COMMON QUESTIONS
Warbird Pilots’ Adam Martin shares his knowledge about pilot figures
By Jay Smith | jays@modelaircraft.org
Photo provided by Warbird Pilots
After hours of building and assembly, the motor on your aircraft is mounted, the surfaces are hinged, the servos and linkages are secure, the landing gear is installed, and the radio is programmed. Your model is on its feet and looking as though it is ready to take to the sky. Only one last detail remains before it’s ready to roll onto the grass at your local field. You need a pilot!
Warbird Pilots carries a full line of highly detailed 1/8-, 1/7-, 1/6-, 1/5-, 1/4-, and all-new 1/3-scale World War I, World War II, civilian, and jet pilot figures for your scale aircraft. With more than 60 different pilot figures available, you can outfit almost any aircraft you can imagine.
Warbird Pilots figures are designed with a lightweight wire frame and cotton-filled body. This keeps the figure incredibly lightweight for balancing purposes and it can be adjusted and bent into nearly any position in order to precisely fit your cockpit. The body is topped with a detailed and professionally painted head and outfitted with completely removable scale clothing and equipment.
What size of pilot do I need for my airplane?
The first step is to determine the scale of your aircraft. Warbird Pilots has designed its figures in four different heights: 10, 12, 15, and 22 inches tall. The height of the figure corresponds to fitting two scales each. A 10-inch figure fits 1/8 to 1/7 scale, a 12-inch figure fits 1/6 to 1/5 scale, a 15-inch figure fits 1/4.5 to 1/4 scale, and a 22-inch figure fits 1/3.5 to 1/3 scale.
This design allows the figures to fit an array of aircraft on the market. Many manufacturers will list the aircraft’s scale on the box or in the instruction manual. The scale that is listed might not be exactly what the aircraft truly is, but it is generally close. If, for any reason, the scale of the aircraft eludes you, feel free to give us a quick call and we will work with you to get the perfect-size pilot.
How do I install the pilot into the airplane?
After the scale has been determined and the corresponding pilot figure has been chosen, now comes the fun part of properly fitting the figure into the cockpit and getting its seated height correct. With all of the electronics and components inside of our aircraft, cockpits often end up being too shallow and cramped and your properly scaled pilot ends up with its head above the canopy when seated. This is where a Warbirds Pilots figure excels.
With its wire frame and cotton body, the pilot figure has an adjustable seated height. By simply bending it higher or lower at the waist, you can get the pilot to sit higher or lower in the cockpit. There is no need to perform surgery on a cockpit that you have spent hours detailing just to accommodate a pilot. Make the simple adjustments to the pilot to fit in your cockpit.
After the pilot has been adjusted to sit comfortably at the correct height, you will want to secure it in the cockpit. There are a few methods. One option is to wrap a zip tie around the figure’s waist like a seat belt then secure the figure to the back of the seat with a simple piece of Velcro. If you don’t want the zip tie showing, a piece of Velcro on the bottom of the seat will suffice. Both methods will hold the figure in place when you are throwing the airplane around the sky as though it is on a rollercoaster.
The final step is to bend and adjust the rest of the body to your desired position. With the wire frame, the arms will stay exactly where you bend them. I prefer to put one arm to the joystick and the other to the throttle.
The gloved hands on the figure are made of flexible rubber and the fingers can be adjusted to grip the joystick and the throttle. The head can also be turned in any direction to have the figure looking left, right, up, or down. The options are nearly limitless.
Moving-Head Option
If having a highly detailed pilot figure in your airplane isn’t enough, Warbird Pilots has taken the realism to the next level with exactly what you need: a servo-operated moving head. This option is the way to put your scale warbird pilot above and beyond all the rest. Make your fellow RC fliers turn their heads when they see your pilot “turn” his!
Warbird Pilots has designed the figure so that the servo is installed in its upper chest with the head connected directly to the servo. The servo wire is directed down the inside of the body and exits the bottom of the figure’s pants. This allows you to send the wire down through the seat and into the fuselage of the aircraft. You then use a Y harness to connect it to the rudder or put it on its own channel. You will have no idea the figure has a moving head until it turns.
Just like the standard figures, the moving-head option comes installed and ready to plug and play right out of the package—no assembly or painting is required.
If you are in the market for a pilot figure to complete your project and need the lightest-weight, most scale-like figure, with the ability to adjust and bend to fit almost any cockpit, Warbird Pilots has the pilot for you.
SOURCES:
Warbird Pilots
(203) 528-4352
www.warbirdpilots.com
