Capitolist Buys a Plug In Hybrid? Ford C-Max Energi Part 3

You might wonder why a couple of proud capitalists would purchase a plug in hybrid car? The vast majority of media outlets never pass a chance to describe lovers of liberty and free markets as people who want dirty air and water. We reject their racist analysis. Racist? Ok, I’m taking lingual liberty. They certainly are drawing a circle around a huge group of people and saying “They are all bad like thus and thus….”. And, the statement is completely untrue. Perhaps racist isn’t the right word, however is it “news” if it’s delivered with a slant? No, it’s propaganda or opinion, not news. 😉

Anyway, we are to one degree or another technology nerds. Also, I’ve always had an interest in electric transportation. I’ve built some hot rod electric scooters that I use at shows. At the moment, I have some projects underway to electrify a classic mini bike. So, as a family, we have operational 3 forms of electric transportation.

A few reasons. I don’t like giving money to people that hate us. As an American, I consider it a matter of patriotic pride to limit my consumption of products imported from the Middle East. I like electric powered transportation and have always dreamed of building electric bikes, scooters, motorcycles and cars. My wife and I are technology nerds. It’s a cool car and technology is just fun to play with.

Not a reason: Man Caused Global Warming Hoax. This is a huge scam religion perpetrated by those wishing to weaken America (anti-capitalists), those wishing to take American pride down a few notches (can you name a few American Apologist Politicians?) and those in academia (scientists) who survive on money for government studies that seems to pour into any public panic. If you hate me for stating these things, don’t look up any data on rise of CO2 following global temperature rise, it will disappoint you in the so called scientists that signed the original report and Al Gore. CO2 does not drive global temps, it follows it. What warms the earth is (do you remember grade school?) is that gigantic ball of intense fire we call the sun.

I don’t need to make up lies or silly make-believe theory’s to justify being clean, thrifty or patriotic (my personal expression of one aspect of patriotism). Others may need a Santa Claus, I’ll stick to facts and logic. Hokey religions and Three-card Monte are no match for a good logic at your side, kid.*

*Hans Solo adaptation.

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Sopwith Camel and Spitfire

Hear and see two classics flying together. Great demonstration and audio of radial throttle by ignition. I think I could find a better way to remove the wheel chocks, how about you? 😉

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Keith Shaw’s Radical RC 1905 Wright Flyer Part 6

Some final photo’s from Keith:

view of pilot
Orville in his aircraft/

Last two. Attempt to show Orville “flying”. Last photo is from pre-detailing to show rib and spar details. Done with a light brown Prismacolor marker available from craft stores like Michael’s. Put on the bare foam before over-painting with the High-Heat Almond paint. Gives a nice muted look as if real ribs and spars are underneath fabric covering. Looks great in the air.

…………

Also thought I took a few shots of the launch dolly, but I guess not. It works well, both flights off the dolly. Will be sure to take some shots if the weather holds this weekend.

Dave, this has been a fun project to do, it let me do a lot of “adaptive” engineering that I so enjoy.

Thanks!

Keith

Rear quartering view of 1905 Wright Flyer

Love the Faux ribs and spars idea. It adds an extra dimension of scale detail and sounds really simple. I am thinking the next one I do will use your method. I might do the carbon rods and trailing edge as well??? Might be too much of a good thing if I did.

Dave

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Barcodes don’t belong on ……

In the grocery checking out couple weeks ago. Wife wants a Sunday paper which is past the register. I grab the paper, hold it up for the cashier. “Got a paper.” he acknowledges. I stick it in a bag, he says, “Wait, I need to scan that.” I remark “you mean this thing has a bar code?” He reply’s “yes”. I said “I am shocked something as primitive as a printed newspaper could have a Barcode.?.?” “I would be nearly as surprised if I looked under the hood of a restored model T and found one of Henry Fords’s inventory Barcode stickers on the valve cover.” The youth appeared completely confounded as to my meaning. Reading his body language to ferret out his thoughts “….WTF is this dude talking about and why the hell is he talking to me?…cigarette….whats a model T?……..”

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Keith Shaw’s Radical RC 1905 Wright Flyer Part 5

Pilot Front Detail
Pilot Front Detail

At the field. Note the “cross-country fuel tanks”. Each tank contains two A123 cells inline, housing made of 1/64 ply and card stock. The 4 cells and holders weigh about the same as a 4 amp-hr 3s LiPo pack, but produce a little higher voltage. I pull 32 amp at full throttle, but the two flights so have been a half throttle. 6-7 minutes consumes about 1 amp-hr out of the 2.2 amp-hr available.

