A scratch build Rambler Bipe from the Forties.

[Ryan O.]

At Warbirds Over Wisconsin I got a Model Aviation News January 1947 magazine for a few bucks. Included in the issue (which was photo copied and scanned) were several plans for aricraft. The only non static model that could be made RC was a Balsa Curtiss Reid Rambler. The plans only need to be scaled up and cut out, unfortanetly I have no saws and have now where to put one. I may find a workshop where I can rent time on a scroll or bansaw for cutting the Balsa and Ply. I wasn't originally planning on making one, but I made a bet, even though I won it the conversation went on to me having to build one as soon as I can. I have not time I plan to start, but this will be long term, probably in a year or more. After the build is done I will probably make an article on it. About the Curtiss Hawk, it was designed by Reid Aircraft Companyand almost crashe on its maiden when the ailerons jammed. Curtiss bought Reid and modified the aircraft as well. It was supposed to be for civillians, but the Royal Canadian Air Force ordered several as trainers as a complement to the famed Tiger Moth, also a Biplane. There is a no longet airworthy aircraft in a Montreal, but I don't plan on driving up to Montreal from Wisconsin.

 

[Joker 53150]

Looks like a fun project.

Where in SE Wisconsin are you? I’m just outside southern Milwaukee County.

 

[Ryan O.]

Looks like a fun project.

Where in SE Wisconsin are you? I’m just outside southern Milwaukee County.

Cool, Brookfield

 

[Joker 53150]

Cool, Brookfield

I know the area well, and am pretty much straight south on Moorland in Muskego.

 

[Ryan O.]

I know the area well, and am pretty much straight south on Moorland in Muskego.

Great, are there fields down there, the closest to me is Menominee falls, I know there are a lot slightly North.

 

[Joker 53150]

Menomonie Falls is probably around 15 minutes for you. Other fields I know of:

- Franklin has a field near 76th and Oakwood Rd (RAMS Field - Rainbow Aero Modelers Society), about 25 minutes from Brookfield. I've never flown there.
- Bong State Park in Racine County is about 45 minutes for you, and has a paved runway, but the grass is often too long for even big planes. This requires paid admission into the park or you can get a yearly pass.
- Most of my flying is at a sod farm in Wind Lake, about 35 minutes from Brookfield. There is an RC club that rents an area to fly from, and flying at a sod farm means no trees.

I'm sure there are others, but once I started flying at the sod farm I stopped looking for other places to fly!

 

[rockyboy]

A nice alternative to band saw / scroll saw : Jewelers Saw

A good tool to have even if you do have a shop with the powered ones.

 

[Joker 53150]

That looks very handy for quick or delicate trim cuts, I may need to get one! I already have a scroll saw and bandsaw, and get far more use out of the bandsaw.

 

[rockyboy]

I've had jewelers saws for around for years - great for doing inlay work - but only recently with my band saw and scroll saw buried at the other end of my shop did I think to grab it for doing plywood firewalls and bulkheads. Don't need to buy that fancy cutting block either - any piece of 1x4 or similar material with a triangle shape cutout and clamped to the bench works just fine.

I suppose I could also de-clutter my shop, but that's less fun that building planes!

 

[Ryan O.]

A nice alternative to band saw / scroll saw : Jewelers Saw

A good tool to have even if you do have a shop with the powered ones.

Nice, I will have to try that

 

[Ryan O.]

I do want to decide on a paint scheme for this plane. I am leaning towards doing the original paint scheme, but the images are all black and white. Back then was all covering matte or was there shiny plastic covering like Monokote, I will try either fabric with dope or planetex painted over for this if there wasn't any Monokote in the forties. If anyone has knowledge on identifying colors in black and white images it would be very helpful. I'll upload the image soon.

 

[Piotrsko]

No monokote. Silk or Jap tissue, generally shiney since acetal butyrate cellulose or acetal nitrate cellulose aka dope didn't come in flats except for a hard to get clear. Colors were the WW2 international set, like insignia blue, cub yellow, lamp black, international orange, dove gray. Your paint needs to shrink during drying for these processes.

You can substitute dacron for the silk, available at most fabric shops but you may need to wash the greige out first.

The Montreal museum may have an online photo gallery.