My Lovely Lacey

[toekneesoaprano]

This is a Lacey 10 that was purchased through Stefan Gasparin and he had specially built for me by Mr. Ivo Cervenkaas at my request. It's quite nice, don't you think?

It features the Gasparin G-2.6 C02 motor which I believe is one of the smallest available if not thee smallest.

I have not tested it yet. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

Joe

[toekneesoaprano]

The side view

[PeteSchug]

You have to be very careful how you carry your Stradivarious, let alone how you play it.

Both planes are beautiful, I hope they last you a long time and are eventually retired in good condition.

Along similar but different lines I was just given a forty year old aeromaster that used to be mine when it was new. It is in pretty good flying condition, but I am on the edge of being afraid to fly it! I don't want to be the guy who ends a forty year career!

Pete (the risk taker reassessing his flying style.)

[toekneesoaprano]

Hi Pete,

I won't be flying this Lacey or the Nieuport for that matter. However, if anyone is in the Chicago Suburbs I would love to show these. I am afraid to fly them, but can just stare at the planes and admire the craftsmanship and beauty that went into them.

Some day, I would like to fly the Nieuport but I'm not ready yet. Ivan tested it for me and said it flew quite nice before he sent it to me assembled.

Regarding the Lacey, I might get the C02 adaptor from Fritz Mueller just to fill the petite tank on the G -2.6 and see the propeller spin and hear it work - but I have no experience with this, so I will have to talk this through with Fritz or someone else who is knowlegdeable.

I can just stare at the Lacey and admire Mr. Cervenkaa's craftsmanship and Stefan's CO2 Motor.

I actually was interested in Mr. Nick Leichty building an RC System for the Lacey - and although it sounds like he has the capability to manage this, I don't think it's practical for my purposes.

I will try to take more pics soon and display these.

I am open and invite any comments AND suggestions on this - thanks.

Best Regards,

Joe

[Dave Robelen]

Hi Joe, Pete,
The micro models are a splendid example of old world craftmanship. Kept under glass, they should last a very long time.
Pete, I have several models hanging on display because I have flown them extensively and become too attached to see one of these crash. When it reaches this point, the model becomes a "hangar queen" . My favorite is a 1/6 scale Nieuport 17 that I built and flew in the 1970's. At one point it was featured on a TV show, and later won the State R/C scale championships. In fact, this unlikely candidate even won a third place in open pattern competition in a field of fifteen. Watching a scale biplane like the Nieuport fly through a rolling circle was just a bit much for the judges. After that, they were giving away points like crazy. Such fun--
Regards, Dave

[Mike Taylor]

A short story:

I was lucky enough to win a $3,600 Browning Citori grade 6 over-and-under shotgun at a Quial Unlimited or Ducks Unlimited raffle. I called Browning to ask a question about the gun. The first question the service rep asked me was, 'You are going to shoot it, aren't you?'. He was greatly releived when I said 'Yes.' He said they had gone to a great amount of trouble to develop and produce this glorious piece of work and it would be a great shame to just keep it in the safe, even if it would keep its value. I have had wonderful times shooting it and it is still a great gun.

You have a similar show piece, but it is a MODEL AIRPLANE and it is meant to FLY. Practice on your own models till you get good at flying your own planes, then take it and fly it. Tissue fades and gets brittle over the years, dust dulls the finish, dumb friends hold it too tight and stuff breaks... What a shame if this happens and the plane has never had air under its wings. Its like dying when you are still a virgin (why do you think they are called 'maiden flights'?)...

I vote: Fly it!

[toekneesoaprano]

Mike and Dave,

Thank you for your suggestions to fly the Nieuport and the Lacey.

I actually agree with both of your perspectives on this. It would be silly not to fly the Nieuport at some point. I do plan on flying it but right now my skills are not too good yet. So, I don't think I should use it as a trainer plane. Maybe a year from now I'll be ready. I can fly my other micro models in the meantime. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Regarding the Lacey which actually has a CO2 engine in it, would you recommend me contacting Nck Leichty to have him install an RC system? If if can be done neatly I would seriously consider this. I have already spoken with him about this and he thinks he can do it.

Please advise... thanks,

Joe

[Dave Robelen]

Hi Joe,
Nick does a great job of building the really tiny equipment. I have seen some of it in Henry Pasquet's tiny models, and it works great and has good quality. As far as developing the skills in flying, that is a very reasonable approach. While these tiny, light, models can be hard to damage when flown over something like soft grass, it would still pay to get handy with a less beloved model.
I spent a year flying a sport model developing my skills before I flew the Nieuport I mentioned earlier. This way, when the time came, I was ready, and the scale model was a pleasure. Why not check out something like a Micro Stik from Bob Selman or www.smallrc.com You can beat on one of these a terrific amount without damage.
Regards, Dave

[Mike Taylor]

I concur with Dave. Learn on a foam wing micro that will take all the punishment you will dish out. You'll know when it is time to fly the other planes. I still need to warm up my thumbs when a new project is ready to fly qnd a tough foamy is what I use.

As far as retrofitting R/C gear into a completed FF model - how feasible or easy that would be depends on how the model is constructed, specifically how much access to the inside is left. Nick's gear is gloriously tiny and he is a masterful builder. If anybody could do a nice job, it is Nick. If you go that route, see if you can get him to use a KBA actuator (2 controls for 0.1 gram weight). With the tiniest battery and that gear the weight would only go up about 4 grams over the FF version.

[toekneesoaprano]

Thanks for the info Dave! I actually have become pretty good at building a "Dolphin" model based on Bob's Selman's plans. It flies pretty good and has Gary Jones' foam wings. I love making these.

Regarding the Lacey, it has a tiny, Gaspain C02 G2.6 motor in it. I know it depends on how much CO2 you put in it and wether you point the cartridge up or down to get gas or liquid in the tank - but rough and tough, what kind of flight times can be expected, provided, I can keep it in the air?

And, would you only use this as indoor flier since it's so light?

Thanks,

Joe

[Dave Robelen]

Hi Joe,
I have seen Henry Pasquet's models with the same engine fly for 4-5 minutes on a charge. The kicker is that they are much lighter (1.8-2.0 grams) and can use a lower RPM. Your flight times will depend on how much liquid you can get into the tank, and the RPM setting needed to fly the Lacey. I agree with Mike, the lightest control package you can use will help keep the flying speed down, and require less RPM. I do not have convenient access to an indoor to an indoor flying site, so I fly all of my micro models outside. I would rather get acquainted with a new and delicate model over some soft grass, than a building with a hard floor and walls. These opinions assume that your area might have some periods of fairly calm winds, such as morning or evening. That Lacey is not going to be all that slow with the R/C gear, it might surprise you.
Regards, Dave