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6 hours ago, Martin Fraser said:

Hi Ken,

Yeah, that's what I did as it saves the plans a bit.  Cliff's model looks great - nice scheme!  I wonder how many Swordfish have been built from his plans?  I was down at the Navy Wings hangar at Yeovilton a few years ago to look at the full size and spotted a model of one up on top of a container but I could get to it unfortunately. 

 

I served there as a young air mechanic in the early 70s and the historic flight's hangar was just a 100mts from ours and I didn't pay that much attention to the old 'String Bag' but when they wheeled the Sea Fury out everyone downed tools for the start up and subsequent flying display. Now 50 years on I can appreciate what an amazing aircraft the Swordfish is and what it achieved in the hands of true heroes.

 

Enjoy the Tempest build but save some balsa for the Swordfish.

 

The sun is out so I'm off flying now.

 

Cheer. Martin.

 

  

Flying you lucky guy, we have a weather alert for freezing rain, 200km further west of me the area has a blizzard warning. I did find a CM Swordfish build by Peter Denison out of the Hibiscus Coast Flyers in Auckland NZ, his last entry was that his CM Swordfish is at this stage back in 2022 or so. I've sent Peter a message to see if he has flown his swordfish. cheers - ken

peter denison hibiscus fliers 5.jpg

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18 hours ago, kenair18 said:

Flying you lucky guy, we have a weather alert for freezing rain, 200km further west of me the area has a blizzard warning. I did find a CM Swordfish build by Peter Denison out of the Hibiscus Coast Flyers in Auckland NZ, his last entry was that his CM Swordfish is at this stage back in 2022 or so. I've sent Peter a message to see if he has flown his swordfish. cheers - ken

peter denison hibiscus fliers 5.jpg

Hi Ken,

Unusual paint scheme, NZ navy maybe?  I wonder if he's hinging the wings?

Cheers, Martin

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5 hours ago, Martin Fraser said:

Hi Ken,

Unusual paint scheme, NZ navy maybe?  I wonder if he's hinging the wings?

Cheers, Martin

 

Yes it has swing wings - these are some of Peter Denison's photos I pulled off the Hibiscus Coast Radio Fliers newsletters. Still trying to contact Peter D.

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4 hours ago, Martin Fraser said:

Wow, that looks great.  Does Peter have a build blog anywhere?  I wonder if he will maiden it this year.  

 

Thanks for sharing the photos Ken.

I did get a hold of Peter D. Peter is on a vacation cruise with his wife, I said I'll get back to him in a couple pf weeks with questions. Peter has flown his Swordfish. His initial comments are "yes I finished the model took over a year , she looks great  and flies really well on the positive side but god it was hard work understanding the drawing .
I am a retired sheet metal tradesman 50 years  working on the bench ending up with my own sheet metal business so can read plans , so don’t knock yourself."

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This afternoon, I was looking at my Swordfish files I had saved from last years Swordfish search and found this post by Cliff McIlwee on his Swordfish. Apparently Cliff M used a "Complete-A-Pac" plan as the base for his Swordfish.

 

The post is at https://www.rcscalebuilder.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8018&KW=swordfish

 

from Jim Walton " 

I am starting a Fairy Swordfish kit purchased a couple of years ago while in London.  This is a "Complete-A-Pac" kit by A. M. Products.  I am hoping that someone reading this thread has built one sometime in the past.  I am a fairly competent builder but am having problems with the supplied plans and instructions.  The designer leaves much to be engineered by the builder.  There are essentially no instructions provided.  I would appreciate hearing from anyone out there that might help.

Jim Walton"

 

From Cliff M "Hi Jim,
               I built one from the same plan only it was enlarged to 72" span...flew very well on a 90 f/stroke...what you plan powering the smaller one with? be very careful about not warping the fuse at a very early stage of the build....get most of the nose area built first...then build from there rearwards. No digital pics I"m afraid, the plan was blew up to 72" on the advice of the then editor of the now defunct RCS International magazine.
      I built it for a review, and traplet now sells the 72" plan separately as well.
      I still have it!...and just needs a little maintanence to get flying again...all the servos are still in there, I re-painted it in Eugine esmond"s aircraft colours..as I took it over to RAF Manston in 2002, for the "Channel Dash" memorial day. met a few of the survivors too...was a fantastic trip.
    tell you what, tomorrow, I'll get a few pics of her and post them up..should give you a god idea of the build, and internal structure...I used push- pull on both elevator / rudder with an access hatch on the bottom.....the pics will show better when I get them up for you.  Cliff"

 Jim,
      The 120 would be ideal for an 80" version, the 90 flies this 72" with ease,  I"ve got her down and dusted, so, will keep her on the bench and fly her again this summer, funny how a thread can re-interest you in a model!! - Cliff
  

2007-01-01_134054_Sword_rcsb.jpg

  Cliff

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Believe it or not I think that this 120" version is basically a scale up of the same plan,  Not built by me, it came a a bit of a wreckto be rebuilt.  Beautiful steady flier,  it perambulates around the sky in a stately manner as befits the real thing

fish1.jpg

fish2.jpg

Edited by stu knowles
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When I saw a full size one flying last year, I was astonished at how slowly it was flying - it looked like full speed = slowest speed! (Judged by engine noise).

