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Schwarze Teufel FVA-1
by Theodore Karman & Wolfgang Klemperer |
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| by Smigley Riggs Flying Aces Club |
If you've been here before - PRESS REFRESH CLICK on any photo for large view in a new tab |
Winter 2023 Scale Towline Glider - 36in wingspan |
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| Documentation | ||||
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| Klemperer on left | Schwarze Teufel and the Blaue Maus (background) | |||
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| Enhanced to highlight the plane | Wasserkuppe 1920, winning time was 2:22 | Enhanced to show both versions | ||
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| First sailplane to be bungee launched | 3 spars, cardboard packed leading edge, piano wire trailing | love those spats | ||
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| in 1920 they achieved only "Downhill Coasting" | Front view | Enhanced version | ||
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| 3-view, of course it's wrong in places | 18% Root airfoil |
Won the 1st Rhon at the Wasserkuppe 1920, beating Pelsner's Hang Glider (2nd place, 51 sec) |
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| Contemporary gliders in 1920, The Bird | Feathers on the wings - been there, done that!, The Senator 5 | Eugene von Loessl plunged from an altitude of 150 meters and crashed on the west slope of Wasserkuppe, the first pilot to die on the mountain. | ||
| Final Photos | ||||
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| The Money Shot | MoneyShot #2 - 3/4 view | |||
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| cockpit is in the wing | No markings anywhere | Spats per the 3-view, different than the actual photos | ||
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| front half of the 2-part fuselage | ||||
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| 234 sq.in. of wing area | all trailing edges are wire, so scalloped | the glare shows every mistake | ||
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| no instruments in cockpit | seat back shape as in photo | |||
| Pilot | ||||
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| test fit - will try again a little too big | hate the blue shirt - do something different | shirt is too big | ||
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| going with a white shirt - tailored | ||||
| The Build | ||||
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| Plan - not yet complete, I will post updates | center section | 1/32 vertical grain sheer web - one strong spar | ||
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| all ellipses | first time wing and spats | |||
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| wing built above the board, only the tabs touch | 36 in wingspan | |||
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| 2 part fuselage | left half of the clam shell build | showing off the spats | ||
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| dihedral looks right | ||||
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| cockpit cutout here | ||||
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| Required a male and female template | ||||
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| 1/32 laminated balsa formed on templates | 5 bent laminated 1/32 strips make the nose | cockpit cut out of the wing | ||
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| no control panel, no instruments | ||||
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| Stab from the 3-view | all cap-striped to prevent twisting | |||
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| cap-stripped the rudder too. | First time all parts are together | |||
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| blunt nose | ||||
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| 1920 spats | ||||
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| the bones photo | ||||
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| short nose | ||||
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| cockpit before paint | ||||
| Covering, Paint and Assembly | ||||
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| 36" wingspan wing | rear fuselage | |||
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| nothing straight, all curves | sailboat tail | the jaws of a T-Rex? | ||
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| tried to capture a blunt nose with curve at windscreen | scalloped wire traiing edge | |||
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| per 3-view only 1 horizontal spar, scalloped wire traiing edge | from this angle - what are those things? | |||
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| Rubber skid bumpers for the spats | 1st coat-mist Krylon Flat, 2nd coat-mist Matte Sealer Chalky Finish | Flatter | ||
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| No control panel, just a seat and stick | ||||
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| Red Mahogany skids and seat back | ||||
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| guessing 21g of lead, adjusted when trimming | ||||
