Getting Ready for the September 20th "International Cox PT-19 Fly It If You Got It Day"!

1/2A Nut wrote:I can hear Ethel a half a mile away screaming to her old man... "aaaaaahhhhh Good Lord thars an alien space craft flopping about just over yonder way! Git yor rifle paw that dang thing might come at us next!!"

  

Hey...considering where I live...THAT may not be so far-fetched !!!

'Course nowadays, I'd be more likely to be mistaken for a confused DEA Drone and cause a bunch of meth to flushed into the ground water !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kim wrote:Hey...considering where I live...THAT may not be so far-fetched !!!

'Course nowadays, I'd be more likely to be mistaken for a confused DEA Drone and cause a bunch of meth to flushed into the ground water !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah boy, talk about breaking out into a spontaneous neighborhood party. All the wells for miles around firing up the locals... eh sorry, just daydreaming.  

Never deliberately flew at night but I do remember us kids staying a late as practical mostly flying a silhouette against the horizon as twilight gave way to night

I had a bunch of the cox planes but not the PT19...once I was turned on to balsa, tissue, and dope I never looked back

I won't be adding to the PT 19 fly athon on Sept 20 but you all will post some great adventure stories of the event for us to read and see

batjac wrote:
Roddie, my 1974 PT-19 has a left handed prop on it, but my '80s white PT-19 has a right hand prop on it.

The Ambidextrous Mark

I stand corrected.  I was getting my white PT ready for the weekend, and saw my error.  The 80's PT does have a left handed prop.



The Wrong Mark

fredvon4 wrote:Never deliberately flew at night but I do remember us kids staying a late as practical mostly flying a silhouette against the horizon as twilight gave way to night

I had a bunch of the cox planes but not the PT19...once I was turned on to balsa, tissue, and dope I never looked back

I won't be adding to the PT 19 fly athon on Sept 20 but you all will post some great adventure stories of the event for us to read and see

YES!!!  ON the RARE occasion when Wayne could stay later into the evening, Bobby and I would stay at the ball diamond way into near-total darkness flying the PT's and his "Piper Cub" (a Jetco PA-12 with a very weak WenMac .049).  It was a testimony to the patience of people in a small town that the sheriff was never called to shut down us down.  COOL times and memories!!!!

IF you WOULD like to participate in the "International Cox PT-19 Fly It If You Got It Day" Fly-a-Thon...I would be MORE than happy to send you a flyable example with everything but fuel and battery !!

THE TRAVELING PT-19 !!!!!!

All I'd ask in return, is some photos/videos and for you to sign the left wing (the less oily one) with the correction pen (love those things) I'll include.  We might even have time to get it to a few "PT-Challenged" members before the 20th.

NEVER let it be said that the members of Jacob's Troupe of Castor Slingers EVER allowed mere distance to interfere with their fun!!!!!!!!

If my fingers and body survive today's 4th of July Gun Day, I shall begin assembling the components tomorrow morning!

More craziness from the Skunk Works !!!!

Flying my Cox RF-19 Trainer with a tiny video camera on it's outboard wingtip.

I had a beautiful, calm evening to try this, and the plane worked great, but the camera acted up, saving just a minute or so of video on each flight. Got the problem figured out, but by that time, I was losing my light, so we'll try again!

These pictures are incredible. I have only ever previously seen what I would describe as disastrous flights with the Cox plastic models.

To see one carrying an extra 20g outboard and wingover, I think is amazing. It is also a testament to a clockwise propeller.- without taking any credit away from the pilot.

Previous flights that I have seen - the majority of which were , quite naturally, Spitfires,, always seemed underpowered and struggling. The slightest breeze took them out.

Thanks Ian,

These little planes have always gotten a bad rap...in my opinion.  The P-40's, Corsairs, and Stukas are all good flying planes...on their scale at least.  They DO need a good-running engine, but if you can get a 6-3 turning around 13-14K, they'll punch around nicely.

I used to travel to the 'Hobby Hideaway' outside Delavan, Illinois on a regular basis to visit with Dave Shipton, designer of Sig's Dewey Bird.  I always made sure to pack along one of my PT-19's to show off it's ability to pull legitimate loops and wing-overs...much to Dave amazement (with a bit of consternation on the side!).

I think that swapping to Spider Wire helps a LOT with it's lower drag...it doesn't have nearly the bow that you see when flying with dacron.

By the way, the PT has a corresponding bit of ballast in the opposite wing to keep everything close to the original balance point.

As I recall my P-40 that I was flying in the late '60s was a strong flyer and landed nicely on the clay baseball diamond. Too bad I didn't know how to loop it back then. After reading of your adventures I'm going to try a 6x3 prop on my PT next time I fly it. I've been using a 5x3. In fact that's what I thought it came with, but not 100% sure. And I'm going to get some thinner Spiderwire. I've been using 30# test. I even used that in the Reed Speed contest which was probably a disadvantage.
Rusty

Rusty, I couldn't imagine flying with 30# line. I ran out of 10# and had to fly my stuff for the Independence Day fly-in on 20#, so I went out and bought some 10# yesterday. I need to look on Amazon and eBay for some bulk 10#. I might even see about some 5# if it's readily available and try that.

Kim, what left handed prop is that on your plane? I can't make out the name on it. TopFlight?

The Bulky Mark

Kim that is a wonderful idea, but please skip me this year as I would only fly someone else plane after I am well enough to stop crashing mine. I do hope the group loves the idea of a PT19 flyathon annually if only a CEF event

I may cheat for next year and build a balsa version but keep it true to Cox color schemes (might even band on a plastic wing for grins...) Seems the wings are fairly easy to procure and fix if needed

Kim wrote:Flying my Cox RF-19 Trainer with a tiny video camera on it's outboard wingtip.

