Rick Barnes's EAC Firecat
Manufacturer:Estes

This is a clone of the Estes Firecat (#0821) from the mid-'70s, sold only to members of the Estes Aerospace Club.  The design is a clever reimagining of the then-current Honest John kit, combine with decals from the Bandit and a bit BT-48 tube.  I'm not sure how many were produced, but it is not well known or common.

I built this per the instructions, but I took the standard exemptions of using basswood for the fins and a nylon parachute.  The basswood seems necessary, as the wing and fin tip design is likely damage-prone.  The nylon parachute is helpful, since the weight it adds helps offset the weight of the basswood, so all told, this will be a bit heavier than original.  But it should be reasonable.  The other change I had to make was substituting a section of BT-50 coupler for the original BT-48, which doesn't seem to be available anymore.  The coupler is about .020" larger in diameter than the BT-48, but it will have to do.

WP_003251.jpg
WP_003254.jpg
WP_003255.jpg

 

Flights

 

comment Post a Comment