Buzzard Bombshell. - 1940 AMA National Record Holder by Joe Konefes- Updates 1/ 2020

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 10:58 pm

I bought a Buzzard Bombshell at auction in the spring of 2016. I felt I needed an old timer fun plane for my collection. I am not a professed historian on this plane. I believe it was possibly designed in 1939-40 before WWII. Before I post my pictures I will start this post first with some related history that is readily available if you Google the plane.

Visit Crash Updates 1/2020 on Page 02 also,

Joe Konefes’ Buzzard Bombshell

The museum portion of August’s Model Aviation “In the Air” column looks at Joe Konefes’ Buzzard Bombshell in the museum collection. There wasn’t enough room in the column to share all of the information related to the model, so it is shared here in a “deleted scenes” type format.

The original 1940 Buzzard Bombshell on exhibit at the National Model Aviation Museum. Source: National Model Aviation Museum, 1984.20.03, donated by Joe Konefes.
Another angle:

Joe Konefes built his Buzzard Bombshell in 1940 and flew it in mass demonstration flights at the 1940 Nats and regional meets. He set a Class C Open flight record with it at the 1940 Nats. His first flight was 49 minutes, 40 seconds. The official time for all three flights was over 58 minutes.

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Joe almost didn’t have a Buzzard Bombshell model to fly at Nats. The second time he participated in a contest with the model, it was lost during flight somewhere in the wilds of Wisconsin. Luckily, over a month later, “a farmer’s cow shied at something in a tree and the lost plane was soon back with the rest of the Buzzard Flock.” In the October 1940 Air Trails construction article, Joe wryly comments during the first launch at Nats he gave a “short prayer of thanks to that Wisconsin cow.”
Joe’s Certificate of Record awarded by the NAA for the 49 minute 40 second flight.

Joe’s Certificate of Record awarded by the NAA for the 49 minute 40 second flight. Source: National Model Aviation Museum, related to 1984.20.03, scan of the copied original.

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The Buzzard Bombshell design had been the winner of a Buzzards Club of Chicago contest for the best design to use for a club project and mass flights. Gordon Christoph was a member of the Buzzards, and also the owner of the Aircraft Co. kit company. Because the design had been a club thing, Aircraft Co. was the company that received the design and kitted the model. At the time, though, Joe was working for Comet. Rumors indicate that Comet wasn’t very happy when Joe shared the Buzzard Bombshell design with Aircraft and not them.
The ad for Aircraft’s Buzzard Bombshell kit that appeared in Air Trails, November 1940.

The ad for Aircraft’s Buzzard Bombshell kit that appeared in Air Trails, November 1940. Magazine can be found in the National Model Aviation Museum Library Collection.
download/file.php?mode=view&id=1641
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The July 1941 issue of A Boys’ Life described Joe’s flight, “Joe’s ship made a perfect take-off, grabbed a honey of a rising air current, or thermal, and stayed aloft for a forty nine minute official flight. By a trick wind shift, the plane drifted more than a mile away from the contest field, then circled around and came back for a perfect landing in front of the judges.”
Joe’s flight beat Carl Goldberg and his Zipper and Sailplane designs.

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Joe fixed the covering and made some repairs to the model before it was donated in 1984. He donated it in memory of the Buzzards Club of Chicago, Illinois and its members: Grace and Gordon Christoph, Bill Englehardt, Harry Guenther, Shirley and Bill Klumb, Martha, Rita, Ed and Joe Konefes, Bill Lackey, Louis Lewald, Harb Maas, Ed Manthey, Les Paetz, Dick Scheffner, Mary Lou and Al Thorwaldsen and Joe Trefny.A close-up of the Buzzard logo on the fuselage of the Buzzard Bombshell.

Many thanks to Ed Konefes and Dan Kane, Sr. for sharing their memories of Joe and the Buzzard Bombshell with the AMA Museum.[

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 11:33 pm

My auction purchase was a very reasonable cost. But that is what auctions are for. Find them pennies on the dollar. I looked the plane over and I saw some kind of a nitro motor on the plane. It did not ring a bell in my mind at that sight. I was going to tear the plane apart and electrify it anyway. I just wanted to modify an old classic plane. So up it went for sale and very few people were interested in the model so I won the plane.

After I transported it home and looked it over I discovered the motor was a cut up nitro motor and the plane was already made into an electric flyer. It was a real botched up amateur job. That was a shocker and it fooled me as bad as it was. I was just going to make plane have more and better mods to my standards.

The initial picture above, you will notice the motor first. See how high it sits over the prop center line? Look. No carburetor. I will fix that.

Below are multiple views of the plane as purchased 1 year ago. There were some more problems to remedy on this plane.

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 11:56 pm

Here are the specifics of the plane. Plans are easily found by Googling. These are demos.

