Little Hornet CV-8

[SouthernFly]

This is my first posting in the boat section, I'm mostly into airplanes. I did spend some time looking thought this section for my project but was not able to post due to the the nature of the build. I wanted it to be a surprise for the Wings across America plane that I signed up to help with it's journey across this country to promote the RC hobby. As I live in Columbia South Carolina USA a lot of the Jimmy Doolittle's pilots came for here as it was a base for B-25 at the time. So for the WAA-08 visit I decided to build a model of the USS Hornet CV-8 for it to fly off. Scale size to a 38 inch plane was out of the question , so I dare not post anything there(Scale Boats)! I've never built a boat model or a boat of any kind but I did not let that stop me. If you are into scale or exact reproduction please look away now!! :) this could be worst than a Texas chain saw massacre.

Little Hornet CV-8 is
Length: 17 ft. 4 in.
Beam: 64 in.
Flight deck Width: 54 inches.
Draft: 1.8 in.

here is a link to the waa-08 post were I brought the Hornet in:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=837250&page=296

and at it debut at the Doolittle event.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=837250&page=299

here is a video from your site I made of the event
http://www.larksrcclubvideos.magnify.net/video/WAA-09-wmv

If you like I can post some build photos and more info if there any interest.

hope you like

jerryb

[Kmot]

That is AWESOME!!! :D

Well done.

[norgale]

Really cool Jerry. Is the Hornet powered and R/C? Great looking model and one that actually serves a purpose. Pete

[MILLERTIME]

Cool!!!!

[herrmill]

Well very done indeed - those photos I saw on the link of the island look pretty darn good! What lake do you fly off of? I know a few guys in Columbia who'd like to see that in person next time you go out.

Shame there isn't a EPF B-25 small enough to fly off that deck. At least if you splashed it, it wouldn't sink. :D

Chuck

[keith S]

May not be scale but really neat and not to mention impressive to fly off of!

[Prins Willem]

Really slick. Now you need an F4F or F2A for carrier quals.

[capt. spauldin]

Bravo. A splendid job. Quite an accomplishment.

[Hoghappy]

;) Me likes it!

[fooman2008]

dog gone it!
There was a thread for a foamie B-25 that would have been perfect for this and now I can't find it! looked like it flew well and was not particularly expensive. Now I can't find the thread did a search for B-25's on R/CGroups and cam up with 223 hits. Rats!
I lived down the street from one of the last raiders and if I had thought of it I should have done some kind of formal interview with him (hey I was 10 what did I know? all those guys were immortal in those days).
Foo

[tsenecal]

several people on rcgroups.com have tried to convert the guillows b25... it has a 28" wingspan...


i also found this build...
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156891


and this...
https://www.newcreations-rc.com/ProductDetails.aspx?itemnumber=DHD532EL

[SouthernFly]

thanks for the kind words and links I will check them out.

If you are near South Carolina you might want to check this out the
Celebrate Freedom Foundation is having the 67th reunion April 15-18 and the Little Hornet will be there. It will be a awesome event with some of the Raiders there as well as B-25 and B-1 bombers .

http://www.celebratefreedomfoundation.org/

I am putting her into port for some refits hope to make her look better before then.

She does not have power or rc control yet ;) but thats high on the list.

herrmill
I know a few guys in Columbia who'd like to see that in person next time you go out.

I put it in at Lake Murray I live a few blocks away. Does your friends go to USC by chance as that is where I work. I was surprise as to how much fun it was to do some photo shoots and I plan to do more.

here is some more photos:

[fooman2008]

not to rivet count but i don't think SBD's had folding wings (thought they were compact enough not to need it). Pretty neat pic with crane slinging it aboard though. What are you using for mechanicals and radio for it?
Foo

[SouthernFly]

not to rivet count but i don't think SBD's had folding wings (thought they were compact enough not to need it). Pretty neat pic with crane slinging it aboard though. What are you using for mechanicals and radio for it?
Foo

Are you sure? :confused:
I thought I saw some that did. If they didn't have folding wings thats the stuff I need to know.
It's a crane on a stick :o I can turn below deck but I have a tonka truck that has the parts I need to make it work.
I plan to have the crane work and a model B-25 that children can fly of deck
with a joy stick for it's education events at elementary schools.

[keith S]

[QUOTE=SouthernFly]Are you sure? :confused:
I thought I saw some that did. If they didn't have folding wings thats the stuff I need to know.

