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TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Old 07-18-2009, 07:36 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

I know this is somewhat of a stretch, but do you think that Tom was using some ideas from the XB-70 Valkyrie? The aircraft had a delta wing and hinged wing tips that could be folded down to a 65 degree angle to improve stability of the aircraft at supersonic speeds. Now I know that our models don't fly anywhere near those speeds, but perhaps Tom thought the same principals would apply.

FB
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Old 07-18-2009, 12:23 PM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

I get the impression many pattern ship designers of that era were going for 'the jet look.' I'm guessing it was more for cosmetic reasons, not necessarily functional.

Many jets of the period used the double wheel landing gear. Tom's got that too. No need for it on a model, but it looks cool.

Tom
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Old 07-22-2009, 07:30 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Sorry for the delay in posting, but our big Asheville SPA contest consumed most of my time last week.

I wanted to discuss a few of the features of the TBX-1 in detail before moving on to something I feel will be big news for those who like this plane, (and potentially other Brett designs).

I wanted to look at the landing gear set-up. As we discussed earlier, there is no real reason for dual wheels on each side of the main gear; I believe the L.G. choice was made to give a certain look, as seen above on a full-sized aircraft. Tom was a meticulous builder, and engineer. Workmanship throughout the L.G. system is extremely neat and clean. Notice the wire and metal hold-down clamps are embedded, (recessed), so the main L.G. is flush with the fuselage bottom. The landing gear was custom designed, and what appears to be a custom braking system was used. Willie told me Tom made all his own hardware.

First, notice how the main gear appears to be "toed-in" slightly. Willie told me this was done deliberately to provide better tracking during take-off and landing.

Secondly, look at the brake system. One wheel on each side of the main gear contains what appears to me to be an electric drum brake of some sort. The wire coming from each side looks more like an electric wire than a mechanical cable. COMMENTS???

The nose wheel is also custom made. Back then, (correct me if I'm wrong), there were no commercially available dual strut nosewheels available. It appears Tom fashioned his own dual strut nosewheel that looks professionally done. Unfortunately I didn't take any detailed pictures of the nosewheel.

Any additional thoughts on the landing gear and how it was set up?
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Old 07-22-2009, 08:10 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Willie is right on the toe-in. It keeps you tracking straight more easily. Otherwise, it will tend to zoom off in one direction or another with the nose off the ground and insufficient rudder authority.

As for the brakes, the other lead is likely the gear leg itself. There are a couple ways to do this, but the simplest is just to have a coil inside that thick hub and a magnet on the wheel hub. As the magnet spins, electricity is generated. By shorting out the leads (look for just a switch inside the fuselage), the wheel sees a braking effect. In the latest MAN there was an article on making a dyno. Same concept.

Andy
Old 07-22-2009, 07:49 PM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Tom sure was a true scratch builder. It appears if the main landing gear is formed from a single length of wire. Looking at the overall design and the triangle shape in the center, it must have taken more than a couple of tries to make it. It couldn't have been easy! I have to wonder why he choose the design he used instead of a 2-piece torsion design. Certainly would have been a lot easier to bend!

FB
Old 07-23-2009, 07:39 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

The larger area spreads out the shock into a larger section of the fuselage, enhancing the life expectancy of the plane by reducing the strain in any one area, and potentially allowing it to be lighter (reinforcements add weight) because fewer materials were required.

Andy
Old 07-23-2009, 08:09 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE


ORIGINAL: Free Bird

Tom sure was a true scratch builder. It appears if the main landing gear is formed from a single length of wire. Looking at the overall design and the triangle shape in the center, it must have taken more than a couple of tries to make it. It couldn't have been easy! I have to wonder why he choose the design he used instead of a 2-piece torsion design. Certainly would have been a lot easier to bend!

FB
Tom had a very well equipped shop, (first for the model airplanes, then to build the real thing) down in his basement. I saw pictures of the construction of the full-scale aircraft, but can't remember its name now. With a good shop and the proper tools, you can do a lot.

