Topic: folland gnat

anyone know of a good source of 3 view drawings?........checked the web....but not great :(

cheers

dave

only thing i found Dave is

http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/manatee/272/gnat.html

thanks mark......

Any other links....please pass on as I'm interested in these as well.

ta.

Phil

http://www.pssaonline.co.uk/main-pages/pssa%20plans%20service.htm

Heres some plans for a PSS model

There will be available as a part kit to one sixth scale a Gnat for turbines in the 18 - 25 lbs thrust range. The fuselage is in epoxy glass and has built up wings in balsa. I can't remember the exact dimensions but the next time I'm down at my mates workshop I'll take some piccys for everyones perusal.

IB

thanks Ian......looks as if someone has beat us too it!....can't wait to see the photos

so would that be about 44" wingspan at 1/6 scale?.......just seems a bit small?.....can't remember what JC's was....we flew that on a 14lb wren...went lovey

cheers

dave

There will be available as a part kit to one sixth scale a Gnat for turbines in the 18 - 25 lbs thrust range. The fuselage is in epoxy glass and has built up wings in balsa. I can't remember the exact dimensions but the next time I'm down at my mates workshop I'll take some piccys for everyones perusal.

IB

Ian,

There are at least 2 others being planned/progressed by separate designers/builders...one's 1/2 scale, the other's 1/3...dunno how far they've got with them.

See you on 6th May.

Cheers,

Dick

Hi Dick

Strewth, half scale ? If I stop drinking the lunatic soup I'll be able to get into that one 

Ian B

Pym Smith did a very nice ducted fan one 10-15 years ago - he might still have the drawings.

PDR

Hi Dick

Strewth, half scale ? If I stop drinking the lunatic soup I'll be able to get into that one 

Ian B

Nah, stick to the looney-soup Ian...from what I remember last time I got in one (30 years back) they were a tight fit then...and I was about twice as lean as I am now!

Pim's was/is from a John Carpenter kit and was flying at Wroughton last weekend...at 23 years old.

Cheers,

Dick

Pim still has a spare kit but he wouldn't sell it to me,  :(  He says he will build it for turbine.

thanks Ian......looks as if someone has beat us too it!....can't wait to see the photos

so would that be about 44" wingspan at 1/6 scale?.......just seems a bit small?.....can't remember what JC's was....we flew that on a 14lb wren...went lovey

cheers

dave

48" @ 1:6 scale.....full-size was just 24ft span.....sounds LITTLE for 18/25lb turbines!!

48" @ 1:6 scale.....full-size was just 24ft span.....

I don't remember them being that big


Now a little quiz for the Gnat 'anoraks' around

1. What are the 'Bungees' on the side of the bang seat for?

2. Where are the airbrakes?

3. Where would you find the main battery?

and for the tiebreak

What is the Hobson Unit used for?


Mark.

Sorry, the Gnat I mentioned earlier is to 1/4.5 scale, 87 inch long excluding the pitot tube and around 67ish inch span. I can always claim a typo error in my dotage  :cig

IB

#2 - airbrakes are the main gear doors......IIRC, the gear had '3' positions, fully up, fully down, and 1/2 way.......using the forward facing doors as airbrakes.............

..............as for the rest....not a scooby

Why go 1:2 1:3 1:4.5 when you could go 1:1


http://www.controller.com/listings/forsale/detail.asp?OHID=1111870


Way cool that one. for £160k and change.


Davie

Best I have Dave



Steve

OOOOOOOHHHH that looks nice.....JC has sourced some dwgs from somewhere.....hopefully these will be ok....thanks guys

#2 - airbrakes are the main gear doors......IIRC, the gear had '3' positions, fully up, fully down, and 1/2 way.......using the forward facing doors as airbrakes.............

Spot on Phil

and for the tiebreak

What is the Hobson Unit used for?
Mark.

Logditudinal Stability ? is my tie now broken?

Regards - J

Some piccys of a friends Gnat to 1/4.5 scale, P80 JetCat power.







Ian B

Dear IB
The Gnat looks lovely another classic British jet from the pen of Teddy Petter.

Regards Phil G.

hi Ian...that looks great...

is your friend doing a kit?......even if it was just the fuz....i'am aure we would be interested?......we could get a wing cut ourselves.....

cheers

dave

Hi Dave

The intention is, I believe to supply the fuselage plus pre cut formers. Plans for built up wings and tail surfaces will be included but I suppose these could be done in foam / veneer.

