Building and Flying a Rubber Powered Curtiss Racer using 86 Year Old Plans

The video reviews my build and first flights of a 1922 Curtiss R-6 Racing Plane. The plans were originally published in the August 1936 issue of Flying Aces magazine. It uses classic stick and tissue construction and has proven to be a great flyer.
Here's a link to the plan: outerzone.co.uk/plan_details....
Here's my other video that illustrates the tissue work for the wings: • Simulating the Radiato...

[@xpump876]

Excellent work bringing this back to life after all those years !

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you for your comment and thanks for watching!

[@stevenprobelski8029]

Thanks John!

[@StephenFauble]

Another wonderful build tutorial. I always learn something from your builds. Thanks

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you, Stephen. Always enjoy hearing folks enjoy my videos and inspires me to keep making them.

[@williamreape4326]

You inspire me to keep working on my skills. Very much appreciated your sharing 👍

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you for your kind comment, William. My hope is to inspire many to both improve skills but also give this fun hobby a try. Thanks for viewing and have fun!

[@Strattonlad1946]

Way to go, John! Very cool!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you Dohman!

[@arthurcharles936]

Very nice John!!!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you Arthur.

[@punkworkschannel]

Fantastic craftsmanship on this build, beautiful model! That magazine looks like a goldmine!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you so much. This was a really fun project. Happens I had it out today at our local contest and it managed to place 2nd. Best flight was 62 seconds which for a racing biplane I consider pretty respectable. Thanks for watching!

[@pmeyer37]

Wow!

[@eyesquish485]

Awesome stuff, Thank you

[@Watchingthevideos99]

You're welcome. Thanks for viewing.

[@stevenleach9522]

It's beautiful...!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you. It's a great flyer! Thanks for watching!

[@CliffHarveyRCPlanes]

Lovely long grass, perfect all round John 👍

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thanks Cliff. It'll be a few months before we see that nice grass again. 😄

[@user-xe5dp5dh6o]

Beautiful!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you David.

[@thatwontwork9046]

Man that came out gorgeous

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you.

[@f4udhorn]

I learned a new method of laminating tips from you, John! Thanks for the share!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

You're welcome Duke. The push stick really can help. Keep having fun.

[@ericmarradi7859]

stunning

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you Eric. A wonderful project.

[@ericmarradi7859]

@@Watchingthevideos99 I've seen a lot of video online but I'm very impressed by your craftsmanship! Incredible skills !

[@Watchingthevideos99]

@@ericmarradi7859 thank you. That means a lot to me.

[@glennreach6930]

As my granddaughter says, "Awesome Possum!"

[@Watchingthevideos99]

😂😂😂 Oh, that is perfect. Let your granddaughter know that I'll be quoting her. 😂😂

[@jfc213]

beautifull

[@usnchief1339]

Beautiful job! Thank you!

[@nhschreiner]

Beautiful plane, you are a craftsman

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you.

[@dkgolfnut]

Fantastic. Well done!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you.

[@funscalemodels9782]

Another fine model- enjoyable to see your work- FSM

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you.

[@pipcop]

I find a knowledge nugget in every video you post, but I had to laugh when you rolled the wing tip over the grid surface... were you a land surveyor in your previous life ?? Nice job making the plane fly and behave.

[@Watchingthevideos99]

😂😂😂I must admit when I was editing this video, that clip made me think... what was I doing??? 😂😂 No, not a land surveyor, an engineer working on submarine acoustics. But your comment just made my day. 😂😂 Thank you for viewing.

[@stevenprobelski8029]

The biggest mystery to me beyond your beautiful builds John are creating the artwork and making printed tissue. That opens a whole new World- how do I learn to do that? Could you provide any direction? I'm retired and have time. Thank you, Steve

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Hi again Steve. Yes, interesting changes in finishing scale model airplanes! Here's a good tutorial on chalking tissue: easybuiltmodels.com/chalk.htm#gsc.tab=0 Printing tissue is not difficult. But as you mention, creating the artwork can be the challenge. There are several good softwares available that can genrate graphic designs. Inkscape is a free offering and is pretty good. Much of what I do, I use Microsoft Publisher. Mainly because I'm familiar with it. For printing , most people are using Epson printers that use Durabrite ink. The Durabrite ink dries waterproof where most other printer inks are not. This is important. Especially because you need to shink the tissue and also seal it. The printing process involves fixing a piece of tissue to a carrier piece of paper. I tape the tissue. Some use a moveable spray adhesive. That is then fed through the printer. Here's a tutorial. You can find videos here on KZbin. www.flyingacesclub.com/PFFT/TissuePrintingInkJet.pdf If you want to get lost in information, check out this list of articles. Lots of good stuff. volareproducts.com/blog/?page_id=1686 Hope that helps. Have fun and consider joining the Flying Aces Club. flyingacesclub.com/

[@stevenprobelski8029]

I appreciate the direction. I bought a Epson 11 x 17 workforce printer and a nice laptop a few years ago. Just need to play with software I guess. Thanks

[@tonyfrench2574]

Show each model close-up before flight !

