Baby Ace

"W P Dixon"
:

Yeah the one strap for the wing join just "needs" something doesn't
it! As for the main struts,..if you use the design diameters it
should be ok wouldn't you think. They did build these as a kit and of
course I am just guessing here (since I wasn't alive wayyy back then!
) but if there had been a warping problem as "built as designed"
wouldn't we have heard about it? Not arguing with you mind you, it is
a distinct possibility with "not the right stuff" for the job. I may
have to just get an old mechanix Illustrated copy and see the changes
Paul made,...heck I may like his design as well.


I prefer the look of the thirties, one, of course. The outrigger gear just
looks right for it. It'd be nearly as tough as cub gear and I'd say Paul
only changed it for reasons of fashion. The other changes he's made are
much more significant though and looking at both side by side, they make a
lot of sense.
He changed very little aside from the wing attachments, though. Tail
fittings all look pretty similar, tubing sizes are all OK and since they
only used mild steel on the 30's version IIRC, it'd all be a lot stronger
anyway.
I've been through a lot of plans of similar airplanes, and they all have
wing fittings similar to the 50's and later Aces. The strut to spar
fittings look to me to be a bit weak as well. That wraparound thing they
did is much more easily and efficiently dealt with by simply using a
slightly more robust and smaller fiting along with a couple of 1/8th
doublers, as is modern practice. Probably be lighter as well as stronger
too!