Construction on our prototype Great Lakes should start sometime next month. Will start on the tail group first. Other than the upper ailerons and upper wing spar braces, and from the firewall forward, most all of the details of the design are finished. Just a bunch of small details to complete.

March 31, 2008 GREAT LAKES 2T-1A-2 BIPLANE With a scale outline and scale structure. 30% scale (95" wingspan)

As of 3/24/08: This is the status of the drawings for my Great Lakes project. The engineering drawings are done with a professional 3D Computer Assisted Drawing (CAD) software program. This software allows me to create shop or working drawings. More importantly, isometric photo type drawings like this one are an excellent way to illustrate what the model will actually look like on a 3 dimension basis. This will be the first scale model project that will include professional type 3D CAD drawings. Also included are over a hundred photo type and line type illustrations, like this one, for each step of the building process.

 

This is what our model of the Great Lakes will look like.

This is a late 1970 early 1980 Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 biplane. Production started again during this time frame. The major change was to install a modern 180 HP Lycoming engine. Along with modern materials, double ailerons and a inverted fuel system were added.

The 2T-1A-2 has the classic looks of the modern biplane. The full scale aircraft has a 27 foot wingspan. This places the Great Lakes between a two place S2S Pitts Special and a Waco or a Stearman. Our model version at 30% scale makes for a 95" wingspan.

Many of the modern production versions of the Great Lakes have been modified in recent times. This version has a Pitts style full bubble canopy set up for only one pilot. This aircraft was offered for sale for $150,000.

A nice aerial view showing the classic look of the modern day Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 aerobatic biplane. Note the double ailerons and the "Great Lakes" style landing gear. The wide tread and shock absorbing landing gear design will be great for our 30% version.

As of 3/25/08: Here is an interesting view looking at the instrument panels as viewed from the rotating beacon at the top of the vertical fin. All the aluminum instrument panels are neld in place with #1 sheet metal screws. The panels are removable to allow easy installation of the instruments and the removal of the servos. A complete set of our Precision Scale instruments and simulated radio and navigation items will be supplied with the kit. Note the brackets located at the ends of the rear spar in the upper wing. The attach point for the landing wires is attached to a sliding portion of the assembly allowing for the tension adjustment at one time for all the streamline wires. The two objects protruding to the left of the fuselage side are the steps. The rear one is used to get into the cockpits. The forward one is used to get at the gas cap filler at the  top of the wing centersection.

Design Goal Comments by Jerry Nelson

This kit is intended to fill the need for someone who wants to have an excellent custom flying scale model that is unique. A model that the other guy doesn't have or one that was not made in China.

Our Great Lakes model is a flyable "Miniature Airplane". It is not a  typical scale model airplane. Our definition of a miniature airplane is one that has nearly the same scale construction design and materials of the full-scale aircraft, and exact scale dimensions of the exterior.

We are offering the builder the experience of building a scale model in the same manner as if building the full-scale aircraft. This kit and others to follow are designed from copies of the  actual full-scale drawings. A simple three view may not be accurate and may be of little value in the producing of an exact scale, "Miniature Airplane".

We also understand in today's market place many modelers do not build their own airplanes. Instead many of the modelers contact custom builders to build their models. We will offer a list of custom builders that would be interested in building our Great Lakes biplane. We also plan to offer a training workshop for custom builders here at our production facility. This will assure that the custom builder has extensive knowledge on the building of our aircraft thereby providing a high quality product at a reasonable price for their customer.

Thanks for taking the time to review our Miniature Airplane version of the Great Lakes Biplane.

Sincerely,

Jerry Nelson

As of 3/31/08:This is a view of the cockpit area. The aluminum sheeting for the cockpit and side panels is removed for this illustration. The two seats are of scale construction and they are easily removed. To gain access to the servos, remove the cockpit sheeting and the rear seat. The seat bottom is supposed to be for a seat type parachute, but we plan to use the two seats for  holding the batteries. Custom instrument panels will be available. The two sets of rudder petals are slaved together with a pushrod. Rudder cables will be joined to the pull-pull rudder cables in the aft section of the fuselage, thus makeing the rudder petals move when the rudder is moved. The stationary control stick and throttle quadrant and its linkage has not be drawn as of the release of this illustration. Scale communication and navigation items will be provided for a truly outstanding scale cockpit.

