Well the airplane finally got done! I call it the Red Baron. If you look real close at the photos, you'll notice that the control stick actually moves the plane from side to side and front to back. The A-frame is made of construction grade lumber and then given a generous coating of Thompson's Waterseal. The plane is made of cottonwood. I then gave it two coats of Rustoleum Safety Red with the black pieces getting Rustoleum Satin Black. The plane is fifty-four inches long with a fifty three inch wingspan. I wish I'd had one of these as a kid. I'm going to sell this one for three hundred for the frame and all. I wound up with too much invested in it. When I started this project, I had no idea I'd get well over a hundred dollars tied up in hardware, paint and lumber. If it turns out to sell good though, I've already begun running ideas through my head to make it better. How about dowels painted silver and coming out just foreward of the wings for exhaust pipes? I've also got lots of ideas on different paint schemes and what type of toy guns I could arm the wings with. I even thought about a gatlin type rubber band automatic design I've had tucked away for some time. Could you imagine a kid playing on this thing just waiting on someone, anyone, to come within firing range of his rubber band guns? On second thought, I don't know how that would go over with the parents. You gotta admit though that it's a cool idea.
Anyway, for those who would rather build one than to buy it, the plans can be found at woodcraftplans.com . Also, the original plans came from a well known company named U-Build. So, I'm sure an internet search would turn these plans up at various searches.
