Keeplookinup

I have read no posts regarding the Mud Duck aircraft and wanted to put in my two-cents worth.

I was looking for a unique airplane that would grab attention at the field but not my wallet. With the help of some of my flying friends, I built the mud duck. Building was unconventional to say the least but simple. Some modifications and stiffening was done to the "floppy" T-tail. Balance was right on and weight was comparable to instructions.

The first flight of this mighty bird was anything but uneventful. After a slow and easy roll, the craft lifted and began ascending into the calm sky above. Before I gained enough altitude for a comfortable turn, the right wing buckled slowly just outside of the strut. The plane pitched down and right and the left wing buckled shortly after. Now, reaching a maximum velocity of about 10 mph and a 45 degree descent, there was nothing I could do but watch.

Little damage was done thanks to the pressed foam board construction and repairs were quick. Following flights were more succesfull than the first but very difficult to fly.

The aircraft was not willing to climb very well at all and dropped about 15 foot of altitude in every turn. I don't believe I ever got the bird more than 50 foot over-head.

I was wondering if anyone else had built or flown one of the "Flying Follies" and what their experiences were.

I have since sold the wacky quacker and chalked one up to experience.

Thank you for your input.

MHawker

My Feedback: (16)

Maybe the wing had a "quack" in it............

Or you could always use "Duck" tape to fix it..........

I'll stop now. :drowning:

tailspnr

My Feedback: (1)

That was a good one MHawker. I was on a conference call when I read that and I actually "quacked" up and had to explain myself.

PaulSwany

My Feedback: (45)

Mud Duck... do you have any pics of the beast?

Keeplookinup

I do indeed have a couple of photos.
One is taken at a local show
The other is at the flying field

Keeplookinup

At the field

doug01

My Feedback: (1)

Built my DUCK in 97' and have had 78 uneventfull flights with it. Anticipated the now known weak points I strengthened the tail with removable struts and lengthend the wing strut attachment pieces which greatly improved the structural integerity of the wings. Finished the bird in orange and white Citabria markings with custom cut vinyl MUD DUCK logo on the side of the fuselage.
Actually a decent looking.....well... DUCK!! What has made it a real crowd pleaser is that it is powered by an ASP .61 / Touch Start which allows starting from the transmitter...don't know if the Touch Start guy is still producing them but that has been a slick set-up. The plane has always flown well for what it is however can be a challenge to land in a 10-15 mph headwind.
It will float with very little forward motion and the only way to land is to keep level flight and gradually reduce throttle...come down in a near vertical descent...roll out is about 5 feet. Have not flown for a couple of years so in the process of replacing engine bearings, clean it up and sell the old bird. Good Flying to all!

Don T. - NN4S

My Feedback: (1)

Can't speak for the foamboard versions of the "Mud Duck" but I love my scratch-built .30 size! I've been flying it for years now with only one crash (and that caused by radio battery failure) and it always catches the eye of folks at the field. The plans for building it are still available from Model Aviation (AMA plans service) and it's a relatively quick & easy build. Even on this version of the plane, it's a good idea to add some sort of tail bracing (flying wires or struts) to keep that big, high stab in line with the rest of the plane. Otherwise, it's a very forgiving and nimble little plane!

I've tried one of the "Cricket" foamboard planes with a Norvel .15 on it & had no success in keeping it in the air; even with the tail bracing it just didn't want to fly! I had an 8-4 prop on it; maybe it just couldn't get enough airspeed with that to do anything. I pulled the engine & gear out of it after the last attempt at flying it and stuck them in other planes that have been much less of a hassle to get airborne. I couldn't force myself to throw it away, though, so maybe someday I'll give it another try with the other prop & see if it can stay in the air then. Total flight time on the airframe (all hand launches): 15 seconds! Not for the faint of heart or the short of time, that's for sure...

Now when will we see one built up from Coroplast?

fast eddie b

Hi Keeplookinup...

