New Comet Laser Cut Kits

[mmartin55]

I've got the 54" span Taylorcraft cut and shipping and will start work on the Aeronca next week. Anyone have some pictures of theirs to share here or to show some good ways to strengthen the structure for landing gear, battery packs and servos?

Happy New Year!

[mmartin55]

The Aeronca is completed, CAD and nested, parts gated and ready to go. Walts got them for cutting and I ordered four to start with and should be shipping in a few days.

Tom

[DIALED/CHUCK]

Got pics?

--C

[obxflyer]

Hey, I would like to see some pictures also. I spent many hours building Comet planes in the 60's.
BC

[mmartin55]

No pics yet. I just finished cutting them per the old printwood and sent them out to several customers who were dying to build or beta the parts. I can get some shots of the next batch that comes in to show the kit and parts contents but stay tuned to one of the forums for a thread on these any day now.

Tom

[obxflyer]

Thanks Tom. Can I find other planes on a web site of yours? Hate to sound lost and confused, but the whole electric conversion old timer revival is new to me. Any help? Thanks again. BC

[mmartin55]

Sorry BC, if you had done a search at Google for "Home of the Schweizers" you would have found us. Some forums don't take too kindly to manufacturers using their web page URL as a signature, but since we have top first page search engine ranking, any search for a Schweizer sailplane model or kit or our slogan at a major search engine like google will find us.

Tom

[Twmaster]

Oooh a T-craft.

I'm guessing that this is a plane for small outrunners due to it's free flight heritage?

Any idea what the completed airframe weighs (less electronics and motoren)?

[obxflyer]

Where can you find a T-craft for electric flight at a fair price? Anyone?
BC

[mmartin55]

Our T-craft owes its heritage to the Comet line of kits and along with our new Aeronca Chief and Aeronca K, also at 54" they weigh in with radio gear and servos at just over 12 oz. all up. Some may build them heavier but not much lighter and at 12-16 oz. the wing loading is good for both indoor and outdoor and fly outdoor just fine at up to 24 oz.

Our partial kit can be built directly over the old Comet plans and easily modified following the lead of any number of build threads at the forums. Here is one by Jim Wagoner currently in progress: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=629919.

Right now I am in process of adding an original Cub and a Pawnee at this same scale and following the same construction techniques. The J3 uses the same ribs as the Taylorcraft, but more of them and it will be cut for me to begin building in just a few weeks.

The Pawnee will be featured in Flying Models magazine hopefully by May and it too is nearing completion of the plans. Both will eventually be kitted with vacuum-formed parts and bent wire gear etc. in partial kit format with plans for around $69.00. Both are perfect scale down to the wing and tail profiles and number and placement of ribs plus the Pawnee will have operational flaps standard and optional dusting hopper kit and drawings to build and add a tow release for aerotowing up to two meter sized sailplanes of 36 oz. or less.

Tom

[Bill G]

As a kid, I got a Comet Aeronca kit where you had to cut the parts out by hand. I shelved it quickly. Would have never thought I'd eventually be heavily into scratchbuilding one day, at that time.

The laser cut kits sound interesting. Given my memory of hand-cutting at the time, die-cut would have been fine.

Bill

[Mike_Taylor]

Thanksfor fulfilling my order, Tom.

[Mike_Taylor]

Nice laser work; very clean with little char marking.

[mmartin55]

Sorry it took me so long to get your kit boxed up and to you Mike. Hope you've started it or the two bonus kits I sent for you and your friend.

I will begin producing the canopy plug for the 2-32 today so please let me know when you get to that stage so I can send yours and you can have a proper glazed bubble on the front of your Schweizer.

If you have started, email me and let me know if you have questions and how its coming.

Thanks
tm

[WWI Ace]

I would like to know more about the Pawnee!! Steve

[mmartin55]

Steve,

Here is a PDF of the 1 meter Pawnee Brave. Take a look and tell me what you think. Its about ready to cut and prototype but the 54" PA-25 still needs a little more work. You guys can make a print of this for your own personal use and to review it for me if you like.

Tom

[mmartin55]

Thanks for the compliments on the quality Mike. I think Walt does a good job of determining the correct power to get a really fine kerf with little burn but he's great at selecting the right balsa for the sheets! We consistently get good feedback on the parts he is making for me.

[WWI Ace]

Tom, what do you think the price will be for each of the Pawnee kits? Will they be full kits or short kits? Will cowls and canopies be included? Thanks, Steve

[WWI Ace]

I can't wait for the Pawnee!! I'd like to get both!! Steve

[mmartin55]

Steve, the price for the 1 meter and 1.4 meter Brave and Pawnee should be in the $70 range for complete kits with cowls and canopy plus wheels and wire for landing gear. Have you taken a look at the plan I posted? Is that the one you are referring to or the earlier strut-reinforced wing version the PA-25?

Tom

[Gnascher]

mmartin may be shy about posting a link to his website ... but I'm not. You've got some great stuff there!

http://www.tmrcsailplanes.com/

PS: WattFlyer is pretty friendly about merchants posting URLs in thread and their signature as long as you're not spammy about it. It's useful for us in the hobby to be able to locate vendors we've not seen before.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a mod.

[WWI Ace]

I like ALL cropdusters Tom!!! I would really like to know as soon as the kits are available for purchase. I'll choose one or two then!! Thanks, Steve

[gfdengine204]

hmmmmm another place to get laser kits? I like, I like!

[E-Challenged]

My old Comet Aeronca Chief had separate panel wings held to fuselage with hooks and rubber bands, functional wing struts used clevises to adjust dihedral and washout. It was powered by an Esskay ( Now Atlas) 400XT outrunner from Hobby Lobby, TP 1320 3S lipo and GWS 9x5 direct drive prop. This would probably be an ideal power setup for your laser cut versions. The nose on my Chief was made of soft balsa sheet instead of stick and former. The nose bowl was removable and there was a hatch on top for access to the motor. The landing gear was sewed with wire to 1/8" ply formers and served as a place to velcro the battery packs to. Access was through functional side doors with nylon pinned hinges and latches made of wire, tubing and ballpoint pen springs. Wheel pant/landing gear leg assemblies were held to gear wire with velcro, looked crude but worked and knocked off in hard landings. The model weighed 28 ounces but liked to thermals with prop ticking over.

After many hundreds of flights, one of the clevises on the wing strut let go and the plane spiraled in on it's final flight. If you use clevises, slide a piece of silicon fuel line tubing over them to lock them closed.

[mmartin55]

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for posting about how you solved the E-conversion of your kit. These are our most popular kits and so we've undertaken to update them specifically for E power. I am redrawing the plans right now and will add the long stock and hardware to those shipping beginning in a few weeks.

Tom