making the prop and fitting the motor

I went back to the man cave to work on the motor.  I fitted the motor on the plane and then began to create the Propeller.   The prop was made from a 2x 1 piece of wood .  It is sanded on opposite sides to create the pitch.

swapping the wheels and begining the engine

Today I obtain 3 wheels that are more in scale with the size of the plane .  You can see the old wheels from a 20 inch bike compared to the replacement from a pull golf cart.  Plus I like the white tires , very old  school.
 

the other pictures show the beginings of the motor and radiator construction.   Orignally I was going to use old beer cans but they again were out of scale.  Then I came across pineapple juice cans they will be perfect.  The radiator is created from an old tin box and black grating.  The engine is a straight 4 cylinder.

adding the landing gear

The plane is progressing rapidly.  The wings and body are complete.  Today I worked on the landing gear.  I had to cut into the frame and add t joints. The landing gear is made from 20 inch bicycle wheels.  I plan on using smaller wheels from a golf pull cart.  The wheels are in a tripod figure.  Support come from the top of the wing to the fork holding the front wheel.   All tubing is 1/2 inch  rigid copper.  the plane is quit large as you can see me standing behind it.  Next is the motor.

adding the tail and front stabilizer

The original plane had a front wing which cantilevered out in front.  It also had a traditional rudder and tail.  Today I created and soldered these pieces together.

conecting the wings

Today I connected the wings .  The center section will hold the engine and pilots seat.  The wing span is now 10ft.

building the wing and fuselage

Several days ago I worked on the two main wings and extension of the fuselage.  The copper is fitted into 90 degree and t fittings.  It starting to take shape

Begining the build

Today I started construction of the curtis biplane. This model will a 1/3 scale model. The wing span will be 10ft. The section I built today is 1/5 of the wing. The pieces are held together with solder. I am excited.

designing the larger plane

For the past week I have been calculating the number of fitings I will need to recreate the curtis biplane . I am using 3/4 and 1/2 inch copper pipe , along with t and elbow fittings. check out the plans.