Cox .010 Powered Spruce Goose

A Hughes "Hercules" powered by EIGHT Cox Tee Dee .010's ! The footage is from the 1998 "S.M.A.L.L. Fly" near Little Rock Arkansas.
I highly regret not getting the pilot/builder's name. He had several other fantastic aircraft he scratch-built.
I ALSO regret NOT buying a bunch of these little engines back when I could order them new !

[@pylon500]

I can't even imagine what that must have sound like! It must have attracted bee keepers from miles around...

[@Winter_Sportster]

Yeah, whenever he started it, everything else came to a standstill as all the flyers came over to watch.

[@lineshaftrestorations7903]

What a chore to get the last engine lit off before the first ran out of fuel.

[@sailr]

even getting ONE of those cox engines to start and stay running is a chore and then times 8? Amazing.

[@hfenn803]

I found my notes from that fly-in. The builder/pilot was Daniel Walton of Andover, KS. He insisted it be called the Hughes H-4 Hercules, but everyone called it the Spruce Goose to his dismay (we had a lot of fun with that ). I was impressed how methodical he was in his routine to start and tune eight TD .010's!

[@shawntailor5485]

Why would the engines be fed by a common fuel reservoir, is there a good reason?

[@hfenn803]

@@shawntailor5485 So they all stop at the same time. If most of the engines stopped on one side first there would be a powerful turn to that side that the rudder may not be able to overcome.

[@homienat3374]

Nice what a achievement just getting all them going live cox engine s grest flight well done

[@Lou-eye]

So thats why i cant find cox .010 engines at the hobby store anymore! ..lol

[@zuzanajendralova8087]

love it! Nitro days in the sun were so much fun

[@johndaniels9957]

The most amazing part was that he got eight TD .010's to stay running long enough to make the flight.

[@Winter_Sportster]

He certainly had the ritual nailed, and you're right...that was the most amazing part!

[@davelowets]

Right!.... 😬

[@johnconnor6725]

More than Impressed - Talk about doing it the hard way, wow. I would have used twenty's. I built a q=tee using a 051 with an aftermarket carb and an internal fuel tank and got way more air time from that than any other untill quads came around.

[@guerrillaradio9953]

I remember wearing big, thick winter work gloves to fire up my .049's when I was a kid so the prop wouldn't bite me too much. :oD I have so many fond memories of flying little Cox engines.....Great to see they at least make the .049's again. I actually found those gloves in a box in my parent's garage over Christmas......I smiled.... :_o)

[@kckat7500]

Coolest H-4 model ever.

[@trainliker100]

The "spruce" goose was actually made of birch.

[@grantmills4184]

Absolute mad lad, 8 010s going at once. Seriously cool

[@Winter_Sportster]

Yeah, he drew a big crowd whenever he fired them up!

[@stelleratorsuprise8185]

Amazing, I was told you got extra point if your (semi) scale model had more than one engine, because it was so difficult and it brought a lot of risks in stability if engines failed, but there where only a few models with more than 2 glow-plug engine. And he flew successful with 8 of those tiny engines running ... crazy.

[@Winter_Sportster]

Yeah, he was definitely the hit of the '98 S.M.A.L.L. Fun-Fly. I think I commented that every time he fired up all those .010's, most everything else stopped as people came over to watch. He had certainly done his due diligence in setting them up, as seen in the way he just walked down that row of engines, with each one starting right off. It's still one of the coolest moments I've witnessed in our hobby. Thank you for your comment! Kim

[@shawntailor5485]

And landed it !! Even.more incredible

[@philipbrailey]

Starting one engine is hard enough.

[@endwood]

I've been playing with toy planes for over 40 yrs & that's one of the most amazing things I have ever seen:-) I have several cox motors inc my first (over 40 yrs old) & I am in awe here at this footage, well done:-)

[@Brantley169]

One .010 is hard enough to start but he started eighth and kept them running.

[@tboltjohn]

Swarm of bees! What a great effort to get 'em all in order.

[@DavidCurryFilms]

Madness and brilliance. It could be done easily with 8 electric motors, but this has 8 REAL tiny engines, bravo! Also the fuel tank with the overflow is very neat.

[@Winter_Sportster]

Yeah, it was beautiful. I admired the discipline and technique he developed in starting all those tiny engines!!!

