Jump to content

Cessna Bobcat (Wisconsin Central Airlines)


Recommended Posts

50802368591_47efb61111_b.jpg 

Photo from Clintonville Public Library (Clintonville, WI)

 

In 1939 the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company (FWD), a major manufacturer of four-wheel transmissions and heavy-duty trucks based in Clintonville, Wisconsin, opened a flight department and traded a company truck for a Waco biplane for their company's use.  In 1944 company executives decided to start an airline named Wisconsin Central Airlines, and service began between six Wisconsin cities in 1946. This led the company to buy two Cessna UC-78 Bobcats, and, soon after, three Lockheed Electra 10As.

 

In 1949, the familiar logo of "Herman the Duck" was created by Karl Brocken, a Milwaukee industrial design consultant. The flying mallard, silhouetted against the sun by day and the moon at night, symbolized the frequent and quick flights of Wisconsin Central's aircraft.

 

More revenue allowed three more Electra 10As, then six Douglas DC-3s. Within three years the airline was serving 19 cities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In October 1950, Wisconsin Central bought six Douglas DC-3 aircraft from Trans World Airlines (TWA). These larger, 21 passenger aircraft cost $450,000, nearly a quarter of the airline’s total revenues for that year. In 1952 the airline moved their headquarters from Wisconsin to Minneapolis, Minnesota and changed its name to North Central Airlines.


In July 1979, North Central acquired regional carrier Southern Airways and became Republic Airlines.  This merger ended the proud legacy of Wisconsin Central Airlines and Herman the Duck. 

In 1986, Republic merged with Northwest Orient Airlines. Following the merger, the new airline became Northwest Airlines (dropping the "Orient"), which merged into Delta Air Lines in 2008. Once the merger was finalized in early 2010, the Northwest Airlines brand fully retired with the Delta Air Lines name surviving as the successor to Wisconsin Central Airlines.

 

From its start in small-town Clintonville, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Central Airlines, and its successor North Central, grew into a major regional and national air carrier. In its 35 year history the airline carried nearly 6 million passengers, served 96 cities, employed 3,400 people, earned $140 million and flew seven different types of aircraft.

 

A history of Wisconsin Central and North Central Airlines aircraft, from top to bottom:

Cessna UC-70 Bobcat, Lockheed 10A, Douglas DC-3, Convair 440, Convair 580, Douglas DC-9, Douglas DC-9, Douglas DC-9 Series 30

50804220167_a901cc1e50_o.jpg 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

In Spring of 2020, having decided to retire and relocate to Madison, Wisconsin, I built this model of a Lockheed L10 Electra in Wisconsin Central Airlines markings:

 

50158014172_d8ce06f449_b.jpg 

 

Now, I'm all settled in to my new home and it's time to expand my collection of Wisconsin-themed aircraft. For this project, I will be building Wisconsin Central Airlines's first aircraft, the Cessna T-50 Bobcat:

 

50802136396_03f610ed7a_z.jpg 

 

Let's open the box and see what's included!

 

Two sprues of gray plastic:

50801392548_e79ca32d8d_b.jpg 

 

One clear sprue for the canopy and side windows:

50802250642_e4741de21d.jpg 

 

Two sheets of decals, representing four Bobcats in civil markings:

50802251422_b253ecbd75_c.jpg

 

50802251692_e28b191fb9_b.jpg 

 

Lastly, four pages of instructions:

50801392638_2d7af6f281_c.jpg   50802135286_5eeb1519ac_c.jpg 

 

50802250472_9211764847_c.jpg  50802251407_c6f06163d8_c.jpg 

 

I will also be using these aftermarket items:

50802250672_e795a7c0c4_z.jpg 

 

Research is the necessary prerequisite for building a historic aircraft, and I was challenged to find any photos or other information about WCA's Bobcats. Fortunately, Space Ranger came to the rescue with a color profile drawing and a 1947 black & white photo taken in Clintonville of NC51401 and NC63662:

 

50803282398_8225302503_c.jpg 

 

50803279848_61a05b1392_c.jpg 

 

My first question was, is the Wisconsin Central Airlines logo in the profile correct? The aircraft in the photo show no logos present. Perhaps the profile creator was applying artistic license?

