Rainy Day Aviating

[Fat Albert]

A few weeks ago my 8 year-old son was bored, so I pulled out a set of 30" balsa Glider wings that I had made and suggested that he come up with a design for the fuselage and tail that we could make.

I had envisaged a simple profile sheet balsa fuselage and empenage....my son decided that he wanted to focus on an early jet, so went through the Chronicle of aviation and we made a short-list and he eventually chose a Fouga Magister (I have fond memories of them displaying in the '70s)

Of course he then decides that a profile model won't do and he would like a 'proper' one, so an afternoon's caper turns into more of a project...

so a bit of googling and some suitable drawings are found that I can scale up by hand and into the Workshop we go!

Initial Side elevation and Fuselage former drawings:


Laying out the Port-side Fuselage:


So yesterday as it was raining so much we went back down to the workshop, finished the Fuselage, made the canopy from a pop bottle and did the main covering.
Here is a couple of pics of the Wing trial fitting:



Just need to mount the wing properly and make up the engine nacelles to finish

Edited by Fat Albert on Monday 13th June 12:21

[perdu]

I like that

can't you convince him that to fly nicely you could do with leaving off any parasitic weight and drag

for a first flight at least

maybe a pair of nacelles later in the flight programme

still, I do like what you have done

Instilled an early love of modelling

and of course in later years "It's all YOUR FAULT, he could have been an accountant. Instead..."


(TBH I just want to see the inflight pictures )

[mrloudly]

Perfect candidate for "Jetex"

[Hooli]

You appear to have forgot the RC systems

[Simpo Two]

Great to see a new generation doing this and not just playing video games.



What's the glider in the top photo? - it looks very Keil-Kraft.

[Fat Albert]

Thanks all, yes I might leave the nacelles off, he won't notice....My Dad and brother are Accountants...'nuff said!

The other model is his Guillane Piper Cub, his big Sister has almost finished a 16" span Rubber Piper Arrow from the same kit series.

I have a slightly larger Aero L39 Albatross for RC that I must fly sometime (electric Pusher prop), seen at the bottom of the rack in this photo:



I must finish this 6' span DC3 off at some point, it has been knocking around for about 10 years so far!

[perdu]

If that lovely DC3 has been waiting, hanging around for that long itl'd be a sin not to finish her

Gooney Birds were meant to fly

Accountants? Shush Eric might appear…