Duane
Old 07-23-2009, 08:20 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Continuing on the TBX, here are pictures of the fuselage interior. You can see the conduits for fuelin an pressurizing the tank. The tank itself is over the C/G, which of course has become common with modern "pumped" engines. Again, very neat and clean construction. Note the cross-grain balsa doublers for additional strength, common with many early kits including the Perigee, and Taurus. BTW...The "unfinished Taurus fuselage (from his estate), mentioned in the Ed Kazmirski's Taurus thread, had a thin PLY doubler.

There is a hatch behind the firewall where the fuel tank would normally be. We were curious what was housed in there, and removed the two screws holding the lid, but it wouldn't budge. After a couple mild attempts to remove the lid, we didn't want to risk damage and gave up. Our best guess is that a pump/fuel regulator of some sort is in there.

Duane
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Old 07-23-2009, 01:31 PM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Some additional thoughts on the main landing gear:

The wire is too thin to carry the weight so there is a spring strut (just don't remember the correct name) similar to those on old light aircraft like a Cub. It's a thinner wire soldered to the outer ends of the main wire and hold by kind of a block in the middle. I suspect this "block" is a bit springy and makes a suspension for the vertical loads.

In horizontal direction the landing gear is a torsional spring, the actual leg (from fuse to wheel) being a lever arm and the short part across the fuse being the torsion spring. The twin wheels might be added later when this torsional spring turned out being too flexible. When horizontal loads from the ground hit the wheels, the tandem stays level and prevents the landing gear leg from swinging too much. Maybe...

Maybe that's why the brakes are on the rear wheels. It could be magnetic brakes (disk brake actuated by an electric magnet) as offered in several ads in Grid Leaks magazine at the time. They were not uncommon in the sixties (Graupner had them but way too expensive for me).

Seems the toe-in is quite big because it is reduced when the landing gear retreats under load.

The complicated triangle shape is actually a simple solution. Separate landing gear legs with a torsional part across the fuse need a rigid attachment to the fuse. This one-part triangle solution is simply attached to the fuse bottom by clamps. The triangle is the rigid attachment.
Old 07-23-2009, 05:07 PM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Duane,

What are the two pins that stick out about an inch on each side?
Old 07-23-2009, 10:26 PM
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ORIGINAL: Michaelj2k

Duane,

What are the two pins that stick out about an inch on each side?
I'm not sure, but I think one is for fueling, and one is for pressurizing. You can see that one line goes to the clunk, and one goes to the vent. I remember a bunch of people clustered around Tom once when he was flying the TBX. He had the fuselage open like the picture above, and was apparently having trouble with the pressurized tank. He was pumping a little bulb pump if I remember correctly. It was a long time ago.

Other ideas??
Old 07-24-2009, 12:23 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Must be check valves.
There's no foam around the tank, I wonder about fuel foaming.
Old 07-28-2009, 07:43 AM
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ORIGINAL: Free Bird

That TBX-1 is just awesome. I'm glad that it still lives. Like the Simla, it would be neat if a replica of it could be developed.

FB
Now for some news...Ed Kazmirski seemed to operate more by means of sketches (on "brown paper" or otherwise), not fully drawn plans, (or in the case of the Simla, largely in his head). No formal drawings, (or even sketches) exist other than the planes that were kitted. We are currently in the process of re-creating the Simla from a few of the photos that remain..."reverse or investigative engineering" is what we're calling it. There is a lot of work, (and some guesswork), involved...especially when it comes to the fuselage.

Tom was an aeronautical/mechanical engineer, comfortable with drawings, and meticulous in everything he did. Both his primary designs, (Nimbus/Perigee) were published so we have them. As it turns out, those were not the ONLY plans drawn.

When I saw his planes down his basement, there was a room off to the side called the "drawing room". In it was a large vertical cabinet with shelving, and on the shelves were small rolls of tracing paper that resembled scrolls. It turns out that apparently ALL of Tom's planes are drawn out. I asked about the TBX-1.

We went to the cabinet to look for the plans. To the best of my knowledge, these rolls hadn't been disturbed in over 30 years. Within each roll were additional individual sheets of different length tracing paper, and as the rolls were opened, sometimes the contents would spill out on the floor...all kinds of details having to do with traces of ribs, bulkheads, and other pieces. There were sketches/tracings of paint schemes, and some sheets even contained mathematical calculations and formulae. It was a chore keeping the rolls of paper organized and together as each piece of paper "rolled up" as it came loose and became separated from the rest.

