Alfa bow planes

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  • Rick Teskey
    Lieutenant Commander
    • Jan 2009
    • 232

    Alfa bow planes

    Any Alpha drivers out there with active bow planes?
    How effective are they at death keeping?
  • type7
    Lieutenant Commander
    • Apr 2009
    • 152

    #2
    I keep breaking them off, so they are not being used at all now.

    Comment

    • He Who Shall Not Be Named
      Moderator
      • Aug 2008
      • 12241

      #3
      Originally posted by Rick Teskey
      Any Alpha drivers out there with active bow planes?
      How effective are they at death keeping?
      Yeah! ..…… me!

      What's it to you, you Northern born, squid-throwing, bacon munching, Queen worshiping artifact from the glacial era??















      Bow planes are perfect for fine depth-control. But, as with any submarine, they are only an asset if the boat is properly trimmed for submerged operation.

      In fact, my 1/72 ALFA was working perfectly at the just concluded Groton get-together -- I hardly had to touch the stern plane knob. At least that was the case till Bill Lambing performed an unprovoked, evil, dastardly ramming attack on my boat by an evil American ASW platform. The ******* took out not one, but BOTH, of my boats vertical stabilizers.

      Commander, Red Banner Fleet has endorsed an angry letter that will be posted to the American embassy!

      We, the proud, peace-loving People of the Socialist Republic, DEMAND SATISFACTION! If not, we'll start by bombing Canada, (why not, it would be the perfect warm-up act) and then work our way southward. Or, you can send us Lambing's head, on a platter if you wish to deescalate from this razors-edge of world destruction a unit of your pirate-navy set in motion last Sunday.

      David
      Former ALFA Driver
      Last edited by He Who Shall Not Be Named; 09-13-2019, 11:49 AM.
      Who is John Galt?

      Comment

      • Rick Teskey
        Lieutenant Commander
        • Jan 2009
        • 232

        #4
        Dear comrade butthole ski mr. Lambing is an American citizen there for America's problem please do not threaten the peace-loving pot smoking bacon munching squid throwing Monarch worshipping butterfly and despot ruler with violence we absolutely will not tolerate this and will probably send a strongly worded letter of Our Own while on the subject how about a retract system do you know of anybody who has bothered with this or model it either in or out use or not bother?
        I I've run a 196 scale Alpha for several years now. Using only Stern plans and don't usually have much trouble maintaining Periscope depth I was considering making the bow planes on a 72nd scale boat functional and retract but just wondered if it was practical
        Joe Canada
        P.s sorry I was not able to make Groton this year hopefully next year

        Comment

        • He Who Shall Not Be Named
          Moderator
          • Aug 2008
          • 12241

          #5
          Originally posted by Rick Teskey
          Dear comrade butthole ski mr. Lambing is an American citizen there for America's problem please do not threaten the peace-loving pot smoking bacon munching squid throwing Monarch worshipping butterfly and despot ruler with violence we absolutely will not tolerate this and will probably send a strongly worded letter of Our Own while on the subject how about a retract system do you know of anybody who has bothered with this or model it either in or out use or not bother?
          I I've run a 196 scale Alpha for several years now. Using only Stern plans and don't usually have much trouble maintaining Periscope depth I was considering making the bow planes on a 72nd scale boat functional and retract but just wondered if it was practical
          Joe Canada
          P.s sorry I was not able to make Groton this year hopefully next year
          There!

          Now that the pleasantries have been addressed ………

          The smaller the model, the quicker the response curve to yaw and pitch commands. Confirming your observation about the good depth-keeping ability of the tiny 1/96 ALFA. That too was my observation when I operated one well over ten years ago.

          I do find them useful (bow or fairwater, don't matter) on any boat over 40" long.

          I have not worked out a practical retract device for the ALFA bow planes, but would be a good idea, if for no other reason than to minimize handling damage when out of the water or running on the surface in traffic. If you do, keep in mind that the port and starboard planes are staggered a bit so they can retract laterally.







          Was just not the same without you, pal. Next year!

          David
          Last edited by He Who Shall Not Be Named; 09-14-2019, 09:52 AM. Reason: pitch, not roll
          Who is John Galt?

          Comment

          • HardRock
            Vice Admiral
            • Mar 2013
            • 1609

            #6
            RC Sub Workshop made a brass retract system for the Akula and Alfa.

            Comment

            • george
              Captain
              • Dec 2010
              • 727

              #7
              Any pictures of the retract mech?

              Comment

              • Tom Spettel
                Lieutenant, Junior Grade
                • Dec 2009
                • 47

                #8
                This what you looking for

                Comment

                • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                  Moderator
                  • Aug 2008
                  • 12241

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Tom Spettel
                  This what you looking for
                  Jeezus!...………

                  Complexity Warship on display!

                  One cam, two pins, a pushrod between a pin and inboard end of a plane and you're done. At 0-degree the planes are extended. At 180-degrees the planes are retracted. Duh!

                  Wow!

                  David
                  Who is John Galt?

                  Comment

                  • Tom Spettel
                    Lieutenant, Junior Grade
                    • Dec 2009
                    • 47

                    #10
                    It does look like a rube goldburg machine. I couldent see how it worked. Dave could you post a pic of what your
                    discribing?
                    Last edited by Tom Spettel; 09-14-2019, 09:52 PM.

                    Comment

                    • george
                      Captain
                      • Dec 2010
                      • 727

                      #11
                      Yes please, could you post your version of how it could be done?

                      Comment

                      • george
                        Captain
                        • Dec 2010
                        • 727

                        #12
                        Hello
                        Any chance you could put together a drawing OR a sample of the mechanism Please!
                        Thanks

                        Comment

                        • Scott T
                          Commander
                          • May 2009
                          • 378

                          #13
                          You try and make a sketch and we will throw in our ideas to.

                          Comment

                          • Bob Gato
                            Captain
                            • Feb 2019
                            • 826

                            #14
                            Captains, just go to Ebay and look at the close up pictures on the site https://www.ebay.com/itm/RC-Sub-Mech...IAAOSwBLlVA~jN
                            I could post them here but they're larger and clearer on the site...
                            Last edited by Bob Gato; 09-23-2019, 11:11 AM.

                            Comment

                            • Scott T
                              Commander
                              • May 2009
                              • 378

                              #15
                              Thanks! Nice pictures of the mechanism.

                              No Sketch off? :(

                              My thought was a single actuating rod that moved forward and back for pitch control and rotation for extending the flippers (planes).
                              The gear rotation would push the planes out with cranks on a crankshaft.
                              When the planes were extended the rod would move forward and back to pitch the planes.
                              The gear would un-mesh in the up and down position of the plane travel and would not retract till rod\planes came back to centered gear position.

                              Click image for larger version

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