[@williammanning3174]

I'm serprised you can get all 8 of them running at the same time. I'd guess the first one would run out of fuel by the time you get the last one started!

[@Winter_Sportster]

Thanks! It was tough NOT to drop the camera and just watch this big dog fly ! Fortunately, he flew the plane, and several other a few time during this S.M.A.L.L. Fly-In.

[@hfenn803]

I found my notes from that fly-in. The builder/pilot was Daniel Walton of Andover, KS. He insisted it be called the Hughes H-4 Hercules, but everyone called it the Spruce Goose to his dismay. I was impressed how methodical he was in his routine to start and tune eight TD .010's!

[@P61guy61]

Incredible

[@stumpycatvm7115]

the way of the future-the way of the future- the way of the future- the way of the future- the way of the future- the way of the future-

[@davelowets]

😆 Very cool! The sound when those tiny Cox engine run out of fuel ALWAYS makes me laugh... Burble, burble, burble... z-z-z-z-Z-Z-Z-ZZZZZ-Z-Z-Z-z-z-z-t... 😂 It always makes things interesting when they are just running out of fuel, and then the engine slows down just enough to change directions, and then you get that last, lean, blast of RPMs with the engine running backwards.... Not good on a single engine airplane. 😬

[@Tinytacohead]

Good deal & I completely agree about money spent on fun! Long ago/back in high school, I twisted that reasoning a bit when my parents would comment negatively on my RC habit. I'd say, "I could be out smoking & drinking like all the other kids!" :D Kinda funny.. I revived one of my Dad's ooold Cox 049's awhile back. (which looked like it'd been flown straight into the dirt, then shelved) I cleaned it out and not only did it fire right up, I got it to swing a 10x6 - u could count RPM's, LOL!!

[@G56AG]

Awesome! I had one of those TD .010 engines a long time ago, I never mounted it on anything but it was fun to play with, wish I still had it, it would be fun to make a tiny RC plane using it.

[@michaelpederson8030]

I use to have 3 rare one like 5 years ago and my dumbass left them in Idaho😭😭😭

[@michaelpederson8030]

I use to have 3 rare cox engines like 5 years ago and my dumbass left them in Idaho😭😭😭

[@davelowets]

I used to have a bunch of them when I was a kid.... After we ended up smashing the planes that they were attached to all to pieces, and there wasnt anything left of it, we'd bolt the middle of a shop rag to the four ears of the engine mount, fill the tank, start 'em up, point them straight up, and let 'em rip... They looked like ghosts that would fly up, wildly in the air, until they ran out of fuel and came falling back to earth. Repeat for rhe rest of the afternoon. You didn't want to fill the tank to the maximum though, or they would get PRETTY far away, and you'd end up searching for it for a while. Flying shop rags.... Everybody I knew that was into planes back then did this when they didn't have any functional planes left.. 😂

[@Winter_Sportster]

Thanks for your post! I got down there 3 times, and have wanted to go back ever since. Maybe this year, my schedule will let me. GREAT bunch of guys! Got to meet Joe Wagner one year. His son was also there, and asked if he could store some of his planes in my cargo trailer to keep from breaking them down at the end of the day...."Well, YES!!!!!!!" Felt like I should have turned it into a Shrine! Again, thanks for your note!

[@Winter_Sportster]

Yeah, I've messed them with since WAY-back, and caught a lot of grief from my fellow model buds who couldn't understand my fascination with them. I finally got some real traction in making them run consistently when I joined the .049 Collectors Group on Yahoo, and the newer Cox Engine Forum, and started getting tips from the great guys on those sites. I figure ANY money spent having fun is spent well...I've surely spent a lot of cash on stuff that WASN'T fun !!!

Fantastic work

[@nitroairplane]

Kim that is a truly stunning model and flies like a big puppy.

[@Tinytacohead]

That's insanely cool!! I wish companies were still mass producing micro RC engines. I've got a little .010 with one of the better aftermarket throttle systems. Imagine how well they could be made with today's technology! If I were insanely rich, I'd design/sell multi-cyl engines based off similarly sized pistons for some ultra realistic, small aircraft. Imagine a tiny Cub with a true 4cyl protruding from its cowling etc, ahh. Anyways, thanks for the vid. 98 brings back great RC memories! :D

[@lovetofly32]

Double thumbs up lol 👍 👍 I was just searching ebay earlier today just sure someone had machined a crank case to accept two cylinders and a crank to accept two rods on a longer crank pin. Nope.. couldn't see that anyone has.. man thatd be cool.

