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Beech C45 Expeditor tailplane


rob Lyttle

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I'm building a C45,  and I'm looking at separating the control surfaces and giving them a bit of deflection.

I can't quite figure out how the rudders and elevator interact without fouling each other.

IMG_20180367_114406

Is that a quadrant of unmovable horizontal tailplane that a gap in the rudders moves over?

Any insight or reference material would be most appreciated.

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OK, good find, Chris.🌟🎈🌟

 

That looks like a straight cut for the end of the elevator.

40003151194_17f71e4a4a_b

 

And a rudder fillet that slides inside the fixed section, and that would include the operating mechanism mentioned in your excellent 3view drawing!

D'you reckon that's what we're looking at?

Well, the elevator is a doddle at least.

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2 hours ago, dogsbody said:

This is the only good photo I have of the tailplane of the Beech 18 at the Alberta Aviation Museum.

 

AAM 045

 

 

Chris

As Chris has illustrated and pointed out, the small fairing section attached to the rudder moves inside the straight fixed section of fairing that is next to the elevator. The elevator has a pointed fairing attached on the underside that also moves inside the tail cone  assembly when the elevator is depressed. That one drove me crazy for quite a while to figure out until I could find a real C-45 to examine. BTW, we are long overdue for an accurate new-tool Bugsmasher!

Mike

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Got you precisely, @72modeler.

I see what you're talking about.

I'm going to have to take a saw to that little rascal if I want some elevator drop.

 

This is the upper tailplane moulding that I was dealing with.

IMG_20180309_213354

 

Doesn't give much away.

 

Excellent stuff, guys. Thanks!🌟

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2 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Got you precisely, @72modeler.

I see what you're talking about.

I'm going to have to take a saw to that little rascal if I want some elevator drop.

 

This is the upper tailplane moulding that I was dealing with.

IMG_20180309_213354

 

Doesn't give much away.

 

Excellent stuff, guys. Thanks!🌟

 

What kit?

 

 

Chris

 

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This is the Revell boxing of the ICM mould. 1/48.

Somebody on the tip thread said it was the"new" updated and much improved version.

I couldn't say, as it's the only one I've seen.

But all good so far.

IMG_20180225_224756

 

On here, 

 

Edited by rob Lyttle
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9 hours ago, dogsbody said:

Wow! I've got two different 1/72 kits with better looking tailplanes than that 1/48 kit.

But in both cases the movable part takes whole span, whereas it should end earlier and the most outer parts are those acuators with that complex geometry...

J-W

 

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Must admit I do get dismayed at the way kit designers deal with control surfaces 

They are such an intrinsic part of the airframe, and a bit of deflection or deployment can add a lot to the look of the plane.

But you need a good knife...!

 

I just finished some Red Arrows Hawks. Even the 1/32 Revell needed major surgery and reconstruction to deploy the flaps, which are always down when parked 

D'you reckon we'd get bored if they made it too easy??

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Flaps have rarely been provided separately, but it was common to have the other controls provided as separate, even movable, parts.  Perhaps it should be considered why they went out of fashion?  Because they looked unreal, with excessive gaps and an unattractive toy-like appearance?

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Well, Graham,  I hear what you're saying about moving parts - pretty pointless in a static model. I'd far rather have bulged tyres than rotating wheels!

(I still love a good spinning prop you can blow, though!)😃

It's good to have options, though, and it sometimes feels like they take too many easy options.

 

What a great bit of design work by Beech on the tail here, and look at the slabs of styrene I got .

Completely unsympathetic to the design of the airframe.

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4 hours ago, JWM said:

But in both cases the movable part takes whole span, whereas it should end earlier and the most outer parts are those acuators with that complex geometry...

J-W

 

 

I guess nobody got it right. Pity the poor modeller.

 

 

Chris

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Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

IMG_20180310_180523

 

Still got to decide what to do with the little side panels, but I'm thinking about splitting -off the rudders.

Even if I put them back straight, I'll have the chance to make something shaped around the balance tabs etc

b14

 

I'll continue this on my thread.

 

Thanks again for all the info and assistance!👍

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That second photo was taken at the Alberta Aviation Museum in 2007. It has since been moved out of the city, to the Villeneuve airport, about 35 km. to the northwest.

This photo was taken this past August. It doesn't look as good now.

 

DSC_0718

 

DSC_0717

 

 

 

Chris

 

 

Edited by dogsbody
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Is it the shadows, or is the ICM version slightly asymmetric port and stb'd, in that fairing area, with respect to the fixed section ? While one can probably find a lot on the net, I guess that part of the airframe is hard to do for a kit designer if he has no clear close up and so literally no picture how precisely it works.

 

Anyway, good to see another Granger fan out there, with apparently a complete run of Planes and Wingspan :-)

Edited by tempestfan
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Probably a photo thing, @tempestfan.

They were close enough for ICM.

There's been a bit of surgery going on...

IMG_20180313_005059

 

IMG_20180313_005145

 

The two quadrants removed have both been added to the port rudder to give left hand stick, which just leaves a little recess in the starboard to sort out.

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2 hours ago, tempestfan said:

Is it the shadows, or is the ICM version slightly asymmetric port and stb'd, in that fairing area, with respect to the fixed section ? While one can probably find a lot on the net, I guess that part of the airframe is hard to do for a kit designer if he has no clear close up and so literally no picture how precisely it works.

 

Anyway, good to see another Granger fan out there, with apparently a complete run of Planes and Wingspan :-)

 

I don't have the complete set. I'm missing a few Planes and I only have a couple of the Wingspans. The local vendor was kind of iffy on his magazine supply back then.

I did find a few more Granger drawings online number of years ago, but I can't find them again and I forget where it was.

 

 

Chris

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