Hi guys,
I wanted a plane to display as a bookends with
my FG Gossamer Albatross, another historical channel crosser, and what better plane that the Bleriot XI ?
I've always been fascinated by this particular plane, with its comparably modern monoplane profile coming just 6 years after the Wright Bros. Looking at the standard FG plans, I think they leave a lot to be desired, so I've been busily scouring the internet for plans and photos of the real plane, many versions of which are in air museums around the world, including an original flying example at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, not far from where I live. I plan to make mine in a similar fashion to that of Mike Smith, whose balsa stick "improved stock" version can be seen on the FG Bleriot XI page:
I plan to go a bit further if I can, including a working prop, dummy engine and working rudder and elevator. I will pass on making the wings actually warp...
I hope there is interest in such a project here and people are not offended by my use of unconventional materials beyond paper. I am fairly good at sculpting with epoxy resin, so as needed, I plan to use that skill on this project. If there is interest in what I'm posting please let me know. I have a feeling that this will take me a pretty good amount of time to complete, and it never hurts motivation-wise to know that others are interested. Not to mention, I am still somewhat new to this, so I am always interested in reading people's tips.
So, to start, here's a photo of the boom section of the fuselage, which I am using as a plan for the wooden build:
The wood is cut from coffee stir sticks that I grabbed from the local coffee shop. Much denser than balsa or bass wood, I don't know what kind of wood it actually is. I have to cut it length-wise with a metal ruler and X-Acto knife to make it the proper width. I can get about 3 usable strips per stick.
The plan is to cut the paper out after this dries and add the rigging. Next up, I will begin to tackle the front half of the fuselage. Again, comments welcome!
BTW, if someone could tell me a better way to upload images I would appreciate it. I'm currently using Photobucket. Thanks!