Buzzard Bombshell Model (1).pdf: Updated Plan with a 4stroke motor; (1.03 MiB) Downloaded 664 times

This plan above is a updated RC plan showing a modern 4 stroke motor.

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 9:47 am

Looking inside the Buzzard ther was no battery tray. I would need some room for a battery in the 2650 size in 3 or 4s depending on the power needed.

This is a bottom view with 2 covers removed . 1 small cover was forward and the battery was just pushed in and floating free. The longer rear cover was over the servos and has the landing gear mounted to it.

The only way to get the battery in was on an angle. A plywood rectangular box is made.

After the box is made there were holes cut out or drilled to allow air circulation around the batteries. The box top has to be cut on an angle to allow the cover to close it all in.

The Buzzard was test flown and it flew pretty well but still needed morework on the power system. The Esc seemed to small as it was getting warm. The motor is next.

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 9:58 am

The motor that came with the plane was not enough power and it was just about enough power to climb fast. The new motor was a beast in flight. On 4s it would climb nonstop vertical very fast on a 4s battery. On a 3s battery it was just right for good flights. I put in a 50 amp Esc that was rated for 3-4s batteries also.

Exceed-RC MonsterPower Series 25 (870kv) Monster Power OutRunner Brushless Motor!
http://www.exceedrc.com/63m52.html
Exceed-RC's Monster Power Series motors give a .25 size model the clean quiet convenience of electric power with an emphasis on power and durability. Pitted against any other their equivalent glow engine counterparts, this lightweight, high torque, high output motor will more than satisfy the most power hungry pilot.

Model #: Monster Power 25 (63M52)
C3548 KV: 870Kv
Input Watts: 550W
Resistance: .03 ohms
Idle Current: 2.40A
Continuous Current: 32A
Max Burst Current: 44A
Cells Ni-Cd/Ni-MH: 10-14
Cells Li-Po: 3-4
Weight: 6.0 oz (170g)
Overall Diameter: 1.4 in (35mm)
Shaft Diameter: .16 in (4mm)
Overall Length: 1.90 in (48mm)

Recommendations Only:
40A - 45A ESC
3S - 4S Li-Po
10 - 14 Cell Ni-MH/Ni-Cd
11x8 to 14x7 Prop

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 10:28 am

Now for the dummy engine to make it look the part. Being the motor crankcase was high it just did not look correct closely. I removed the wood mount and lowered it as far as I could without rubbing on the brushless motor. I hack sawed the crankase even with the motor stock mounts. Then I Dremeled out the rear remnants of the back of the motor. Next I sat the motor on the wood mount and turned the brushless motor to make sure there was clearances. Next the wood mount was glued in place and the motor mounted.

The carburetor had to be built out of a turned hardwood on my small lathe. In addition I added a use needle valve assembly from my used parts bin and also added an old worn fuel line and filter added to the motor. Further work was to paint the wood and the cylinder head to match the worn motor. I still have no idea what the make of the motor is. The exhaust has screw holes for a muffler which makes it look new also. Years ago there were no mufflers.

Now I have the worn out look. The flights were very good now with the exception of the free wheeling prop. I may change the ESC and set it so it brakes the prop next on a compression stroke look.

Finally I fund some matching covering in transparent red and yellow. I was able to remove all the silver Monokote from the bottom of the wing. It now matches the top wing and allows the sun to glow through the wing.

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:29 am

I just did not have the heart to break the plane up after looking it over. If it was a new general plane I would have junked her. The first thing was to strip the covering off the plane and evaluate the frame on the fuselage. The back was broken and hanging by the control cables. The nose was all rough shape from water and fuel when it was a gasser.
The picture here show the rear sticks and sheeting repaired as I have no damage picture of the area.The cabin has a lot of front wing support bulkhead and broken window, The motor mounts and cheeks are damaged also.

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:56 am

As you can see how bad the nose is here, I have to graft and re-bulkhead the wing support. There is also a new firewall for the motor being installed. The motor was all dull when I found it in the marsh. Sort of like galvanized steel. I wire wheeled the heck out of it. I am painting it to look used and darker in the black shade.

Finish Rebuilding Completion Next Page>--------->

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Mon Jan 27, 2020 9:36 am

As I mentioned the nitro motor was a corrosion mess. I rounded the head fins and wire brushed the whole motor to look well used. I painted the fins black shading, The first picture of the motor shows it sitting on top of the electric motor. I ground a lot of aluminum from the crankase to get a very close clearances and to be closer to the electric motor shaft.
In the next picture the whole system is bolted into place. The carburetor again was made out of wood with an old Fox needle valve assembly. Add a filter and old fuel line to give the aged look.

Neons · Post by **Neons** » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:02 am

I decided to keep the transparent colors as they are. The blue will now be 2 tone colors with Red/Yellow stripes. The battery compartment was rebuilt for bottom loading again. The landing gear was all rusty. Heavily wire brushed and painted silver.