 

Comments on the 3D Computer Assisted Drawings

for the Great Lakes by Jerry Nelson

(Aeronca project on hold. Great Lakes will be our first kit)

As of May 2007, I haven't had the opportunity to work much on the Aeronca project. Main reason is spending my spare time learning how to operate a three dimension (3D) CAD drawing software. The software is a professional type suitable for any advance mechanical engineering project (oil refineries, airliners, boats, bridges, automobiles, etc.).

I have progressed rapidly learning how to work with the 3D software. I consider my skill level at this time to be an advanced student at a 70% skill level. I am learning more about the software every time I work on my drawings. The result of my "learning curve" is shown by the status drawing at the beginning of this section.

I have been learning the complexities of the 3D software by creating the drawings for my 30% scale Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 biplane project. For reference, I am using a copy of the original factory production drawings. Can't get much more scale than that. Almost all of the full-scale Great Lakes structural design is being used in our scale model.

The Great Lakes was to be our second kit. It will now be the initial kit.  The reason for the change from the planed production of the Aeronca project to the Great Lakes is to improve the quality of our product by incorporating the features of the 3D CAD system's designing and engineering capabilities and the isometric illustrations into the instruction manual into our product line of miniature aircraft kits. There are also many inventory management systems built into the 3D CAD system, such an automatically generated bill of materials.

As of 4/21/08: Drawing is over 95% complete. The flying wires have been installed on the left wing.The top part of the cowl is aluminum and has two sections that are hinged to provide access to the engine. Stabilizer flying wires are in place.Top and side stringers are in place. Scale baggage comparment behind rear seat will hold the JR 2.4 Hgz receiver and the switches and charging jacks. Major items left to draw are the two upper ailerons and  internal cross braces in the upper wings and the fiberglass nose bowl. The engine and it's accessories have not been drawn.

I feel that the success of our Miniature Airplane kit concept is directly related to the quality of our instruction manual. Our Great Lakes kit is not one you will build on a weekend. The structure has many more pieces than a typical model kit. Even though there are many parts, sub assemblies, and assemblies to build, the individual items are easy to fabricate. There are just lots of these individual items. One must realize that the full-scale Great Lakes and similar constructed airplanes are somewhat simple to build as well, and are built with a minimum of tooling. Mostly with many hours of hand work.

As of 3/26/08: This illustration shows the graceful lines of the modern version of the classic Great Lakes biplane as viewed from ground level. The bottom portion of the cowl is fiberglass. The red portion inside the cowl is the firewall as seen through the semi transparent fiberglass cowl. As previously mentioned, work is in progress on the fiberglass nose bowl. The nose bowl is perhaps the most difficult part to draw so far. Note the very detailed Cirrus Ventures scale tail wheel and is a must have for this project.

Those of you who know what the Christian Eagle home built biplane instruction manual looks like will understand the type of instruction manual we be providing for the builder of our Great Lakes. The Eagle and our Great Lakes manual will be in a series of full-size 3-ring binders.

The assembly process is should be done in the sequence of the binder numbers.

Binder #1 is for general information, scale documentation, explanations of construction methods and use of tools and our Metal Weld epoxy, understanding the drawings, explaining in general terms how the instructions are presented, and other such items. Also included will be a complete list of all parts and their cost. Hopefully there will be several photos of the construction of a full-scale Great Lakes being restored. Need to get permission to use these photos.

Binder #2 will be the tail group. The tail group is suggested to be built first in that these parts are somewhat simple to build and will give something for show and tell for friends. The binders will also explain the construction of the various assembly jigs for the tail group. Because of building tolerances, completed tail group parts are necessary to make certain that their attachment to fuselage will be in alignment. Minor changes can be made to the fuselage so the part will fit properly.

Binder #3 is the fuselage. The front part of the fuselage is pre built which makes the fuselage a lot easier to build. The vertical fin that was built previously will be attached to the fuselage. Information on the construction of the necessary jigs to finish the fuselage/fin is provided.

Binder #4 gives the instructions on building the wing panels and upper center section. The left wing panels are the same as the right wing panels only they are the mirror opposite. The wing and center section panels are built on a simple piece of particle board. Information is provided to make and use the jigs.

