Big Wig another nostagia build, from the 1970's?

[Alec Turnbull]

By popular demand (I am looking at you David Davis!)  here are a few pics of the build of my latest excursion into the past. My very first attempt to build an RC model was a Big Wig at would have been about 1975, I cant remember how I got to hear of the Big Wig but it must have been in the Radio Modeller magazine, anyway it was advertised as a slow flying model ideal for beginners! (not for a beginner in building tho!) so I thought I would have a go, I had just bought my first house and had a spare room upstairs, I really did not have the ability to read drawings or have any skills in working with balsa. I started with the wings and such a hash of it that I abandoned the build and bought a kit instead, I was working in the centre of London then and bought all my stuff during the lunch break at Henry J Nicholls on the Holloway Road.

Here it is, plan no RM 50

 

 

I decided to build it as per the drawing with the exception of powering with electric as I have a spare 500 kv motor which I think will be OK, the flaps are optional but as I have time on my hands I decided to fit them, to heck with the complication! Anyway, I have never had a model with flaps before......

 

The plans are a bit vague, no construction details are shown and some important(to me at least) are left out, such as the rib shapes on the aerofoil section fin, I just had to guess!

 

I didn't take any pics of the fuselage construction, that was fairly simple, but used a lot of wood.

 

I got this far before I realised that I ought to be taking some photos, the tailplane and fin are both aerofoil section and skinned with balsa sheet.

 

More to follow

[jeff2wings]

Nice one Alec,will be following this with interest, just had a quick look on outerzone at the RM plans and some great models there from back in the day but no big wig,l think I have the mag for it somewhere if I do I'll scan it and post it here 

[kc]

It's in Radio Modeller December 1969.   A copy is for sale at 2 pounds if you need it. 

[Alec Turnbull]

Hi Jeff

 

The magazine article would be great if you can find it, I couldn't remember the month and year of publication, nor could I find any info on the web , as you have found no plans on outerzone that was the first place I looked.

 

To continue with the build I started the wings, which I stumbled on 50 years ago, they are built in one piece so awkwardly big and cumbersome and again a lot of wood.

Semi symmettrical section, outboard ailerons and inboard flaps, fully skinned in 1/16 balsa sheet

The one piece construction complicates things as the dihedral gets in the way so keeping out the built in warps in not easy, careful packing of the ribs and lots of measuring are called for 

 

Careful thought had to go into the order of assembly as mountings for the flap and aileron sevos had to be taken into account as well as holes in the ribs for linkage, I could have opted for seperate wing mounted aileron and flap servos but decided to stay true the plan, only one half of the wing is shown on the plan......

 

The whole wing is framed up now, servos loosely fitted and linkages in place ready for skinning

 

 

trial fit of the first skin, made up of three sheets of 1/16 balsa edge to edge glued with aliphatic resin and weighted down overnight

 

 

Actually it was 3 sheets and a bit! times 4 as I said a lot of wood!

 

Bottom sheets were carefully marked and cut out for access to the linkage bellcranks and also for the aileron and flap cutouts, glued and weighted down with everything I could find on the shelf!

 

Topside done, not so many cututs required on the top, but I knew those old magazines would come in handy one day!

 

As of this morning wing skinning operations completed, wing tips on carved and sanded to a nice streamlined section ailerons hinged and fitted

That was a lot of work!!

[Alec Turnbull]

21 minutes ago, kc said:

It's in Radio Modeller December 1969.   A copy is for sale at 2 pounds if you need it. 

Thanks for that, I wish I could have remembered the date so I could have searched, I knew someone on here would have known! I presume that is on e bay?

[Alec Turnbull]

Radio Modeller December 1969 ordered, a bit late but will interesting to see where I have gone wrong!.......

So to bring us up to date, this morning I hinged the ailerons and also the flaps which were a bit tricky but I got there in the end

 

Just need to make up some pushrods

 

 

Aileron and flap servos are fitted in the wing centre section, the size of the mounting aperture is as the drawing, two low profile Hi Tec servos only just fit so I do not know how Mr Wigdor got 1960's bricks in there!

 

These two are only loosely fitted at the mo, will be permanately fixed in place one the linkages are made up an adjusted.

 

So, this is where I am up to so far, mocked up this afternoon for a bit of self motivation

 

 

 

Flaps down! Quite chuffed with those

[David Davis]

Yes it was me who encouraged Alec to start this thread! 😉

 

I used to commute to Birmingham by train. One evening I was reading the Radio Modeller when an old boy, wearing an RAF blazer and tie, leant across the aisle and asked me where I flew my models. This was Frank Wall. After that we became good friends until he died of leukaemia in 2006. He was a watchmaker so very handy and he built several models but never really learned how to fly them successfully.

 

He told me that he'd built two Big Wigs in the Seventies. He was very keen on the design. The designer, LS Widor, was one of the earliest exponents of engine- powered flight in the UK.

 

Best of luck with the model Alec, it looks really good. Shame you're not fitting a Merco 61 in the nose!

 

Plans are available from Sarik for £18. https://www.sarikhobbies.com/product/rm50-big-wig/

Edited August 7, 2023 by David Davis

[jeff2wings]

Well done that man using two servos and four bellcranks 😮! 

[Alec Turnbull]

19 minutes ago, David Davis said:

Yes it was me who encouraged Alec to start this thread! 😉

 

I used to commute to Birmingham by train. One evening I was reading the Radio Modeller when an old boy, wearing an RAF blazer and tie, leant across the aisle and asked me where I flew my models. This was Frank Wall. After that we became good friends until he died of leukaemia in 2006. He was a watchmaker so very handy and he built several models but never really learned how to fly them successfully.