The build is held up pending Unitracts supplying their medium sized units and struts though I reckon the model to be airborne this year.

Ian B

Fascinating stuff.  Ive always been interested in the Gnat, family legend is that my uncle John blew himself up in a gnat test flying an early version.  Never been able to establish the truth to it...anyone reccomend a source of infomation?

I think I have just soiled myself.....  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

That is LOVELY

If you're thinking of a Gnat why not do one of the VERY rare RAF Gnat F1s? There were only ever six of them (one is now in the museum at Cosford). Rather novel gun installation...

PDR

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] Hi, I have a gnat currently under renovation will post photo's when able. Its powered by a wren 54 mk2, glass fuz and foam wings. previous owner says flys very stable at all speeds. part of renovation will be to add gear doors and additional scale features, color scheme currently to be prototype red arrows, but not finalised yet.

Hi guys,
What is the status of the kit shown above? Is this available since was mentioned way back in March/April of 2007?

With thanks

Reuben
(Malta)

Reuben
Its still being built but has been held up whilst the main undercarriage leg/door geometry is finalised. It would seem that a slight departure from scale is required to make these practical for use, ( the full size legs folded at the knuckle to shorten them whilst retracting to save space inside the fuselage ).

I will update as things progress.

Ian B

hi reuben,

happy new year to you and your family

gnat does look nice reuben......quite tempted myself...but too many other things to do at the moment....i thought you would have as well

same as me.....hey...thinking of future projects!.......i think it's on my list.....be interesting too see the retracts......slighty easier on the panther

all the best

dave

Hi Dave,
I bumped into this thread only a few days ago and when I saw the fuselage I became interested. Yes it could be very well a future project  .
Browsing my old magazines I bumped into a scale drawing of the Gnat but it is the Finnish version (tapered nose without the nose landing light)
I did the Panther and yours is coming along nice too!
Anyway...I am watching here 
Keep it up Ian....its coming along nicely!

Reuben

There is at least one Finnish Gnat in a museum here, I'm sure I could arrange some detail pics if and when it becomes necessary.

Dave S (Finland)

Don't know if I am doing right in bringing this subject up again as I understand there were some problems during the mainden flight. Have they been ironed out by any chance or is the project shelved now?
Pity really because it looked very nice on RCJI.

Reuben

Don't know if I am doing right in bringing this subject up again as I understand there were some problems during the mainden flight. Have they been ironed out by any chance or is the project shelved now?
Pity really because it looked very nice on RCJI.

Reuben

Do you mean the yellow one?  I was spotter for the test pilot on it's maiden.  The flight went ok but towards the end after turning along the runway to start configuring it for landing it had an uncommanded severe nose down pitch and went into a very steep dive from which it would not respond, destroying itself totally on the runway.  afaik the cause has not been determined beyond doubt but pitching and loss of tailplane authority due to flap deployment is suspected.  It was a great shame after what was a nice maiden flight.

That is fascinating in a macabre kind of way.  I produced Glass fibre Knat kits a few years ago when ducted fan propulsion was the thing and one of the later modifications I tested was the addition of flaps as per the full size.  The first time I tried them (at height and after reducing speed) resulted in a very severe nose down pitch to the point where the plane was descending vertically.  Control was only restored by whipping the flaps up smartly.  Thereafter the buttocks could be unclenched!!
Neeless to say that modification never made it onto the kits.  I never had the guts to try the flaps again either.

Thanks MPX for the feedback. Pity it happened that way. I hope that the turbine did not sustain any damage which would, at least, encourage the guy to have another go at it.
So what is the faith of the project now?

Reuben

The engine survived more or less intact, the repair was a new front cover and filter/electronics board. There were three fuselages produced and sets of retracts, one lot was written off in the crash. Pete, the builder / designer isn't going to do another having moved on to another project but the other two Gnats will at some point be built by the other designer and his brother.

Interesting to note JC's experiences with the flaps on his design, I bet the Gnat Team wished they'd had that knowledge beforehand. I work with a guy whose Uncle was a test pilot on the Gnat and he is now off to ask him if there were any flap issues with the full size.

Ian B

Maybe this pic will give an indication of elevator trim required with flap   

Gordon