Fiddlers Green

I was delighted to see the release of the S-39!!! I "cut my teeth" on Osa Johnson's books, and (of course) fell in love with "The Spirit of Africa".

The fuselage was a bit slow and I built it twice as my first try was rather crooked --- second try is great. Engine, wing, and tail went together fine (I did add the braces between the rudder and elevator, which aren't in the print-out, but show in the drawings and photos --- these should be added).

The big snag I've hit is with the tail booms. Tail end is fine, but if you position the boom on top of the wing, the booms stick up at about a 30 degree angle. Can I re-cut the angle on the underside of the boom without screwing everything up (Tail boom to fuse strut and overall length of tail to wing)? Any advice?

(My ink costs are so preposperously high, I hate reprint too many times!!)


Bob

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I'm not an old fool, but I'm taking a correspondence course to become one.

oh you hit my heart strings osa's planes are what first got me interested in airplanes up until then it was all cowboys. the USO next door to me would turn the place over to kids and show movies all afternoon mostley westerns but some others like osa johnson movies I lell in love with her. I remember one schene of the flying snakes in africa. She was walking through the jungle totally covered in netting and these snakes about 2 feet long were jumping from the trees and falling down around her. When we first got a tv some of her movies would come. Years later I wrote to "You asked for it" and asked to see this scene again and they showed it.

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cowboy

While I haven't looked at the model, I think cutting the boom's angle will shorten the boom and throw the proportions off. You'll have to ADD a spliced section to the boom to decrease that joint angle, not cut anything away. I'll go take a look at the model & perhaps have more advice once I've seen it.

Mark Baird
Alameda CA

OK - I just looked at the model - here's what I'd do: 1. Do NOT cut any angle off the wing end of the boom - cut 'em square. 2. Notch the wing upper surface to accommodate the blunt boom end as an inset that will glue to the inside bottom surface of the wing. 3. Use a watercolor pen to silver in any exposed paper.

Hope that helps (I don't see how the prototype got built any other way than what I just described, because as drawn the booms would stick up like porcupine quills - as you discovered!)

MB

Mark,

I printed out one page today, and I think you're right about cutting the end of the booms square (at full length). I'll do some cutting and gluing tonight.



Cowboy (and everybody else who is interested),

Here is a web page for all you Osa and Martin fans: safarimuseum.com.

Under "Exhibitions" you'll find lots of pix of the Martins and their planes and their friends in Africa, etc. Enjoy!

Bob

_________________
I'm not an old fool, but I'm taking a correspondence course to become one.