As of 12/14/07: Completed lower left wing assembly. The only major structural difference between our Great Lakes and the full-size is the rib construction. The full-scale aircraft has aluminum ribs. We have 1/8" LitePly ribs. I will paint the ribs with some hardware store spray can silver paint just for photo reasons. They will look like if they were made from aluminum. We could do the aluminum ribs, but the cost would be extremely high. For clarity reasons the .007" aluminum leading edge and 1/32" plywood sheeting at the root of the wing is not shown. The wing structure is typical of most full-scale wood fabric wings. We have used 1/4" thick spruce spars that are held in position by 1/4" aluminum tubing compression members and diagonally braced with 2-56 and 4-40 threaded rods and clevises attached to brackets at the junction of the compression tubes and the spars. Wing tip bow is 1/4" aluminum tubing. A large digital Futaba servo is located between the 3rd and 4th rib. A 3/16" aluminum tubing push rod go to a aluminum ball bearing bell crank. Ailerons (not shown) are attached at three nylon bushing hinges. The individual wing panels and flying wires are quickly removed with a unique tension adjuster for the flying wires.

 

Binder #5 covers the engine, gas tanks and fuel line installation, and radio equipment installations. Over time we will have information on installing different engines. Initially we will show the Fuji 86cc twin. Later on I plan to show the installation of a Saito 300 and a DA50.

Binder #6 will go through the covering, painting, interior cockpit detailing, flying wire installation and rigging, and miscellaneous other items.

There is no binder #7, instead there will be a owner's manual. This will be information on preflight inspections, maintenance of the aircraft and engine, battery charging, and assembly and disassembly of the model the flying field. There will also be information on flying the model. Suggestions on flight trim and how to do various aerobatic maneuvers.

This is a right side view of the installation of the rudder, two elevator, adjustable stabilizer, and throttle servos. The servo tray is 1/32" 2024T-3 aluminum and is located under the rear seat. Shown are Futaba 9152 digital servos. They are larger than most servos, so most any kind of servos can be used. Servo tray for other servos is available. Two elevator servos operate a 1/8" thick micarta slider that is held in position by aluminum brackets. The elevator push rod attaches to the middle of the slider. Both elevator servos are totally independent of each other. If one should fail, the other servo will still provide up to 1/2 of the normal travel allowing the model to be, in most cases, safely landed The pulll-pull rudder bellcrank is mounted in the center left side of the tray. Between the rudder and right elevator servo is the adjustable incidence stabilizer servo. Throttle servo is located at the front left corner. Room available for another servo or a battery at the front right corner. Note that rear seat is hidden from view as well as many of the fuselage structural items to allow a better view of the servo tray installation.

It is very important to explain with detailed photo type and line drawing illustrations showing what an individual assembly or part actually looks like. A common 2D drawing can be difficult to understand by many people. The line drawing illustrations are used to show fine details, whereas the photo type illustrations show a more general view in a photographic format.

For the instruction manual, I will be able to provide a photo type or a line drawing illustration of any part or assembly including step by step assembly drawings. The software is really amazing. In general terms, a very complete instruction manual with hundreds of illustrations orientated in any view and what ever detail that I want to show can be made without ever making an actual part.

This illustration shows the construction of the rudder and fin. It also shows the elevator pushrod attached to the elevator control horn. Rudder pull-pull cables not attached to the rudder horn in this illustration. Note the bellcrank and pushrod assembly for the inflight adjustment for the stabilizer incidence. The stabilizer adjustment pushrod to attached to a servo located with the other servos at the location just behind the rear cockpit seat. About plus or minus 3 degrees of adjustable movement will be available.

Corrections due to errors, problems, or change in design can be accomplished. Sometimes easily, other times with some difficulty.  The changes can be made as necessary and as my skill level progresses, the more difficult changes will be simpler.

I also know what the actual weight will be for the parts, sub assemblies, and weight of the completed aircraft. Even can see where the center of gravity will be.

I am about 3/4 finished with the Great Lake drawings. In a few weeks I should be able to start making the tail group items here at my shop while working on the rest of the drawings at home. The bulk of the instruction manual (the illustrations) are automatically produced while the 3D drawings are created. Shop or working drawings are automatically made as well. All I have to add to the shop drawings are the dimensions and notes as appropriate. A complete bill of materials is generated too.

I think I can produce a prototype Great Lakes model and more importantly, a rough draft of the compete instruction manual in less time than I can finish the Aeronca project and have completed the drawings and instruction manual.   After the Great Lakes kit is available for purchase, I will redraw the Aeronca in the 3D format. Fortunately many of the 2D AutoCAD drawings that have been completed for the Aeronca can be modified to be used with the 3D CAD system. Also I have come up with some engineering and structural ideas used in the Great Lakes project that can be incorporated into the revised Aeronca project.