 

Then, Mika at Arctic Decals unearthed this photo, which confirms the passenger side of the WAC Bobcats carried a logo:

 

50802240597_e4651ace92_c.jpg 

 

Just a few days ago I stumbled on a veritable treasure-trove of information about Wisconsin Central Airlines at the Clintonville Public Library. In addition to the color photo at the top of this post, I found the following items to help me in my build:

 

50802368576_28ef020347_c.jpg 

 

50802368556_54135fe396_c.jpg 

 

50802240612_0d577449e5_b.jpg 

 

 

This is going to be fun! 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 20
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting project and nice history of a classic US airline.  Herman the Duck was carried over into the Republic era and was on their first colour scheme. I have 1/144 DC-9 decals

somewhere. He only disappeared with Republic's mid-80s (pretty awful) colour scheme.....

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is cool! :popcorn:

 

I remember Republic well. I recall one flight where I and 1 other passenger were aboard at the origin in Sault Ste Marie. The flight attendant didn't do her usual spiel but talked to each of us separately. A few more boarded in Traverse City and, and IIRC, another handful boarded in Saginaw before the flight ended Detroit. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Bill, excellent research you have done on this project, I plan to follow this build and if it turns out anything like your previous wip it will be well worth it

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Work has begun!

 

Before I show what I've been up to, I must exercise full disclosure and admit that, so far, I've been cribbing from Moa's work on this same kit. Thus, I'm not going to repeat all the details... for those, you can find his WIP here:

 

 

Here are my accomplishments thus far:

 

I assembled the rather basic interior:

 

50809599443_62c9c751d0_z.jpg

 

I have practically nil info about interior colors for the WCA Bobcats. All I have is this photo, which suggests (based on a close look at the entry door) a two tone scheme: black below the windows and a lighter grayish hue above that:

 

50809614908_dbdb488375_c.jpg

 

Trailing edges of the wing and rudder were thinned down using a scraper:

 

50810455882_1a44744558_c.jpg

 

I drilled holes for the retractable landing lights. I will be adding reflective lenses from the backside of the holes. The plastic is very thick in this area, so I ground down the interior of the wing to make the holes shallower:

 

50810455837_afae290924_z.jpg   50809599578_55916a5d26_z.jpg

 

Some Bobcats also had a light in the leading edge of the left wing. This appears to be the case with the WCA Bobcats, as evidenced by this period photo:

 

50810658941_f21bb396e6_c.jpg

 

Here is a better view on a different aircraft:

 

50808639333_034dca7451_c.jpg

 

I thinned the rear of the engine cowlings and drilled holes for the exhausts:

 

50810455887_c94e1a5864_z.jpg

 

I will be replacing the kit engines with more detailed resin castings from Engines & Things:

 

50810455817_849d6ddc31_z.jpg

 

There is no way these will fit in the kit's cowlings, so I'll cheat and cut back the top of the cylinders:

 

50810455727_c73139381d_z.jpg 

 

I assembled the engine nacelles and test fit them to the wings. The fit is very good and very little filler will be needed at the join:

 

50809599513_f49776a7ac_c.jpg

 

I was concerned about the size and shape of the opening for the landing gear (a lesson I learned from my L10 Electra build), but these seem close to being correct:

 

50810812097_a19d3b0428_c.jpg

 

I have read that the landing gear legs of the KP Bobcat kit are too long. By making measurements from drawings and photos, I believe the landing gear leg should project between 0.4 and 0.45 inches below the nacelle (the variability depends on fuel and cargo load, plus how much pressure is in the shock strut).  See examples below:

 

50810735907_b6564a8c47_o.jpg

 

Measuring the kit's landing gear assembly, I found the distance between the nacelle and wheel axle to be 0.55 inches, meaning I will have to remove at least a tenth of an inch (2.5-mm) from the leg. A sizeable amount!