 

Going to war in such a sitting duck must have been terrifying...

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2 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said:

When I saw a full size one flying last year, I was astonished at how slowly it was flying - it looked like full speed = slowest speed! (Judged by engine noise).

 

Going to war in such a sitting duck must have been terrifying...

I first saw one when I flew from Sunderland to Old Walden in the 1970's, a massive thing and so slow, as said a sitting target.

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Back in  the 1970s we rented a large house for two weeks on a hill overlooking Torbay. Checking over the house I went upstairs and the bedroom window had a balcony with unrestricted views over the bay.

I heard the drone of an aeroplane in the distance, it was a Swordfish. It seemed to take forever to get across the bay as it passed where I was standing it was only slightly higher than me, a fantastic sight.

I have heard the German ships had trouble shooting them down as they were too slow for the gun sight synchronisation,  they did not fare so well against the fighters.

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15 hours ago, stu knowles said:

Believe it or not I think that this 120" version is basically a scale up of the same plan,  Not built by me, it came a a bit of a wreckto be rebuilt.  Beautiful steady flier,  it perambulates around the sky in a stately manner as befits the real thing

fish1.jpg

fish2.jpg

.

Thank-you for sharing the photos of the 120" Swordfish, any idea how much it weighs, what engine is used?  cheers - ken 

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Hello Ken,

As I remember its around 38lbs and is powered by a Zenoah 80cc twin.  The wings come off as a pair so it assembles with four 6mm bolts and four 3mm nuts and bolts so its quite a quick and easy rig.  Trouble is that it takes up an enormous amount of space.  I have to transport the fus in a trailer and the wings are carried in the car - a large estate.  It uses the basic four channels plus a switchable landing light, a Royal Navy flag which raises and lowers out of the rear cockpit as used in the RN Heritage Flight and the middle crewman raises his arm in a 'Thumbs Up' on a low and slow fly past or when taxi ing.  Since the photos I have added a non droppable torpedo and a 3D printed dumy engine which sets it off a treat .

 

It would be really nice with something like a 150cc radial on board but thats unlikely on my watch.  I don't fly at shows which would be its natural environment and physically lifting it into and out of storage is becoming a problem due to advancing years.  I'd like to fly it again when the weather improves  but its likely to be moved on this year

fish3.jpg

Edited by stu knowles
spilling
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  19 hours ago, kenair18 said:

Hi Martin,

If possible, could you post on the thread or email me two or three or four photos of the top of the top wing where the plywood plate attaches to the cabane metal plate and a photo showing the bottom of the top wing at the cabane attachment area to the wing. I have a good idea how this is done but a picture is worth a 1000 words.  I hope you don't mind me posting on your build thread.   my email is [email protected]   or Illl see the pics on the thread.   thank-you - ken kalynuk

 

Hi Ken,

 

Yes the plan is a bit sketchy here.  I've made up some brass L shaped plates that I've silver soldered to the ends of piano wire. As you can see they form the attachment points to the T nuts in the wings and the diagonal bracing  wires. These struts will be clad in beech and given a streamline section - they should be strong enough me thinks. 

 

I think I've resolved my fuel tank access problem, through the firewall via a removable panel that I'll seal with silicon. It will entail an engine out job if I need to get to it but hopefully no surgery!

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I've been tinkering on with the build and because of the Saito's architecture, I've decided to mould the nose section and the engine cowling in GF. Maybe it's the camera but it looks too big but it's as per plan.  These are just the plugs to make the moulds. I will provide some hard points for their attachment.

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Hi Martin, I got your message and the photos, thank-you. Stu thank-you for your post, the big Swordfish looks magnificent.

 

Martin - 

I think I will do what you plan to do with the engine mounting, mount the engine to former frame F2 and make a sub cowl from F1 to F2. I will use a gas engine, something like a DLE 20cc to a DLE 30cc. My 72" wingspan Great Planes Waco arf has a DLE 30cc in it and I only use 1/2 throttle at cruise, so I may go to a 20cc or 25cc and this model has lots of wing area for lift.

 

Did you solder or braze the top wing steel hold down plate to the wire cabanes and do then fasten the top wing to the metal plate with bolts - if post a pic or two on this that would be great. 

 

Last week I felt like doing a small project, so I decided to make the Swordfish cowl from 1/32 ply with a balsa lip and then I glassed it with three layers of 0.75 oz cloth and Z poxy. I will not start the main fuselage or wing build until the fall.

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cowl after glassing.jpg

dle 30 on ring.jpg

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I should have said .......I think I will do what you plan to do with the engine mounting, move F1 back  to suit the engine length, reshape F1, and make a sub cowl from F1 to the mail cowl.  I will use a gas engine, something like a DLE 20cc to a DLE 30cc. My 72" wingspan Great Planes Waco arf has a DLE 30cc in it and I only use 1/2 throttle at cruise, so I may go to a 20cc or 25cc and this model has lots of wing area for lift.

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