Jump to content

1/2 scale Druine Turbulent


reg shaw
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi folks, now my new shed is all but done, I thought it time for another 1/2 scaler that should be a bit more flyable than my last, Bertie Bassett Flying Flea. I'll be building this amongst finishing a couple of others so it won't be a quick one, but we'll see! Power will be a good old Zenoah 80 flat twin. Structure will be mainly ply and cyparis, with a bit of other timber in there too.

I designed the structure last year (or perhaps even before!!) and Dylan at Lasercraft did the cutting of the wing rib set. I did the cutting for the tailplane and drew up the files for the scale hinging and horn set up, routed from glassfibre sheet. The plan is to choose either G-ARGZ in light blue / dark blue, or G-APNZ in white / dark green, the aeroplane which won the Kings Cup Air Race and also was flown by the Duke of Edinburgh. RGZ is still flying now, PNZ is undergoing restoration as we speak. Target weight is under 20kg.

Mods, how do you include a heading pic? The black and white one please!!!

Ian.

druine turbulent.jpg

gapnz.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ian, you can put a photo in the header simply by starting the thread from your photo album first.

Whilst viewing the required photo in you album you will see below it the box similar to the one to reply to a comment but it starts a thread so you have additional options to select for which topic to post in and a section to put a thread title.

For now though a mod is going to have to edit your post to include the photo header. frown

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted by Chris Barlow on 08/01/2017 18:35:45:

Ian, you can put a photo in the header simply by starting the thread from your photo album first.

Whilst viewing the required photo in you album you will see below it the box similar to the one to reply to a comment but it starts a thread so you have additional options to select for which topic to post in and a section to put a thread title.

For now though a mod is going to have to edit your post to include the photo header. frown

Cheers Chris, I'll remember next time!!! Thanks Pete B!!

First up was the tailplane. After having a good root around G-ARGZ when it was in bits at Stow Maries, I came away with loads of measurements and photos and set about the doodling. I want a practical model that is accurate in terms of outline, sections and mostly structure, I should say 'visible' structure really but that generally means the underneath will be pretty similar too! Though I don't suppose the full size has too much balsa and liteply / poplar ply under its skin! I drew up the components on the 'puter, including the horns and hinge set up. The wood bits are lasered, the hinges are routed. The hinges and horns are cut from glass pcb board but I cut a set in acrylic first to prove the idea.

Ian.dscf5564.jpg

dscf5565.jpg

dscf5568.jpg

dscf5569.jpg

dscf5570.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The hinge pin will always be removable and slides in a snake which guides the pin through the structure to the hinges. The hinges and horns are all locked into the spars, the important bit was to remember to slide the central elevator horns before anything else is attached as one of the spars slide through it. The design could incorporate separate elevators and two servos by simply cutting the elevator in half in the middle, between the middle hinges, leaving a horn built into each half.

dscf5565.jpg

dscf5571.jpg

dscf5573.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks folks, interested is appreciated! A couple more pics which bring me up to date. As I wrote earlier, I drew up the files and the wing ribs were cut by Dylan at Lasercraft. They are great quality, and the spar material is 9mm Cyparis from Solutions.

The basis for the design is a scale drawing and a blow up of the Precedent 1/3 scale plan. I used the Precedent plan as it is a very good flier and is fairly accurate in all but a couple of easily rectified places. This saved me drawing up a full plan, i just altered the blow up to include scale oulines structure and hinges, plus a couple of bits in the wings to make the slots easier to build.

On such a simple wing, its suprising how many different ribs are required! The main rib has no aileron and no slot, a couple have the aileron cut out and the slot, a couple have the aileron and no slot, the centre section has no front. Add to this all the doublers for the hinges, aileron shrouds, slot mounts, slot formers, Dylan didn't cut much waste! The ailerons incorporate the scale Freise design, with closed loop horns for actuation.

Ian.

dscf5574.jpg

dscf5575.jpg

dscf5576.jpg

dscf5577.jpg

dscf5578.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like 'RGZ too, but I like the history bit of 'tuther!! Here are a couple more pics of 'RGZ. While it was based at Stow Maries, it became unflyable due to spar compression where the oleo strut of the U/C is mounted, and it was used for spares until it had been picked clean, at which point its remains and the duff bits taken from the others were restored and it now flies again. This gave a great opportunity to get some great info and details of how one goes about a Turb!

Ian.

dscf4390.jpg

dscf4392.jpg

dscf4393.jpg

dscf4400.jpg

dscf4407.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 9 months later...
  • 11 months later...

Blimey, just remembered and found this!! No updates as yet but I hope to restart it next. Been a busy couple of years with house moves, workshop builds, narrowboat restoration etc and other stuff going on so toy aeroplanes have been sadly neglected. I think I have all the materials to get it done so fingers crossed!!

Ian.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They seem to be popular. There was at least one at the Ashbourne scale day last Sunday and I think there may have been two. I know they're big planes and easy to count but you must allow for my dotage

I dodder along as a retired gent and build the odd smallish model and young Redshaw, gainfully employed, turns 'em out with one hand as he uses the other to build massive workshops and repair narrow boats.

Geoff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

After a bit of time doing other stuff, I have had a bit of time to do the final bits of research to get the doodles finalised. Lucky for me, G-APNZ is undergoing restoration not too far from me at Derby Aero Club. A phone call and a few emails finally gave me the go ahead to venture over with a tape measure and a camera to discover the differences between this Turb and my initial drawings.

The main differences lie in the top deckings ahead of the cockpit and engine cowling profiles. PNZ has a deeper top deck as it has a long range fuel tank fitted, and the cowlings on Turbulents are different on every one. Indeed this one in it's history has had three or four different profiles fitted, with bumps and bulges to cover extra bits bolted to the 1500 VW Beetle engine.

Derby Aero Club were very accommodating, even giving ME permission to remove the seat structure and refit the engine cowlings for a better look! I took with me a list of all the measurements I wanted, and another list of the images I needed to get, although I promised not to 'publish' too many pictures. I've corrected the drawings and designed an unobtrusive method for 2 piece wings whereas the full size has a one piece wing that the seat base, joystick etc all mount to.

I've had a quick look at the materials needed and I have most of the acres of plywood required for the skinning of fuselage and wing leading edges etc. I have no steel tube though for the U/C yet though, but it'll be a while 'til it needs it's trottery.

Also, found this thread a while ago that has some great detail photographs of a Turbulents innards.

**LINK**

More hopefully sooner than later,

Ian.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...