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Thread: Need turning propellor mod for pedal plane

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    57

    Happy Need turning propellor mod for pedal plane

    I'll repost this in the new forum.

    I'm building my grandson a Pitts pedal plane. I have seen a few on the web that has the prop turn when it is pedaled. Does anyone know how this is setup?

    Peter,

    Thanks for the pic. I had seen it before. it does give ideas but does not give any details.
    Attached Images Attached Images  

  2. #2
    The plans for the Mustang include the drawings for the turning prop and also templates for the spinner and blades. The question I have, is where did you get the wood from?

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    57
    Mr Aero?,


    I'm still looking for some good wood. All the BigBox stores here only have pine plywood and pretty crappy stuff at that. Very coarse grain and usually has some warpage. I've seen some nice small sheets of birch ply but it was costly in the 2x4 sheets. Looking for a 4x8 sheet of birchply. Any know where i can get some in the riverside/san bernardino county areas of california?

    My pitts didn't come with any turning prop info. Is it something you could scan/fax and send me easily? It wouldn't need to be full scale.

    skeeter
    aka, Darrell W

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    3
    http://rogflys.tripod.com/mustang_pedal_plane.htm
    Take a look at the link above, this builder skim coated the exterior of his P51 pedal plane with car body filler to get a good finish. I'm building a couple of T6 pedal planes and expect to try this idea myself as the plywood I'm using has a poor finish on it. I may skim only the top and sides as the underside will only be seen if the kids nose over when fast taxiing!

  5. #5

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    Jul 2011
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    Thanks for the link. I had thought about that but figured if i could get some wood with a smooth finnish it would be worth the few extra bucks ( as long as it not too much).

    skeeter

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Spartanburg, SC
    Posts
    6
    At Oshkosh, I looked inside one and there is a pulley between the pedals and a small plastic looking chain that has a twist to turn 90 degrees to a pulley behind the prop. It may not be much help, but it might give you an idea how to make one.

  7. #7
    The pulley attached to the crankshaft is made of three 3/8" plywood glued together against the center of the pedal shaft. The pulley attached to the propeller you can find at some hardware stores - they are normally 1/2 dia hub, but they come in all sizes. Another option is to make your own by tightening the following in this order to create a makeshift pulley - nut,fender washer,nut,fender washer,nut - at the end of the propeller shaft. Please join our facebook group of pedal plane builders.

  8. #8
    I also forgot to mention for those considering using auto body filler. Don't waste your time/money. Put a good primer coat on the first layer, then use a thin layer of sheetrock mud and hand sand with a 220 grit followed by another primer coat. It will remove any sign of wood grain. It's a whole lot cheaper and easier to mix and sand.

    Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help. I also sell a complete build kit for the Stearman and soon a P-51 Mustang. I can be emailed at pudljumper@yahoo.com if you are interested.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    3
    I'm not familiar with sheetrock mud, looking at a couple of videos online suggest it is the plaster used to fill/seal joints in drywall? Is that correct?

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    57
    Quote Originally Posted by hohocc View Post
    I'm not familiar with sheetrock mud, looking at a couple of videos online suggest it is the plaster used to fill/seal joints in drywall? Is that correct?
    Yes, it is used for the joints in drywall. It actually is not plaster though and very easy to sand.

    skeeter

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