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Ex C-47 in Sky Breeze service WIP

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  • Member since
    December 2002
Ex C-47 in Sky Breeze service WIP
Posted by 7474 on Saturday, August 22, 2015 10:29 AM

One of my dreams as a pilot has been to get a job flying DC-3s, a few years ago I dreamed up of my own little airline called "Island Breeze" that has C-47s that can be converted from hauling freight to passengers. The other day in the hobby shop I picked up a 1/72 C-47. Want to turn this kit into my airline.

If anyone knows of a source of 1/72 airline seats, I'd like to know. I would like to build it in a full interior, I don't have the resources to build a seat and replicate it.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Sunday, August 23, 2015 12:38 PM

DC-3 seats were not real fancy, and the windows are not huge in 1:72, so the seats do not need to be too accurate nor detailed.  I have made seats from angle styrene stock, mounted in simple blocks cut from square stock.  Make a simple cutting jig to cut each seat.  The back of the DC-3 seat needs to be rounded at the top.  Some needle file or sanding stick work does this pretty quickly.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Cavite, Philippines
Posted by allan on Sunday, August 23, 2015 8:29 PM

Great fan of what ifs and fantasy liveries here.  Cant wait to see this finished.

 

Fantasy airline GB anyone?

 

No bucks, no Buck Rogers

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Sunday, August 23, 2015 8:34 PM

We actually have that sort of thing here flying out of Long Beach Airport to Santa Catalina Island... The aircraft was recently overhauled and this was it flying near my home one afternoon.

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by 7474 on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 12:13 AM

Thanks for the replies guys, I've started working while I'm waiting for stuff something on my F4F to dry. As far as a Fantasy group build, I'm in, I have other things to do such as my fantasy retirement, owning a Grumman Albatross and living out of it. 

Now I'm contemplating if I build an interior or build some sort of a diorama with freight waiting to be loaded with the doors open. Hmmmmm

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 12:31 AM

FWIW I flew on a DC-3 once. 1959 from Oahu to Hawaii. We were visiting my folk's best friends, my godparents, at Pearl Harbor. The husband was an XO on Triton, before he became a boomer skipper.

After being in Honolulu, we flew down to the big island on a Hawaiian Air flight.

Me, mom and dad and a chain gang of native Hawaiians returning to prison from road work. Remember it like it was last week. Dad being dad, he made friends with them and we ended up going out to the pen, buying out their industry product of Koa wood salad bowls.

But the a/c had paratrooper benches.

You could always go that way.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by 7474 on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 3:06 PM

That's a great story, thanks for the idea. I'll leave the benches in and buy some 1/72 oil drums and build a pallet of some sort for them. 

  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by 7474 on Saturday, September 5, 2015 6:44 PM

Here' a bit of an update. I worked on the interior, but I think I'm going to order some PE to get an instrument panel and other details, as well as some oil barrels. Looking at the wing I noticed that the area for the landing light isn't closed in, so working on and off for 2 days (while i couldn't do anything on my F4F Wildcat) I closed up the landing light areas, used a contour gauge and just keept sanding until everything fitted. The photos are the under contstruction, and the finished wing next to the other wing that is being built up. Also to clean up the wheels after gluing the halves together, I broke out the mini lathe and made a little axle from a spare nail, mounted the wheels, sanded and holding my pin vise with a sewing needle, rescribed the tire tread. Worked, not as well as I wanted but I was happy with the results, I didnt get an after pic.  Enjoy. As always comments, suggestions are always welcomed.

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by 7474 on Thursday, September 17, 2015 7:43 PM

This is as far as I got on this before I had to box it up for a few months, off to my new flying job and to learn to fly the MD-11.

The prop shaft broke off in the prop hub while I was dry fitting it. Took a pin vice drill and drilled a hole. Went over to my hobby lathe, turned a new shaft from a large diameter nail, stopping often to check against the drill bit.

Got the fuselage cleaned up, and the wings finished. The black is undershade for what will be NMF, too much white paint in my concept airline scheme. The props were painted, except for the yellow tips. It's starting to look like an airplane.

Next update will be in December or so depending upon when I am done training.

As always, comments suggstions and questions are welcomed.

 

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