Sopwith Dove for CO2

[Squirrelnet]

I've been thinking about doing a Sopwith Dove for some time and have started drawing up a plan for one over the last few weeks... well I say a drawing a plan it's more like rescaling some 3 views and scribbling on those.

 The Interwar years I find fascinating with some unusual approaches and ideas often trying to convert wartime designs into civil aircraft to turn a postwar penny, most I think it's fair to say failed not least the Dove but the times produced some interesting designs along the way

 As you may already know the Dove was an attempt by Sopwith to build a civilian 2 seat aircraft and was a design it had underway even before the end of the first world war. It's based on the Pup though many of the construction parts had more of a reference to the contemporary Snipe than the Pup. The aircraft retained many of the Pup's fine handling qualities and looked a good choice for a model

I came down to a choice of 3 for which one to build.

The best documented is G-EAGA which is a replica built by Skysport, it looks very attractive in the pale blue scheme as well

I am very tempted to do G-EBKY which the Dove that Richard Shuttleworth converted back to a Pup and no resides in the Shuttleworth Collection as a Pup. It's history is fascinating as it was put together by a young budding designer who later went onto work for Hawkers.The story goes (according to Harald Penrose) that the hawkers were having a clearout in the early 1920's in the corner were a load of unfinished Dove's converted from Pups that were unsold after company ordering them went bust and they were to be collected by the scrapman. The young designer keen to try out his skills asked if buy one to build into an aircraft, the rather bemused foreman agreed anything he could load on a lorry was his for a fiver. He took the best fuselage and wings but a tail couldn't be found so a snipe one was added to the lorry along with an engine. Things didn't go that well covering the wings and they had to be returned and covered in the factory and another engine had to be bought from the factory as the first was unserviceable but that in essence is the Shuttleworth Pup a true parts bin special. There's a few period photos with the snipe tail but colour would be a guess..

The final subject would be the single seat version that was built for Bert Hinckler to fly to Australia in to claim the world record. The front seat was removed and large fuel tank added, the aircraft finished mostly in natural doped linen. In the end the Government refused permission to fly solo across the world so close to end of the war the project flopped.The aircraft was reportedly return the factory and converted back to a two seater. The single seat makes for an attractive aircraft and the finish fairly simple

In the end the deciding factor acme in the form of a carrier bag full of documentation handed to me by Mike Smith on loan for the build so G-EAGA it is then. Mike reports his own larger IC model was a lovely flyer so hopefully that bodes well for this one

[Squirrelnet]

So far I have some good scale drawings from the Air Britain book on the Sopwith Dove along with Mike Smith's excellent plan for this 50" IC powered version.

Scaling up the 3 view and scaling down Mike's plan gives a good starting point with former positions and cross sections all transferable from the plan ( I am a fan of cheating were ever possible). Added to that I found a great side on shot of G-EAGA so I could make up a composite and the original factory drawing (in red) and use that as a basis for my own design which will essentially be a slimmed down version Mike's

[Squirrelnet]

Ok I have come up with a plan, both a mental and physical one for the Dove. I've reduced Mike Smith's FF IC plan to 24.75" so 1/12th scale and will use that for all the formers wing ribs and outlines. I reduce a lot of the extra strengthening for the large IC version and use balsa throughout with a moulded cowling. I'll remove some of the formers particularly on the rear turtle deck and may not use scale rib spacing ...not sure or maybe scale ribs but all in light 1/32".Not sure wether to do it with detachable wings or not either. It would make storage and transport so much easier but I don't want the extra weight. I'll think on that, it perhaps need more of an Richard Crossley approach to wing joiners I'll have a look how he does it   

[TheLurker]

* TheLurker pulls up the comfy chair and opens a packet of posh biscuits...

[Prosper]

I am very tempted to do G-EBKY

* TheLurker pulls up the comfy chair and opens a packet of posh biscuits...

Likewise. But I think the Chilterns/Mayfair/Cotswolds types would feel happier if you went for G- AGA.

Stephen.