Detail Rear View
Detail Rear View
Cross Country Tank Detail

Keith, an astounding amount of detail. I love the fantasy tanks. You mention flying it. I’m going through the emails one at a time as I’m posting them in the schedule.

I have noticed that although this model should be very energy hungry, when cruising around at slow speeds, it seems almost magical how little energy is used. Think about all that weight, you have to be around 60 ounces, all those struts, two props, two motors and two no-load currents (something worth a whole blog post to explore), both those wings and your only using about 150mah a minute.

I’ve never seen a mah per minute chart based on weight or style or anything else for that mater. However it seems if there were such a guideline out there, something is wrong. This model in my mind should not fly as long as it does on so little energy and so little battery mass relative to machine weight.

A little quick math shows cruise current should be about 9 amps (150ma per minute x 60 minutes). However, when you deduct the no load current (not sure what it is for those motors) we’re talking maybe only 7 amps at cruise for the pair of motors. Figuring a at load depressed voltage of 3.3v x 7 amps _ only 23.1 watts. Further, it would imply that two 14 watt brushed IPS gearbox’s would be able to keep this machine aloft and still have an excess 4.9 watts for climb. It seems impossible, yet, I know it is true.

Dave

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Evil Finds a Way

Although I wrote the following comments over approximately a 10 day period, I chose not to publish them prior to the last funeral out of respect for the families.

A horrible tragedy unfolds in a school, a wacko kills 26 persons, 20 of which were children. Before the bodies are removed, it is seized upon by many including the mayors of New York and Boston as an opportunity to further curtail Liberties.

We shouldn’t be surprised, their brother Rom Emanuel is famous for confessing an underlying philosophy.

My prayers go out to the families and victims of this depraved insanity. I feel ashamed there are those Americans among us whose crassness allows them to confiscate their immeasurable loss for further attacks on our Liberties and freedoms. As if you and your freedom were to blame for this wacko’s actions.

During the memorial service, a high government official was vowing to use all the power of his office. The speech mentioned 4 shootings during this administration. However, he omitted one, there were five. Left out was Fort Hood where a Muslim terrorist Maj. Hasan assisted by an on-base gun-free zone attacked Americans. A place where our soldiers, sworn to fight to the death for our freedoms were forced to be disarmed. (should I say not trusted, to be armed?) 13 people died in that self defense free zone. Do you remember? They side tracked the real reason these people died by defining it as “workplace violence”. A military base, you can’t have more command and control than a military base. Maj. Hasan walked right into the so called “Soldier Readiness Processing Center” and killed 13 soldiers who’s readiness was not respected. Why did he fail to mention this 5th failure of gun control? They controlled soldiers on a base, disallowing our most trusted defenders of freedom to be armed and 13 of them were killed. Yes, I blame the controllers that SO MANY died. I empathize with you in wishing we could, yet I know we cannot really trust this government or any other government to protect us. Sure they’ll be on the scene to take the reports and investigate and blame the inanimate objects. It’s our first responsibility to keep our own selves and families safe. To protect ourselves from a government official investigating why we died.

Those who wish us to be weaker are planning to use the actions of this madman to argue that you have too much Liberty. As if it is your fault American, you and your ilk are to blame. While they are protected up to the eyeballs in Washington with firearms, barriers, missiles and technology, they desire you and I should have no choice. Somehow the problem is our Liberties, not the evil mental case that did the deed. Of course, it suits the needs of those seeking to take bites out of our constitution to blame you and me and our freedoms rather than a determined individual that committed the crime or the people who organize the zones where self defense is prohibited.