I have seen photos where they folded backwards and a small few hat folded upwards. beleive it was some modification to the aircraft depending on how it was transported. :rolleyes:

[norgale]

Southernfly do you have a pictures of the Hornet under construction or any plans and dimensions for it? That's a really nice model and when you get it powered and RC'd it will be awesome. SO how do you keep it stationary for landings and takeoffs? Pete

[SouthernFly]

No plans built it on the fly. I bought 10 sheet of 4x8 1/4 laun plywood so I knew the flight deck would be 48 inch wide and 16 feet long. I cut it to the shape of drawing from the internet. I then sized every thing else to match and cut the bottom and and middle deck. I then added side post and side planks.
It is not to any scale at all, to make it functional it is wider over length. about 1/57 for length and 1/37 for width. At first I had 3 section that would be assembled at the water but then I decided to attach them together and get a boat trailer. The 3 section did make working on each piece easier as I could pick them up and move them about as needed.

So far only 1 take off while anchored in water and no landing. We made a number of take off while on its trailer. The trailer take offs are really not that bad as there is 5 foot of deck and a 3 foot drop and most electric planes should be able to gain flying speed before touching ground.

here are so build photos:

[PlaneNuttz]

Hey Jerry! Redd here. Heres the address for that cat Sparks showed me. Think it would work for the cat mod on the hornet. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=895726&page=26

[SouthernFly]

thanks redd I think we can make it work will be fun to try.
jerryb

[fooman2008]

so you didn't have any problem with the luan. I am 'working' on a large scale battleship and was thinking of using it for planking, mostly for the cost. But had heard some horror stories about it coming apart (delaminating). What did you use for the outside, fiberglass, just paint it? As for going crazy many's the day I've been tempted to do that (I am an unemployed carpenter).
Foo

[SouthernFly]

I not sure how long luan will hold up, My plan was for something that would last for about 2 years of use with only a few times each year to be in the water.
It has been in the water, no de-lamination yet.
I sealed the wood with sealer and the used water based enamels as that was better for clean up.
You will note if you look hard I built the hull from water line up so I have yet to build a base that will be below the water line. It will be of exterior plywood and be solid foam inside to insure that the top section stays above water.
what I did not like most about luan was it is soft wood and tears easy when cut or drilled. I would have to say I may not have saved much having to seal the wood but I believe it to be lighter than a boat made out of all exterior plywood.

[fooman2008]

thanks
Foo

[arrow5]

Nice work. Now you`ve got to make it a manned model ship and enjoy sailing in it.! :D

[SouthernFly]

update doing a firework show
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1081405#post12683758
jerryb

[boater_dave]

Right on about the Dauntless not having folding wings. I did a quick search and found this (http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=297). The last paragraph makes the comment that it's one of the few without.
Grumman developed the sideways fold, which makes it easy to jam lots of planes in a small space. Avengers, Wildcats and Hellcats would have the sideways style. Corsairs, Hell Divers, etc would fold up.

Dave

[fooman2008]

If I recall correctly the twisting sideways wingfold was invented by Leroy Grumman and they held the patent which is why no one else used it.
The Dauntless was maneuverable enough to more than defend herself (especially the later marks), at the Battle of Coral Sea an attacking Japanese strike encountered the Dauntlesses after they had sunk the carrier Shoho ("sighted carrier sunk same, hunting for more" was transmitted by the strike commander) on the way back to their carriers. When jumped, the bombers turned into the fighters and drove them off shooting down at least four of them.
Kind of a funny sideline; the guy who owns the local warbird museum has a pair of Avengers and a pair of Skyraiders (A1-e's), in order to have room for them in his hangar he has to fold the wings. With the Avengers it is no problem since they don't increase the height of the aircraft, with the Spads (Skyraiders) they have to carefully back them in with the wings down, then fold the wings (the height of the door beam won't let them in with them up), to get them out the reverse is required.
Foo

[Vince Hoffmann]

HA! I love it !!

[fooman2008]

Vince what were you talking about?
Foo

[SouthernFly]

I think he saw the video of the little Hornet with the remote fireworks on board.
check it out from the link if you haven't.
I forgot about the issue with the wings in fact as they failed to hold up to attack from young boys while on display. I placed the wings in a fold under the deck pointed up on a Dauntless. I had really meant to place them in a horizontal fold, but got confused thinking about the corsair style of fold.
Funny things can happen very late at night.

update doing a firework show
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showatt.php?attachmentid=2644938

or
RC Groups > RC Video Gallery > Boat Videos > firework off the USS little Hornet > firework off the USS little Hornet


jerryb