Update August 21, 2003

Sold on E-zone to another modeler

Update May 22, 2002

Repairs all done, you wouldn't know it was ever damaged. I re-airbrushed the rapair areas. I don't know what I'll use for a powerplant, or if I'll maybe trade this to someone in the club for something that doesn't need such an aggressive hand launch.

Update May 8, 2002

Had Jim Sarette launch the P-47 for my first stick-time on it. I flew it about a little, getting a feel for it and trimming it out. The plane was tracking well and handled nicely, then all of a sudden the motor started making a horrible noise. Worried I was going to destroy the brushless or the gearbox I cut power, but didn't have enough airspeed to make a proper landing. The failure was the Hacker B20's gearbox mount. One of the tiny screws had sheared off from the stresses of the prop which I later found out was out of balance.

Airframe damage was minimal: horizontal stabilizer cracked but repairable and a ding in the wing LE which was cosmetic and repairable. Those repairs have been made but I need to re-airbrush those areas now. As for the motor, it just won't work bolted to a firewall, the gearbox is so small that it doesn't mount properly from the front - the screws can't handle the stress. Since it's too late to put a proper mount in the nose of this P-47 I'll need to find another powerplant - maybe an astro 020. The hacker will go in something else. I probably won't be able to remove the broken-off screw from the gearbox.

Update March 17, 2002

I added some markings, even though I haven't flown it yet. The markings are early war version. I'm still working on the scheme.

Update March 3, 2002

Finish colors applied, radio, servos, esc and motor installed - it's ready to fly, as soon as I set up the transmitter and get up some nerve. I'll add some markings after I see if it flys. Weight without battery, but otherwise ready to fly is 16.0 oz. I forgot to weigh it with the battery pack in, but since I'll be using several different packs the AUW will varry a bit.

Update Feb 27, 2002

Started the long process of priming and sanding to fill all the pits and voids in the litespan and balsa. These photos are after the first coat of primer, before I started sanding. You can see in the photos the places I'm looking at correcting. There may be the need for a little filler in some of the really bad spots.

Feb 26, 2002

I've kept Jim Sarette squirming long enough. It's time to reveal my 'Top Secret' project, the new Ryan Aircraft P-47 Razorback. I wanted a razorback 'Jug' because that's what I always think of when someone says 'P-47'. I've had this on my bench most of the winter, opting to take my time on it and not rush. I've built a couple of other small projects when the Jug had me stumped.

The crutch for building the fuselage worked great. The wings are standard spar,rib and sheeting technique, but with the thin airfoil they were a little tricky. I think they came out pretty good, although the thin sheeting has a few minor waves in it. I've filled most of them with lightweight filler. I tried as hard as I could to get the proper amount of washout in the wings, and I have some, I just hope it's enough. The wing is covered in silkspan and dope. The fuselage is doped, but I still have to silkspan it. I'll be painting the whole thing with my airbrush once I have the covering applied and the fuselage primed and sanded. So far this thing is quite light. I think I've done a decent job for my first try at a Ryan bird.

Equipment will be: Hacker B20-12L 4:1 turning a 7.5x6 or 8x6 prop, Jeti Sensorless ESC, FMA Extreme 5 Receiver, HS-81 Aileron servo, GWS Naro Elevator servo. Power will come from one of my many 7 and 8 cell 600AE, 500AR packs. If they can handle the draw, I might even try some of my 8x720 NiMh AAA packs for a night light load. All the equipment has been mounted, then removed for covering and finishing. Final instalation should be quick once the plane is painted.

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