Also with the 3D redrawn Aeronca project I will be able to reengineer the Aeronca into a Citabria or Decathlon. The only major differences between the Aeronca and the Citabria and Decathlon is the aluminum landing gear, the power plant and its cowl, and the flat windshield.

30% Great Lakes 2T-1A-1 Biplane Specifications

Scale: 30%

Wingspan: 95"

Fuselage Length: 72"

Engine: 30cc to 100cc

(prototype model to use a Fuji 86cc twin with electric starter)

Weight: Apx. 35 lbs.

Radio: 8 Channels-Seven H.D. 200+ in.oz servos

(prototype will use a 2.4 ghz radio system)

Scale Information:

The primary reference source is a copy of the actual original factory drawings. Additional information was obtained from Wylam drawings, the Great Lakes Operators Manual, and lots of photos from the internet. For hundreds of Great Lakes photos search Goggle for; Great Lakes 2T-1 photos.

Additional scale data that could effect the design of our Great Lakes will be implemented if the data is significant. We are constantly looking for additional information for our Great Lakes project.

30% scale for our kit subjects was chosen so that the fuselage lengths will be less than 6 1/2 feet. This allows for more reasonable transportation requirements and a 6 foot work bench for building the model.

Construction Details:

Fuselage Front Part: The front part of the fuselage (rear seat to firewall) is made from 3/16" to 5/16" x .028 wall 4130 steel tubing. The majority of the front part of fuselage structure is silver soldered using a jewelers actelyne torch. Somewhat complex tooling is required for accurately fabricating this assembly. We will assemble the front part of the fuselage. This will assure the builder that the various assemblies will fit. Assemblies include the cabine struts, landing gear, bottom wing, flying wires, engine mount. and some cockpit details.

If the builder wants to fabricate the front part of the fuselage, detailed plans and instructions will be available. If the builder has had experience with silver soldering and has tools and equipment to fabricate the fuselage jig to assemble the various steel tubing components, then that person should have no problem making the front part of the fuselage. We are assuming that our customers would rather have the front part of the fuselage by us. Even though the front part of the fuselage is pre built, the building of the rest of the kit will easily meet the requirement of building the model yourself for scale competitions.

There are several minor non structural brackets that the builder will attach to the steel tubing. This would be brackets for the rudder petal assemblies, cockpit floor, instrument panels, and other such non structural items. These brackets are attached with Stay Brite Silver Solder using a simple propane/butane gas torch or a high wattage soldering iron. Some of the brackets are also attached with our Metal Weld epoxy.

The front and front side portions of the fuselage are from .016" 6061T-6 aluminum sheet. The aluminum is held in position with #1 sheet metal screws. Typical as in the full-scale aircraft. These panels can be removed for access to the header tank and throttle servo.

Fuselage Rear Part: The rear part of the fuselage (from the rear seat aft) is made from 3/16" to 3/8" x .032 6061T-6 Aluminum Tubing. All the joints are fabricated with Metal Weld epoxy. Joining process is the same as if the materials were made from spruce or maple and joined with a standard type of epoxy. Aluminum tubing can be easily cut and sanded just like spruce or maple.

The rear part of the fuselage is fabricated on a simple particle board jig. The front part of the fuselage is secured to the jig, and the various longerons and cross braces are epoxied in place that are held in position by simple wood supports. The vertical fin will be installed at this time.

Fittings required are from steel and aluminum and are laser cut ready for attachment

Full size patterns are provided to be contact cemented to the jig's surface.

Tail Group: The vertical fin, rudder, stabilizer, and elevator spars and trailing edges are fabricated from 1/8" to 3/8" x .032 wall 6061T-6 aluminum tubing. Preformed ribs are .016" 6061T-6 aluminum. All joints are made with Metal Weld epoxy.

These parts are assembled from simple jigs from particle board. Full size patterns are provided to be contact cemented to the jig's surface.

All the ribs, spars, brackets and hinges are ready for assembly.

Wings and Upper Center Section: The wings and center section are mostly from wood. The spars are full depth made from 1/4" thick spruce. The spars are cut to shape and have predrilled holes for the various fittings and parts that have to be attached. The ribs are laser cut from 1/8" LitePly. All of the various brackets and parts that attach to the spars are laser cut from steel or aluminum.

