Bob's incredible FK was featured in the April 2012 issue of Model Aviation, page 72, in the "Focal Point" column. It is simply one of the most imaginative color schemes I have seen on any model airplane. Bob writes...
"I completed the building of the Flyin’ King in April 2011. Have not flown it yet. I found the building process to very enjoyable and I thought that the quality of the kit and the quality of your instructions were just excellent.
"The goal was to have it quickly configurable either as a tricycle gear land plane or as a float plane.
"The floats were
custom built by Plane
Fun Floats, Gibraltar, MI. The floats are foam
core –
then sheeted with 1/16 in. balsa and are 42 in. long. I fiberglassed
the floats
using Z-POXY Finishing
Resin and 3/4 ounce fiberglass cloth. Dual Ernst water rudders are
controlled by
an on-float servo.
"The engine is an
OS
95AX with a Master Airscrew 13x8 three bladed propeller.
"The covering is
white and yellow Monokote. I created water
slide decals with PowerPoint and then printed them with an HP Ink Jet
Printer
on Testor’s Clear Ink Jet Water Slide Decal Paper.
"Figure 2 shows the Flyin’ King in the float configuration on a Portable Stand-Up Flight Station that I created. The idea here is, at the field, to be able to stand up and not have to be on hands and knees when working on the airplane, refueling or starting the engine. The stand is a Black & Decker Workmate (WM125). The vice-jaw feature of the Workmate is used to hold in place simple custom built fixtures that can be created for any type of aircraft. The WM125 version of the Workmate is ideal for this application because it is the least expensive, it is light weight and is quickly foldable for transportation. It costs around $35 at stores such as Sears or Amazon.
"For the tricycle
gear configuration, I made a main wheel cradle fixture that replaces
the float
cradle shown in the picture. This main wheel cradle allows the airplane
to be
safely anchored – and therefore full-throttle engine run-ups can
occur.
"Note also, there
is
a cradle fixture for the torque starter that is located in front of the
aircraft. After starting the engine, the torque starter can be safely
replaced
back into the cradle without the requirement of leaning over or
stooping down.
"When re-fueling,
a
grooved adapter plate is placed over the torque starter cradle and a
gallon
size fuel can be placed on the adapter plate. This allows the fueling
to be accomplished
while standing.
"To keep things simple, only one dimension of wood is used in building the fixtures. The dimension of the wood used is the approx 1/2 in x 1-1/2 in Clear Douglas Fir Trim that can be purchased at Home Depot for something like $4.00 for an 8' length. For the main wheel cradle, the necessary double-width is achieved simply by epoxying together two side-by-side pieces of this trim. For sure, it is best to have access to a table saw when building these fixtures.
"I also use this portable stand with the Dynaflite Butterfly that I have been flying - and it works very well.
"To keep things simple, only one dimension of wood is used in building the fixtures. The dimension of the wood used is the approx 1/2 in x 1-1/2 in Clear Douglas Fir Trim that can be purchased at Home Depot for something like $4.00 for an 8' length. For the main wheel cradle, the necessary double-width is achieved simply by epoxying together two side-by-side pieces of this trim. For sure, it is best to have access to a table saw when building these fixtures.
"I also use this portable stand with the Dynaflite Butterfly that I have been flying - and it works very well.
"Figures 3 and 4 show a carrier that I built for the Flyin’ King wing and fuse. Note that this carrier is made out of the same Clear Douglas Fir Trim. The Trim was ripped in half using a table saw. I designed this carrier so it will accommodate the wheeled version of the Flyin’ King without having to remove the landing gear.
"Thank you for a
great kit."
