Bear With Me! Years ago when my boys Scott and Bill were very young I got interested in building and flying RC (remote control) aircraft. Through their growing years they both shared my interest and together we built and flew many. As life circumstances changed I stepped away from continuing with the hobby but both boys continued on as they went off to establish their own lives and homes. Due to Scott and family choosing to call home a 52' sailboat he was forced to put his talents in the hobby on hold, but Bill had the space and desire to continue with his talents and he began building and flying as much as he could fit in to his busy life.
The P-38 was the plane that my father served his country flying combat in the Pacific Theater and ultimately lost his life through mechanical difficulties while ferrying a new plane to the combat front----you see---he had completed his required combat missions and was assigned to the lighter non combat duty of ferrying aircraft. The long and short of it is---I was but 3 months old when he lost his life, just four months before the surrender of Japan on September 2nd 1945.
Now step back 20 years from today, both boys had left home and I was left to build planes on my own. I ordered a "Royal" balsa kit of the P-38 and meticulously began building. This kit was the ultimate for its time and I started on it with great enthusiasm. It was to be my ultimate project. It being a twin engine I ordered both engines. I bought and experimented with a retractable gear configuration for all three wheels. The project began to take shape as it was for the most part completed except for the covering and final details. It was then that building alone in that "airplane hanger shed" out behind the house without the boys for company and some changes in life circumstances, that I totally walked away from the hobby and my dream to complete this aircraft.
Fast forward to when Kathleen and I were in the formative stages of preparing for our full-time adventure in a motor home that it was decided that all of my remaining planes, radio gear, tools, parts, and yes the unfinished P-38 would be given to Bill and he could do whatever he chose with them.
I had been aware that in the last couple of years Bill was off and on working on the P-38 in between other plane projects and it was with great excitement that about a month ago he said that on September 6th 2008 it would be completed and he was going to fly it. He invited us of course, along with his brother Scott. He also invited his boss and a co-worker, both of whom got interested in RC through Bill.
It is not easy to finish building a kit that someone else has started. It is not easy to convert what started out as a gas engine model and convert it to an all electric, but electric flight is now Bill's passion. You can see by the above two pictures that the finished all electric P-38 with two very powerful electric engines, retractable landing gears, and modern digital radio gear was a beautiful tribute to many years of an on again, off again, on again build.
A builder always questions himself when he completes a project. Should I hang it on the wall for all to see? Should I attempt to fly it? I know that these questions were heavy on Bill's mind but in discussion we both felt that it was meant to fly and whatever the outcome we could both accept its fate.
September 6th 2008 came and the following is a pictorial tribute to many years in the making:
Slide Show
Bill taxied the plane to the center of the runway and as we always did on any maiden flight of a new built plane he stood directly behind it so as he advanced the throttles he would be able to best respond to any unusual movements that the plane would take. He invited me to stand by his side and I felt privileged to be able to do so.
The kit was designed to be built and flown at a max weight of about 10 lbs. Due to the weight of the electric engines and batteries needed to power them it weighed in at 14 lbs. Bill and I knew that it probably would fly but the flight speed would have to be kept fast in order to prevent it dropping like a rock from the sky. It also would be susceptible to stalling in turns due to its weight to wing ratio.
Bill advanced the throttles to full power and at the very end of the runway with the stick pulled completely back and the elevator at its maximum up position the plane lifted off and began a slow climb to altitude. The trims were pretty good however it was a bit nose heavy and I could tell that Bill was having to stay with the control at all times. Not knowing how much air time he would get from the electric engines before battery power became dangerously low he called for only a three minute flight and in that time he made several passes overhead and some practice attempts at landing approaches. When his brother Scott called out the three minute warning bill selected the landing gears to come down and made his approach to land. We both could see just before touch down that the nose gear had not come down and locked into position. He advanced the throttles and made several passes over the field to better asses the gear problem. Being unsuccessful at getting the gear down he decided to land with just the main wheels down and let the nose settle to the grass. We now were about 5 minutes in to the flight. The following picture will show you the end result:
Any flight, especially a "Maiden Flight" that ends with a plane that once again after some repair can return again and again to fly is considered a total success. Will this P-38 fly again? Will it be hung on the wall for all to admire? Only Bill knows. I for one hope it flies again and again as it sure was a beauty to behold as it made those maneuvers over the field. I am one proud dad!
In an aside to the above, a very unusual event occurred. A hawk appeared and landed on one of the RC pilot stations to observe the whole show. He stayed throughout and only moved a few feet to another piece of fence. Kathleen walked up to within a few feet to take its photo and it just stayed put as it watched us load the plane for its trip home. As we were leaving the hawk took to the sky and claimed it for his own.
