Uniflow tanks

Hi All; Anybody know when uniflow tanks started being used? Thanks in advanced for any and all replys. Jim

Heck with where it started, can someone tell me why 10 years ago I'd throw a tank together, put the uniflow an 1/8 inch in front of the pickup and go fly with no problem and now I can't get that sucker within half an inch without the bubbles going out the uniflow and straight into the pickup? I had to change the tank on my streak from uniflow to standard vent just to fly the thing.

Actually, a history would be cool, but I think there was a thread on the theory of tanks around here somewhere.

The concept goes back to Edme Marriot in the 1600's. I think they were adapted to model airplane use several times independently. One inventor was the late Clarence Idoux who started using them on ignition McCoy 49's in speed on 52 ft lines. I suppose in the 40's. Bob Palmer was using them in stunt in the late 50's. He ran the uniflow to the front corner of the wedge rather than to the back. The Russian tanks pictured in the last Stunt News are similar to Palmer tanks in that regard. I have built uniflows with the uniflow various places from front to back, and they all seem to work about the same. I can't picture running a standard vented tank ever again.

>The concept goes back to Edme Marriot in the 1600's. I
>think they were adapted to model airplane use several times
>independently.

>I have built uniflows with the
>uniflow various places from front to back, and they all seem
>to work about the same. I can't picture running a standard
>vented tank ever again.
>
>Jim Thomerson

Good input from Jim T.

I wonder if Edme Marriot was able to get a good 4-2-4 break on his engine and how much nitro he used and how thick his propeller tips were.

There might have been other articles published earlier, but Bill Netzeband wrote in his Control Line Capers column in the March 1965 issue of American Modeler about how uniflow tanks work and had a diagram that showed the internal plumbing. He wrote that to his knowledge, uniflow tanks had been in use since 1954. I tried one after that 1965 article and have always used one since.

Thank You Guy's; I remember back in the early 60,s flying a Sterling Mustang with one of those tall thin wedge tanks with a fox 35. I also remember it running fairley well up until the last 3 or 4 laps, when it would go into a 2 stroke and stay there. I had not heard about uniflow at that time, but learned of it about 8 years ago when I came back to C/L stunt. Guess I did know about it before that though, because even though I flew R/C pattern for 25 years,I almost always read all the control line stuff in all the mag's. Back in the 60,s I was mostly a sport flyer, but did try to learn some of the stunt manuvers. Just recently, I have tried to run some of my planes on standard vented tanks to see how they ran. Very Interesting! On my Yates Dragons they actually run pretty well through the whole pattern. A little faster toward the end of the tank. Profiles are a different story. They seem to pick speed fairley fast and then 2 stroke faster and faster for about 8 laps. Of course profiles are a different story anyway, even on uniflow a lot of the time. O! by the way. I still have that original fox 35 mounted in an El Diablo. Must have a zillion gallons of Superfuel through it and its still running strong.