We went from one roll to the next. The one labeled as "TBX-1 Building" contained something else. I was becoming anxious, as we had gone though several rolls of drawings without luck, with 10-20 more. Remember, I am basically a stranger showing up on Helen's doorstep with a DVD in my hand as my only "gift" to her. I was sure Helen was going to say in essence, "...enough of this...we've seen enough, but perhaps because Willie was there and he didn't seem bored at looking through the plans we continued...still I felt it was about over. Finally a larger "scroll" revealed the faded blueprint of the TBX-1 with a date of early January 1965. It was like being in a treasure room of an Egyptian tomb to me.

I knew visiting the Brett home was not going to be something that would happen often as I live some 650 miles away, and we were barely acquaintances. I gathered together all the "nerve" I could and asked if I could borrow the plans...

The plans for the TBX-1 are now on loan from Helen Brett. The rolls, (about 5-6 of them), having to do with the TBX were put to the side...no time to look at them then. On the return trip....in the motel room I began to look at the rolls and discovered another "unlabeled" plan on two rolls of tracing paper was also included. It looks like the Perigee, but I'll have to take measurement to be sure.

More to come...

Old 07-28-2009, 08:18 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

We went from one roll to the next. The one labeled as "TBX-1 Building" contained something else. I was becoming anxious, as we had gone though several rolls of drawings without luck, with 10-20 more. Remember, I am basically a stranger showing up on Helen's doorstep with a DVD in my hand as my only "gift" to her. I was sure Helen was going to say in essence, "...enough of this...we've seen enough, but perhaps because Willie was there and he didn't seem bored at looking through the plans we continued...still I felt it was about over. Finally a larger "scroll" revealed the faded blueprint of the TBX-1 with a date of early January 1965. It was like being in a treasure room of an Egyptian tomb to me.

I knew visiting the Brett home was not going to be something that would happen often as I live some 650 miles away, and we were barely acquaintances. I gathered together all the "nerve" I could and asked if I could borrow the plans...

The plans for the TBX-1 are now on loan from Helen Brett. The rolls, (about 5-6 of them), having to do with the TBX were put to the side...no time to look at them then. On the return trip....in the motel room I began to look at the rolls and discovered another "unlabeled" plan on two rolls of tracing paper was also included. It looks like the Perigee, but I'll have to take measurement to be sure.

More to come...
OMG!!![X(][X(]

It's unbelieveable that plans still exists! I guess my questions are: are the plans in good enough shape to copy, are all of the patterns shown to build a model, and most importantly, do you have permission to copy them? The TBX-1 has been something I've tried drawing (more like sketches) several years ago but gave up as there just wasn't enough info to make a viable project out of it. If possible, I'd like to tackle a scratch project over the winter. What are the possibilities Duane?

FB
Old 07-28-2009, 08:38 AM
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ORIGINAL: Free Bird

OMG!!![X(][X(]

It's unbelieveable that plans still exists! I guess my questions are: are the plans in good enough shape to copy, are all of the patterns shown to build a model, and most importantly, do you have permission to copy them? The TBX-1 has been something I've tried drawing (more like sketches) several years ago but gave up as there just wasn't enough info to make a viable project out of it. If possible, I'd like to tackle a scratch project over the winter. What are the possibilities Duane?

FB
FB....I thought you'd be interested in this. I wanted to be sure we had discussed all the other topics before we tackled the TBX-1 plans.

With the help of Jeff Petroski, (who came to the Asheville SPA contest...you should have been there ), the BLUEPRINT plans are currently in Charlotte being professionally copied. According to Jeff, even though they were faded, they think they will be able to get a good drawing. I should have them back soon.

I have several rolls of tracing paper with templates that I plan to take to Kinkos today...hoping for the best. I will contact Helen and ask for her permission to send copies of the plan to whoever requests one, assuming the plan comes back in good enough condition to build from. I have no idea about cost, but again according to Jeff, once scanned into their computer, plans can be ordered as needed from this company.

If you have ever built an original Perigee, you know that Tom's personally drawn plans are detailed and sometimes complicated to follow. The same is true of the TBX-1. I'm sure he knew what he was doing for his own personal use, but I sometimes get lost as I study them...they will require a lot of study to sort out, (but that's part of the fun) and decipher...but it can be done. The plans are very "busy", and look more like blueprints from Grumman or Boeing, than a simple model plane.

