Dumas Spad XIII
#1

Just curious if anyone has seen the Dumas Spad XIII. It is 35" wingspan and designed by Pat Trittle. I haven't found any info on the kit itself...other than the prototype build by Pat himself. It came out to 11.1 ounces, with a wing loading of 4 oz/sq ft, and flew on only 50 watts of power!
#2
#3

That's where I got the pic...looks like I forgot to supply a Link...thank Don. Tower Hobbies has it cheaper though. The Dumas site says it's 42" but it is really 35"...there's a bit more info at Tower BTW.
#5

Yes, it is elevator, rudder and throttle. I suppose ailerons could be added without much difficulty. Although I really do like full house controls, I'd be tempted to just stay with the 3 channel set up for simplicity sake...plus weight savings and $$$ saving.
BTW, I ordered one through my LHS...it was probably in today...but alas...I have a promotional exam for work today so I couldn't pick it up. It will have to wait until Friday
BTW, I ordered one through my LHS...it was probably in today...but alas...I have a promotional exam for work today so I couldn't pick it up. It will have to wait until Friday

#10
#11

I agree that the stars and stripes look is a bit cartoonish, but as Don noted it is in fact a genuine post war scheme. I will probably go with a 5 color camo scheme...of course there are the earlier 4 color and the even earlier yellowish (straw?) versions.
The kit is designed for a stick mount gear drive. So I may have a use for all of those GWS brushed gear drives I have. Tower shows a different type of 280 gear drive to use, but that may require a bit of engineering to make work.
For the covering, I plan to use Doculam. The kit does include red/white/blue tissue, but this will requre the use of dope...I prefer beer or whiskey.
At any rate here are some obligatory photos...
The kit is designed for a stick mount gear drive. So I may have a use for all of those GWS brushed gear drives I have. Tower shows a different type of 280 gear drive to use, but that may require a bit of engineering to make work.
For the covering, I plan to use Doculam. The kit does include red/white/blue tissue, but this will requre the use of dope...I prefer beer or whiskey.
At any rate here are some obligatory photos...
Last edited by barmonkey; 08-23-2008 at 12:18 AM.
#14

BarMonkey ,
I found ya ! Looking good , hopefully there won't be too many quirks with the Dumas instructions . I have built 2 : The Waco YMF-5 and Aeronca C3 and both had minor issues ( wire templates and one other thing ) but other than that go together pretty good .
They are lightly constructed ( as all of Pats designs ) but do fly nicely when set up the way intended . As mentioned just be careful when covering with doculam ( especially the wings ) . Pat generally uses Solite which is less aggresive shrinking .
BTW , whats the matter with the "Stars and Stripes " ??? I agree it is "cartoonish" too , but should make seeing it quite easy !
Looking forward to more progress , where this one is on my " to get " list along with his Neuport ...
-John
I found ya ! Looking good , hopefully there won't be too many quirks with the Dumas instructions . I have built 2 : The Waco YMF-5 and Aeronca C3 and both had minor issues ( wire templates and one other thing ) but other than that go together pretty good .
They are lightly constructed ( as all of Pats designs ) but do fly nicely when set up the way intended . As mentioned just be careful when covering with doculam ( especially the wings ) . Pat generally uses Solite which is less aggresive shrinking .
BTW , whats the matter with the "Stars and Stripes " ??? I agree it is "cartoonish" too , but should make seeing it quite easy !
Looking forward to more progress , where this one is on my " to get " list along with his Neuport ...
-John
#15

Hey John! fancy seeing you here!
I only got one side laid out yesterday...so it doesn't look like the maiden will be today
I went ahead and cut/sized all the parts needed for both sides before it started the first. This was pretty time consuming...but the second side should fall together pretty quickly. I have seen other builders lay wax paper over the first structure, and then build the second on top of that one. Not sure if I will do that...seems to be more trouble than it's worth.
When the fuse is finished, it should be a pretty solid and tough structure thanks to all of those stringers. Hopefully, this means that the Doculam won't warp or crush anything .
In a way I kinda like the Stars and Stripes...but I do prefer camo! While looking through my books last night...I did see some silly schemes...Shamrocks...and my favorite...light blue with red/white/blue polka dots!
I only got one side laid out yesterday...so it doesn't look like the maiden will be today

I went ahead and cut/sized all the parts needed for both sides before it started the first. This was pretty time consuming...but the second side should fall together pretty quickly. I have seen other builders lay wax paper over the first structure, and then build the second on top of that one. Not sure if I will do that...seems to be more trouble than it's worth.
When the fuse is finished, it should be a pretty solid and tough structure thanks to all of those stringers. Hopefully, this means that the Doculam won't warp or crush anything .
In a way I kinda like the Stars and Stripes...but I do prefer camo! While looking through my books last night...I did see some silly schemes...Shamrocks...and my favorite...light blue with red/white/blue polka dots!
#16
Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 36

I am in the process of finishing up the structure on this plane. It went together very well, although I wasn't able to pull off soldering the landing gear. I went with CA glue soaked nylon line instead. I'll keep an eye on this thread, and see if you can learn from my multiple mistakes!
#17

Barmonkey ,
I would post a link from RCG to here so others can follow along ( just a thought )
Looking good . I agree with the LG soldering . I do the same thing with Spiderwire and CA and is a lot easier to get things together and just as strong ( and lighter ) If it breaks , I'd hate to see what the rest of the model looks like !!
Polka dots ( ahhhh ) Would not see many of those at the field
BTW , what was the recommended power for this one ? I can't quite recall if it was a geared SP280 . Are you going that route ? or brushless ? I know you mentioned you had a good assortment of geared brushed setups . I used to like the GWS 350C till prices of comparable BL came down and can be had for peanuts ...
-John
I would post a link from RCG to here so others can follow along ( just a thought )
Looking good . I agree with the LG soldering . I do the same thing with Spiderwire and CA and is a lot easier to get things together and just as strong ( and lighter ) If it breaks , I'd hate to see what the rest of the model looks like !!
Polka dots ( ahhhh ) Would not see many of those at the field

