Hi Luis,
Let's first introduce myself.
I'm Michel Dierick and live in Belgium (a
little country next to France). I enlisted on the Flybaby-list in 09/2000.
I purchased my plans in 1998, following a publication in the English
Magazine 'Pilot' where the same FlyBaby G-BNPV (Kitplanes 07/2000) was
subject of an article in 1997. Unfortunatly, I haven't still got the time
to start my project.
Meanwhile, I already spent a lot of time studying the plans and looking for
a paint scheme.
It's good to plan quit far ahead how you would like the looks of your
Fly-Baby.
The finishing paint scheme graces your ship or makes it ugly. So, it's a
very
important item.
I visited your Web-page ' design idea's' and saw your drawing. It's a
beautiful paintscheme. I already saw the same paint scheme on a Acrosport,
but practically every paint scheme has been seen somewhere on a other
airplane.
That doesn't matter, as long as it suites your airplane, it's good.
Nevertheless, I come up with some suggestions.
Of course, most of the suggestions are my own opinion, but that's why this
forum is for, to share our opinions and to give idea's to others.
We just have to bare in mind that the design of the Fly-Baby. Altough the
airplane is designed in 1960, it has the looks
of airplanes from the 30's. So, if we're trying to fit a beautiful cowling
or paint-scheme, it will practically always suits the airplane well if we
keep the classic 30's airplanes in mind.
1. Cowling
The original Cub-cowling is by far the most beautifull. Other 'closed'
cowlings don't grace the Fly-baby very much. I even tried a Tiger Moth and
De Havilland 'Chipmunk'
cowling combined with the Mid-West Rotary Engine. This engine has 100 HP
and is much narrower than the Lycomings
or Continentals. In fact, it is even smaller than the firewall of the
fuselage.
The result of this design ? Only combined with a closed Chipmunk-like
canopy ', it's quit beautifull. Not with the open
Cockpit.
Or the Fly-Baby as a bi-plane with the 'Tiger Moth' cowling is also
good.
2. Landing Gear.
If the two vees are closed, it gives a 'heavy' look at the airplane.
And as wood as material is very beautiful,
it suites the airplane when this wood is varnished instead of painting
in a whatever color.
I refer to the Kitplane article of July 2000. The landing gear
wouldn't be beautiful if painted, for example, in blue.
Open vees are much more gracefull.
Of course: open vees give a bit more drag, but the airplane isn't
designed to go fast.
To share some ideas of paint schemes, I add some JPEG drawings of my schemes
I also think that everybody on the Flybaby-list would like to see other
paint schemes as well. So, come on guys, let's show
yours !
I whish every builder of a Flybaby lots of happy building hours and
happy flights.
Regards,
Michel Dierick
PS : Luis, the pictures of the 90% build Flybaby are wonderfull. I use
them as
Screen Saver (Photo Express) on my computer.
That's very good for visual knowledge of your project before you
start to build it!
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