Guillows Free Flight Cessna 180

This is a Guillows kit 601 Cessna 180. It was modified to have a removable nose block and is covered with Esaki tissue.
Wingspan: 20" (50.8 cm)
Weight: 27.8 g with rubber.
Built and Launched by Adrian Culf

[@Yosemite-George-61]

Nice! My dad died on one of those in 69'. I build the same kit in 1990 when I was in Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, flew it there outside and inside the enourmous hangar, big enough for one B-36 or 2 KC-135s. On one day, I was working firegard on the week end, there was nobody there so I was flying it inside the empty hangar, I was trying to reach the opposite side by letting him take off on his own. On one flight I had just released it when the door on the opposite side opened and the Base Commander, a general, entered, he made a few steps then froze when he saw the silent 180 bearing on him, the plane landed and did a ground loop near his feet, I knew then I was in big trouble. He picked it up and walked towards me in a normal pace, I was frozen in fear. When he arrived in front of me he looked at me in the eyes and said: "Wind it up". Then proceeded to fly it twice before saing: "Nice job, just put it away and never fly it here again"... I must be the only man that had a Guillows plane flown by a general. :-)

[@scaleflight]

Thanks! That is quite an interesting story, Jorge!

[@engleharddinglefester4285]

Good flyer!

[@collinmccallum]

wonderful!

[@ccitationx7045]

and people say you can't get guillows kits to fly, good flyer you've built! What's the prop and rubber you used in this one?

[@scaleflight]

Thanks, it has a 7.5" North Pacific prop cut to 6" and 2 loops of 3/32" FAI Tan 2.

[@d.r.4453]

I know this is a couple months old, but I am new to the hobby and have a question. How do you maintain the altitude? In other words, how did you keep the model from continuing to climb and hit the ceiling? I see this in so many videos where the modeler launches the aircraft and it only climbs so high and then slowly settles back down. Its amazing! Well done on your model!

[@scaleflight]

The main trick is to make the model as light as possible. This could include replacing kit balsa with contest (light) balsa and thinning out some parts. It is particularly important to kept the tail light - this saves adding more nose weight. As well, you can get a longer propeller run if you use Tan Super Sport rubber instead of kit rubber and lubricate it with a silicon based lubricant.

[@d.r.4453]

@@scaleflight Thank you for the tips and tricks. I will definitely apply them to my models! Keep up the great videos!