I had a beautiful, calm evening to try this, and the plane worked great, but the camera acted up, saving just a minute or so of video on each flight. Got the problem figured out, but by that time, I was losing my light, so we'll try again!

Kim: I'm glad to see you are enjoying your retirement. I can even see a big smile on your face from this view.


edited to add quote deleted
happydad

    

"As I recall my P-40 that I was flying in the late '60s was a strong flyer and landed nicely on the clay baseball diamond. Too bad I didn't know how to loop it back then. After reading of your adventures I'm going to try a 6x3 prop on my PT next time I fly it. I've been using a 5x3. In fact that's what I thought it came with, but not 100% sure. And I'm going to get some thinner Spiderwire. I've been using 30# test. I even used that in the Reed Speed contest which was probably a disadvantage.
Rusty"

I either remember or am imagining (sometime hard to tell the difference!) that we DID successfully loop an early P-40 (engine inverted and hidden in radiator cowl) before it's new owner put it in the ball field dirt at terminal speed. I always thought they flew and handled much like the PT...minus the crash resistance of the old trainer.

I'm pretty certain that the PT's came equipped with a 6-3...which is what we used on all of our control line planes back then, with the exception of the occasional 3-bladed ones that came with the Corsair and Stuka. I'd hardly used a 5-3 before joining Mark's ,049 Collectors Group years ago. Seems like someone told that the thinking was that a 6-3 would slow the trainer down for beginners, but I feel like it's got a bunch more zip with the 6-3's.

I've REALLY come along in using Spider Wire, which is apparently accurate gauge of what a klutz I used to be. The stuff hardly tangles any more, and it IS the same, so I must have changed !
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"Kim, what left handed prop is that on your plane? I can't make out the name on it. TopFlight?"

The Bulky Mark


Hey Mark, the prop is Tornado 6-3 "Pusher". They're really cool-looking and I'd like to have a bunch of them, but keep forgetting to make a point of tracking some down.

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"Kim that is a wonderful idea, but please skip me this year as I would only fly someone else plane after I am well enough to stop crashing mine. I do hope the group loves the idea of a PT19 flyathon annually if only a CEF event

I may cheat for next year and build a balsa version but keep it true to Cox color schemes (might even band on a plastic wing for grins...) Seems the wings are fairly easy to procure and fix if needed"

Fred
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Well, let me know if you change your mind...AND more importantly...hope your recovery moves along quickly!

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Kim: I'm glad to see you are enjoying your retirement. I can even see a big smile on your face from this view.


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happydad

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Having a Hoot So Far , HD !!!!!

fredvon4 wrote:Kim that is a wonderful idea, but please skip me this year as I would only fly someone else plane after I am well enough to stop crashing mine. I do hope the group loves the idea of a PT19 flyathon annually if only a CEF event

I may cheat for next year and build a balsa version but keep it true to Cox color schemes (might even band on a plastic wing for grins...) Seems the wings are fairly easy to procure and fix if needed

Hey Fred, I hope you continue be on the mend, so sorry crap like that happens. I acknowledge my good luck every day. Shawn and Ken have a big PT-19 stunter, maybe they'll fly it on PT Day. I'll be fixing my plastic one up. Its engine is currently in the Reed Speed Mustang. maybe we can go ahead and start an official PT-19 Flyathon thread so we can drum up some interest.
Rusty

I don't own a PT-19. I owned several as a kid and they usually ended up broken upon repair. My dad and I flew at a nearby university on a asphalt lot. I would just blast it into the ground. I would love Shawn to fly his PT even though it's not a Cox. The spirit is still there. A few years back Larry Renger came to one of our club get together dinners. We met at a local hobby shop and I was very surprised as Larry found a brand new in the box PT-.19. He bought it immediately. I couldn't tell you how many times I must of passed by that plane never realizing it was there. I miss the old store and I know Larry was teaching many young kids to fly which is why he desired them so much. Ken

Finally got my little camera working, AND had a third calm evening to shoot some footage of the PT doing it's thing yesterday:




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICUR7ulfUqY&feature=youtu.be

Bravo! Top notch aerial videojournalism.
Rusty

RknRusty wrote:Bravo! Top notch aerial videojournalism.
Rusty

Thanks Rusty !!!

So, another PT joins the family!

STILL prepping for the PT Fly-a-Thon, and managed to snag this "Whisper Quiet" example...just like the one I learned to fly back in the late 60's !!!



Get ready for some Time Warping !!!!

Kim, nice score!  I was looking at that one, too.  But, I decided that since I have two PT-19s already, one flyer and one NIB, I would let it go to someone who needs it more than me, and save the money for something I really need.  Glad it went to someone who can appreciate it!

And, you said earlier that you put tail wheels on your PT-19s, and it may help looping.  I don't suppose you could take a look at your best looper and note the c.g. position on it?  That'd give us mere mortals a good place to balance ours for more sprightly performance.  I understand that Cox made these to just fuel 'n go, but it would have been nice for them to give us some c.g. positions along with the beginner through advanced settings on the engine thrust.  

Hmmm... Maybe we could note things like this for reference data in a sticky in the "Cox Model Planes and Helicopters" section.  Perhaps I'll weigh my production Cox models and measure their stock c.g. locations tomorrow to start a thread.

The Off On A Tangent Mark


edit:
Even though I didn't bid on the plane, I did take advantage of the pictures of the manual in the auction and downloaded copies of the pics to keep for future reference.  I love the discussion between Bob and Jack on how to start an engine.  The "Just Enough but not too much!" really got me.  5 drops in the exhaust?  I do one drop on a blocked exhaust port myself and that's plenty for me.  I think five drops would mean a couple dozen flips of the prop to clear the flooded head!




The Clear Headed Mark