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Re: Martin Mars XPB2M-1R Scratchbuild - 1943

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:13 pm
by tomapowa
Sorry to hear the bad news Bob... my condolences to you and the family... :(

No rush... was just curious... looks amazing, and maybe more amazing once in flight. :)

Re: Martin Mars XPB2M-1R Scratchbuild - 1943

Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:52 pm
by Neons
I have not been on the plane for some time now. Pulled it down and got it ready. I was able to only taxi the plane this week. I have only one concern to get the CG right. I added some weight in the nose. It may be more than enough as the nose was down in the water some. It brings the water rudder out of the water. Maybe after a flight I can remove some weight out. There was a snall mishap that prevented me to continue to do the flight. An incoming model coming to shore did not turm in time and chewed my elevator and bent the rudder horn. I have it all repaired again and ready to paint. I may stiill get a test in yet before the Waterfly. If not I will only static display the model.. Picture is at Mary's Pond. The water level is quite a few feet down.
See the Video Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... FAAnN5ETvQ

Re: Martin Mars XPB2M-1R- Maiden and Nicolaci flights

Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 5:04 pm
by Neons
Hello Group,
Well you guys have been pretty patient. Only been a year hanging around here.It had a lot of dust from hanging all that time. Cleaned up well too. I am going to do a synopsis of the Maiden flight here first. Kind of long winded here.

Sept. 7, 2013
I had to add a load of weight to the nose to get it safely nose heavy. (28 oz.) I think I can take some out as the plane is sitting down some on the nose. The wind was light through most the flight and picked up to 15mph in the last minute of the flight before landing. The plane tracks very good on the water if flat. When you see the video it will show it. got it up in the air and it was very smooth and handles like calm pussycat. She goes very straight with all that rudder area. I like it alot. I never even touched the trims the whole flight. Smooth and sweet flyer. I was very comfortable with her. She does not need a load of power to go and it flies very realistic at half throttle.

The maiden landing was also smooth. The first attempt was too fast. I slashed the power on the next round and glided and slow turned into the stiffer wind and let it land itself. This is not as cumbersome as many think. Do not let the size fool you. It is going to be a favorite flyer and pleaser. The only thing I found with the size is not to make to steep a bank if there is strong wind. I actually had the rudder used more than the ailerons in the turns. I use the ailerons in opposite position to help it make a flatter but larger turn in slight angles. The Emily is a handful to fly compared to this plane. That plane has higher wing loading. But it has big flaps to compensate. These big wings do not like high angle banking in the wind. The wind will flatten it and the plane will dive out of the sky. Do not ask how I found out.

Martin Mars XPB2M-1 Maiden flight.
I hope you do not mind the low resolution quality. But, it does shows how she flies.
Vimeo- A little better sharpness
https://vimeo.com/76437383
Good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzsvpnvnwNQ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sept.8, 2013
The Nicolaci Float Fly Event the next day.Flight #2
After assembly and checkout all the flights stopped to get me up in the air singley.
If I did not test fly the Mars the day before I think I would not have flown at all. The wind was 15mph and sometime more. I flew a flight before to feel the wind out with my Seamaster. I did roundups and landing approaches in the wind to get a correct lineup.
The plane was put in the choppy water and here it goes. I taxied out and started the run. The right float dug in the chop and she looped 360. I straightened it out and full throttle and she lifted off the the water with a graceful lift and banked left smoothly. The wind never made so much as a wing flutter or nudge the whole flight. She plowed right through the wind. Al I had to do is keep my turns with little banking. After a few crowd pleasing low pass flybys it was time to bring it in. I travelled out further and made my roundhouse turn I had to make a 270 degree turn as the wind shifted left slightly. As I made the approach I throttled back to 1/4 and let the weight and the head wind do the work of descending and slowing down the aircraft. She settled in with a small bounce and I throttled it in for pickup. What an applause I got and hoorays.

I had 3 motors only. I never knew it but a far spectator said I took off with 3 motors. I tried to turn the plane and it only went in a circle. I let the wind push it back to shore. Now If I had 3 motors in flight, I never noticed it. My flybys were slow for some reason but not to much slower. I have to run them on the bench and analyze them for any problems I can find.Now for the clincher. There was awards presented and picked up an award for 'Best of Scale" plane. I was ecstatic and received it and had a seat on the grass. Then there was a "Pilots Choice" award. I was called out again. Wow!! This was a mind blower. I never expected that. What a day. I flew a lot and had no crashes with all my flights. No repairs. Oh yes I flew the big Kawanishi "Emily" too. She did great also.

https://vimeo.com/74868568

Re: Martin Mars XPB2M-1R- Maiden and Nicolaci Float Fly flig

Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 5:43 pm
by Neons
Here are some pictures. The first aircraft is the Kawanishi H8K3 Emily which also flew that day.
Thanks to:
Gary Carreiro for supporting crew.

Chris Ferreira for pictures and video
and
Jon Bier for more video footage also.

Re: Martin Mars XPB2M-1R Scratchbuild - Sept 9, 2017 Nicolaci FF

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:56 pm
by Neons
Here is pictures from Sept 9, 2017 Nicolaci Float Fly. I had #3 motor on the Mars cutting out. Flight was aborted. The Float Fly was well attended with flat calm waters. The Club webpage has more photos

Re: Martin Mars XPB2M-1R Scratchbuild - 1943-123 inch Wingspan

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2024 8:57 am
by Neons
One of magazine editors fellow Sopwith Mike is an editor for RCM&E or of some importance with the magazine. He sought me out a few months ago for photos and relative information Still a big model aircraft that is lightly weathered with shading and some wear. Not overly done. There are 2 of these real full size airplanes left. If you look the Martin Mars XPB2M -1R up it will show twin rudders. The later years around 1944-45 it was turned over to a single large rudder and removed all weapons. It was at some point painted red after the war when Canada bought them for fire fighting water bombers, Approximately 5 years ago they were sold and one is restored in Navy blue and is in Pensacola, FL. The other ??

I have the website in RC Groups that wanted some photos of my Martin Mars conversion for publication a few months ago. All the photos I have are not real good quality like todays newer digital cameras. I still did not know if they would use them and publish them in the British RCM&E magazine. They evidently used one.
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthr ... ead/page30

The RCG thread is about Ivan Pettigrew's drawn plans and follow up builds. An interesting place to visit.