I had a mud duck powered by an o.s. .9l..... Flew great on first flight. Spun the prop loose on the second flight and for some unknown reason took a sreaming dive straight in...destroyed. I really would like another and probably will build it in future.

I'm now flying the agri-duck which is the low wing version and looks like a stand-off crop duster. The agri-duck has an o.s..91 Flys great nice and slow. A real crowd pleaser. Just installed a Wal-Mart $25.00 Kodak camara and tried it last Sat. Pictures look pretty good for the first try. If you would like more info on the duck or camara contact me. ..

Fast Eddie B














F

ScottP.

I'm not sure if anybody is interested but, I'll post it anyway. I have been in contact with Tom Chipley, owner of Mud Duck Aviation. He has the business for sale. I thought of buying it, but right now I don't have the room to do something like this. If you want more info contact me by PM.

fast eddie b

Hi Scott:

Thanks for your reply.. Regarding the sale of MD Aviation... There seems to be an interest in plans for th Mud Duck or Agri-Duck by what appears on the items wanted on RC Universe wanted ads. Maybe some profit could be in the sale of plans.
I thought the orginal kits were priced on the high side considering the materials used. I think today's prices on ARFs would be hard to compete with unless the prices on the duck kits were lower. The ducks are fun and plans seem to be scarce.

If you have a duck or are building one I could offer some tips on how I changed mine a bit.

Fast Eddie B.
R

ROLY SCOTT

I HAVE BEEN READING ALL THE REPLIES TO THE MUD DUCK QUESTIONS AND IT SEEMS THAT ALL THESE PERTAIN TO THE FOAM VERSION BY TOM CHIPLEY, WHO IN ABOUT 92 OR 93 HAD AN ARTICLE IN AMA MAGAZINE ABOUT AN ALL WOOD BIRD THAT WAS .20 OR .30 4-STROKE POWERED.....ABOUT THAT TIME I HAD BEEN FLYING A SIMILAR BIRD FOR ABOUT 7 YEARS AND HADN'T NAMED IT......WHEN I SAW THAT ARTICLE I NEARLY FLIPPED UP INTO A DOUBLE BACK FLIP INTO THE NITRO POOL.....HIS AIRCRAFT WAS SIMILAR TO MINE AND SO CLOSE I STOLE HIS NAME FOR IT...THE MUD DUCK.....I THE LAST 12 YEARS I HAVE BUILT 140+ OF THIS ANIMAL AND THEY ALL FLEW WELL....I EVEN SCALED ONE DOWN TO HIS SIZE....MOST OF MINE ARE IN THE 83 TO 85 INCH RANGE WITH ONE 109"ER SNUCK IN THERE....EVERY CONFIGURATION YOU CAN IMAGINE....LOW, HIGH, MID WING, AND BI-WING(WHICH DIDN'T FLY TOO WELL).......FLAT BOTTOM, FULLY AND SEMI-SYMETRICAL.....I FLY A SEMI 83" NOW THAT WILL DO ANYTHING IN THE BOOK.....IT DON'T LIKE TO HOVER BECAUSE THE T-TAIL IS OUT OF THE PROP WASH .....ROLLS ARE NO AXIAL...BUT EVERY THING ELSE IS FINE....LANDS SLOW AND IS VERY DIFFERENT...CHECK OUT IN THE BOSTON AREA TUAN LEE WHO HAS 2....MIKE SMATHERS IN ROCHESTER NY WHO HAS 2 JIM ALVIS IN JACKSON MS WHO HAS 3 ....JAMES ROBINSON IN BRANDON, MS WHO HAS 5 ALL DIFFERENT AND ONE ON FLOATS.....JUST FINISHED THE NEWEST WHICH IS A FAN APPROPRIATLEY NAMED THE ""MUD-DUCKTED FAN" WILL TEST IT WITH .46 FAN...TURBINE ON THE WAY......PHOTOS WILL FOLLOW......ROLY

ROLY SCOTT

OR YOU COULD CHECK MY PHOTO GALLERY ON THIS FORUM

FlyingTyger

My Feedback: (2)

I'm one that'd be interested in just the plans. I'd love to do an Agri-Duck, but found the kit price a bit high. Fast Eddie, if you'd mind parting with your Agri-Duck plans or a copy of them, that'd be teriffic.

bhorton

My Feedback: (26)

I am looking for plans for the Agri-Duck too. A friend wants to build one. If anyone knows where I could get one please let me know. Thanks.