Again...more to come. It's nice to see the interest out there for a 44 year old model design. I think part of it is the "anti-ARF" sentiment...the need to be someone who is building something not only different, but unique. When the Simla plan is finished, it will be the same way. We may be able to reproduce a one-of-a-kind airplane very near and dear to its extraordinary owner.

Duane
Old 07-28-2009, 09:08 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

FB....I thought you'd be interested in this. I wanted to be sure we had discussed all the other topics before we tackled the TBX-1 plans.

With the help of Jeff Petroski, (who came to the Asheville SPA contest...you should have been there ), the BLUEPRINT plans are currently in Charlotte being professionally copied. According to Jeff, even though they were faded, they think they will be able to get a good drawing. I should have them back soon.

I have several rolls of tracing paper with templates that I plan to take to Kinkos today...hoping for the best. I will contact Helen and ask for her permission to send copies of the plan to whoever requests one, assuming the plan comes back in good enough condition to build from. I have no idea about cost, but again according to Jeff, once scanned into their computer, plans can be ordered as needed from this company.

If you have ever built an original Perigee, you know that Tom's personally drawn plans are detailed and sometimes complicated to follow. The same is true of the TBX-1. I'm sure he knew what he was doing for his own personal use, but I sometimes get lost as I study them...they will require a lot of study to sort out, (but that's part of the fun) and decipher...but it can be done. The plans are very "busy", and look more like blueprints from Grumman or Boeing, than a simple model plane.

Again...more to come. It's nice to see the interest out there for a 44 year old model design. I think part of it is the "anti-ARF" sentiment...the need to be someone who is building something not only different, but unique. When the Simla plan is finished, it will be the same way. We may be able to reproduce a one-of-a-kind airplane very near and dear to its extraordinary owner.

Duane
Interested isn't the word I would use, take it up a few notches and you'll get the idea that I'm a big fan of Tom Brett. My Perigee restoration project is in the final painting stages for a late August completion. I also have a set of Nimbus plans and I know what you mean about the detail Tom put into his work. I'm extermely happy to know that the TBX-1 plans are being copied. Please advise when a set will be available (also cost). Thanks for keeping me in mind for this Duane, I'm still blown away about this piece of news!

BTW - I wish I could have been at Asheville, I'll plan on it next year. Sounds like a excellent SPA event!

FB
Old 07-28-2009, 09:26 AM
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ORIGINAL: Free Bird

Interested isn't the word I would use, take it up a few notches and you'll get the idea that I'm a big fan of Tom Brett. My Perigee restoration project is in the final painting stages for a late August completion. I also have a set of Nimbus plans and I know what you mean about the detail Tom put into his work. I'm extermely happy to know that the TBX-1 plans are being copied. Please advise when a set will be available (also cost). Thanks for keeping me in mind for this Duane, I'm still blown away about this piece of news!

BTW - I wish I could have been at Asheville, I'll plan on it next year. Sounds like a excellent SPA event!

FB
I'm still blown away about this piece of news!

This past Asheville contest was the best we've had; I think it went well.

I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. It's been close to four weeks now, and when I write about it, I am still "blown away"; seeing Toms planes and visiting with Helen was the fulfillment of something I'd wanted to do for a very long time. I hope I can visit her again sometime, and talk a bit more.

I think you and I, (and Evan down-under) share the same enthusiasm for researching and building planes that matter to us personally. It's hard to explain to others who are probably wondering "...what the big deal is"... but I'm sure they have their own areas where they can get excited. As I said in the first post, at my point in life I don't get to experience this feeling of "little kid excitement" very often; it's a great feeling to have. I wish I could "bottle it".

