Canberra Nose Weight

[Silver Fox]

Guys, I've built the Airfix 1/48th B(I) 12 and B.2 and both have been tail sitters no matter how much weight I used ( nose, nacelle fronts and tank fronts in a last gasp attempt to get all three on the ground). I've put loads of weight in but foolishly never noted down how much, I'm getting concerned about the ability of the U'c to cope with it.

I'm using the tail stands quite happily but for the T.13 I'd like to get it right.

So has anyone got a rough amount of weight needed?

Thanks in advance.

[AnonymousAA72]

Guys, I've built the Airfix 1/48th B(I) 12 and B.2 and both have been tail sitters no matter how much weight I used ( nose, nacelle fronts and tank fronts in a last gasp attempt to get all three on the ground). I've put loads of weight in but foolishly never noted down how much, I'm getting concerned about the ability of the U'c to cope with it.

I'm using the tail stands quite happily but for the T.13 I'd like to get it right.

So has anyone got a rough amount of weight needed?

Thanks in advance.

I never weighed mine, but a simple way of assessing is to tape the main parts together, add weight and balance on a tube or similar, continue to add weight until the tail points upwards!!

[canberra kid]

HI SF

I've just had my Rhodesian B.2 on the scales and it is exactly 400g, I know this only helps if you know how much the kit is before you add weight, but I think I added around 4OZ,(113g) it is quite happy on it's wheels. Building a T.13 you can get a good amount in the extreme nose plus two white metal seats in the front, the rest over the nose wheel bay it should be fine.

John

Edited February 7, 2010 by canberra kid

[kspriss]

borrowed from bex's 'Cabriolet canberra' build

9x1p coins in each nacelle front

11x1p on top of nose gear bay

26x1p behind the nose gear bay

55x1p pieces in total

or, from a build by notdoneyet,..."memories of high crosswinds at LLanbedr'

"In total I've crammed in 120g of fishing weights and the fuselage now weighs a whopping 230g !! I hope the U/C can take the strain"

both in the canberra group build section.

hope this helps

steve

Edited February 7, 2010 by kspriss

[Silver Fox]

I never weighed mine, but a simple way of assessing is to tape the main parts together, add weight and balance on a tube or similar, continue to add weight until the tail points upwards!!

Did that ( twice) but once the airframe was assembled the darn things were tail sitter. I added about twice as much to the B.2 after the 12 but still a sitter. perhaps Airfix have invented 'heavy plastic' for the tail surfaces and aerials.

Looks like 120ish grams, will do mine weight 345 and 380 grams respectively. As you say the T.13 will enable more to be further forward, I'm also considering cross kitting a Falcon vacform fuselage to the Airfix wings.

[kitnut617]

It will depend on where you pack the weight Silver Fox, if you have it too close to the main wheels, you will have to pack in a lot more than nessersary. I'm about to start the Airfix 1/72 B(I).8 which I asume is a direct pantagraph (is that the right word?) copy of the 1/48 kit. It says to place 45 grams directly on top of the nose wheel bay, and as I've build a few Canberra's in the past I know that probably won't be enogh so I'm going to stuff lead in all the hidden places arounf the cockpit area. Looking at the parts it would seem I could get the whole 45 grams in these places.

[Ingo Degenhardt]

I have not weighted all the lead I stuffed into my 1/48 PR.9, but it must be a lot, as this model has the Pavla Cockpits for Pilot & Navigator fitted, so there is not too much space left for lead in the fuselage nose. Furthermore I used the complete TwoMikes tail correction set (fin leading edge, all three rudders and horizontal tail planes) made from heavy resin. And the Cammett landing flaps which are etched brass...

In the end I had to put a lot of lead into the nose wheel bay :shithappens: to keep it from sitting on the tail and now the (reinforced) main landing gear is on the brink of collapsing...but the model sits on its four wheels - if only by a fraction. A sharp look to the rear end will make it fall over.

It is no wonder they had to put weights into the Nav cockpit on the real thing when removing the engines...

Ingo

[Stephen]

While speaking to Trevor Snowden a couple of years ago about Canberras he mentioned that John Adams of Aeroclub was considering a metal cockpit floor which would go some way to alleviate the problem but I've never heard any more about it.

Stephen

[Bandwagon 106]

Slightly off topic (by type anyway), but my Trumpter Thunderchief in 1/32 has a load of coins in it, in the bomb bay, the front fuselage, between the bomb bay and the cockpit, even in the ammo drum for the gun! It's kept the nose down though.

Joel

[canberra kid]

One more thing I'd like to add, try to keep all the weight in the nose, I've found over the years that if you stray from that area it can have an adverse effect on the c of g, try to keep it above the nose wheel bay or just behind, no further aft.

John

[Alex Gordon]

G'day folks,I agree with Bill Clark on this one.The only thing I'd do differently is plug a couple of short lengths of wire into the main undercarriage leg sockets to simulate the main undercarriage legs(reasonably tight fitting) to establish the point of balance.Trial and error will be relatively painless from here.

[AnonymousAA72]

Did that ( twice) but once the airframe was assembled the darn things were tail sitter. I added about twice as much to the B.2 after the 12 but still a sitter. perhaps Airfix have invented 'heavy plastic' for the tail surfaces and aerials.

Surely if you tape the tailplanes on as well as the wings - that would work (even if the plastic was heavier!) ? I mean there's no more plastic to add at the back once they're on?..........

[Colin W]

I just finished a Classic airframes 1/48 and she sits on her nose wheel with...

60g on top of the nose bay and 30g each side = 120g

rear resin seats replaced with Aeroclub metel ones 10g each = 20g

nose floor replaced with lead 10g

30g added to roof of nose behind instrument panel, painted black this cant be seen even with glass nose= 30g

Total weight 180g but remember 10g in the nose is worth 20g over the nose wheel due to the distance from the main wheels.

So there you have it.

Not sure how long the undercarriage will last with this load on it. I think for my next one I'll be dremelling out the tail.

Cheers

Colin W