First Cabin Model CF (and CE?)

Robert Szego

Robert Szego

New member
To start us off, I introduce the Model CF. Picture courtesy of Jim Spee from his visit to the NASM.

Dan Cullman has covered this airplane in a previous B-C Contact! article.
 
The Bellanca CF may still be displayed at Silver Hill,Md., unless it has been moved recently. I believe this is the oldest existing Bellanca. Can anyone prove me wrong? I'd love to find a CD or CE. Dan Cullman
 
Dan:

I used to gaze upon it, year after year, during my annual Silver Hill tours. Back then I was doing so as part of an online multi-player computer game I was in charge of (featuring WWII aircraft) but I'd find some reason to linger...I'd resort to anything...even faking throwing a shoe, so to speak (for those of you who don't know I've used crutches for ambulation lo these past 40 years).

When viewing another more interesting Bellanca than any of us will ever own - the Flying W at Tillamook, Oregon - I needed no such bizarre tricks. I'd informed my traveling companion of my primary motive ahead of time :) In exchange I informed him of the reasons why the Messerschmitt 109 had less parasitic drag than a Spitfire.

Damn the winds were terrible that day...for a Luscombe at least.

I'm so happy your among us now, Dan :!:

Jonathan
 
Wait a sec....I may be confused, but I could swear there was a cabin Bellanca where the pilot had an open cockpit. My Bellanca knowledge was nascent then. Is this that airplane, Dan? I can't tell from the photo.

Jonathan
 
Ah, so that was the very same airplane. Thanks, Dan!

I first beheld that aircraft years before I became a pilot. Little did I know where my fascination with that flying machine would lead me :)

Jonathan
 
Russell has taken on the previously rarely updated Antique Aircraft Association web site and has been refreshing the content regularly.

http://antiqueairfield.com/

Apart from the major news of the Boeing 40 flying after 80 years, if you scroll down you'll see what our Dan Cullman is working on :D

Jonathan
 
Dan Cullman asked me to post this:

A guy e-mailed me the other day about the Bellanca CE * he has in his rafters!
* see next posting by Dan Cullman
 
Well, as far as I know, there was only one CF and it is at the NASM. The photos I forwarded are of a CE project. I don't know how much of this is original. The CE was a small biplane produced in very small numbers. I addressed this a/c in my forum about 18 months ago.
 
Don't think it's for sale. The prints may be available from the NASM. I haven't checked. Andrew King in VA. said he might be interested in scratch building a 'CE.'
 
I wonder if the owner of the CE would let us copy it? I'd sure like to just LOOK at it if possible- maybe take a few pictures.

Smithsonian has a blue ton of drawings for the CE and it's my second choice for a nice Bellanca replica right after the 28-90.
You have to lie to Smithsonian however to get the drawings. If you mention you're building a flying full-scale replica, they will NOT allow you to purchase drawings. You have to say it's for a book, scale model plane (R/C) or something. Once again it's a liability issue.
C'mon Club- let's build a CE! If everyone took the time to build a couple of ribs or cut out some hardware to Dan Cullman's specs, I'll bet we could nail one up within a year or two. :wink:
 
Dan-
I wonder if a CE replica would qualify as a LSA :?:
I'd like to use the 7-cylinder Rotec radial as a powerplant. I wish they made a 5-cylinder so I could maintain a more original look.
Getting serious about this now. I will order all available material from the NASM archives as soon as I hear back from them about current pricing.
The Cruisair will be finished this November (Lord willin' and the ceek don't rise. Also depending on how my hernia operation goes) so it's on to the next project. I'll be 50 this November and time's awastin' :!:
 
The original CE used a 6 cylinder Anzani radial of about 55 hp. Apparently, it performed very well with two aboard. Remember that the average US. male weighed about 145 lbs. at the time. If the NASM had the prints to the CE.....and I haven't checked.........they won't give them to you to build a replica. August needs to confer with his counsel to remind him that the "18 year rule" should apply. Dan
 
I know of a few individuals who flat-out lied to NASM to get their prints. I don't condone such behavior, but I understand the frustration.
NASM's biggest concern is liability. They're afraid if they sell you the prints, they will become liable in some lawsuit if "Joe's Pretty Good Aircraft" builds a replica and kills somebody. The way people are today, I can't blame them.
Back onto the CE, if Guiseppe had used a Menasco on the CE airframe, that would have made an interesting combo IMO.
I think I'll build an indoor R/C of the CE just so I can at least fly one by proxy. It would be perfect for E-Flight.
 
I've seen models of the CE available on Ebay. The Rotec engine is very expensive. You could get measurements off the fuselage.......but what about the rest of the airplane? Where does this lead?
 
I would hope it would lead to building a nice, flying replica one day. Something I could give rides in at the BCC fly-ins.
As to the powerplant, it's got me stumped. The 5 cylinder Rotec is $17K. At that rate, it would definitely be the most expensive part of the aircraft.
I have enough data to build a full-scale Bristol F2B here at the house (Parts list with dimensions, Manual of Erection, Maintenance Manual), but after becoming involved with the BCC, I lean more towards attempting a CE. The F2B is awfully big.
I don't know if any of you heard of Frank Ryder and his WWI replica air museum in Guntersville, AL, but hes' the one that inspired me to build the F2B. Ed Storo of TN built one that now resides in New Zealand.
I got some hands-on experience on building the F2B jigs before Frank was killed. It's actually quite a bit like scratch-building a VERY large radio control model IMO.
 
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