[@Watchingthevideos99]

A very good idea. Thank you.

[@nhschreiner]

I Love the balsa stripper you used in the video. Can’t find it on an internet search, please share where or who makes it. JDK search does not result in anything.

[@Watchingthevideos99]

JDK are my initials. 😁 That particular model is no longer made. Hummingbird Model Products has an equivalent, but they are temporarily closing shop. You might still be able to get one if you order real soon. hummingbirdmodelproducts.com/tools/beht430u31cvqabn5di85sg8lvv6ol

[@indoorglidiator3285]

Very instructive build video of a scale model. Does the balsa not crack when wing tips are bent around the template. Or is the water mixed with the glue enough to make it soft and pliable?

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you for your comment. The wing tips benefit from choosing a more flexible grain of balsa like "A" grain. I do soak the strips in water for 30 minutes. The Elmers Clear glue is fairly slippery and does seem to soften the wood which helps the process. You can also see the scrap piece of wood I use to press the balsa around the form. It takes a bit of practice and if it does break, I'll just try it again.

[@medrivera157]

Where did you get the wood stripper cutter im intrested thanks, cool vids and builds thanks for sharing

[@Watchingthevideos99]

The wood stripper was purchased years ago from Jim Jones. Unfortunately, he's passed away. Occasionally you'll see one on Ebay. Hummingbird Model Products offers a similar one, but I believe that business is on sabbatical. hummingbirdmodelproducts.com/ There are several ways to make a homemade version. You might search here on KZbin. Thanks for watching!

[@richardbrowne3641]

I like the wood stripper. Where did you find, John? You build the best models with the best craftsmanship. I'm a'learn'in' stuff!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you Richard. The balsa stripper is a Jim Jones that I've had for 30 years. It's no longer available but Hummingbird has a really nice similar one. I've used it and it's just as good. hummingbirdmodelproducts.com/tools/beht430u31cvqabn5di85sg8lvv6ol

[@richardbrowne3641]

@@Watchingthevideos99 thank you, John.

[@jamesnarlesky4622]

Another wonderful build. I liked the lamination process, many helpful tips. Can you tell me where to purchase the small diameter bamboo rods?

[@Watchingthevideos99]

James, I split bamboo skewers and then use a draw plate to make my own. Several good draw plates available. The best is made by Byron Model Machines. Micro Mark also has one available. I plan to do a video on using bamboo in the future. It's quite amazing stuff.

[@jamesnarlesky4622]

Thank you John. I am looking forward to your new video on working with bamboo.

[@Watchingthevideos99]

@@jamesnarlesky4622 You're welcome.

[@miguelsuarez8010]

I always struggle with laminations. With your tips is much easier. How many turns did you use for the first flights? Thank you.

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Hi Miguel. The first flights with the Curtiss were done with 250 turns on two loops of 1/8th. I've now added an additional loop of 1/16th and the performance has improved. That motor will take close to 1000 turns. I plan on trying 3 loops of 1/8th soon. But it's turned out to be a good flyer. It recently took a second place in a contest.

[@miguelsuarez8010]

@@Watchingthevideos99 Thanks!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

You're welcome.

[@TAT660X]

Dude tell me more about the balsa stripper please

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Jim Jones balsa stripper. Unfortunately no longer manufactured. But you can find a similar one from Hummingbird Model Products. hummingbirdmodelproducts.com/tools/beht430u31cvqabn5di85sg8lvv6ol

[@TAT660X]

@@Watchingthevideos99 brilliant thanks

[@Watchingthevideos99]

@@TAT660X I've used the Hummingbird tool and the quality is excellent.

[@TAT660X]

@@Watchingthevideos99 thanks 🙏 I’ll have to see how much to ship to the U.K. 🇬🇧

[@kevinbrennan6546]

where do you find the bamboo dowels that thin?

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Kevin I split bamboo skewers and then use a draw plate to make the sizes I need. I plan to do a video on using bamboo in the future. It's quite amazing stuff.