Dick Mathis Excalibur

I have plans for Dick Mathis Excalibur from the mid 60's. I built two of these in the early 70's one stock and one with a thunderbird airfoil.Both were powered by ST40's and flew well.I have seen several people on here say to build the thick wing version. Are there two version of this plane? If there is a better airfoil than as shown on the Flying Models plans can some one email it to me. A small picture would be ok as I can enlarge it till it is the same cord as the planes show.Are the two planes the same other than the airfoil.
Ed

Ed,

Should you be real picky about airfoils, they must be plotted in order to be accurate. Enlarging with a copy machine is a no-no even if many do it and have no apparent problems. Of course, the original airfoil could have been a tracing around a sweaty tennis shoe, in which case free-hand drawing of something which "looks right" will probably be fine.

Interestingly enough, there is a mention here once in awhile as to the whereabouts of Fast Richard and Larry Kruse has found him. Details in Larry's column in newest Flying Models, including an e-mail address.

Evidently Mathis was surprised to find both FF and CL guys are still interested in his stuff. And whether Snyder (Snider?) Swamp has been declared a wet-lands and so is now off-limits to (un)natural hoomin beans...

Ed,

Do a search of the SSW archives for "Excalibur." Topic #4370 was posted on 3 Mar 03 by rsmiley. The thread is very informative and John Miller's post is particularly good.

Dan& Gary I new Dick quite well in his free flight days. I flew a lot of his designs and met him at FF contests. I know what happened to him and I would not considering bothering him. I have been looking at the OLD TIME and CLASSIC MODELS CD and there was the article on the EXCALIBUR from Flying Models. This plane has three surface spars and a wing mounted gear. After reading your reply I went out to my shop and pulled out the plans that I got many years ago CF309. They are very different from the plans and article on the CD. The plans I have the airfoil is 1.5 inches thick and the CD are 1.85 inches and the flaps are much larger. The landing gear on my plans show a it mounted on the body in front of the wing. Also the leading edge of the wing on my plans is very very blunt and the airfoil on the CD is nothing like my plans.I wonder where this set I have came from. Maybe he did another article. Both are from the 1960's but which is older. I think the Flying models version on the CD would fly better.Here is a picture of the second one I built and I put larger flaps on it and put the gear in the wing.I built the wing with a single spar and half ribs as my plans show.I used the T-Bird airfoil on this one. The plane looks very much like Ted's Doctor with three spars on the surface. Well I answered my own question unless there is another airfoil out there.
ED

I just went to Flying Models site and found that plan CF-309 came out in 9-73. The older plan is CF-078 and it came out in 5-67.
Ed

Ed:

The third version with a thick, blunt 'foil was kitted by Hobby Market (I think that was the name) in the mid 1970s. Back then, I bought one of these in a combo deal with an OS Max-S 35.

Plans looked much like the M&P Stuff from the same era.

This one flew very well, too.

LAST EDITED ON Aug-05-04 AT 05:33 PM (CDT)
 
I belive this is the one also later kitted by Walter Umland of "Build It Right". I have a kit of his and will check in the moring and see what the airfoil is.
Edit: The kit is a redo of the kit put out by Hobby Market. The arifoil is 2 inches thick and the root is 9". The wing has the three spars, great for turbluating and lift, just like free flight. Itloks like some of the Earl Cayton designs and the rudder looks like it came off a Galaxy free flight by Vic Cunningham. Neat. The kit plans show and update to a four inch bell crank.

Thanks for all the help.I was looking for something I could build quick for classic. It's funny I redesigned the later Excalibur into the first one and never saw the first one.Dick had several cl models at a FF contest in the 1960's but I don't remember the Excalibur. His FF models and cl models all were done the same.Colored tissue and clear dope.I think the color was added to the clear. Thanks again for all the help.
Ed

>Ed,
>
>Do a search of the SSW archives for "Excalibur." Topic
>#4370 was posted on 3 Mar 03 by rsmiley. The thread is very
>informative and John Miller's post is particularly good.
>
>Gary

Here is the URL of the thread Gary mentions. His appraisal is right on the money.
http://www.clstunt.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=read_count&om=4370&forum=DCForumID1

>I know what happened to him and I would not considering bothering him. ED

Major snip...

Ed, my sense of Larry's comment in new Flying Models was that FR is open to hearing from interested modelers such as yourself. To the point where he volunteered his e-mail address.

If it is a bother I'm pretty sure he remembers how to ignore same.

Thanks again for all the help and thanks to those who sent me email details about the plane and the great offer of a kit that I now have coming next week. I only knew of the one version and now I find out there are three maybe four versions out there. Excalibur 2 is not classic legal and that is the one with the thin airfoil and the gear on the body. Thanks again.
Ed

Hi! FR's daughter here!
Why my father put out his email address during summer school - I do not know!!!!
He has read most but of course does not reply!!
I am cuurently trying to help him. He is to fwd. some to me for me to reply to general comments and to gather questions for him to answer!
If anyone has become frustrated over this process, please email me: [email protected]
Mom (MK) and I are into this!
Also: What issue (month) is the article in?
And I have never heard of "Dan", "Gary", or "Ed" - but I probably remember FF names better and have not asked Mom who they are yet!

Thank You!