Duane
Old 07-28-2009, 11:01 AM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

I think you and I, (and Evan down-under) share the same enthusiasm for researching and building planes that matter to us personally. It's hard to explain to others who are probably wondering "...what the big deal is"... but I'm sure they have their own areas where they can get excited. As I said in the first post, at my point in life I don't get to experience this feeling of "little kid excitement" very often; it's a great feeling to have. I wish I could "bottle it".
Actually, hanging on this forum has fired the passion for the history/researching vintage planes. It really started a couple of years ago after my Dad passed away and wanting to build (again) the same models we labored over when I was a kid. After I got my Perigee, I really started looking for info, that and the Taurus thread has been a big inspiration. The coming of a Taurus II and a Simla has hasn't hurt my passion either! BTW - I just told WEDJ of the TBX-1 plans and you could have knocked him over with a feather.!

FB
Old 07-28-2009, 01:24 PM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

ORIGINAL: Free Bird

Actually, hanging on this forum has fired the passion for the history/researching vintage planes. It really started a couple of years ago after my Dad passed away and wanting to build (again) the same models we labored over when I was a kid. After I got my Perigee, I really started looking for info, that and the Taurus thread has been a big inspiration. The coming of a Taurus II and a Simla has hasn't hurt my passion either! BTW - I just told WEDJ of the TBX-1 plans and you could have knocked him over with a feather.!

FB
Each of us has a story of how we got where we are now. There is something "cool" about revisiting some of the high points in our life's journey, and returning to things that have influenced us a lot when we were young and impressionable.

Speaking of WEDJ, we need to hear more from him. I'm not sure how many out there know that contained on Chuck's video is video footage of Tom taxiing out the TBX-1 and a few seconds of it making a low pass and "Victory Roll". I'm sure the TBX-1 wasn't the best flying pattern ship ever designed, but it sure looked good in that footage, and it seems to fly well enough to have a ball with it. The TBX-1 drew a crowd then, and it will sure draw a crowd at the local field NOW .

Duane

My hope and goal is to post excerpts of Chuck's video on YouTube having to do with Tom and his designs, and provide a link on this thread.
Old 07-28-2009, 04:12 PM
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I'm not sure how many out there know that contained on Chuck's video is video footage of Tom taxiing out the TBX-1 and a few seconds of it making a low pass and "Victory Roll". I'm sure the TBX-1 wasn't the best flying pattern ship ever designed, but it sure looked good in that footage, and it seems to fly well enough to have a ball with it. The TBX-1 drew a crowd then, and it will sure draw a crowd at the local field NOW .
I have the DVD and was amazed to see the TBX-1 on it. It's a real treat to see something so unusual in flight. I would have to agree about the flight performance about the TBX-1, but I for one would really like to find out first hand how it flies. I'll bet it's a real hoot flying it with today's equipment. Hmmm....Asheville '10.

FB
Old 07-28-2009, 11:42 PM
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Bin watching you guys, and taking notes. First saw Nimbus in one of them Yank magazines when I was real small, and it was all swoopy and cool looking...40 odd years later and the original Hobby Helpers plan turned up in the possession of one of the local flyers...then the A.M. with the Perigee drawings and you can guess the rest, both models are in the hangar and been flying for the last 6~7 years. Couple of months ago, conversing at the LHS with various other shoppers, and one of them volunteers that he has a couple of unopened Perigee kits...You just never know whats in your own back yard, so you guys need to start scratching around, the stuff is about, you just don't know who has it, that's all.
Evan.
Old 07-29-2009, 07:14 AM
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ORIGINAL: pimmnz

Bin watching you guys, and taking notes. First saw Nimbus in one of them Yank magazines when I was real small, and it was all swoopy and cool looking...40 odd years later and the original Hobby Helpers plan turned up in the possession of one of the local flyers...then the A.M. with the Perigee drawings and you can guess the rest, both models are in the hangar and been flying for the last 6~7 years. Couple of months ago, conversing at the LHS with various other shoppers, and one of them volunteers that he has a couple of unopened Perigee kits...You just never know whats in your own back yard, so you guys need to start scratching around, the stuff is about, you just don't know who has it, that's all.
Evan.
A little bit of "digging" sometimes reveals a lot.

I took the TBX-1 template tracings (on velum) for copying yesterday and got some nice copies. Thanks Bill for the "heads up"

Speaking of the Perigee, there were two more "scrolls" included with the TBX-1 drawings. These turned out to be unlabeled drawings of what I'm pretty sure is the Perigee. Looks like Tom enjoyed working with rolls of drafting velum which are approximately 18" high and are differing lengths. The "Perigee" plans are made up of about five separate sheets...two for the wing, two for the fuselage, and an extra sheet or two of "misc". These will be taken to the local "blueprint shop" today, and I'll post them later.

