Pastor Rich Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 (edited) Canadair CT-114 Tutor from 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (Snowbirds) For the past couple of years I have been following the work of Airscale (Peter) on his various projects, most recently his 1/18 Spitfire Mk. XIVe (Race 80). Aside from being floored by his detail and technique, I have been inspired to give it a go myself. So whether it be a product of inspiration or a delusional mind; I've decided to try my hand at scratch-building a Toot. Being as this year is the sesquicentennial of the Confederation of Canada, it seems only appropriate to start my build this year. Lord willing, we'll be in Ottawa for Canada Day! I have been a Snowbirds fan since first seeing them perform at Abbottsford, BC in the late 1970's and personally consider them the finest aerial demonstration team in the world, so it seemed only fitting to embark on this project at a time when they are still flying the venerable Tutor, before they are retired for a yet undetermined replacement and (perhaps) lose some of flair that the Tutor jet brings to the air as only the CT-114 can. Anyone who flies in an aerial demonstration team has already earned my respect as it was a childhood dream of mine to be among their ranks. Providence would have it otherwise and I have settled for a quieter life as a private pilot. But for all the ways each nation inspires its people through precision aerial flying, I personally feel that none measure up to the pure poetry and grace that is found in the Tutors of 431 Squadron. This build is dedicated to the men and women of the CAF in honour of Canada 150. Edited March 6, 2017 by Pastor Rich Because I can! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Looking on with interest! Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 great stuff PR - glad to see you taking this on looking forward to seeing what's coming and if I can help in any way please drop me a line Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted February 28, 2017 Author Share Posted February 28, 2017 (edited) Thanks, Peter & Trevor! A couple of program notes for today. This project begins with preparatory work and there will be plenty of it. I have to select and gather a sustainable workspace, find accurate scale references and gather the tools required for the build. I keep a very busy schedule and do a knock-out job of neglecting myself in simple fun hobby and craft time. It didn't use to be that way in the past, but working and having three sons does take a chunk out of one's available time. Hopefully, this project will help fix that problem! For that reason this project may take a while to accomplish (if it all) and, Lord willing, I will have fun and get to show something interesting in these pages if nothing else. Some of the challenges in this project will be learning new techniques and tools. I have a graphics workstation to assemble for doing the CAD work as I plan on 3D printing as much as possible. I will also be creating photo-etch parts in advance of building the smaller pieces so will be working on the PC a lot for that. I don't yet have a CAD package chosen (taking recommendations on that) but will be using CorelDraw for the vector work. Corel has been my preferred platform for vector art packages for over 20-years and has been my bread & butter platform as an Art Director and creative type. But for all the "stuff" we have around this house, I think we can manage a building something out of it all. In that way, this may be as much a scavenger hunt as much as anything else. I do plan on finishing in litho and have not yet decided if to build with gear up or down. I invite input on that front but rather like the idea of building toes tucked in -- the way the Snowbirds are meant to be seen. In flight! So forgive me if I think "out loud" here and be warned that I am a Christian minister. Visitors will be prayed for and with thanks! With that, let the madness begin! To quote my dearly departed best friend, brother of a different mother and former Art Director of Accurate Miniatures in Concord, North Carolina, US, Thomas E. Myers -- it's time to, "go build something!" Thanks for stopping by! Pastor Rich (PR) Edited February 28, 2017 by Pastor Rich To err is human. Proof readers untie! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Subscribing to this one, too. Always enjoy seeing the envelope being pushed Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted February 28, 2017 Author Share Posted February 28, 2017 Wow! The guys I follow are following me. Tom, your work on the Shack is one of those that really inspire me! I was just reminding myself this morning, to stop by and see how things were going? Thanks for subscribing! We'll cheer each other onward! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 OK - I'm watching. Good looking subject BTW. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I'll pop by from time to time if I may, PR? The Tutor always looked to me like a second cousin to the Jet Provost/Strikemaster. BTW, Bar none? I'll have you know that I live seven miles North of the home of the Red Arrows, Sir! That could be fighting talk, but I'll forgive a man of the cloth. Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I presume this will be carved from wood? Remember Jesus was a carpenter!😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted March 4, 2017 Author Share Posted March 4, 2017 Good Day All! A quick update and response: 5 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: I'll pop by from time to time if I may, PR? The Tutor always looked to me like a second cousin to the Jet Provost/Strikemaster. BTW, Bar none? I'll have you know that I live seven miles North of the home of the Red Arrows, Sir! That could be fighting talk, but I'll forgive a man of the cloth. Pete Well Pete you have an excellent point there! The love I have for the Snowbirds has yet to be tested by seeing the Red Arrows live. So my bias comes with a caveat that having seen the most all of the major aerial demonstrations teams; and all of those of North America, I would qualify the Snowbirds as the best per my experience. Good point sir! (I really need to get out more) 4 hours ago, Reconcilor said: I presume this will be carved from wood? Remember Jesus was a carpenter!😀 Err, yes it will be build partially of wood. Guess that would be obvious eh? Balsa planes are where I got my start as a kid which morphed into rocketry. I still enjoy both and prefer large scale as they are easier to see! Still, I will have to break out the jewelers glasses for my aging eyes on this project. I have decided to build gear-up and in flight. This will have the effect of saving me from details of the u/c and allow me to focus on other details like the cockpit. (I will be building with the speed brakes extended as well). Most of my time is being spent collecting photo references and researching technical sources for the build. (I'll post some of the interesting ones as I go). A common thread seems to be builders looking for these details with few (if any) good sources available. If anyone has suggestion on good sources for accurate drawings of the CT-114A I would appreciate the input. Otherwise I continue my search for accurate and reliable resources for the build. My workspace has been selected as have the PC platform for doing the CAD work. Both are in a sad state and require attention -- a bonus thanks to the project. The main focus for detail will be in the overall airframe and antennas, cockpit, intakes and trunking, speed brakes and tail pipe. Along the way I will be settling on the markings (although the Canada 150 finish is top of mind). Much to be done and thanks for stopping by! PR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Now I've run out of likes! Drat and double drat! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Yorkshireman Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Afternoon, mind if I crunch my popcorn quietly from the back ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted March 4, 2017 Author Share Posted March 4, 2017 Popcorn is good! Bring as much as you like, like as much as you bring! I've finally gotten done with my work for the morning/midday so have some free time to work on the Tutor. This is preparatory but I will post what I have that is representative of my work as I go. I will also post the research so that others may benefit from it. There doesn't seem to be much online for the Tutor. Makes me think it a good idea to go chasing after primary sources? And why not? It always worked well for me with the work I do for the 34th PRS. Cheers! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I, too, am a big Snowbirds fan. And I like folks doing crazy modelling stuff as well. Plus, I'm a fellow Yank - pass the popcorn! Cheers, Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 Greetings All! A quick update on latest happenings: I have been collecting photo references and found some excellent resources on ejections seats, circuit breaker panels, radio consoles, controls, handles, throttles and instrument panels for the Toot. I have found nothing for scale drawings as of yet but am not giving up. Just getting started really. I also have excellent photos of engine details (front & rear face) and details of the airframe from all angles. I have yet to get started on the PC. Once I have that I will have a better platform for processing images for these posts. I also started working to create my workspace downstairs. Along the way of doing that I found an issue in our HVAC system. (One of the returns from upstairs had fallen away and was sitting right next to the gas exhaust -- which had decoupled between connections; and created a CO leak directly into our house. Everytime the heat was running it was directly pumping carbon monoxide into our living space). This answers the mystery diagnosis for all of the sick tummies and headaches we've been having around here. Thankfully it's warm here now and we're able to open the place up a bit and let some fresh air in! Otherwise, I am working out areas to detail on the project. They include: flush and raised rivet details, skin and panels, antennas, lighting (non-functional), full cockpit, intake trunking, front and rear engine faces (only), speed brakes (may be built as moving parts), control surfaces (linked moving parts). I hope that making working pistons for the speed brakes will be a good primer for learning how-to fabricate landing gear struts. The main and secondary spars will be built as single piece each (full span) and the vertical stab will be built as a single unit with the empennage which will attach as a single unit to the centre section of the fuselage. Forgive me for "thinking out loud" but I am trying to plan this out as well as I can and get organised up front, creating learning experiences along the way. Thanks for stopping by! PR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Keep at it PR. I spend half my time out on the road planning my scratchbuilds, I find it therapeutic and it gives results too. I hope you find the plans soon. have you tried museums? You could also ask on hyperscale.com? The amount of knowledge on there can be staggering sometimes. (As can the bickering)! Cheers Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 38 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: Keep at it PR. I