Do I think every teacher and school administrator should be carrying a weapon? Shouldn’t it be up to them, up to each American if they choose to do so? That’s Liberty! What if Liberty were not obstructed with opposing regulations? If Liberty where not hindered by it’s opponents, who’s to say there would not have been some small number of school employees able to provide lethal resistance to this killer? No, rather than allowing free people to defend themselves and those they love, we forced those teachers into charging the gunman unarmed, shielding their pupils with their bodies (unarmed) or running (unarmed) from harms way. Limiting citizens to these frightening choices is held up as the high moral ground by some. I am aghast with shock and horror at the ignorance of many. We trust our teachers with our children. If they wished to do them harm, there is nothing stopping them. There is nothing stopping a knife, a gun, poison, physical abuse, if they wanted to do them harm they could. They have them all to themselves, even alone in classrooms all day long. Yet to satisfy some sick political cause against the Liberties of Americans, we prevent them from exercising the power to protect our children. We create an environment that favors evil, an environment that favors the sick wacko. A free fire zone where there are none whom are “free” to resist evil with equal force. The wacko knows how to avoid a fair fight and where to find preferential treatment. Time and time again they go to the anti-self-defense zone and they enter that zone with the full knowledge it’s been designed with a philosophy, with misguided intentions, not effective defense. Our Anti-Self-Defense zones are most effective at creating space for madmen to do whatever they want. To be in charge.

Wacko’s don’t seem to have any difficulty arriving at such simple logical conclusions. They understand where the way is easy and where it is difficult. It’s not complicated. Are you smarter than a wacko?

My name is Dave Thacker and I’m doing something about it.

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Excellent Use of Z Rack N Stack

Dave Baer Writes:

Hey Dave,

Thanks again for your great customer service I really appreciate it. Take a look at how I used your hangers to get a bunch of planes in a spot that wasn’t being used at all. Thanks for designing such a great product!

Feel free to share with others.

Dave

Z-Rack-N-Stack Over Stairway; Dave Baer
Z-Rack-N-Stack Over Stairway; Dave Baer

This is a photo of the finished setup hanging in un-used space over a stairwell. View from 2nd floor, the models are over the treads at the bottom of the stairway. what is the rope thingie in that photo?

Puly and Cleat Setup
Puly and Cleat Setup

Fastened to the header above the second floor stairwell entrance is a pulley and 2 common rope cleats. A simple way to raise and lower his fleet!

Lowered Fleet , Pick Me!.... Pick Me!....
Lowered Fleet , Pick Me!…. Pick Me!….

Here is a shot of the rack lowered to the first floor, ready to for another mission into enemy territory!

Thanks Dave for the photo’s of your setup. 7 Planes all stored in unused space and wherever they were is free’d up. Perfect.

Find the parts to build this project here at: Radical RC

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Keith Shaw’s Radical RC 1905 Wright Flyer Part 4

Rudder Details
Rudder Details

Tail and bottom details. Rudder casing sewed to boom with thread. Z-bend at servo end, I am going to permanently glue the aileron cable in place this winter and get rid to the extension plug bump. Also will get rid of all ty-wraps as soon as i am happy with the thrust line and CG position. Will just sew the wiring to the structure with some lacing chord I have. Not having the head on made the wiring and tail installation a breeze.

Keith

Hidden Electronis
Hidden Electronics

Keith, I’ve noticed a very soft rudder flutter at certain speeds. It’s so slight that I can only see it when conditions are just perfect and in certain positions where I can catch the light glinting off the side of a rudder. It’s so soft as not to be alarming as flutter would normally be. I haven’t been able to determine if it’s from a source of slop in the push rod and connections. It could be related to the unsupported nature of the struts in that they have a little springy play side to side and perhaps some harmonic gets set up?

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Core Values of Freedom

Let me recommend a documentary; Ayn Rand and the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged

My wife and I recently watched it on Netflix using our Roku. This is a modern documentary covering a powerful philosophy. Learn what the “Right to the pursuit of happiness” really means. Here is the trailer:

I would classify this documentary high on my list of must watch films. You’ll find enlightening coverage of why we are in the financial crisis we are in and why we’re going where we’re headed. Our system trains us to forget, this will help you to remember and perhaps avoid an unpleasant future. Perhaps you’ve heard of Atlas Shrugged or Ayn Rand and wish to know a little more about it. The documentary is a quick cliff notes version of here philosophy. I would definitely recommend taking in this film, it will help you understand the recent movie Atlas Shrugged better to have this foundation. Look it up and Enjoy!

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Scratch Building: Transfer A Drawing To Wood

1928 Fairchild FC-2W2
1928 Fairchild FC-2W2

We’re converting a Hobby Lobby Telemaster into a 1928 Fairchild FC-2W2 for a National Parks Service program. This aircraft was the first ever owned by NASA and later the first owned by the National Parks Service. Information link at bottom.

