuring this would not happen by clipping and securing air lines where necessary these things clearly can and do and over surprisingly short periods of time,as a precaution I am replacing all air lines and sheathing them as and when they are close or in contact which any areas of carbon fibre as well lining these areas.

Count myself extremely fortunate with the outcome and may well also invest in a pressure loss sensing device for the mains air system.

A couple of pictures from RAF Shawbury prior to flight.

Trevor Wood LMA687

[Keith Mitchell]

We all need a bit of luck in this hobby, Trevor!

So glad such a lovely model's survived -------------.
Keith

[Mike Booth]

Looks good Trevor, phew...lady luck.
I am sure you have covered this on such a well prepared Warbird, but I always use rubber grommits from Halfords.
Perfect for airlines to pass through any composite surface,I also run the servo leads through them as well.
Any flying pics?
M

[Trevor Wood]

Hi Mike and Keith - It's only now a few days after that I have realised how fortunate I was with the outcome of the belly landing,the doors are now re-fitted after only a couple of hours work,but I am replacing all the airlines as a pre-caution - don't want a repeat performance - thanks Mike for your tip on the Halfords grommets.

I will also get someone to take a few flying shots next time out since when I tried at the same time as flying I got too much camera shake !!!! Only joking - honest.

A couple of shots with Dave Pearce's/Tim Symond's Mustang.

Trevor Wood LMA687

[Jason Griffiths]

Hi Mike and Keith - It's only now a few days after that I have realised how fortunate I was with the outcome of the belly landing,the doors are now re-fitted after only a couple of hours work,but I am replacing all the airlines as a pre-caution - don't want a repeat performance - thanks Mike for your tip on the Halfords grommets.

I will also get someone to take a few flying shots next time out since when I tried at the same time as flying I got too much camera shake !!!! Only joking - honest.

A couple of shots with Dave Pearce's/Tim Symond's Mustang.

Trevor Wood LMA687

Love the pictures

[Alan Cantwell 1131]

Today, i attended our YT INTERNATIONAL fly in, at the greenacres model site in walsall, i had the pleasure of seeing this beuty take to the air, what was it like? well worth the 200 mile round trip, you are in for a treat, it looked and sounded superb, and flew with authority

unlike my corsair of smaller 88" span