First flight across the Pacific! The Southern Cross--great story.

[Pat Daily]

Here is a link to flight photos of John Hunton's two models of the Southern Cross and a link in the link to the history of the Southern Cross.  Two Americans and Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith and Charles Ulm from Australia left Oakland for Australia in 1928!! Only a year after Lindberg--go read it--I learned a lot from this project.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1808324

Pat

[Avro]

Pat

There are some lovely models here - its a pity there is not more on this forum about them.  Can you give us an update on the project?  Are the John Sizer plans of Widgeon available for download?  I would be curious to try one - as an itinerant kiwi/aussie.

Jeff

[Pat Daily]

Jeff

The project is moving on--John Bird in Australia has just finished up a Senator ff model and John Hunton in Virginia has flown his Southern Cross.  There are several Widgeon plans in the rcgroups posts and also on this site.  Right off the top of my head, I am not familiar with the Sizer plans --which ones are the? 

I guess I am a bit depressed that not much interest in this historic flight was evidenced.  Perhaps we should have posted somewhere else.  Sad!  Such neat planes and history.

Pat

[Avro]

Pat

Do not be depressed!  However small, there was a response and some lovely models have come out of it and maybe some seeds have been planted.  I for one am glad that I stumbled upon this thread but I feel that it might have had more impact if you had posted photos rather than links.  Can you still do that?

The Sizer plan is featured as a backdrop in one of the photos of a bones model that you posted - but googling further I have discovered that all Sizer plans are being sold by an outfit in England.  I'll probably try one of the other plans you posted, I have a thing about parasols.  What was the conclusion about the most true to scale of those plans?

I as a kiwi am happy to acknowledge the incredible feat of boldness that these hops across the Pacific represent.  Primitive navigation, primitive engines, no SAR! except by chance.  I have sailed across the Atlantic and it is still hard to imagine contracting to cross all that emptiness by air with those odds.

And later, when they were lost, their friends set out in the most ridiculously unsuitable plane for an SAR mission, and died trying. 

So, thanks for posting Pat.

Jeff Robinson

[Pat Daily]

Well Jeff, I took your advice and posted some pics.  I still think the best Westland Plans I have seen (for rubber scale) are those by Kingsley Kau.  I built a Widgeon from those plans back in the mid 70s and it flew quite well.

The first and second pics are of John Hunton and his rc Southern Cross, pic 3 is John's little Southern Cross, then in pic 4 the large SC and 5, the little SC.  

More info here about the flight, plans for planes, etc.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1730285&highlight=pan+pacif

and here for flight shots
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1808324

[Avro]

Whats the ws of the Kingsley Kau plan?

Jeff

[Pat Daily]

Jeff

The Kau plans are 22 or 24 inches I think.  They could easily be enlarged or reduced.  Bye the way, John Hunton sent me a photo of the wing of his Kookaburra that he is building at a 48 inch wingspan--don't know which plans he is using yet.  Here is the photo.

Also see this link for more on the Southern Cross

http://dcmaxecuter.org/photopages/063JANUARY2013PHOTOPAGE/063JANUARY2013PHOTOPAGE.html

[Avro]

Thanks Pat.

JR