 

He told me that he'd built two Big Wigs in the Seventies. He was very keen on the design. The designer, LS Widor, was one of the earliest exponents of engine- powered flight in the UK.

 

Best of luck with the model Alec, it looks really good. Shame you're not fitting a Merco 61 in the nose!

 

Plans are available from Sarik for £18. https://www.sarikhobbies.com/product/rm50-big-wig/

David, it was a Merco 61 that I bought for the original 50 years ago, eventually it got used in a Ripmax Trainer, only this morning I was thinking perhaps I should have found another Merco! I am just using up what I have in stock!

[kc]

Actually I found the RM on Magazine Exchange -

the trick to finding which issue is to have a copy of the old Plans Handbook which gives the issue with RM plans but not RCME.    Otherwise look at Magazine Exchange for the RCME cover pictures of the approx year and see if it is visible on the cover.

 

2 servos and 4 bellcranks?   I recall that some plans show errors with flap bellcranks 'handed' like ailerons while flaps should be same ( not handed )   Or is it the other way round if both pushrods come off the same side of servo arm?   Maybe Alex has already worked this out correctly.......

Edited August 7, 2023 by kc

[David Davis]

16 minutes ago, Alec Turnbull said:

David, it was a Merco 61 that I bought for the original 50 years ago, eventually it got used in a Ripmax Trainer, only this morning I was thinking perhaps I should have found another Merco! I am just using up what I have in stock!

 

They usually go quite cheaply on eBay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295852736713?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160811114145%26meid%3D109acc0e28014d87a11c96f45c6ba226%26pid%3D100667%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D295852736713%26itm%3D295852736713%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2351460&_trksid=p2351460.c100667.m2042

[jeff2wings]

If using a linear servo then they should be the same way or if using one side of a rotary servo arm 

[kc]

Thats for ailerons.   Flaps need to be opposite. ( if coming off same side servo )   Looking at Alex wing it appears flaps work OK but do the ailerons?  Or just an illusion.......

Edited August 7, 2023 by kc

[jeff2wings]

If you realy want  a Merco Alec I  have about 30 of the things most of which have been rebuilt  think I can spare one or two lol😄

[jeff2wings]

Sorry kc should had specified flaps ,ailerons are always handed regardless of rotary or linear output 

[kc]

Actually Jeff I think it depends on whether a rotary servo has both pushrods coming off same side of servo arm or one pushrod off each side of arm. 

 

I just mentioned this because it's easier to think this out whilst wing is in construction but much harder later to reverse bellcranks. ( dont ask how I know that!)   Probably Alex has this OK but it doesn't look like the ailerons work conventionally from photos. 

Edited August 7, 2023 by kc

[Alec Turnbull]

I think I have the linkages correct, will be making up the pushrods tomorrow, so we will see, in the photo the flaps are drooping under gravity so the correctness is an illusion

 

After that I am going to glass the wings as the 1/16 balsa sheeting is a bit fragile for bashing around in the car

[jeff2wings]

52 minutes ago, kc said:

Actually Jeff I think it depends on whether a rotary servo has both pushrods coming off same side of servo arm or one pushrod off each side of arm. 

 

I just mentioned this because it's easier to think this out whilst wing is in construction but much harder later to reverse bellcranks. ( dont ask how I know that!)   Probably Alex has this OK but it doesn't look like the ailerons work conventionally from photos. 

Yes,I know, the photos of both servos shows the drive is off one side  so the flap bellcranks need to be the same way

[Alec Turnbull]

I think I have this right, in fact I am pretty sure, having thought about it long and hard during construction here are some pics, bear in mind the wing is shown here upside down

 

Right  hand side, I set the flap bellcrank at 45 degrees so it does not go over centre at full lift (if you get my drift)

 

Left hand side, with aileron bellcranks opposite each other and the flap bellcranks in the same orientation.....confused, you will be!

 

[jeff2wings]

So I'm not the only one here that's read the RM Propo book lol ! 😆😆

[Outrunner]

So that's where all the balsa has gone!

 

Nice work Alex, it should be a nice flyer with all that wing.

[Alec Turnbull]

9 hours ago, jeff2wings said:

So I'm not the only one here that's read the RM Propo book lol ! 😆😆

I read that cover to cover back in the day, but that book is long gone, I wonder if I can find one on E Bay.....must have a look

[kc]

Do you mean the Radio Control Guide by Norman Butcher?   Great book but very outdated in some respects - but fine for explanation of linkages especially the difference in high wing / low wing ailerons and servo arm offset for differential.   Modern separate servos for each aileron outdates this but still handy for single servo ailerons.

Some books are available on Outerzones sister site RC Library.   Model Aeroplane Building Sketch by Sketch by Peter Holland is there - invaluable info.

Amazon is a good place for aeromodelling books they often sell for 1p plus a couple of pounds postage! 

[kc]

Butchers book is £2.84 on Amazon at the moment!

[Alec Turnbull]

So... this morning I quickly made up some pushrods for the ailerons and flaps on my Big Wig, been not really looking forward to this as I was sure that it would be a hassle, however took me about 10 mins, wow some times I surprise myself!

 

 

The hassle bit is of course when I have to test the operation, so I connected a receiver and a battery.

 

As I worry about you chaps sleeping at night worrying whether my ailerons and flaps are orientated correctly I have made a little video, now this is a first for me, I normally use a little Olympus compact for these pics I couldn't work out how make it shoot video so I have broken out the big guns, during lockdown I treated my self to really expensive Canon to relieve the boredom and then never used it, but I do know its makes video so not reffering to the instuction manual ( that would take too much time!) If I can work out how to put it on here....then here it is

 

Couldn't put the video on her as the file is too big so I have uploaded it to YouTube, (another new thing for me....!) https://youtu.be/xySZlAierDk