What, I'm starting ANOTHER build thread? I think there are at least 6 currently in various stages of construction by me, but this one is going to leapfrog to the front of the line (at least until the covering for my Funtana 90 arrives!).
Last winter I built a plane for my buddy Mike, the Tower Trainer 60. Well, I guess I *assembled* it since it's an ARF, but there was glue and instructions involved so I'm chalking it up as a BUILD! He loves high-wing trainer-style planes, and what's not to love? They look good, fly well, and generally calm the nerves. Until you overpower a .60 two-stroke size plane with a .90 four-stroke engine that is! (Pic below is somebody else's plane with a normal size engine). Mike's plane was a real ripper with that engine. It'd take off in about 4', cruise nicely with just a little bit of throttle, sip fuel for long, relaxing flights, and then haul ass like a relative who owes you money when you advanced the throttle. I was surprised the wing didn't come off as it was only held on by the stock rubberbands!
And then he entered into combat with a tree. It may have been the loudest crash I've heard as it was going full-speed at the time.
Oh well, it happens to all of us.
But Mike really liked that plane, and it only had a few flights on it. It was beyond repair, even by my twisted standards. Well, the fuselage itself could have been saved easily, but half the wing is still way up in the tree, half the elevator is missing, and a few other parts are damaged. It would be far easier and take MUCH less time to simply build it again from a kit. However, the Tower Trainer 60 is discontinued.
Good thing I've got one, new in the box! We worked out a trade - the new kit built with the parts salvaged from the old kit along with some other work on other planes for a stupid-large discontinued Nitro Planes Sukhoi SU-26 gasser kit. The new build for Mike will include a couple modifications to make this plane better than the old one, including a bolt-on wing.
So here's what remains of the old Tower Trainer 60. The fuselage held up incredibly well considering how violent the crash was!
This was the bulk of the damage to the fuselage. The tail took some damage, but nothing compared to this. This alone would be repairable.
Inside the servos all survived, although I'll test them thoroughly to make sure nothing was stripped or damaged in the crash.
And in just a few minutes the old fuselage is stripped of all usable parts. We never found one of the main landing gear wires or the wheel on it, so those will be replaced.
This is the new plane, removed from the box for the first time in probably well over a decade. The covering needs a little tightening in a few spots which will be a quick job. Weather this weekend is supposed to be hot and crappy, so hopefully I make a big dent in the project.
Last winter I built a plane for my buddy Mike, the Tower Trainer 60. Well, I guess I *assembled* it since it's an ARF, but there was glue and instructions involved so I'm chalking it up as a BUILD! He loves high-wing trainer-style planes, and what's not to love? They look good, fly well, and generally calm the nerves. Until you overpower a .60 two-stroke size plane with a .90 four-stroke engine that is! (Pic below is somebody else's plane with a normal size engine). Mike's plane was a real ripper with that engine. It'd take off in about 4', cruise nicely with just a little bit of throttle, sip fuel for long, relaxing flights, and then haul ass like a relative who owes you money when you advanced the throttle. I was surprised the wing didn't come off as it was only held on by the stock rubberbands!
And then he entered into combat with a tree. It may have been the loudest crash I've heard as it was going full-speed at the time.
Oh well, it happens to all of us.
But Mike really liked that plane, and it only had a few flights on it. It was beyond repair, even by my twisted standards. Well, the fuselage itself could have been saved easily, but half the wing is still way up in the tree, half the elevator is missing, and a few other parts are damaged. It would be far easier and take MUCH less time to simply build it again from a kit. However, the Tower Trainer 60 is discontinued.
Good thing I've got one, new in the box! We worked out a trade - the new kit built with the parts salvaged from the old kit along with some other work on other planes for a stupid-large discontinued Nitro Planes Sukhoi SU-26 gasser kit. The new build for Mike will include a couple modifications to make this plane better than the old one, including a bolt-on wing.
So here's what remains of the old Tower Trainer 60. The fuselage held up incredibly well considering how violent the crash was!
This was the bulk of the damage to the fuselage. The tail took some damage, but nothing compared to this. This alone would be repairable.
Inside the servos all survived, although I'll test them thoroughly to make sure nothing was stripped or damaged in the crash.
And in just a few minutes the old fuselage is stripped of all usable parts. We never found one of the main landing gear wires or the wheel on it, so those will be replaced.
This is the new plane, removed from the box for the first time in probably well over a decade. The covering needs a little tightening in a few spots which will be a quick job. Weather this weekend is supposed to be hot and crappy, so hopefully I make a big dent in the project.