| Alaskan Flying |
Midwest P-63 King Cobra & Cosmic Wind - These two planes were my mainstay's in Alaska.
Boy! The stories they generated - like the day the Cosmic Wind got wrapped around phone lines.
Broke off the tail, but only took about a day to get it back in the air. You might note that the
P-63 is in Russian markings. Of the many thousands of full-size P-63's that were built, most
(95%) went to Russia to serve as "tank busters". I thought the plane's history was reason
enough to put it in the "proper" markings. These two were really a lot of fun to fly.
Boy! The stories they generated - like the day the Cosmic Wind got wrapped around phone lines.
Broke off the tail, but only took about a day to get it back in the air. You might note that the
P-63 is in Russian markings. Of the many thousands of full-size P-63's that were built, most
(95%) went to Russia to serve as "tank busters". I thought the plane's history was reason
enough to put it in the "proper" markings. These two were really a lot of fun to fly.
| The five C/L planes on this page were my mainstays while stationed at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage Alaska. Unfortunately, none are still in service - either retired or destroyed. |
Fourney Aerocoupe - Also given to me by Paul, the Aerocoupe was originally designed by Hal
DeBolt (see the Champs pages) for R/C. I converted it to C/L and had a Fox .15 throttle
engine on it. Great flier but it didn't like to come down, even with the engine on idle - the
wing had that much lift. I had to literally fly it onto the ground to land it. Very slow and
stable machine.
Reconverted to R/C, she was a wonderfully gentle sport flier. Still working the Fox .15, I
used a 8x4 prop with 4-channel Futaba (using 3, elevator, ailerons & throttle) and she was
nearly scale in her flying characteristics. T/O's were long and low, flying and landing was
gentle and slow. She was the perfect "Sunday" flier. One added bonus is that when I
originally built her, it was for CL so she's all one piece. Field prep time was about 30 seconds.
DeBolt (see the Champs pages) for R/C. I converted it to C/L and had a Fox .15 throttle
engine on it. Great flier but it didn't like to come down, even with the engine on idle - the
wing had that much lift. I had to literally fly it onto the ground to land it. Very slow and
stable machine.
Reconverted to R/C, she was a wonderfully gentle sport flier. Still working the Fox .15, I
used a 8x4 prop with 4-channel Futaba (using 3, elevator, ailerons & throttle) and she was
nearly scale in her flying characteristics. T/O's were long and low, flying and landing was
gentle and slow. She was the perfect "Sunday" flier. One added bonus is that when I
originally built her, it was for CL so she's all one piece. Field prep time was about 30 seconds.
Midwest ME-109 - My "109" was given to me by a friend (Paul Eaton) up in Anchorage. It
was originally built with a Enya-.35RC engine and with that throttle available, I flew her as a
"carrier" plane. She was tough as nails, but also did decent basic aerobatics.
was originally built with a Enya-.35RC engine and with that throttle available, I flew her as a
"carrier" plane. She was tough as nails, but also did decent basic aerobatics.
| Before anything else, I just found out today (17 May 2011) that a good friend and flying buddy from my days in Alaska passed away. Paul Eaton, who was my mainstay, mentor and friend - one of those with whom we started the FIRST AMA-sanctioned control/line club in Alaska, is gone. RIP, my friend. |
P-82 Twin-Mustang - The Twin-Mustang was an experiment, pure and simple, one that
worked out decently but not what you'd call Great. It started life as a Top Flite P-51
profile plane with a Fox-.35 and 6-oz Perfect metal CL tank. Unbeknownst to me, the right
wing had just a bit of warp in it and on about the 3rd flight it turned in at me, crossed over
my head at about 10' altitude and hit the ground - breaking off that right wing and right
landing gear.
I took a second kit that I had, did a bit of hemming and hawing, and used the original plane
with the 2nd kit to make a Twin-Mustang. In this pic you see the original fuse and wing on
the left, the second kit made the center and right side. At the same time, I replaced the
original fuel tank with a pair of 6-oz "clunk" tanks, added a second Fox-.35 and flew the bird
for close to 3 years. Last I saw of her, she was hanging in the LHS in Anchorage.
.
worked out decently but not what you'd call Great. It started life as a Top Flite P-51
profile plane with a Fox-.35 and 6-oz Perfect metal CL tank. Unbeknownst to me, the right
wing had just a bit of warp in it and on about the 3rd flight it turned in at me, crossed over
my head at about 10' altitude and hit the ground - breaking off that right wing and right
landing gear.
I took a second kit that I had, did a bit of hemming and hawing, and used the original plane
with the 2nd kit to make a Twin-Mustang. In this pic you see the original fuse and wing on
the left, the second kit made the center and right side. At the same time, I replaced the
original fuel tank with a pair of 6-oz "clunk" tanks, added a second Fox-.35 and flew the bird
for close to 3 years. Last I saw of her, she was hanging in the LHS in Anchorage.
.
She was incredibly fast at first, and not very maneuverable. Howled like a banshee. I eventually replaced the original 10x6 props with
a pair of 3-blade 9x4's and she settled right down. A bit of lead in the tail brought her CG to just behind the main spar and she
became quite the basic aerobat. Loved the sound of those 2 engines!!
.
a pair of 3-blade 9x4's and she settled right down. A bit of lead in the tail brought her CG to just behind the main spar and she
became quite the basic aerobat. Loved the sound of those 2 engines!!
.
This plane was over 30 years old when I finally retired her. |
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