This is my largest model airplane plane I have ever drawn.
And one of the Largest Seaplanes in the world.
The original plans where some of the worst drawn plans in the world. They had crammed this huge monster of a seaplane AND a small line control plane all onto 1 small sheet of paper printed on both sides! What a mess. Some of the plans had 4 layers deep of images drawn one over another! Now that was totally confusing even to an educated professional like me.
Their was times when I thought I would have to go back to college and take some engineering classes just to get this mess figured out. It was like trying to get the knots out of a fishing line and not being allowed to cut the tangled mess out. I later realized that some parts where not correctly drawn to size and that some parts where not drawn at all. No wonder I could not find them, they had been omitted. GEEESH, and I thought I screwed up at times.
It took me 2 1/2 weeks to draw this Monster and do it right.
The original 35 X 45 inch piece of paper was now drawn out onto a 36 X 4.5 ft., 8 ft. and 10 ft. piece of paper.
The new monster is a Free Flight or RC plane. You can build her either way. That is the way I drew the plans to accommodate either style of plane.
Lets discuss the new plans starting with the wing sheet. I drew the wing full and added optional ailerons. Yes they are small on purpose. HEY, if you feel the need to do snap rolls, then buy my Pitts S-1S plans. OK?
This plane is designed for us old folks who wish to fly like an Albatross and not a bald eagle during it's midair mating ritual.
I also included an extra set of ribs for your building pleasure.
The smallest sheet is the elevator sheet. The larger elevator is for Free Flight just like the original monster had. Hmmm? You say you do not see it on the original plan? Well, it's their. Well, kinda. It's just half an outline buried deep in the mess on the wing. And then it was drawn the wrong size! But I fixed that problem with the skill and determination of a one arm, far sighted, thumbless blacksmith.
I just heated that elevator in my forge till it glowed red hot, then I hammed till it fit on the monster's tail as Merlin the Magician would have had it. Yes I did, no really, I did, kinda. OK, OK, so I pushed a mouse while staring dazedly at a computer screen like a deer caught in the headlights. Good Grief, I need a life.
The smaller elevator is for RC naturally.
All the instructions and BOM where removed from the original monsters fuselage
and placed on the elevator sheet in a larger Font so that us old folks could read it without using our Sherlock Holmes style magnifying glass or a jewelers loupe.
Shown is the RC nacelle. It has been enlarge, elongated and a hatch added for a much larger fuel tank. A cowl and part number is printed on the plan. I also drew this motor upright the way they where meant them to be installed.
Naturally, their are 2 sets of ribs for your building pleasure.
The fuselage has more improvements made to it than a French girl has hairs in her eyebrows. So lets not even go their.
The plans do show landing gear for you lubbers choosing the safety of grassy flying fields instead of the shark and pirate infested waters of the seven seas, argh me matey, argh.
To sum it up, she still is McGovern's Monster no matter how you build her, Free Flight or RC. And at 114 inches in wing span, this Monster demands respect, as she rules the air and sea combined, and don't you think otherwise.
Files $15.00
Thanks again Dave.
Willie - Your website truly IS one of the most interesting and entertaining websites I've ever visited! I really wish more website operators, especially hobby-oriented ones, would not take themselves SO seriously! After all, hobbies are supposed to be about FUN! Or at least be enjoyable. I can tell that you do get something out being entertaining and that you are also not bashful about "laying yourself out on the line". Good for you!
I did buy a set of several plans on a CD from you a year or two ago, but haven't yet gotten around to using them yet. Like many modelers, I have about a bazillion "someday" projects and the ones in the plans I got from you are some of them. I guess my ultimate "someday" project, or least one of them, is the McGovern "Monster"/"Custom Privateer". A number of years ago, I got a copy of the Custom Privateer original Berkeley kit plans from John Pond's plans service. As I recall, I actually went over to San Jose, CA, where John was then located to wait as he or his wife pulled the plans from their files. I had known John for quite a long time and even attended as a spectator THE original "Old Timer" free flight contest that he and the Bowen brothers (from my home town of Lodi, CA) put on up near Sacramento sometime in the early 1960's. John is of course now deceased. Too bad. He really WAS "one of a kind" (as I suspect you are also!), and quite a "mover and shaker" in the Old Timer movement. Anyway, when I got the plans home, I was quite disappointed in them. They were not only blueprints taken from a pretty badly worn and much-folded original, and thus full of fold lines and wear marks, but also the original plans were pretty much the typical Berkeley disaster, with sections separated and all kinds of overlaps. And of course, being a typical kit plan, not all of the parts are shown on the plan. Not nice! I have since noticed that Klarich Custom Kits have available a short kit (plans and hand-cut parts) for the Monster, so MAYBE one day I'll actually get around to building one. I believe the plans they supply are a copy of the original Hobby Helpers plan, and as you pointed out, they too are something of a disaster! If and when I ever get around to building one, I would undoubtedly use YOUR plans! I saw one of these fly not too many years ago that was built by a guy up north of Sacramento. He had modified it a bit, taking out a bit of the tip dihedral (maybe to straight dihedral?) and converting it to a twin with nacelles right on the leading edges housing 2 O.S. .40 4-stroke engines. I don't recall whether or not he had added ailerons. I thought when I first saw it that it would be pretty badly underpowered, but it was so light that the 2 O.S.'s were PLENTY of power to fly it, and it did fly quite well. It was REALLY impressive-looking in the air and made some of the most graceful takeoffs and landings I've ever seen a seaplane make. Must be that "long planing" hull. I've just GOTTA get around to building one of those "someday" - hopefully SOON! Now that I've been retired for a year or so, I've had the time to indulge my many model airplane interests more fully. I fly lots of R/C, mostly electric-powered and both indoors and outdoors, and some free flight, mostly indoors. I also have an "unsavory" interest in all sorts of oddball types of models (seaplanes/floatplanes, flying wings, ornithopters, helicopters, autogyros, etc.!), and have built/assembled some of each since I retired. (I've always liked "The Monster Mash", but it's now playing in the background for about the dozen'th time, and it's beginning to get just a BIT annoying! Too much!).
Keep up the good work(s)!
Kermit Walker
Lodi, CA
Life Member - AMA, IMAA, SAM, NFFS, AMA Museum Patron
Member - IMAC, NASA, SARH, MECA, etc.!
Past IMAC Intl. Pres. - 1994/95
PS - As I was finishing up typing this, an incoming email popped up from eBay letting me know that there is now an original Berkeley Custom Privateer kit up for bids. Take a really wild guess what the bidding is up to? With a day or so to go and 33 bids in so far, the current high bid is (wait for it!!)..................$665!!!! INSANE! I realize that Berkeley kits in general are quite collectable (not sure why, as quality-wise they weren't much! I know! I built a few of them back in my early days! Often lousy plans, almost always lousy wood and die cutting. Good designs, though!), and that the Custom Privateer is probably one of the rarest and most collectable ones. BUT $665??!!!! Wow!!! Nutso!! Guess what? I don't think I'll be bidding on THAT one any time soon!! Boy howdy!