Mud Duck Aviation

My Feedback: (15)

Hello fellow modelers. My name is Greg, I purchased Mud Duck Aviation from Tom Chipley recently. I will be offering kits again in the near future and will likely be offering plans for the Mud Duck Mk II and the Agri duck very soon.

I still need to set up shop and get organized. I will be setting up a website for the company as soon as I can muster where interested individuals can get some information.

I would love to hear from anyone who has suggestions to improve the models they have built, I would be more than happy to update the product lines with better building suggestions.

I myself have built and flown the Agri-Duck and have friends with the Mud Duck Mk I and CricKit. Together we will try to improve the line and are looking at some new models to possibly introduce.

Thanks,
Greg

[email protected]

FlyingTyger

My Feedback: (2)

How bout a biplane Duck. A "Stagger Duck" perhaps? Might be kinda cool. I've seen two Mud Ducks fly and the only mod we found neccesary was the addition of ailerons.

iflyj3

My Feedback: (7)

I have these::::
1, 6 foot span, with a 40
1, 9 foot span with a ST .90 (Downlink video)
1, 9 foot with three 40's
1, 14 foot with G62 (weighs 45 lbs)

Dan

Mud Duck Aviation

My Feedback: (15)

You know Warbird_Pilot, You must be psychic or something. That is the first thing that popped in my mind when I decided to purchase Mud Duck Aviation. In fact you are so close as I was thinking along a staggerwing platform.

The current line currently includes:

Mud Duck Mk II (kits & plans)
Agri Duck (kits & plans)
Mud Duck Sport .40/.60 (kit)
CricKit (kit)

Things to watch for:

Bipe Duck
Cub Duck
Improved CricKit (more stable)
Electrified versions of nearly all models

IFLYJ3, Nice planes! how do you like the 14 footer?

If any of you would like me to include photos of your duck(s) on the website I will be setting up, feel free to send pictures and any relevent information to me at [email protected]


Thanks,
Greg

iflyj3

My Feedback: (7)

The 14 footer is actually 13 feet and 8 inches. I multiplied the 9 footer by 1.414 to get a twice size Duck. I guess you could say it is a 141%. It flys just like the 9 footer. I tell people you don't fly a Mud Duck, you herd them. If you have ever driven cattle, you will know what I mean.

BTW Greg, pictures are coming your way via email.

Dan

whulbert

Did you use Foam Core Board or other foam to build it. I have 3 os 90's and would like to build a agri-duck as it looks cool. As far as being ugly it's only ugly if you don't do a good job of building and by taking your time. I am finishing a rc 48 106" cub that has taken me about nine months to build and it has a 1.8 magnum xl 4 stroke in it. Should be done with it in about 15 more hours of work as I work on it from time to time. Its windy here now in the desert of California anyway. Tell me about building a duck. wo

whulbert

Greg:


I would like very much to build a Agri-Duck this summer as soon as the short kits are available. Where do you find foam board that is long enough? wo

whulbert

Put an os 25fx on it and I bet it will fly. wo

fast eddie b

Hi..

I've built one Mud Duck and two Agri Ducks. Currently flying an Agri Duck with a Satio l.80. Flies great!

I found foamboard up to 8 feet at Office Depot locally. You could also try a shop that makes signs.


Hope this helps...

Fast Eddie

whulbert

Can you use Depron Foam to build these planes? Warren