Mr. '69 NATS Sabre

Some recent posts on Classic planes and their power plants, plus the questin about stunt runs, gave me some thoughts.

Having worked out a deal to acquire some short term use of Bob's lost foam jigs, I have decided to also use a ST 46. This is a large Classic ship, and can use the power. I also like the idea of having an engine run similar to what the old Fox 35 used in the original would have been like.

The thing I love about the Classic event is that you can do things however you want to, and it isn't as critical as PAMPA class flying.

You can build a '62 Ares and use a Fox 35 or you can use an aero tiger 36, or anything else you like.

Bill <><

If I remember correctly, there are no restricions on power plants in ANY PA classes.

My perusal of the latest Stunt News indicates that a huge number of different engines are currently in use by different competitors.

Let's see: PA-65, PA-61, RoJett 60, Stalker, PA-40, ST-60, Brodak-40, ST-46, ST-51, saito-82, LA-46, Magnum-36, fox-35, Retro Discovery, and several that I left out.

I guess you could use a cub-049, if you could get the judges to buy your flight!

I love classic because of the planes! There are so many different designs to choose from and many of them are strikingly beautiful!

I'm curious. Will you be building your version of Bob's plane with the new larger wing (That evidently flies better.) or will it be the original, size

I'm currently accumulating the bits and pieces for a new 'classic' plane myself and have been thinking about using a modified (Equal panel.) myself but am concerned about spending a lot of time building a plane that won't fall within the class rules (As I read them anyway.).

LAST EDITED ON Oct-01-04 AT 04:17 PM (CDT)
 
Hi Bigs,

We are in agreement ofn the engine part. I have gone both ways with engines in classic. I just love those planes. All my PAMPA class planes tend to have a Classic look.

As to the Sabre, I have his, personal, lost foam wing jig so I will probably build it the same as he did. But I am considering loosing the inch per side. I build quite a bit (no a WHOLE LOT) lighter than Bobby does! hahahaha

As to fidelity points, they seem to be open to interpretation. I had a Spacehound built to the exact plans with the exact paint scheme Sirotkin used on his WC plane at KOI in 2003, and only got 14 fidelity points. So, it is a matter of opinion as to the "fidelity" of the plane. Most people do not know WHAT the original plane actually measured, etc., so it is a guessing game I believe. Outside of going to "Scale" like procedures, fidelity will always be that way.
To me, that is not a problem.

Since Classic is normally flown as an "open competition" meaning not Int, Adv., Ex. at our local contests my chances of winning are close to nil. That's ok, too. I fly Classic for the fun of it.

I have plans that are extremely limited of verified ships flown in contests in the '60s, drawn from the actual planes. They are one off legitimate Classic eligible ships. The judges would, in all likelyhood, have never seen these variants.

Point is, unless you REALLY go overboard in changing the plane, there should be no problem.

As Bobby said, he has no problem flying his plane in Classic, and at two major meets (KOI and Brodak's) no one else brought up the subject.

It is a fun event, and if I build this one with an extra inch to it, it will be the first time that I have ever deviated from an exact plans build.

BTW: Many, if not most, of the magazine published plans of the day were not very accurate, anyway! hahaha.

thanks for asking,
Bill <><

EDIT: I really think that Bob's new Sabre flies better because of the engine he is using and not so much because of the 1" per panel. It is a LARGE ship, especially for a Fox35 that he used in the original.