Air Camper

[Lefturns75]

Since my ol racin' pal Hondo whipped out an aircraft, I might as well show one I finished at the end of last summer.  Yep, this stuff really is non-short track!!   This is a Pietenpol Air Camper stick and tissue kit from Dumas Models.  Yes, the old balsa wood and tissue type model that has been around as long as the aircraft itself.  This is where you can play with "Dope" and it is legal.  I added a few fake patches to the wings and added Hooterville Flying Service to the Fuse.  It reminds me of something Mr. Haney would rent Oliver on an episode of Green Acres.  It is covered in yellow tissue with two coats of Butyrate Dope.  What makes this fun is it will fly!  It is rubber band powered and the wing span is 24 inches.  The plane was powered by a Model A Ford engine and this one is carved from a block of balsa with Grandt Line bolts in the head and some photo etch screen in the radiator.  It was fun for a change but these are a TON of work. 

[Hondo]

Now that's really cool, George.
My uncle that got me started in models (airplanes) used to talk about building balsa ones with fabric covered wings.
Seems pretty dang challenging to me.
When I get this tarp building thing going, I'll help ya patch those holes.......... 

Good stuff here & a nice change of pace.

[Brian Conn]

.....What kind of flight distance are you able get?   I can remember as a young boy buying the rubber band powered Balsa wood planes that you had to assemble....Red print on the wings and fuselage...came in a clear bag and cost where reasonable for a 9 year olds allowance.  It took a while, but I finally figured out when I took my time and properly put it together and balanced it that the air craft actually flew straight..... dependent of course on wind speed and direction.
   Thanks for bringing back the memories       

[john2]

Great George.  I flew RC for 13 years but never could master stick and tissue.

I do a plastic plane every now and then.  Latest a Stearman  and DeHavilland Beaver.

[Lefturns75]

Brian these things are set up to fly long lazy circles so distance don't matter as much as flight time.  I have had this one in the air for 43 seconds a number of times, last time I knocked off the stab.  That is from launch until it touches the ground.  It don't sound like a long time but you would be surprised how much satisfaction there is in watching it do a couple three laps and land.  I might increase that time if I would add longer rubber and winds.  The 43 second flights were done with 12 inches of two strand rubber and 875 winds.  I want to try three strands at 16 inches with 1100 winds and see what happens. 

John2, I learned that if you build these things exactly like the plan tells you, it does pretty good.  You cant get in a hurry, it is very time consuming and you have to take time to trim it with lots of glide flights.