The Pietenpol air camper is finished

Over the winter I've been very slowly finishing the Pietenpol Air Camper rubber-band powered flying model by Peck-Polymers. It's taken so long because I've hesitated at every step as each one presented me with challenges I had no experience dealing with. I know there are several issues with my build, and no doubt others I'll find later, but I like the look. 

Monday we got our first vaccination shots, and I've been feeling a bit fatigued for the last couple of days, so I decided to hold off on the next steps on the HQ conversion, and instead finished the last odds-and-ends on the air camper. The prop was installed, and the engine and radiator were added. It balances out ok, and is now waiting for some good weather for a few test glides to check trim. It snowed today, and with the enhanced pandemic restrictions in place, who knows when that will be. But, until then check out these interesting videos about the real thing. First, Ami gives a great tour:

And then there's this one from Grant with a little more history:

In the second video there's this interesting drawing of a lakeside hanger complete with some railway track for getting your float plane into the water. That building would make a great little model. Maybe enhance it with double-doors on the back wall so planes could be put in the hanger from a rail line that extends out to a parking lot, airstrip, or factory. 

Flying surfaces covered

I see some wrinkles - argh.

Building the air camper has got me all philosophical. It seems when it comes to stick-and-tissue builds I completely forget about the Three Things I've Learned, which causes me to give up.

For example, the kit's instruction for covering is something like "cover with tissue". Not knowing the best method, or even a good one, I do some research and find there are many recommendations and practices. Given my lack of success in the past, I usually down tools at this point and give up for awhile, which often turns out to be months or forever. This time I decided to pick a procedure and get on with things - which is lesson #3 in the 3 things. So, I simply stuck on unstretched tissue pieces by applying to the frames clear-drying glue from a glue stick. I read that some builders of these peanut-scale models don't stretch the tissue for fear of warping the frame - which I have done, warping that is, in my not so illustrious past. 

So, the philosophy for this build is: Keep going; Try to do a good job; Don't rush; Complete.

Completion is important. I figure if I can complete it, I'll have experienced all the steps and can build on what I'ved learned, as there will be fewer mysteries involved on future projects.

What makes a model maker?

My uncle in the mid-'30s

I've been leisurely reading my way through some old issues of The Model Craftsman from the '30s and scans of The Model Builder from the '70s and '80s. This kind of trip is always a pleasure, but this time I'm again brought around to the thought lurking in the back of my mind that I'm only a 'real' model maker if I can successfully build a stick-and-tissue, rubber band powered, free-flying model airplane - and by successful I mean it looks good and flies well. I don't think I've ever been successful on those terms. And to drive the point home to me, most recently I parked the Pietenpol Air Camper project last summer when I got to the covering stage.

Look at that photo I recently found. There's my uncle of 1940s Winnipeg railroad photos fame with a stick-and-tissue flying model - one of several of these sorts of photos I've uncovered during my family photo scanning. I suspect he built those things, not just held them up for a photo. He died long before I was old enough to form any solid memories of him, so all this is inference from ancient images. 

Anyway, all this has got me thinking I should get back to the Air Camper to see if I can at least discover why I have mental blocks about stick-and-tissue flyers.

Pietenpol Air Camper

Ok, I have a work-around to my problem with uploading photos, so on with the show :-)

Back in the '70s I read a piece in Model Airplane News about a small, wind-up flying model manufactured by Peck Polymers called the Pietenpol Air Camper. I couldn't find the kit locally, and it was too expensive for me to buy back then. It turns out it's still in production, and as an extra bonus many of the parts are now laser cut! Naturally, I bought one. 

I'm taking a little break from streetcar modelling and am building the Air Camper. It's taking me considerably longer than I thought, and I'm realizing I don't have as many skills as I thought :-) I found the fuselage rather tricky to build up and keep square. I'm at the sanding all components stage, and I'm getting ready to cover the parts. I need to pickup the pace or the snow will be flying before this is.