spend half my time out on the road planning my scratchbuilds, I find it therapeutic and it gives results too. I hope you find the plans soon. have you tried museums? You could also ask on hyperscale.com? The amount of knowledge on there can be staggering sometimes. (As can the bickering)! Cheers Pete Thanks Pete! Indeed, the planning is therapeutic and I enjoy it. I am about to the point of contacting museums and/or Bombardier for resources. It sure would help to have a proper set of drawings to do this. I have yet to post to Hyperscale. I have an information request to fill on those pages. Will likely make a new post once I have that cared for. Cheers! PR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave665 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Interesting subject PR. Are you going to do the full display team? As for plans have you checked if anyone has done an radio controlled Tutor? Someone may have already done some ground work and put some plans together. I did find an old thread on the RCCanada forums where someone had "military" plans of the CT-114 but the posted images are poor. I did find this line drawing of the Tutor on the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum website but it has no scale. You could always take a similar approach to the one Airscale took with his Tigercat. Like Peter you could use a paper model as the start point. Dave Winfield has done a 1/33 scale CL-41 (CT-114 Tutor) that could be worth checking out. He may even be worth contacting to see what he used to create the plans/parts. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 (edited) Evening All! On 2017-03-09 at 2:08 PM, dave665 said: Interesting subject PR. Are you going to do the full display team? As for plans have you checked if anyone has done an radio controlled Tutor? Someone may have already done some ground work and put some plans together. I did find an old thread on the RCCanada forums where someone had "military" plans of the CT-114 but the posted images are poor. I did find this line drawing of the Tutor on the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum website but it has no scale. You could always take a similar approach to the one Airscale took with his Tigercat. Like Peter you could use a paper model as the start point. Dave Winfield has done a 1/33 scale CL-41 (CT-114 Tutor) that could be worth checking out. He may even be worth contacting to see what he used to create the plans/parts. Hello, Dave. Thank you for taking the time to chip-in and search references on this project. You are most kind!! Sorry, I only plan on doing one plane. That will be more than enough, but I have checked RC plans and found a lot online for detailed photos (including the vector artwork you linked above). That file seems to be the best available online at this point. I found the same RCCanada files as well. (Yes, sadly very poor quality). Building from paper model plans as Peter has done with the F7F crossed my mind as well and to that end I have bookmarked Dave Winfield's pages. His work is excellent and I encourage everyone to check them out. I have been doing sketches to plan-out the construction of the overall airframe and searching for resources. Work has kept me away from the workbench but I hope to be building the desktop PC soon. (Working from a laptop right now). Thanks for stopping by! PR Edited March 14, 2017 by Pastor Rich To err is human, proof readers untie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 What about contacting Canadair? They might have a scribble or two in their archives they'd be willing to share with you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 2 hours ago, Jessica said: What about contacting Canadair? They might have a scribble or two in their archives they'd be willing to share with you. Yeah, a call to Bombardier had come to mind as well. I've just placed an order for the 1:33 scale paper model from Dave Winfield. We'll see how that looks once I have it! Otherwise, yes, it's gonna take some knocking on doors to get the good stuff! Thank you for the ideas! All excellent and avenues to pursue... PR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Edmundson Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 PR, myself, having 10 years experience working on the Tutor and a couple years as an Airframe Tech with the Snowbirds, I would like to offer you any help possible, Questions?? Fire away !! Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 8 minutes ago, Tony Edmundson said: PR, myself, having 10 years experience working on the Tutor and a couple years as an Airframe Tech with the Snowbirds, I would like to offer you any help possible, Questions?? Fire away !! Tony Thank you so very much Tony! I will keep your offer top-of-mind as there will be many questions along the way. One of my goals is to really have fun with the skins and features thereof. The mix of raised and flush rivets, screws, drains, tubes, vents as well as the array of antennas make for an interesting finish. All detail I hope to dig into and what I'm looking for in the photo reference library that I'm building. Cheers! PR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Edmundson Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 PR we can start by calling the Tutor a CT-114 only(no A) or a CL-41A. If in Snowbird colours, you have a multitude of differing changes to the paint-job since the RedWhiteBlue was introduced in 1974. Along with that would be the odd antenna changes over the years. Private message me your Email address, as I have many a photo of the Tutor from all angles. Cheers, Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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