The cross brace brackets and fittings for the compression tubes for the two spars are pre made ready for assembly. Cross braces are from 2-56 and 4-40 threaded rods. One of the 2-56 and 4-40 rods are Stay Brite silver soldered together in place by the builder. The cross brace rods with the two different thread pitches act as a turnbuckle so they can be adjusted to the proper tension.

The center section is built the same as the wing panels and uses the same ribs.

The individual wing panels are removable. The center section will normally be attached to the fuselage all the time. The center seciton can be removed if necessary.

The center section incorporates two sliding brackets located at the each end and at the bottom of the rear spar. The machined 2024T-3 aluminum sliding brackets have an attach point for the landing wires. The brackets are held in place with a clevis pin that allows the brackets to be held in position and to slide in or out about a 1/4". There is a 6-32 socket head cap screw that when tightened cause the slider to move inward thus pulling the landing wires to a taught condition. Access to the 6-32 cap screws is obtained by a small 1/8" wide slot located on the underside of the center section 1/32" plywood sheeting that a 6-32 ball wrench is placed into and position into the hex head of the 6-32 socket head cap screw.

When the landing wire is tightened, the bottom wing is moved upward. This movement forces the N-Strut upwards and causes the top wing panel to move upward. The top wing starts pulling on the flying wires thus tightening them. Equal tension is then created on all the flying and landing wires by the movement of the sliding bracket.

Disassembly is also simplified. It is difficult to remove the attach pins for the flying and landing wire as they are in tension. With our slider unit, we simply turn the 6-32 cap screws the other way and loosen the wires so they can be easily removed. Also the wing attach bolts are easily removed as well.

For reference, landing wires go from the outside bottom of the center section, down to the upper outer portion of the bottom wing. This takes the force of the landing loads. Flying wires go from the top of the root of the bottom wing  to the outer bottom portion of the top wing.

The center section has a scale located gas tank. Two 20 ounce tanks are attached to the front and rear spars with brackets. The two tanks are joined at the middle of the center section with tubing fittings on each tank and connected with a 3/16 I.D. fuel line so that gas can transfer from one tank to the other.

Three fuel lines are located individually at the front and rear of the left side of the left tank, and at the rear right side of the right tank. These three lines are 3/32" aluminum tubing that work their way down to a 6 ounce header tank located at the upper front of the fuselage. The header tank has a fuel line clunk pickup for inverted maneuvers. The front right side of the right tank has the vent line for the tanks as well as for the header vent line exit.  Gas will drain down to the header tank and it will not overflow since the header tank vent/over flow is located above the fuel level in the upper right tank. A simple system just like what is used in the the full-scale aircraft. The full-scale Great Lakes has 27.4 gallons for gas in the wing tank and a 12 gallons header tank in the fuselage.

The two gas tanks are filled from one filler tube/gas cap located in the front left portion of the left gas tank. Just like the full-scale aircraft. An scale over-flow/fuel drain tube protrudes about 3/8" from the bottom wing in the left tank. When filling the gas tank a piece of fuel line is attached to the over-flow tube. When the tanks are full, excess fuel will drain down the over flow tube into a suitable external container so the fuel can be used. The over-flow tube system prevents having gas overflow the filler tube and spilling all over the center section and perhaps the fuselage. When the tank is filled, the over flow tube is removed.

A scale operational clear plastic fuel level indicator is located in the right tank at the its left rear corner. It protrudes below the surface of the bottom wing. A cork float in the tank will show the amount of fuel in the tanks.

Landing Gear and Tail Wheel: The 4130 steel tubing landing gear is an unusual design as compared to most aircraft. We have duplicated the design into our aircraft as well. It come assembled in the kit. There is a compression spring located in the outer shock strut that will provide about 1/2" of travel. When in flight, the landing gear will be in its scale position with its in-flight hanging down location.

Wheels are 6 inches in diameter. At a later date we plan to have available as an option wheels with working brakes. Plan to use Robart 6" wheels with their air operated brakes. This should be an ideal choice. Wheel pants are supplied. They will be made from fiberglass.

Tail wheel is a commercial unit from Cirrus Ventures. This is a 1/3 scale unit very similar to the full-scale Scott tail wheel used on the full-scale Great Lakes. My data shows it is actually closer to 30% scale which is perfect for our Great Lakes.