We have some interesting, (cool), drawings coming up soon to discuss. Tom apparently was a person who believed in keeping many of the supporting drawings and notes, (sometimes drawn on both sides of the paper), used in the design process. A few of these sheets mean absolutely nothing to me, but I'll post them to see what everyone else thinks, and if we might be able to figure out what Tom intended. These and the color scheme drawings were part of the many sheets of drawings that came bundled up together with the plans in each "scroll".

There is a series of velum drawings, (roughly 8"X12") that show what I believe to be early renderings of the TBX, and possible color schemes. When we are able to look back at these sketches and see him thinking things through, it tends to "humanize" the whole process.....you're not just looking at a finished design; instead you're sharing in the development after the fact.

Stay tuned...

Duane
Old 07-29-2009, 09:31 AM
  #73  
Michaelj2k
 
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Duane,
Keeping everything organized as Tom did is the sign of a good engineer. It sounds like many of the individual drawings and sketches you referred to are overlays (or layers as we now call them) to do detail drawings of a particular item such as a bulkhead overlay drawing over the main layout. You might try putting these items over the main drawing to see if that is true; sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. I'm also happy that his wife did not do what so many others do like toss it out or give it away to be lost forever.

Thanks for following up on Tom's designs, there's a wealth of information there that must be documented. I'll certainly be in line for a set of plans for the Simla, TBX-1 and other TB designs when they become available.

As an aside, you might recall the Dwight Hartman Zeus, Zeus Mk. II and other glass fuselages he produced in the mid sixties. Dwight also did RC boats as well and his products were quite popular among the boating set. After he passed away, Loyalhanna Dockyard purchased the boat molds but did not purchase the airplane molds. I contacted Loyalhanna a few months ago and inquired about the airplane items. It seemed that for some reason they could not agree on the acquisition and the molds went to someone in the area who was a friend of Dwight. That's as far as I got in the trail. I think I still have the email and if anyone is interested in following up, I can forward them to you. So, there's another piece of RC history that's still out there somewhere.
Old 07-29-2009, 10:33 AM
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kingaltair
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE


ORIGINAL: Free Bird

I have the DVD and was amazed to see the TBX-1 on it. It's a real treat to see something so unusual in flight. I would have to agree about the flight performance about the TBX-1, but I for one would really like to find out first hand how it flies. I'll bet it's a real hoot flying it with today's equipment. Hmmm....Asheville '10.

FB
I very much doubt I would ever fly the TBX-1 at an SPA contest since the contest seems to "whittle" the available pool down to a half dozen or so proven performers that fly with a minimum of correction through the maneuvers. My bet is the TBX would require more than average corrections to make it track well ....... but it sure would be fun to have the "honor" of finding out. Not everything we fly has to be "SPA material".

Along the same lines, I have heard more than one person quote Don Lowe as saying he "hates" the Phoenix 1, or make a comment like, "...why did you build that pile of junk...". I can guess what characteristics of the plane Don might object to, (such as the semi-symmetrical wing", and excessive wing sweep), but I still like the way the plane looks in the air...like an F-86...and I still want to build one.
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Old 07-30-2009, 12:21 AM
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pimmnz
 
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Default RE: TOM BRETT'S DESIGNS-UPDATE

Actually, the fact that you like the look of the plane is usually the reason for building it. If you like the TBX-1, then go for it. If you want to compete with it, then do...In SPA you don't have to win, you can't change the history anyway, nor disprove what happened, though I know of at least one who would like to...Naa, it would be too boring to build one of three certain winners, and life is too short not to enjoy your modelling. Heck, I still fly my Orion against the 2M guys, and I can consistently beat a few of them with it too. I reckon you need to flood the SPA scene with all sorts of different models, and .40 two strokes, just to make/keep the thing interesting. Lets see Taurus vs Nimbus, King Altair up against a Thunderstormer, and nothing bigger than a 2s .60 in any of them. .60's in Orions, Taurus etc should be banned nothing bigger than a .45 in anything before 1965! Shift peoples perspectives.
Evan.

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