The International Cessna^® 170 Association

tshort wrote:Yeah, that's what I wondered. But all that directional control stuff is tougher when you are not looking down the center line of the airplane!

T.

The trickiest part for the inexperienced comes when it's headed toward you and you're mentally reversing control inputs.

On the plus side, 'oops' are a lot cheaper to fix.

Great Planes makes the "Real Flight" simulator which comes with a flight control box which connects to your computer by USB cable. I just started flying a .61 ARF (almost ready to fly) model XT-40, close to 5' wingspan, low wing tail dragger. One of the guys out at the airport has been flying RC for years and has been my instructor. I have a buddy box that I use so if I'm out of control he can save it. He's done that a couple times. The simulator software really helps learn how to fly them and get used to having to reverse controls when it's coming at you. I landed the airplane on my first time out. It's still in one piece after the second day of flying. Sucker is fast too, I usually fly at about 1/4 throttle so I can stay ahead of it.

The sim software is well worth it if you want to learn to fly RC. It also has helicopters in the database.

I used to fly a mini piper in our hanger,it has a 24" wingspan with a speed 300 motor. It was fun trying not to hit the 73's and 75's forget the 777's they just use up to much hanger space

thammer wrote:Great Planes makes the "Real Flight" simulator which comes with a flight control box which connects to your computer by USB cable. I just started flying a .61 ARF (almost ready to fly) model XT-40, close to 5' wingspan, low wing tail dragger. One of the guys out at the airport has been flying RC for years and has been my instructor. I have a buddy box that I use so if I'm out of control he can save it. He's done that a couple times. The simulator software really helps learn how to fly them and get used to having to reverse controls when it's coming at you. I landed the airplane on my first time out. It's still in one piece after the second day of flying. Sucker is fast too, I usually fly at about 1/4 throttle so I can stay ahead of it.

The sim software is well worth it if you want to learn to fly RC. It also has helicopters in the database.

I've been using a free-ware R/C simulator called FMS. You can buy cables to connect an existing R/C transmitter, or find info online on how to build your own cable. Of course, you get what you pay for; FMS doesn't really compare to Great Plane's Real Flight simulator, but will do the trick in terms of getting used to the control inputs for next to nuthin'.

Per the plans, the 1/6 scale 170 will handle very much like the real thing on a .29 glow-fuel engine--no aerobatics, slow and gentle landings, etc.. I'm toying with the idea of using either electric power or diesel, so I can swing a scale-size prop...

tshort wrote:I can't help with the info (mine is a '48), but I would love to see some pics - even some in progress / construction pictures.

T.

Your wish is my command!

Construction is in progress, and pics can be found online at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Allison.Pub ... sCessna170

I'll stop by from time to time to update the thread and let folks know when new pics are posted. If I can figure out how to post pics in-thread I'll drop them in here, too.

Thanks to all for your assistance!

- Rick

Well, the model is progressing, if slowly. I'm building the wing at the moment. In preparation, I'm now looking for information about the navigation lighting that would have been standard from Cessna in '52 or thereabouts.

Based on what I've seen here on the forum, I gather that rotating beacons were not standard.

So, aside from landing lights, does that just leave the red and green nav lights, and the white marker light on the rudder?

Were they steady-state?

Or did they blink on/off, or flash brighter over dim? If variable, how often per minute?

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

The original lighting configuration was:
1. Steady state nav lights (red/green) on the wing tips and white position light on the rudder.

2. Side-by-side landing/taxi lights in the leading edge of the left wing.

There were no rotating beacons of flashing anti-collision lights.

The Narco FL-1, Navigation Light Flasher was offered as optional equipment. (See Fig. 92, 170B IPC)

Yup... right you are. The nav lights had the blinker option... missed that one.

doug8082a wrote:Yup... right you are. The nav lights had the blinker option... missed that one.

Flasher and Blinker option did it come with a left or right selector stalk mounted just in front of the control yoke?

Oh that reminds me of the problem that developed down in Texas when the Auto makers started putting the Head Light High Beam selector on the turn signal stalk. They had a hard time training all those Aggies to use their hand and not their foot to select high or low beam.

Like when the football coach asked the gargantuan Aggie he'd seen run down a deer on foot and tackle it for the family supper....

"Boy,"...the coach asked as he showed the Aggie a football,..."Do you think you can pass this?"

"Yup...", he replied. "I cud eef I kin swaller it...."

You should try having to drive the roads with these SOBs day in day out!
David

Thanks guys! I'd read somewhere about the blinker option and so had a hunch that the stock lights were steady-state, but it's great to have the confirmation on both.

thammer wrote:Great Planes makes the "Real Flight" simulator which comes with a flight control box which connects to your computer by USB cable. I just started flying a .61 ARF (almost ready to fly) model XT-40, close to 5' wingspan, low wing tail dragger. One of the guys out at the airport has been flying RC for years and has been my instructor. I have a buddy box that I use so if I'm out of control he can save it. He's done that a couple times. The simulator software really helps learn how to fly them and get used to having to reverse controls when it's coming at you. I landed the airplane on my first time out. It's still in one piece after the second day of flying. Sucker is fast too, I usually fly at about 1/4 throttle so I can stay ahead of it.

The sim software is well worth it if you want to learn to fly RC. It also has helicopters in the database.

thammer,

I recently picked up a discount copy of version 3.5--it's great for practicing basic R/C skills. More importantly for this forum, one of the folks who 'builds' virtual models for the simulation software agreed to build a 1:6 Cessna 170 for use with the sim. Go to...

Cessna 170 EA Swap File

...to download and fly it. The blue-on-white paint scheme* is his own creation, and there are numerous other departures from true scale, but as a semi-scale version it's very good and I think you'll enjoy 'flying' it. And if you're going to ground loop a 170, this is the safe & affordable way to do it!

- Rick[/img]

*See pics & screenshots HERE

Just an update for those with an interest in the 1/6 scale vintage model I've been puttering on... construction progress continues, with light at the end of the tunnel--first flight perhaps a couple of months away. Pics of construction at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Allison.Pub ... Cessna170#

Again, my thanks to all here, this forum continues to be a great resource for a modeler like me.

- Rick