The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of.

I went looking for a kit of a Curtiss Model D biplane to go along with the dream of building the model to recreate Ely's landing on the Pennsylvania... and boy, did I ever find one I want!!

"Mongo like candy!"

(I had a copy of their image here, was about to add

 "Copyright, ArizonaModels.com

and then thought about what I was doing.

Go look; it's a gorgeous model!)

This beautiful 1/4 scale design of Glenn Curtiss’ pre war Model D is definitely unique. The kit comes with a dummy OX-5 engine, laser cut wood and water jet brass fittings, turnbuckles, machined aluminum pulleys, Smithsonian scale documentation, and 3 wire spoke wheels. 

The flight system design incorporates the radio and servos inside the pilot, yes that’s right Glenn actually flies the model. Ground handling is a bit tricky since the gear doesn’t steer but the design more than make up for this once it is in the air. This steady and stable flier brings everything to a stop at the field.

If all goes according to plans, we ought to be finishing up the SSBN-568 USS Mariano G. Vallejo control room display right around then. OTOH, $595 plus shipping and handling (I'll donate the glue and radio equipment for the plane as long as I get to fly it and maybe one of the ladies will donate some silk undies to cut up for covering) isn't anywhere in the museum's budget, nor in mine, and we'd still have to come up with a model of the Pennsylvania to land it on!

And yes, in case you missed it in my last post, Eugene Ely did not make the first carrier takeoff from the  Pennsylvania. Oh-the woes, I had to edit that post; I'd thought he made the first takeoff after that landing. If you followed the link I didn't provide there, you'd find an article on Rcgroups.com talking about him taking off from the deck of USS Birmingham on 14 November 1910. Pictures, too!

If I'm not mistaken, at least one of the MIHPFM volunteer crew has something to do with miniature engines... seeing that most of us (myself NOT included, I'm just a walk-in off the street) are former Shop 31 machinists, I wouldn't be surprised if we could come up with functional scale engines to power the models.

Yah, it's a dream. It's a big dream. I do that. Among dreams coming to a site near you are Mare Island, Living Historic Shipyard.  Want to help make dreams real? Drop me a note or stop by the Museum, or the Official Mare Island Historic Park Foundation website.