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Flying your Model

 

 

Even without enlargement, Fiddlers Green airplanes actually do fly. To fly the standard 1:60 scale planes, you need to glue a three foot length of thread just over the center of gravity and twirl the model in circles around yourself. Larger sized Cybermodels or photocopied enlarged models can be quite successfully flown by gluing a ten foot length of string to a wing tip and swinging it around your head. (see picture) 

Jets can be flown fantastically using the rubber band on a stick trick with a straightened out and hooked paper clip glued right up the middle of the airplane. Watch out for other people's eyes!

bending of the flight surfaces of your modelWe're waiting for the clever modeler who mounts an electric or gas powered motor in a Fiddlers Green model. If it's you, send us a photo and we'll put your name up in lights... or something.
twirling y our model
As your model is enlarged, this system works better until the span is about 15 inches. Then it works great!!		 Here's another flying tip! You take a big cardboard box and cut it up into a couple wings about, maybe, 5 feet long each and get a little of that poster paint from school and paint them yellow for fun. Then take a little of that duct tape stuff and have someone tape the cardboard wings onto your arms and then go up a hill...

Walt Whippo's flying MS Bullet

Building Tips

Hey, just found another way to make
spinner hubs! Use the pill capsule shells! Thunderbolts, Corsairs,
T-28's...depending upon the scale, these guys appear to be the right
shape....old Duckfeathers...



While I am not into this hobby, I stumbled across your page and thought I'd pass this on. The trouble some models have in flying may be a result of aerodynamics that don't scale well... or original planes that flew as if balanced on a needle, for maximum responsiveness in a dogfight. I suspect the WWI models are the worst examples of those.

Better results may occur if the fuselages are lengthened... IE compare the short fuselage of a Sopwith Camel to just about any trainer such as a JN-4 type. Extra length means extra stability.

Also, additional rudder area may be a big help... it should not be hard to increase rudder area say, 30 or 40 % without it being too noticeable. This is the sort of thing that has to be done to make a flying model based on a real plane.

I hope you do a CA-82A Packet. It'd be complicated but imagine the fun of converting it to the "Phoenix" from "Flight of the Phoenix"! Two kits in one... can't hardly lose!.....Dwayne Horton

I hope to use your planes as plans for flying models.
In the UK we have a polystyrene foam on a roll 2mm thick *20" wide and30 foot long, it makes great light weight rubber fliers , any thing from
5" span up to 28"+.The large PDF versions look about right giving around 12"-14" span.The idea is to print on to tissue paper and stick this to the foam with PVA glue. The plane can then be assembled by cutting off the tabs and butt jointing the foam, the wings are usually a single surface with a smallbalsa spar let into the foam for strength.
Keep up the good work.--regards paul (Dec 28, 00)

Question: On the Fiddler Green Aircraft CD-ROM, out of 117 airplanes, how many andwhich ones fly? Could you please send us a detailed answer when responding

The answer is 117 fly but most fly rather badly. They're designed as display models and in the approx 1:60 scale, flyability isn't one of our parameters.

Quite by accident, however, I've found the Vought Cutlass to fly like an eagle and the Sailplane softly and sweetly. The jets fly like little darts when launched with an elastic band. WWI Era Biplanes are all but hopeless. If you want to get our models to fly, a bit of effort must be spent in the trim and ballast dept. But then, after making a cute little treasure, why go and destroy it?

 

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