[@davelowets]

@@lovetofly32 There are 2 cylinder .049's engines out there that run..

[@winnieflight]

beautiful plane

[@f4udhorn]

Excellent work!.

[@Winter_Sportster]

@sablatnic Yeha, they can be a little cranky, but once you figure out what they need -totally clean, fresh high nitro fuel, and a little TLC _ they're actually good running little monsters!

[@CaptinDW]

nice to see the TD. Great job

[@shawntailor5485]

Love it

[@Winter_Sportster]

Thank You! It was a great day!!!!

[@wn6904k]

OMG........the noise of (8) of them

[@Tinytacohead]

My sentiments exactly. If electric technology hadn't exploded, I'm sure we'd have all kinds of neat little micro engines too. I started hobby-class RC in '93 with a Nitro Hawk & have been addicted to tiny pistons ever since. :D (dabbled in electric, but usually get bored pretty quick) If I ever win the lottery, (besides attempting to make my own), I'd definitely wind up buying some of the real small, ridiculously priced multi-cyl's that're already out there. GL with the plans/bench! :)

[@dgavio]

woooooowww fantastic!!!! compliments!!!

[@bottwaandcalover]

wonderful!

[@Winter_Sportster]

@TheSammyhack Thanks! Probably, the best place to get one would be from Ebay...just type "Cox Tee Dee .010" in the search box. They also turn up at model airplane "Swap Meets". Collectors really like the ones that include their boxes and accessories, and these can go for over $150, but I have seen individual "runners" go for around $80.

[@leeroyholloway4277]

What a delightful accomplishment. Well done sir. I'll take this over any of that idiotic 3D foolishness any day.

[@Winter_Sportster]

Yes, I love this stuff also! I'm not the fellow in the video...he was a regular attendee at the S.M.A.L.L. Fun-Fly Events near Little Rock back in the early 2000's. He had several multi-engine planes flying with .010's, but this one stopped everything whenever he cranked it up! Thank you for your post!

[@scottwins2]

That was me when I was a kid! Prop cut my fingers on back fires in cold weather it hurt, but fun.

[@LaserLuther]

Imagine the sheer power of 8 .051's! lol

[@ronfleming6701]

Nice airplane good build It's all good

[@TeeBeeZee]

Thanks for posting!

[@thomasryan5394]

Sounds like Clutton's commentary in the background

[@bigmikelongwood3276]

Absolutely fan freaking tastic

[@Winter_Sportster]

You ain't alone !! The new electrics are great, but for me, they lack the soul of these loud, slobbery little monsters. I've got several retro designs I'd like to build, and maybe will, if I can crowd them onto my bench. One of the cutest is Dave Rubelen's "Sperry Messenger"whose full-size plans are in the June 1969 issue on Model Airplane News.

[@americanspirit8932]

OUTSTANDING

[@dieselscience]

Sounds like a swarm of pissed off honey bees.

[@Winter_Sportster]

@hfenn803 : If you should ever be in contact with Daniel please let him know that a BUNCH of Cox Engine Fans would love to have him join our Forum at the cox engine forum, and hear ANY comments he'd care to make on his Hercules and the other .010-powered planes he's built!

[@kffive]

2 Views fly Pan Am. But will it float?

[@Winter_Sportster]

@mrawesome34978 I think it was a one-off scratch build, but don't know for sure.

[@yLnTHx1aehKEFfcTyID2]

BRAVO !

[@PhotonlcInduction]

There's a website selling Cox engines now.

[@Winter_Sportster]

@TheSammyhack These engines need a specific fuel for model airplanes. You can get it from Sig (25% Nitro) and glowplugboy on ebay (24% Nitro). While they are 2-stroke engines, they're not designed to use gasoline.

[@davelowets]

I HAVE gotten them to run on 0% nitro fuel before, but it's a CHORE to do it... 😬

[@shawntailor5485]

​@@davelowetsand really low power

[@Winter_Sportster]

Yeah, it was beautiful. I admired the discipline and technique he developed in starting all those tiny engines!!!