Cowl and Motor Mount: The nose bowl and bottom of the cowl will be from fiberglass. These parts can be removed if necessary to provide total access to the engine/mount and ignition system and what else may be located inside the cowl. The top of the cowl is aluminum. There are two movable sections. Scale piano hinges are used. Either of the two sections can be quickly opened upward to provide access to the engine compartment.

The motor mount is attached to the firewall with four 3/8" dia Weld Nuts. The Weld Nuts are made from neoprene rubber with a flange on one end and a molded in brass 10-32 threaded insert on the other end. When tightened with a 3/16 aircraft eye bolt, the rubber is formed into a donut shape (like a grommet), thus insulating the eye bolt and engine from the aircraft.

Motor mounts for a limited selection of engines is provided for. Type or design of the mount will depend on the engine used. Customer to determine what mount is required. Our prototype Great Lakes will have a Fuji 86cc twin equipped with their electric starter. Will use an external 12 volt battery for starting the engine. There will be a starter button and a choke pull knob located in the rear instrument panel. One can choke and start the engine from the rear seat, just like the full-scale pilot would do. Neat!!!

Cockpit detail: The builder will make up most of the various cockpit detail items. Most of the full-scale Great Lakes have different cockpit details. The seat frame and instrument panel frames are mostly the same in all of the full-scale aircraft. Printed instruments will be provided for the front and rear instrument panels.

Items the builder will make are the two seat frames and cushions, seat belts, control sticks, throttle/prop/mixture assembly, instrument panel knobs and switches, and the rudder petals. Many of these items are made from brass tubing and sheet. Seats and instrument panels are removable. Brass tubing and sheet is supplied and will be cut to length and Stay Brite soldered together with a soldering iron by the builder. At this time I haven't figured out how to best make the seat cushions.

Installation of radio equipment: All of the radio equipment will be hidden from immediate view. Four servos (two elevator, one rudder, and one stabilizer trim) are located under the removable rear seat. The throttle servo is located either in front of the front instrument panel or under the front seat. One aileron servo is located at near the root in each of the bottom wing panels. Aileron servos are accessible with a removable aluminum cover held in with #1 sheet metal screws.

Metal servo trays for the fuselage and aileron servos will be provided for JR and Futaba servos. Customer to chose which type of servo trays. A redundant two elevator servo system with a single 3/16" diameter 6061T-6 aluminum push rod is supplied. A single high torque (200+ inch ounces) rudder servo is required. Push rods and rudder pull-pull system is provided for.

Batteries, switches, charging jacks are not positioned at this time. Center of gravity considerations may effect where these items go. At the moment it is planed to place the batteries, switches, charging jacks inside the baggage compartment located on the left side of the fuselage about half way back to the vertical fin. The baggage compartment has a door that is hinged with a piano hinge and swings upward for access. Plenty of room for these items in the baggage department.

Covering: The aircraft is covered with our natural LiteFab iron on polyester fabric that is supplied with the kit. Scale width pinking tape made from LiteFab is also included. The iron-on fabric is easily attached to the metal frame work by first coating the areas where the fabric attached with a coat of Weldwood contact cement. After the contact cement has dried, it is an easy process to attach the fabric with a sealing iron. The bond to the metal is outstanding and if one want to remove the fabric, it will be very difficult to do so. If the contact cement is not used, not enough heat is transmitted to the heat sensitive glue on the fabric because the aluminum and steel absorbs the heat from the sealing iron. Thus the heat sensitive glue is not softened significantly for a secure attachment.

Nelson Hobby paint will be included in the purchase price. A voucher will be provided for sufficient paint for the painting of the aircraft. Customer can choose the colors. Vinyl stick-on markings for the Great Lakes logo in two sizes will be provided.  Also paint stencils will be provided for painting the registration numbers.

Other Engine Installations: Later on, our Great Lakes will be redesigned for use with radial and inline engines. Until we have made formal drawings for the radial engine installation, the modifications could be done by the builder. The only new design considerations are the cowling and the attachment of it and the relocation of the fuselage stringers to fair into the cowling. We will be glad to assist anyone who is interested in converting the kit to a radial or inline version.