 

50810455877_5445418fde_z.jpg 

 

That's all for now. Thanks for viewing!

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A bit more progress this evening:

 

I shortened  the landing gear by 3-mm, then added a 0.5-mm styrene strip to support the three "legs", giving a net reduction in length of 2.5-mm.

 

50811425573_cbc8310e3b_z.jpg

 

Painted the interior black & gray, with aluminum seats for the pilot and co-pilot:

 

50811425608_09cfcf716a_c.jpg

 

Added reflective lenses for the retractable landing lights in the wings. I will do the leading edge light after the wings are assembled:

 

50812168326_74f0dd95d7_z.jpg

 

 

Cheers!

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doing two completely different builds at once (my other being a 3D-printed Socata TB9 Tampico), progress isn’t as rapid as it would be otherwise. Nonetheless, I’m happy how things are going so far...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a neat project!  I didn't know there was a Wisconsin Central Airlines, although I'm sure my in-laws do.  The build looks really good so far.

 

Having lived in Washington my whole life, I only remember a couple airlines based here in my lifetime: Horizon Air and Cascade Airways (which my pilot dad always called "Crash-cade").  Of course there were the ubiquitous bright yellow Hughes Airwest DC-9's flying in and out of PSC across the river when I was a kid.

 

I'm not usually a civil aircraft fan, but this looks like a fun project!  I'll tag along if I may!

Edited by opus999
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, opus999 said:

What a neat project!  I didn't know there was a Wisconsin Central Airlines, although I'm sure my in-laws do.  The build looks really good so far.

 

Having lived in Washington my whole life, I only remember a couple airlines based here in my lifetime: Horizon Air and Cascade Airways (which my pilot dad always called "Crash-cade").  Of course there were the ubiquitous bright yellow Hughes Airwest DC-9's flying in and out of PSC across the river when I was a kid.

 

I'm not usually a civil aircraft fan, but this looks like a fun project!  I'll tag along if I may!

 

I grew up in western Virginia, and remember Piedmont and Allegheny Airlines when I was a youngster. My first plane flight was on a Piedmont DC-3 -- I have one with Piedmont decals in my stash, waiting to be built.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I polished the clear parts with Tamiya polishing paste, then gave them a coat of Mr. Polymer Coating. I just recently discovered this product, and used it in my earlier F-4 Phantom build. It gives a result at least as good as dipping in Future, but without the mess and hassle.

 

50827164326_872cafec8a_z.jpg   50826758136_c7b5b73b7b_z.jpg 

 

There are no locating pins in the fuselage halves, so I glued narrow styrene strips along the edges to help with alignment:

 

50826853022_e4a6faba36_c.jpg 

 

I had to do a lot of trial-and-error fettling to get the side windows to fit properly, and it took me over an hour to install them. I used VMS Transpa Fix 6 for the first time -- It is very thick & viscous, and creates messy strings of glue. It also takes 24-hours to completely dry. It reminds me very much of watch crystal cement. The nice thing about it is it doesn't craze the clear parts like CA or standard styrene cement.

 

50826758016_1e375df8b6_z.jpg 

 

I assembled the wings while the side windows were drying; they went together with no problems. My thinning of the trailing edge seems to have done the trick, although I do have some cleanup to do there.

 

50826012333_797b279efd_z.jpg  50826012288_c80d841751_z.jpg

 

Next, I will install the interior and close up the fuselage. After that, I'll probably spend some quality time with the engines.

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've spent the past couple of days working on my Socata Tampico, but this morning I turned my attention back to the red Bobcat.

