discussion Curtiss Pusher 'Build-A-Long with Wonwing'

[wonwinglo]

I am going to show you how to build this 1910 Glen Curtiss Pusher,it hops and flies just like the real thing,for inspiration we will be using a very old plan from a 1936 copy of 'Flying Aces' magazine the golden years of aviation,so turn your cap around and grab some balsa strips and lets get building.



The pulp magazine that catered for the aviation buffs of the roaring thirties,colour,imagination and a passion for flight,when Linbergh flew the Atlantic aviation fever swept America and these were the magazines you would find on the bookstalls.


The Curtiss Pusher is all squares and straight lines,easy to scale up as I did to build this model.



Drying out after a coat of dope with dear old Glen Curtiss up front !

 

[wonwinglo]

Building the outrigger booms from spruce reinforced with miralyte ply biscuits.





Jigging up the outriggers.

 

[wonwinglo]

Building the wings for the Curtiss Pusher.

 

[wonwinglo]

The wing panels are joined together.







Rolling the paper strut attachment tubes from paper,once dry they are then sliced the depth of the ribs.

 

[wonwinglo]

On goes the Ben Buckle tissue.



You can just see the rolled paper strut tubes under the tissue covering.



Locating the outriggers and setting up the wing incidence in relation to the tailplane.

 

[wonwinglo]

Building the tail feathers for the Curtiss Pusher.



The tailplane assembly underway.



Setting up the wing panels prior to assembly.



The struts are positioned into the pre installed paper tubes.



Another view of the spruce outriggers.



The old L.M Cox Curtiss Pusher a rarity today.

 

[wonwinglo]

The Magnificent flying machines.






Glenn Curtiss is ready and waiting for his first hop into the air.

 

[Bortig the Viking]

Hi, looking good, I could never get my head around these models, to say i was cr*p would be an understatement.

 

[wonwinglo]

Hi, looking good, I could never get my head around these models, to say i was cr*p would be an understatement.

Many years of building and practise,no short cuts you have to serve an apprenticeship ! never give up it takes a lifetime.

 

[wonwinglo]

The outrunners on the full sized originals are made from bamboo,when they built this replica the certification required that the outrunners were made from alloy tube,not to be beaten the builder encased the tube with bamboo ! it took hours of cutting and hollowing so that it would fit over the tube,that is dedication for you and the supplier of the bamboo was the same one that furnished it for Glenn Curtis.

 

[wonwinglo]

Over the years there has been some interesting plans for the Curtiss Pusher as model subjects,here are a few of them.

 

[wonwinglo]

All ready to test fly/hop when the wind dies down,the Curtiss Pusher has its motor and electronics fitted and a pusher propeller has been ordered.