The smaller size RCS 5 cylinder will be perfect for this aircraft. The firewall is designed to handle the 8 pound weight of the RCS 5 cylinder engine. The Robart and Sidel 7 cylinder radials could also be used. Another ideal choice would be the Saito 450 three cylinder engine. I hope to build another Great Lakes with the Saito 450. I have one and have never used it.

The original 1930 Great Lakes had a 95 horsepower Cirrus 4 cylinder inline air cooled engine. The OS 4 cylinder inline 4-Cycle engine would be a great choice for this version. There should be ample power for the engine to fly the model realistically. Don't forget the real aircraft only had 95 horsepower. Image how a full-scale two place Pitts Special would fly with 95 horsepower.

Tool and equipment needed to build kit: We assume that the building will have or have access to common tools and power tools that would be common for scratch builders. Power tools required are a band saw, drill press, disc or belt sander, 1/4" electric drill, soldering iron (large and small), and a propane torch.

Hand tools required are, assorted screwdrivers, assorted pliers, knives, a number and a 1/4" fraction drill set, assorted files, 10 inch digital or dial scale. assorted small clamps. And of course there must be a work bench. A five foot bench is a minimum and a six foot bench is all you need. The bench should be perfectly flat for best results.

PRICE:

(Kit, Plans, Instructions)

Orders are being taken now. Deposit is not

necessary at this time as price is still uncertain

Estimated price for the kit will be around $3000. Basically all the builder needs is the radio equipment and engine/silencer items. Everything else is supplied other than some hardware store items. Example of hardware store items would be particle board shelving for the assembly jigs, Weldwood contact cement, glues, sandpaper, MEK, perhaps some tools, masking tape, etc.

Included are all of the streamline flying wires, fasteners, 4" aluminum CNC spinner, control linkage, servo arms, gas tanks, wheels, shock absorbing landing gear, scale tail wheel assembly, fabric and pinking tape, paint, cockpit materials. No extra model airplane materials needed other than the engine and radio control items.

Plans will be offered as well. Plans will be about $250-$300. Instrucitons will be included in the plan set. The professional quality plans will be better than most full-scale home built plans currently on the market. Supplied are more individual drawings than what you would get on most $300 home built aircraft plans. There will be over 100 drawings in the plan sets. Every part in the aircraft (other than purchased items like fasteners, servos, etc) will have a dimensioned drawing. The majority of the drawings will be A-Size (8 1/2 x 11). They will be fully dimensioned. There are a few full size drawings for the wing and fuselage drawings. Several D-Size (34 x 44) drawings are also supplied. These would be for smaller assemblies like the tail group. Multiple parts will be included in some of the drawings.

Detailed dimensioned drawings for the parts that we supply manufactured or assembled are not supplied because they are not necessary. However we will supply an assembly drawing for these items. A complete list and cost for all individual parts and assemblies is included.

Instruction manual is available seperately for purchase. Price is not certain, but would guess about $50-$75. Depends on how many pages there will be. The instruction manual will be in a series of 3-Ring binders. Each binder will contain the instructions for major assemblies. One for the wing, fuselage, tail group, jigs, RC and engine installation, and covering and rigging.

Some customers may prefer a three part purchase plan. Assume that the kit will sell for $3000. The installment purchase plan will have a handling fee of $300. Three purchases at $1100 each can be made over a three month period. We will have made the complete kit prior to this type of purchase plan. That will insure that the customer will be able to purchase the rest of the kit as scheduled. Since the rest of the kit is in stock, the customer may pay off the payments for immediate delivery.

All individual components and pre manufactured assemblies can be purchased. Every part has a part number and a price.

Order Process: Orders will be taken for the Great Lakes at this time. No payment is required for initial orders. Just a letter of intent is required. Checks or credit card numbers are not wanted at this stage of the order process. We need to know what kind of serious interest there is so we can plan accordingly. The price for the kit for these orders or intent to purchase is not finalized at this stage of the development and won't be for a while.

When the prototype Great Lakes aircraft has been flown and it performs as intended, potential customers will be notified that firm orders will be taken for their kit and will be quoted what ever that price may be at that time.

When a $500 deposit is received, a delivery position will be assigned to the customer and the price quoted will be honored when the kit is ready to be shipped. This would be even if we find that the kit has a price change, most likely a price increase. Only when the $500 deposit is received will the the quoted price be honored. The $500 deposit is fully refundable with 30 days notice.