 

With the wings assembled, I was ready to add the leading edge lights. For this, I elected to try the method that @lunarhighway  recently posted in his T-6 Harvard build:

 

 

First, I cut away the area in the leading edge where the lights will go and added the lenses for the lights:

 

50835112782_009274bbaa_z.jpg 

 

I'm fond of using this product for lights, and have used it in many of my builds:

 

50835027701_c3c9f585aa_c.jpg 

 

With the lenses in place, I created the transparent cover using clear cello tape (the thicker kind, used for sealing packages). I trimmed the edges with a sharp scalpel blade:

 

50835112222_736285022c_c.jpg 

 

I did say sharp, didn't I?

 

50835113607_5601c4d12a_z.jpg 

 

Next, I worked on the engine nacelles. On the actual aircraft, there is a gap between the engine nacelle and cowling, which provides an exit for the engine cooling air:

 

50835037252_39fbd2fcd2_c.jpg

 

To re-create this gap, I needed to round off the front of the kit engine nacelle. Here's a pic, with the modified nacelle shown on the left:

 

50834293308_0c2f47d549_z.jpg  50835112312_ab0cd469aa_z.jpg 

 

The nacelles fit very nicely to the wing, but did require a bit of cleanup along the edge for the join:

 

50835113997_aa982a36f8_c.jpg 

 

You can see that I've closed off the front of the nacelles with plasticard. This serves two purposes. First, it will prevent the "see through" effect when I install the aftermarket engines. More importantly, the plasticard bulkhead will facilitate creating the desired gap when I install the cowlings to the nacelles. I used this same method when I did my L10 Electra, and it was very effective.

 

The wings are now pretty much done, so I moved on to finishing up the fuselage. I installed the instrument panel and interior, then closed up the fuselage. 

 

50834294378_549da9369f_c.jpg 

 

I paid special attention to properly aligning the fin and rudder, where I had thinned down the trailing edge:

 

50834294508_51c3ff0e87_z.jpg 

 

Everything fit together well, except for the nose join, which needed a little "convincing":

 

50835113262_fb1c0f2e05_z.jpg 

 

I nearly forgot to add the yokes to the IP before closing the fuselage. The yokes are provided on the sprue, but there is no mention of them in KP's instructions!

 

50835113537_e4dc61bf65_z.jpg 

 

A test fit of the wings to the fuselage revealed some serious gaps:

 

50835027191_f5271c416d_c.jpg 


Also, the wing is not as thick as the wing root on the fuselage:

 

50835113742_da369664f8_z.jpg 

 

I partly, but not completely, corrected this by adding shims between the top & bottom wing pieces:

 

50835113982_4e92983079.jpg 

 

There's a lot of seam work to be done before I'm ready to attach the wings to the fuselage. But, things are coming together and she's shaping up to be a nice looking airplane:

 

50835027686_20ae126329_b.jpg 

  • Like 12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/14/2021 at 1:48 PM, lunarhighway said:

It's really comming together nicely! You're doing this handsome little plane justice!

 

Good luck with those wing roots. It will be interesting to see your plan of attack.

 

 

 

On 1/14/2021 at 7:08 PM, opus999 said:

Too bad about the wing roots.  I'm also curious to see how you deal with them.  Good catch on the yokes, too!  


Moa was first to report the yoke issue, so I was aware of it. Nonetheless, I very nearly left them off.

 

For the wing roots, I will probably fill the gaps with stretched sprue and/or styrene strip, then overlay with sprue gloop. I handled some even larger gaps on my B-58 Hustler build that way, with good results:

 

Massive gap in B-58 fin, filled with stretched sprue & sprue gloop -- Before & After:

46833746224_7eb0fec6b3.jpg  47944403152_901570df70.jpg 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bill, can’t believe I missed this—what a cool project—I also now have a better understanding of the history behind the small seal by some airline doors a few years ago stating the aircraft was operated by Republic Airlines as a sub—very cool—I am really looking forward to the final finish—I know you will hit it out of the park!  Best Erwin

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All the seams on the fuselage and wings have been puttied and sanded to my satisfaction, so it was time to glue the wings in place:

 

50838939082_b8c13aced7_b.jpg

 

I will give the glue plenty of time to set, then I'll tackle those humongous gaps along the wing roots.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...