Flite Fest 2017: Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship

[BridgeInspector]

The plane that started the Golden Age of Racing at the Nation Air Races in Cleveland Ohio (September 2, 1929).​

Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship

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Wiki Information

See it in person at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum​

Dimensions on this sketch
​

I have been working on this build off and on for a few months in CAD but only now started to get serious near the deadline. The plane is a last minute entry into the contest, just like it was at the races in 1929, where it was kept in secrecy and under cover until the day of the races.

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I have no grandiose ideas of this being a speed demon and blow away the competition like the original. It will be a small miracle getting this complete by the deadline and proof of flight on video. MUCH luck will be needed and the plans will most likely need tweaked for user friendliness perhaps at later date. If it doesn't get complete by the December 31, 2016 deadline, it will be done soon after. You can still expect to find this plane at Flite Fest 2017 no matter the contest outcome (I haven't missed a FF yet).

Specs: model (actual)
Wingspan - 58" (29')
Prop - 15" (7.9')
Length - 39" (20.3')

There are sneak peaks available on Instagram as I post about this build.​

This posting will be edited as time allows. I plan on making empty posts below on the Design, Build and the Maiden that I can update.

Crossing fingers.​

 

[BridgeInspector]

Design

This is where the design process will be documented with CAD and test runs.


I started out (9/27/16) with the drawing and dimensions in the first post. It was a .tiff file I found on the internet (resourceful thing) that I placed into a TurboCAD file. I then scaled it to the required 1/6 and started tracing the outlines using a polyline tool. I just kept doing that until I got the gist of the shapes and then started coping and manuplulating to get the plans I needed. Ha, wasn't that simple but it took some time to play with it all.

Version 0.5​

Started with the wing, tail section (horizontal and vertical stabs) and fuse.


Then life happened and returned after Thanksgiving (11/26/16 ish)

Then to PDF.


Then to paper and foam.


Then cut and glue


Made many notes on changes, but the gist of it seemed to be working. Fuse was two tall and tail section function was wrong after seeing a video.

Version 1.0
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Plans updated and start to look a bit more user friendly. ~12/12/16 This is the current build plans that I am working from.

See Build post below​

Here is the latest CAD screen shot (12/19/16)

Version 1.01​

Cleaned up and added turtle decking posterboard (untested)

 

[BridgeInspector]

Build

This will be mostly photos showing the process with build notes added.

Many techniques are Flite Test and NerdNic

Cut the foam



Bamboo Skewers go in the narrow slots to stiffen.




Part Assembly
(hope to add video of timelapse) can see some clips on Instagram

Tail




Wing


Aluminum Spar (36" x 1/2" x 1/16" notched in middle) glued in place (and a scrap piece of foam I was using due to heat stuck, HA)



Wing and tail



Fuse
No pics of the fuse build (not sure why I didn't)




Turtle Deck
just cut some scrap for testing




Finished version - 3m 77 spray to attache waterproof paper to posterboard.


PowerPod Placement

This was built then CAD drawings as I was winging this part. Worked out well and came out solid.





GEAR

Wheel Pants - Posterboard top and foamboard sides.


Gear is attached like the FT mustang, then support added with control rods and bamboo. Works really well but doesn't hold up to severe landings (I know haha)




Nose cone

I cut the opening larger then I have in the plans. multiples players and a screen (black out look) added. Shaped the foam with bread knife and sandpaper (100 grit).





MOTOR, ESC, BATTERY, PROP and CG

Motor and ESC : from my Avios SeaFury 3648 600 kV and 60 amp ESC.
Prop : 14x7 APC
Battery : 4s 4000mAh

CG was on the main spar.


Cowl is removable for access and held on with skewer in top and velcro on bottom.

 

[BridgeInspector]

Maiden

This will be the fantastic, awesome, stupendous and successful flight video!


Quick edit on hat cam video of maiden. Landing was my fault for not keeping the airspeed up, but it will fix easily.

 

[wilmracer]

Love the Mystery Ship! Good luck with the build!

 

[SlingShot]

That looks like it should be a more friendly plane performance wise.

 

[CaptBill]

Im looking forward to my being able to take a shot at something like this and other scale and almost scale builds. Im blown away with each one I see here.

Best wishes on this build.

Where do I find information about Flight Fest 2017?

Thanks
Bill

 

[BridgeInspector]

Im looking forward to my being able to take a shot at something like this and other scale and almost scale builds. Im blown away with each one I see here.

Best wishes on this build.

Where do I find information about Flight Fest 2017?

Thanks,

Try looking at http://flitefest.com/ perodically, right now it still has last years information. This thread has the rumored dates.

 

[BridgeInspector]

Love the Mystery Ship! Good luck with the build!

Thanks!

 

[willsonman]

Looking forward to this classic.

 

[Montiey]

Very interesting how the tail is made. I never thought of beveling the edges like that…!

 

[BridgeInspector]

Very interesting how the tail is made. I never thought of beveling the edges like that…!

It is NerdNic style.

http://www.nerdnic.com

 

[BridgeInspector]

Some plan and CAD links here. Calling the latest v1.01 , not all pdfs are there yet of this version.

Let me know if they don't work for ya.

 

[BridgeInspector]

Added some pics and brief descriptions to Build Post

 

[planebreaker2000]

Very good progress! Looking forward to seeing the final product and the flight.

 

[BridgeInspector]

Motor and prop test fit. I used the motor from my Avios SeaFury, 3648 600kV. Then I fit the biggest prop I had, APC 14x7, that was to be for the SeaFury. I plan on using 4s, size to be decided and is CG dependent. I still have some cowl work to do. May try a mesh screen and round the front with some foam shaping. Tail servos still need installed too. Then the challenge of the iconic wheel pants.

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

You may want to cut some inlet holes in the cowl. Big radial cowls like that tend to be air dams and cause some serious drag.

 

[BridgeInspector]

You may want to cut some inlet holes in the cowl. Big radial cowls like that tend to be air dams and cause some serious drag.

Agreed!

I have a few ideas to try out to let air through and still look decent. May try using porch screen mesh with fake pistons and areas cut open around them. I also will add some foam layers to then sculpt into a curved cowl.

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

All of those sound viable to me. Rounding the edges off would probably grant you the most aerodynamic gain, but the others would definitely help.

 

[BridgeInspector]

Installed servos for rudder and elevator, also cut some areas open for access into the fuse and to help lighten it a bit.



Rudder servo and guide




Rudder (foam is some shaping I am trying)


Elevator (photo upside down- this happens occasionally)


Used wire to connect elevators together.