While making a complex former, I felt the method was simple, interesting and important to share. Having arrived at the shape, I used the following method to copy it onto the material I wished to cut it from. The simple technique could help you build any aircraft from your own or purchased drawings.

Drawing of Fairchild FC - 2W2 Former
Drawing of Fairchild Former

1. First we need a drawing. If your making “one off” parts as I am in this example, simply draw the part on standard 20 lb copier paper using pencil. I make lots of changes and mistakes as I go, so it’s important to have an eraser equipped pencil.

Headless Telemaster/Fairchild

1B. Here is the front of the modified fuse where our soon to be made former will be installed.

Fairchild Imagination
Fairchild Imagination

1C. Holding up our drawing to imagine what it’s going to look like. Does it look correct?
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” Albert Einstein

Former Drawing and Copy
Former Drawing and Copy

2. If your using an obtained drawing or you wish to preserve your drawing, use a copier or all in one printer to make a copy of the area containing the part you want to make. In this case, I made a copy of my pencil drawing just in case I discovered and error and wanted to alter the drawing before I finished.

Fairchild Former Heavy Pencil
Fairchild Former Heavy Pencil

3. Heavily pencil over the lines we wish to transfer to the wood. I used a standard #2 pencil.

Fairchild Formula 560
Fairchild Formula 560

3B. There are multiple uses for Formula 560.

Fairchild Former Drawing Face Down
Fairchild Former Drawing Face Down

4. Place the drawing, heavy pencil down against your material. You will notice the grain is running the wrong way in this former. However, it’s just a jig for building the nose, it’s not intended to provide any structure. The nose of this model has many facets of 1/4″ thick balsa. Although I’ll leave the former in the model, it could be removed if I wanted too. As this model has a short nose needing weight up front, I’ll be leaving it in.

Fairchild Plan Pin Down
Fairchild Plan Pin Down

5. Place two pins through the paper into the wood to prevent the drawing from moving. I choose top and bottom locations. Notice you can see the drawing through the paper. Makes me feel like Superman, you?

Fairchild Nickle Rub Down
Fairchild Nickle Rub Down

6. Find something curved and smooth like a coin, I choose a nickle to rub the pencil into the wood.

Fairchild Lift & Inspect
Fairchild Lift & Inspect

7. Because we created a way to register the drawing to the wood, we can lift the paper up and look at our results as we progress. No danger of losing our alignment.

Fairchild Former Transfer Finished
Fairchild Former Transfer Finished

8. Ahhh, thats what I’m talking about! The drawing has new been transferred to our material. It will be easy to cut it out now.

Fairchild Former On The Bandsaw
Fairchild Former On The Bandsaw

9. Doing what the band saw does best.

Fairchild Drill Hole
Fairchild Drill Hole

10. Drilling for the Scroll Saw

Fairchild Former Installing on Scroll Saw
Fairchild Former Installing on Scroll Saw

11. Installing on the Scroll Saw

Fairchild Scrolling Along
Fairchild Scrolling Along

12. Doing the inside, what the scroll saw does best.

Fairchild Former Against Print
Fairchild Former Against Print

13. How does it look against the print?

Fairchild Former Goes About Here
Fairchild Former Goes About Here

14. The former goes in about this position.

Fairchild Former Positioned
Fairchild Former Positioned

15. Former positioned and ready for addition of next nose sheeting segments. Since we are working with a model that is already built, we elected to jig the next two formers to the front of the fuse. when the 1/4″ thick balsa segments are added from the front of the fuse to this former, many facets will be formed representing the nose of this model. Using this method, we only need to make the 3 sides of each sheet accurate, they can be allowed to extend past the former. We can cut them off and sand them down against the former as we go. After all plates in position, we’ll snap out all the scrap sticks used to hold the former in place. The sanding bars are banded tightly to the fuse sides so I could measure and put the former in the center. They make a great straight edge.

I thought solving the problems of making and installing this former would be interesting to readers and hope you made it this far into a very long post.

Story of the National Parks Service first aircraft in the National Parks Traveler

Stars And Strips, a Fairchild FC 2W2 at the target=”_blank”>The Virginia Aviation Museum.

Byrd's Fairchild
Byrd’s Fairchild

Admiral Byrd used the Fairchild FC 2W2 as a Aerial Photography Platform including in the South Pole.

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