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Bomb bay for flour bombs

Bomb Bay for Flour Bombs...

I can't help thinking that someplace there is some dedicated VAF member, just outside the edge of completely sane, working on a gatling paintball gun geared to shoot through the prop.
 
I asked an airforce friend for some insights in how I should know when to release my pumpkin; taking into account altitude, wind direction and speed. He stated that in the absence of the current pumpkin ballistics tables he would not be of much help!
 
What is the best bag and weight for a flour bomb? Is there a spec with a max or min, does each contest set its own rule, or is it all an ad hoc exercise - the bigger the better? If you are mixing flour and sand (sand for deadweight), what volume ratio? Sand may be somewhat cheaper, maybe, but why not just a bigger bag and more flour? What's the story, you bomber pilots?

I cannot find an 'official' flour bomb specification. However, when we did it last year, it was a simple brown paper lunch sack with about 2 cups of flour inside. Wrap the excess bag material on around the flour lump and secure with a piece of masking tape. Mark the bag with a Sharpie with the pilot's handle (name) so when the ground crew measures the distance from the center of the target to the point of impact, they know who gets the credit. Pilots fly over the target at a pre-arranged altitude, typically between 500 and 1000 feet AGL. Low wing airplanes are at an obvious disadvantage, unless additional measures are taken, hence, this thread.
 
darn google

..... He stated that in the absence of the current pumpkin ballistics tables he would not be of much help!

was about to look for something else on VAF but now have an overwhelming urge to google "pumpkin Ballistics Tables"....

.... be right back
 
Short Video

I added short vidoe of bomb door operation

N23YW


Jim Knight
Burlington Iowa
RV-6
 
I cannot find an 'official' flour bomb specification. However, when we did it last year, it was a simple brown paper lunch sack with about 2 cups of flour inside. Wrap the excess bag material on around the flour lump and secure with a piece of masking tape. Mark the bag with a Sharpie with the pilot's handle (name) so when the ground crew measures the distance from the center of the target to the point of impact, they know who gets the credit. Pilots fly over the target at a pre-arranged altitude, typically between 500 and 1000 feet AGL. Low wing airplanes are at an obvious disadvantage, unless additional measures are taken, hence, this thread.

I'm wondering if you could put a plexi window in the cockpit floor of an -8, just big enough to sight a target on a bomb run. Then I could fashion one (or two) bombays in the cargo section and be able to tar (flour) and feather (TP) all "enemy bases" near my home. If the plexi proves to be too difficult (most likely will, although I haven't looked at the cockpit plans yet) I guess I'll just have to perfect the "pop" maneuver.

Oh, what fun awaits...:cool:
 
Exhaust consideration

I'm wondering if you could put a plexi window in the cockpit floor of an -8, just big enough to sight a target on a bomb run. Then I could fashion one (or two) bombays in the cargo section and be able to tar (flour) and feather (TP) all "enemy bases" near my home. If the plexi proves to be too difficult (most likely will, although I haven't looked at the cockpit plans yet) I guess I'll just have to perfect the "pop" maneuver.

Oh, what fun awaits...:cool:

Just a thought on exhaust:
Exhaust may be a consideration (with plexiglas) & (carbon monoxide) at the front floor of an RV8.
 
I have given this much thought over the years but haven't tried building anything.

My thought was a "bomb rack" that could attached to the tiedown hard point and use some type of relay to drop the flower sack (Or pumpkin) and would be removable.

My thinking is that you will have to limit your top speed to keep from ripping the sack open.

I build a 5 tube rocket launcher for Estes D series single stage rockets that mounted there. Never had the guts to try it
 
Whatever you do, go all out! Drop an entire sack of flour! :cool:

Yeah, I was always disappointed at the Grumman fly-ins. Our Safety Nazi (some here will remember Ron fondly) would only approve like a half cup of flour in a zip lock freezer bag. No way is that gonna break.


On related note, I need to design a Norden sight for an RV-6 :-D
 
I added short vidoe of bomb door operation

N23YW


Jim Knight
Burlington Iowa
RV-6

Wow, that is so cool. I like it.:D
This really gets the wheels turning.

Our formation group fly high cover in the Key West Independence Day celebration for the open cockpit planes that bomb the Navy with TP.
With this, we could actually participate. At high cover position, we'd see the streaming TP from above and are always envious of those guys.
 
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7B3 has a flour bomb contest every year. The bombs are 1lb of flour in a small paper lunch bag the the top of the bag wrapped around and sealed with masking tape. From talking with "those in the know" from both Owls Head Air museum and Rhinbeck, this is "a standard bomb". J-3's are the preferred platform.

However, that bomb door is so cool!
 
I build a 5 tube rocket launcher for Estes D series single stage rockets that mounted there. Never had the guts to try it

I have thought about doing this too! I think it would be cool even if just cosmetic - would be fun to drop into a fly-in with external stores...
 
Flour Drop

I have thought about doing this too! I think it would be cool even if just cosmetic - would be fun to drop into a fly-in with external stores...

Just a thought:
Considered a flour drop unit w/ solenoid release, (attached to the wing tie down hard point.
 
old video

The link to the toilet paper drop bay (posted in 2012) has expired. Any happen to have the downloaded video or a current link, perhaps?
 
fun to read this old thread.... & remember

Many years ago, I attended (twice actually) an annual "community fly-in /show & shine / drag race weekend", at an undisclosed airport, in an undisclosed NW state. Big local crowds attended and was covered by local media. The finale event of the weekend was the 'bomb' drop event, The idea was that participants would pass over twice, first run at 1000ft, second run at 500ft and try to hit an old car in the mid field. The ordinance was a 10 pin bowling ball... The story was- that nobody ever hit that old car in all the years the event was held. Many tactics were employed from Stuka type approaches to slow / side slip out the door drops, of course, high wing planes were best suited to enter.
There was a Waco that participated and had a novel bomb mechanism rigged to the aft fuselage consisting of rope webbing slings which could be released individually. Was hilarious watching the old Waco taxi out from the ramp as the twin bomb load swayed like other thangs that dangle.
 
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