[Squirrelnet]

Thanks ...G-EAGA it is

Well I made a start at least with a 3/32 sq side frame

[gravitywell]

What a beautiful little airplane.  I had never heard of her before.  Will be watching this with great interest.  I always wanted to try CO2, but found it a little too expensive for me.

[Squirrelnet]

A bit of progress with the Dove this afternoon

Another fuselage side has been made up from 3/32" sq using the first side as a guide for the upright placing to avoid any which side of the line did I use errors I don't build one side on top of another as I've had some issues with it all not being flat enough with the risk of miss aligned joints when I've tried it but that's no doubt entirely my own error as many seem to make it work for them

To build the basic fuselage frame I have got into the habit of using steel rules to create a straight edge to build against. The side panels have the top edge pinned in this way to keep it straight while the bottom curved edge is soaked in boiling water to set the curve

The front former is from 1/32 sheet so that forms a square to start with the next 3 bays done first as that's the straight bit. Once thats dried I added the rear sections using my Christmas Cracker plastic mini set squares to keep things square. I love these little plastic toy squares I use them all the time.

The basic fuselage came together quite quickly. The final bay to the rudder post needs a fair bit of bending some once it's all thoroughly dried out I'll apply some local boiling water from the kettle before pulling it together and joined the two sides

[Squirrelnet]

A bit more on the Dove...


The cabane will ultimately be attached to formers inside the fuselage TBC but I wanted to get the top deck and cockpit cutout done first. The original has a sharp angle at the front which presumably they did on one sheet of plywood, I can't see a join on my (well Mike's actually) photos so I came up with a plan to try to mould some 1/32 into that shape.

I found a bit of plastic waste pipe which I cut to form the angle needed then wrapped some light 1/32 sheet that I'd soaked in boiling water


Well it might work ... we'll find out tomorrow when its dried

[Squirrelnet]

The rest of the fuselage rear deck is more straight forward with stringers to the tail. I've used some 1/16" square and used half the number of formers on Mike's larger IC plan. All the top formers are from light 1/16" sheet

[Squirrelnet]

Blimey the plastic pipe top deck mould actually worked.   I was sure it would probably end up with a crease in it but it came out the right shape.


This was then trimmed to shape and glued on with lots of masking tape to keep it in the right place

The downside is in the excitement I mounted it to fuselage slightly further forward than I intended only realising my error when the glue had dried. Static judges look away now !!! the slope forward of the cockpit isn't quite right but hey..

The cockpit coaming is done by adding a 3/32 sheet section to the outer dimensions of the cockpit plus the coaming with the outer edge fished to a round section. This is currently drying having been soaked in boiling water and taped round a suitable 2" can with some grease proof paper inbetween, When it dried I'll gukle that to the  top deck and the cut out the aperture with a sharp scalpel the inner edge can then be finished

[Squirrelnet]

With the top decking dry I could add the 1/32" sheet for the top cowling and you can perhaps see how the slope from the front of the decking stops short of the front cockpit rather than continuing to the cockpit edge. Annoying but not annoying enough to do anything about it , it is a 'flying only' model...well it is now 

The fuselage side will be in filled with some 3/32 sheet but before that I need to figure out the GM300 engine mounting, tank position and cabane and UC fitting


While I ponder on that I made up some jigs form cardboard to laminate some fin and tailplane outlines in 3 x 1/32 balsa using my usual method of soaking in boiling water and gluing with Aliphatic resin

[Pete Fardell]

This is going to be yet another lovely model from this classic era. Really enjoying seeing it come together in your usual well thought out workmanlike way.

 

[dputt7]

Very nicely done, watching with interest.

[Squirrelnet]

Thanks guys


A bit more progress. The cockpit coaming sections have dried out taped round a 2" can so they were then glued to the top decking. Once stuck down the inner dimension of the cockpit was cut out with a new scalpel blade and shaped to to rounded section of the complete coaming

Ultimately the front section of the fuselage will be a 3/32" box section back the rear cane strut but as the tank will be built in I need to sort the engine mounting before that with it's 8 deg down !!! and 3 deg side thrust