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[TomP]

Seen this picture on the AMS Facebook page would really like to know if the front dive planes are functional? I have just drawn how I am going to do it now going to build them but would be good to see how others have done it. I'm hoping to use Pneumatics to raise and lower them. Cheers Tom

[16-21]

Tom,

Email bob he has drawings for working up planes, also I think there was drawings kicking about for operational
Otw o class.

Bob did say the space was tight for doing operational planes on the S

[Subculture]

I work with pneumatics quite a bit- difficult to make them operate in a controlled and subtle fashion- tend to be more bang-bang.

I would use hydraulics, which is quite straightforward as you can use syringes for master and slave cylinders, with a servo controlling the master cylinder. You can use vegetable oil as a fluid.

[U-33]

Tom, have a word with Paul Cook ('upscope' on here), I'm pretty certain that he has operational front planes on his Revell Gato. Failing that, have a sniff round either the Sub Committee or Sub Pirates websites, there's plenty of info on there about operational front planes on Revell Gato's which may give you give you some ideas.

And before I get jumped on, the ideas I've mentioned are of a mechanical ilk and not hydraulic or pneumatic, but you may gain some ideas.



Rich

[Subculture]

How to get folding or retracting planes seems to be an often repeated request. There are several ways to skin the cat. Gato class boats are a very good reference, as they use the same methods, and more people build that class of boat, so more ideas floating about.

Here are a few pictures to get the ol' grey matter whirring.

[16-21]

Could Always buy the engel gato unit,

But 250 euro's???

[Sub driver]

batfish....i think the top pic is an engel unit.
Dave welsh also has a different method of moving the vanes on a revelle gato with a sliding mechanism.
Regards sub.

[unbuiltnautilus]

This is one I squeezed into the front of an OTW Oberon, servo driven but might help a bit..

[TomP]

Hi thank you for all the replies. I have an Engel Gato retract system bought it off the German Ebay site for £35.

There is a big difference between the S class and the Gato, the Gato has an arm to lift and lower the plane where the S doesn't. I wanted to keep it as realistic as possible so don't want to put an arm in there like the Gato.

I have drawn how I am going to do it seems like it should work well just need to build it. The pneumatic cylinders I have are controlled by a variable rate manifold and works very well you can control how fast they fully retract.

I just wanted to see if this sub had fully working planes or not as there doesn't seem to be any arm controlling the plane would be interested to see how they work.

[Subculture]

The levers are probably run internally. In which case you can still use the same idea as in teh Gato, you just need to reorientate the mechanism. Not a big problem.

Meccano or techincal Lego are handy for figuring out these mechanisms and checkign to see they work well before you commit to materials. Failing that, a cardboard or plywood mock-up works well.

[unseen]

If this helps, this a photo of Otter breaking a few years ago which may give some idea how the forward planes work on a British Submarine

[TomP]

This is a roughly how I'm going to do it, the actual parts inside will work a bit like the Engel Typhoon but using the pneumatic cylinders

[upscope]

Here are some pictures of my folding bow planes on my 32nd Parallel Gato/Balao  the USS Lionfish.
These are driven simply by the Futabba 3305 mg servo, on the retract switch on my TX, using a servo slow does help the appearance on the water, rather than having them "flick" up and down.

[unbuiltnautilus]

Do they have a dive/surface function built in? If so, how does that side of it work?

[upscope]

Yes, there is. Its not alot of movement, about 1/4 imch up and down, it seems to be enough though. As you can see the effect at speed, although obvioulsy having a ballast tank she does not need them.

Paul