BTW , what was the recommended power for this one ? I can't quite recall if it was a geared SP280 . Are you going that route ? or brushless ? I know you mentioned you had a good assortment of geared brushed setups . I used to like the GWS 350C till prices of comparable BL came down and can be had for peanuts ...
-John
Last edited by jofrost; 08-24-2008 at 07:11 PM. Reason: added question
#18

Welcome to Wattflyer jszeiter! Glad to see someone else building one of these. Feel free to post your progress...along with pics.
I too am not sure about soldering the landing gear...I'll certainly give it a try...although I may end up going the CA soaked thread method also. Bending the gear will be my biggest challenge. I suppose some sort of jig would be helpful.
I am pretty sure those crazy schemes were applied after victory was declared. No doubt applied after some heavy celebration!
I too am not sure about soldering the landing gear...I'll certainly give it a try...although I may end up going the CA soaked thread method also. Bending the gear will be my biggest challenge. I suppose some sort of jig would be helpful.
I am pretty sure those crazy schemes were applied after victory was declared. No doubt applied after some heavy celebration!
#19

I found some errors in the plans. Specifically, Page 2 of the plan sheets. Parts 1&1A, 2A&2B, 3&3A are labeled correctly. There are actually two sets of 3&3A...therefore parts 4&4A should be labeled 5&5A...7&7A should be 6&6A...8&8A should be labeled 7&7A. The real Parts 8&8A (as well as 9&9A) are not drawn on the plan. I assume that this is as clear as mud, so I included some pics.
#20

Made a little more progress.I squared parts 1/1A and 2A/2B to the left side on top of a 1/4" piece of glass...pretty sure it won't ever warp on me.
I moved the plans over a bit on my board so the front could hang off the side. This allowed me to pin the frames up-side down to the plans...allowing me to ensure nothing was skewed when I glued the right side frame to 1/1A and 2A/2B.
At this point I am debating as to whether or not just gluing the bottom formers in and then doing the top. The instructions call for doing the top first...probably the same difference either way.
I moved the plans over a bit on my board so the front could hang off the side. This allowed me to pin the frames up-side down to the plans...allowing me to ensure nothing was skewed when I glued the right side frame to 1/1A and 2A/2B.
At this point I am debating as to whether or not just gluing the bottom formers in and then doing the top. The instructions call for doing the top first...probably the same difference either way.
#21

Okey Dokey...I went with gluing the bottom formers first. You can see from the photos that I used the top formers and the cabane mount beams as spreaders to keep every thing somewhat square. I came up with that one all by myself! I also used some scotch tape to draw the sides together.
#24
Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 36

Quick question: I went with the recommendations from Tower Hobbies, and may be regretting it... They suggested I get:
An Electrifly T-280 Ferrite Motor (7.2-9.6 volt)
Electrifly S280 5:1 Gearbox
Electrifly C7 Nano 5amp ESC/BEC
and a Lipo 7.4 volt 1250mAh 20 C (2 cell)
A couple questions:
There is no mechanical connection between the motor and the gearbox. Can I just epoxy it in there once I get the gears aligned?
Is this battery the right size for this ESC/motor?
The battery has a female Deans Ultra Plug, but the ESC has a little Micro plug - can I just solder a Deans Ultra Male Plug onto the ESC and go?
Also, the motor has another small orange plug on it, and the ESC has two 2mm banana plugs - should I just switch to the banana plugs?
Sorry about the newb questions, but I seem to roll along with kits, right up to the power system. I then come to a crashing halt of confusion. I need to develop some patience to learn how to match all this stuff up, so I'm not soldering new plugs onto everything... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
An Electrifly T-280 Ferrite Motor (7.2-9.6 volt)
Electrifly S280 5:1 Gearbox
Electrifly C7 Nano 5amp ESC/BEC
and a Lipo 7.4 volt 1250mAh 20 C (2 cell)
A couple questions:
There is no mechanical connection between the motor and the gearbox. Can I just epoxy it in there once I get the gears aligned?
Is this battery the right size for this ESC/motor?
The battery has a female Deans Ultra Plug, but the ESC has a little Micro plug - can I just solder a Deans Ultra Male Plug onto the ESC and go?
Also, the motor has another small orange plug on it, and the ESC has two 2mm banana plugs - should I just switch to the banana plugs?
Sorry about the newb questions, but I seem to roll along with kits, right up to the power system. I then come to a crashing halt of confusion. I need to develop some patience to learn how to match all this stuff up, so I'm not soldering new plugs onto everything... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

#25

I have that very gearbox...I think it is marketed under Graupner also. In it I used a Graupner 280 which fit very snug, and needed no glue. You may want to post a question concerning the gearbox in the "Power Systems" section...to see if glue would be a good idea. Don't forget to put that pinion gear on first!
I am not sure why Tower suggested that gearbox though. It is a very good gearbox, but this is designed for a stick mount. A little engineering will be in order to make it work.
That battery looks to be a good size...2 cell is the way to go...you probably wouldn't want 3S as it would burn the motor up.
I'd go with the Deans plug and the banana plugs...those JST style connectors can be a little iffy.
I am not sure why Tower suggested that gearbox though. It is a very good gearbox, but this is designed for a stick mount. A little engineering will be in order to make it work.
That battery looks to be a good size...2 cell is the way to go...you probably wouldn't want 3S as it would burn the motor up.
I'd go with the Deans plug and the banana plugs...those JST style connectors can be a little iffy.