When the kit is ready to be shipped, the customer will be contacted. Soon as the balance of payment or scheduled payment has been received, then their kit will be sent. If the payment is not received in 10 days, the price will still be honored, but the delivery position will be moved back and won't be assigned a delivery position until the deposit has been received.

The $500 deposit is required so that we can order materials and fabricate the major components for the firm orders that we have received.

Aircraft Directives (AD's): AD's are sent by the FAA to owners of all full-scale production aircraft. They are used when there is a structural, maintenance, or operational problem with a production aircraft. The AD can be something simple like replacing a fuel tank cap gasket to one of a different type. Or it could serious like replacing a wing spar or fuselage longerons. Detailed information on the problem is given as well as when the problem must be fixed. If the problem isn't fixed the aircraft the FAA prevents the flying of the aircraft until the problem is taken care of.

We plan to do the same thing with our miniature aircraft products. We will have a serial number record of all customer aircraft. If we know there is a serious problem  with a particular aircraft serial number or group of serial numbers, we will send a AD to the registered customer to inform him of the problem and how to fix the problem. The problem could be simple like the need of a change in the type of fuel line used. Or, it could be more serious and require the use of a larger bolt or a stronger flying wire fitting.

The problem could be doing maneuvers that the model just isn't built strong enough to do. All model and full-scale aircraft are designed and built to a plus or minus loading factor. This is called the G-load. Usually there is a higher plus load factor (doing a inside loop) than found in a negative G-load (outside loop). The reason this is done in full scale aircraft is that the human body can take a higher positive G-load than a negative one. The full-scale Great Lakes has a +5.4 and -4 G-load rating.

If we build our Great Lakes strong enough to do a full throttle vertical power dive from 1000 feet and at 100 feet do a full up elevator and full rudder snap roll, then the model probably be too heavy to fly.

If we are aware of a customer who experiences a structural problem, we need to know what the conditions were at the time of that failure. If that failure occurred doing  a maneuver that is approved  and done in the proper manner as explained in our aircraft manual, we need to know that immediately so we can inform our customers of that problem with an AD. Customers will be immediately advised not to do any serious high G-load maneuvers until we have determined what to change to the aircraft.

AD problems could come from the use of our own demo Great Lakes. In reality, like in full scale aviation, the AD problems mostly would come from the users of our aircraft kits. I hope we will never issue an AD. There are very few full scale aircraft that never have had an AD issued.

SUMMARY:

We can have a 1930 inline engine version that will have modest aerobatic performance, a 1940-1970 modified radial engine version, or the 1980 modern version that should be able to do vertical snap rolls. Other than the double ailerons on the 1980 version, all the aircraft engine variations are the same from the firewall back. The cowls and stringer fairing strips on the fuselage are different depending on the engine cowling.

Our Great Lakes will be an aircraft that can be very competitive in world class scale national competitions. The model will be competitive in the advance levels of IMAC aerobatic meets. And of course, and excellent aircraft for flying and show and tell at the giant scale fly-in's.

HISTORY OF THE GREAT LAKES 2T-1A

From the EAA Airventure Museum

The Great Lakes Aircraft Company designed the 2T-1A Sport Trainer in 90 days. In 1928 the Great Lakes plant had the capability of producing ten 2T-1As per day. Approximately 206 airplanes were produced from 1929 through 1932.

The Sport Trainer was probably one of the most distinctive looking and most easily recognizable airplanes of its time. The fuselage was built up of welded chrome-moly steel tubing faired to shape with metal formers and metal fairing strips and fabric covered. The wings were built of solid spruce spar beams and ribs stamped out of duraluminm sheet The leading edges are covered with "dural" sheet and the completed framework was covered over with fabric. The 2T-1A was powered by a 4 cylinder inline air-cooled 100 hp engine.

The Great lakes Aircraft Company went out of business in 1936, and in 1963, Harvey Swack of Gates Mills, Ohio, obtained the design and manufacturing rights to the Great Lakes. From 1963 through 1972, Harvey sold 367 sets of plans for the 2T-1A to be built as an experimental homebuilt. In 1972 the design and manufacturing rights were sold and moved to Wichita, Kansas. Manufacturing facilities were set up at Wichita, where two new models were introduced and a total of 251 Sport Trainers were produced.

 

Here is a marketing item from 1929. I think our readers may find this interesting. More to follow.

 

 

More info to follow, time permitting.

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