Trident Redux

technoid

Well-known member
A long time ago (2017) I modeled a plane called Trident for @Bill Stuntz. But at the time I took a short cut and made it a profile plane instead of creating the full fuselage and also cut the color scheme directly into the planes surface instead of mapping it. That saved me a lot of time but I always wished I spent the time to do it right. Recently there was some interest in the plane on the forums so I decided I'd go back and finish it the way I should have the first time. It's a control line plane I created an RC model of and it's unique looks is why I wanted to model it. So this morning I took some time to get the old file out and do the first part of the changes, which was to remove all the cut-in lines I used to create the color scheme and get it ready to create a full fuselage. This will be a part time project so I'm not sure how long it will take me but I wanted to let Bill know I'm working on it.

U-NAME-IT/TRIDENT ($18.00) Larry Scarinzi's triple tail stunter designed for Name the Plane contest that was kitted by Consolidated. From Model Airplane News December 1962.

Trident 01.jpgTrident 02.jpg
 
I'm VERY happy to see that you're taking another shot at it! Ang thanks for posting the photo of the real C/L one I built a few years ago from scratch. Are you going to include my Santa Clause pilot? You can't see him very well in that photo, but I can post a better one when I get home. I'm on vacation right now, but I'll be following along. Tuesday, I'm going soaring at Mile High Gliding in Boulder, CO.
 
I'm VERY happy to see that you're taking another shot at it! Ang thanks for posting the photo of the real C/L one I built a few years ago from scratch. Are you going to include my Santa Clause pilot? You can't see him very well in that photo, but I can post a better one when I get home. I'm on vacation right now, but I'll be following along. Tuesday, I'm going soaring at Mile High Gliding in Boulder, CO.
I'm glad you're happy to get a new version of Trident it's a very cool looking plane and I took some short-cuts the first time. As for the Santa Claus figure I'm not good at that type of thing so I don't think he'll be there, sorry! But I'll keep him in mind.
 
Bill, am I correct that yours doesn't have wheel pants?
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Here is technoid's version:
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Yes, no pants. No tuned pipe, either. My motor isn't McCoy, it's a Thunder Tiger GP42 with the carb replaced by a venturi. It's mounted inverted & cowled. I never built/installed the wheel pants. I was going install the pants, but I started having vertigo problems & can't fly C/L anymore. Things get wonky if look up too much, so R/C is pretty much out, too.
 
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It doesn't really matter to me. For historical accuracy, in 1962 it was obviously glow. For appearance/flyability with the coweled engine, it won't make much difference, especially since it's been converted to R/C. So do whatever pleases you.
 
It doesn't really matter to me. For historical accuracy, in 1962 it was obviously glow. For appearance/flyability with the coweled engine, it won't make much difference, especially since it's been converted to R/C. So do whatever pleases you.
Yeah since it was a control line plane the new plane isn't historically accurate but I want the engine to be what you would do if you flew it today, so what do you think you'd do if you restored it for flying?
 
I certainly can't argue against a Fox .35. It would have been absolutely perfect for the C/L Trident. Did they make an R/C version? I don't remember one. I had a McCoy .35 on my Goldberg Shoestring Stunter. And a K&B .29 on my Ringmaster. And a pressurized Fox 36X on my Voodoo. But back then I was flying either C/L or single channel rudder only R/C. And I had an oddball Mattel (if I recall correctly) 2 channel galloping ghost flying something with a Baby Bee. I also had a TeeDee .020. I didn't own an engine with a carb. Or a Trident, for that matter. My first "real" radio was an Orbit 6-channel single stick.
 
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In this case the engine doesn't really matter because it's inside the cowl so the only thing you'll see is the head on the bottom and the exhaust on the side. So what I'll do is change the color of the cylinder and head to a normal aluminum color so it can be any engine you want. But honestly if it's a custom built Trident RC plane it would probably have an O.S. engine on it these days or be an electric. I don't like most of the Glow engine sound profiles in RealFlight so I'll probably make an electric version for me I like the EP sound profile I use these days. And the wingspan of the original Trident I did for you is 81 inches which is nearly the same as the electric PX series planes I did recently (80 inches) so I have physics I can use for my electric version.
 
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I have no problem with that!
Now for a little off topic, since I mentioned this earlier in this thread: We just got back home after almost a week in Colorado on vacation. I did some real live sailplane flying in a Schweitzer 2-32 out of Boulder Municipal Airport on the way to the Denver airport for our flight back. I haven't flown a sailplane since 1972. We were towed up to 11,300ft by a Piper Pawnee, airport altitude 5288, & were up for about 45 minutes. I did about 1/3 of the flying. Color me HAPPY!
Bill+Mark.jpgCockpit.jpgIMG_20220517_133625712.jpgIMG_20220517_135457712_HDR.jpg
 
I have no problem with that!
Now for a little off topic, since I mentioned this earlier in this thread: We just got back home after almost a week in Colorado on vacation. I did some real live sailplane flying in a Schweitzer 2-32 out of Boulder Municipal Airport on the way to the Denver airport for our flight back. I haven't flown a sailplane since 1972. We were towed up to 11,300ft by a Piper Pawnee, airport altitude 5288, & were up for about 45 minutes. I did about 1/3 of the flying. Color me HAPPY!
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Cool that sounds like fun. Now which one are you in the picture?
 
Just so you know I'm pausing this project for a little while to get the T-28B released then I'll get back to it. I don't have a time frame I'm doing other things too so it just happens when it happens.
 
Look at the color of my hair & beard - and the tummy. Imagine them longer/bigger & try to guess why my Trident pilot is Santa. :D I won't get another hair cut / beard trim 'til after Christmas - but I don't plan to get bigger around again. Little kids stare at me & point me out to their parents around Christmas. My pilot Mark is a CFI, & he gave me a signed statement that I can add to my log book - If I can ever find it. I'm a packrat, so it's GOT to be around SOMEWHERE. It's my highest/longest flight ever. He had to take over twice when I got bent out of shape on tow - I GOTTA make myself use enough rudder. But that was the only time he touched the controls while I was flying, even in 45 deg bank turns. He said I did a lot better than he was expecting after 50 years not flying a sailplane, slowing down to about 50 in lift & speeding up to about 70 to get out of sink a little faster. I mostly held it between 55-60 the whole flight for best glide ratio - about 35:1. Almost all my previous flights were in 2-33's except for 1 flight in a Blanik.

Technoid, beggers can't be choosers... whenever you get around to it is FINE with me. I'm still amazed by your work.
P.S. The black triangles are actually concave air outlet "ducts" for engine cooling, with a rectangular inlet inlet in the front of the cowl. That doesn't show up clearly in the photo.

P.P.S. Here's my "Twister" C/L stunt trainer, powered by a Fox .35. The color scheme is just about an inside-out copy of my Trident. Change the tail, & it could almost be Technoid's profile Trident. Have you guessed that I like blue & white with contrasing control surfaces? If I have a trademark style, that's it. And it's not obvious in the photos, but on both the Twister & Trident, the inboard wing is one rib/panel longer than the outboard wing because of the weight/drag of the control lines. Obviously not true for the R/C conversion.
Twister1.jpg
 
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@Bill Stuntz Hey Bill can you take some closeup detail shots of the cowl from the left, right, bottom, and front to help me when I work on the new fuselage. Maybe from the end of the fuselage too.
 
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