HELP!! Save Vincent's plans (Unrau)

Brett_N

Well-known member
For those of you who may not have seen it, the hobby lost an incredible modeler recently on March 31st. Vincent Unrau passed away per his wife's message on the RCFBaircraft site. Vincent was recently featured in an FT main page article, and I've been working through his Beechcraft.

If you haven't seen his plans, it's the culmination of DTFB meets traditional balsa building techniques.

SPONZ - Would you be willing to host Vincent's plans on your drive and link them in the plans index so that we can save these works of art?

I will spend my (fantastically fun thursday morning staff meeting) downloading and indexing them - I can zip them and send? You're the master of PDF's though so you may have some tricks up your sleeve to compress them to single download files? (they are all individual tiles...)

Not sure if anyone has yet to reach out to Erin (Josh B? might be best coming from the man at the heart of it all...) it would be a terrible loss to not save his work.
 

rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
Maybe we could get all his plans loaded up as Resources so they would be easier for people to find?
 

Brett_N

Well-known member
I don't mind going through and creating an index thread for them. I downloaded all of the ZIP files, the long project would be matching the photos to them.
 

makersam

Member
I don't mind going through and creating an index thread for them. I downloaded all of the ZIP files, the long project would be matching the photos to them.
You are in luck as I have downloaded and catalogued most of the zip files WITH all of the photos and info that was on the page.
I have ALL of the Commonwealth, German, US,WW1 and USSR (I think I got through all of them before I had to stop for the day).
I will post up a google drive link at some point for those that want to get any or all of the plans. It might be a little more kind to their website that is likely experiencing much higher than usual bandwidth usage.
I am working on scaling down his Lancaster into a mini size right now and have a normal sized mosquito that I have been working on for a while.
If someone wanted to collaborate on making a google folder of any additional relevant build pictures of his designs I would be up to sharing and making it a collaborative effort.
 

Grifflyer

WWII fanatic
You are in luck as I have downloaded and catalogued most of the zip files WITH all of the photos and info that was on the page.
I have ALL of the Commonwealth, German, US,WW1 and USSR (I think I got through all of them before I had to stop for the day).
I will post up a google drive link at some point for those that want to get any or all of the plans. It might be a little more kind to their website that is likely experiencing much higher than usual bandwidth usage.
I am working on scaling down his Lancaster into a mini size right now and have a normal sized mosquito that I have been working on for a while.
If someone wanted to collaborate on making a google folder of any additional relevant build pictures of his designs I would be up to sharing and making it a collaborative effort.
I have two pictures of his planes that I built. I still think we should ask permission to post them here first.
 

Brett_N

Well-known member
Griff - I emailed his address on the site in hopes his wife will respond.

I'd have to guess he would be more than happy if we archived his planes somewhere more stable (not sure how long his site will remain active if he's not paying the bill anymore!)
 

kilroy07

Legendary member
If someone does reach out to his wife. I noticed he used the same CAD program I do (MicroStation) if you could request the “dgn” files as well as I would be honored to help make pdf plans of some of his unfinished plans.

@Brett_N thank you for not only posting the notice but taking up the charge to continue his legacy. 👍

I would just echo concerns about checking with his wife first... maybe we could add a donation link on the plans?....
 

makersam

Member
I have two pictures of his planes that I built. I still think we should ask permission to post them here first.
I was mostly looking to provide them if asked until we hear one way or another from his wife, but possibly doing archival work in a small group on a common file where resources we come across could be put together.
 

Grifflyer

WWII fanatic
I was mostly looking to provide them if asked until we hear one way or another from his wife, but possibly doing archival work in a small group on a common file where resources we come across could be put together.
Yeah that's almost exactly what I thinking of!!
However in your previous post you said
...I will post up a google drive link at some point for those that want to get any or all of the plans....If someone wanted to collaborate on making a google folder of any additional relevant build pictures of his designs I would be up to sharing and making it a collaborative effort.
I thought you were going to post them publicly for anybody to view and download his plans.


I think, after getting permission from his wife, form a group of people either through the forum or through E-mail and privately gather together all his plans and pictures of his builds, eventually posting a plans index similar to what @SP0NZ did commemorating his outstanding work.
Maybe have the thread run by the group of people who gathered all the information together.

Just throwing out some ideas...
 

kilroy07

Legendary member
Is anybody going to Flight Fest this year?
I was thinking maybe a couple of us get together and build copies of his last project (was it a c-47?) then we could do a missing man formation…

I have squirreled away copies of his plans as well and will help if I can.
 

SP0NZ

FT CAD Gremlin
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
Mentor
Like the rest of you I was saddened to hear the news of his passing. I communicated with him a few times while he was battling with cancer. He was definitely a treasure and creating plans was his therapy as he was fighting for his life. I love the idea of creating a place for his plans to live on. Be that my plans index or a new thread (either would be fine with me). This is a great idea and I am happy to help in any way that I can.
 

P-loco85

Member
Has anyone had any luck contacting Vincent's wife for approval yet.
If no one has reached out I can try myself, let me know, I don't want to be the 20th person bugging her as she is
probably still grieving at this time.
Loco
 

P-loco85

Member
No not me personally, and sad now it's down but I understand from the wife perspective.

I did get some downloaded but not all plans.
 

Zephyr1

Elite member
I’m not sure currently what the status is on the permission to post his plans but I’d be willing to bet that I have close to 80% of his designs downloaded and could upload them.