Roy Maynard’s DeHavilland DH-60 Gipsy Moth

Roy has always shown an interest in diverse and unique models and says he was struck by the Gipsy Moth as something you don’t see every day!  So he picked up a Seagull Models ARF.

The De Havilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth is a late 1920’s British two seat biplane that played a pivotal role in the development of recreational and training aviation in the early 20th century.  It was powered by the de Havilland Gipsy engine, which was designed to replace the earlier ADC Cirrus engine, enhancing its performance. The DH.60 Gipsy Moth was instrumental in popularizing private flying clubs and was used by pioneering aviators for record-setting flights, making it a cornerstone of early aviation culture.

The aircraft was widely used for training, communications, and observation duties, and it had several variants, including the DH.60G Gipsy Moth and DH.60X, each tailored for specific roles and improvements in performance.

The Gipsy Moth was made famous by the 1930 flight of Amy Johnson who flew her Gipsy Moth (G-AAAH “Jason) from England to Australia.

The Seagull Models DH.60 is a 1/5th scale 72” span straight winged model designed for a 15cc gas or .91 nitro 4-stroke engine.  Roy consulted with the team at Innovative Designs, the supplier of BadAss Motors and controls, for recommendations for electric power.  After reviewing the spec’s, they provided Roy with their specs for the BadAss BA-5325-335kV motor, 125 Amp ESC, Battery & APC 18x10 Propeller for best performance.  The power system works well with a standard 6s-5000mah battery providing up to 10 minute flight at mixed power settings.  The flight controls will be moved with ProModeler (DS-100DLHV) mini servos.

Roy was impressed with the ease of access for battery placement as well as the provided interplane wires and fittings. The assembled wings can be removed as left & right assemblies allowing easy transport in most vehicles. He’s planning his first flights at Grassfield RC in Brooklyn Park.

Roy has ordered his 1/5th scale pilot bust from Aces of Iron. I have enclosed an image of my 1/5th scale Aces of Iron pilot bust as an example. I used the figure painting services offered by the Aces of Iron website.

We look forward to Roy’s flight report!

Opie Louge's CJM F4U Corsair Cowling

Opie brought in a Century Jet Models F4U Corsair cowling from an older model that he's re-engineering from a large single cylinder engine to a twin cylinder of larger displacement that will fit inside the cowl.

He was looking for some way to patch the large holes from the old engine and make it look new.

Darren Bitzer (Century Jet Models) has the original molds so he took Opie’s cowl, set it into the mold and filled in the missing sections with epoxy & fiberglass.  The result looks like a new cowl with molded panel lines and rivets it the repaired sections!

Opie was very impressed with the quality!  Contact Darren Bitzer if you have any questions.

Our Next Meeting will be Friday March 27th @7pm!  Please bring a project/experience/story to share!