CloudBuster and Flyboy - an evolutionary experience.

[simpleflyer]

One day in March 1985, on the way home from work we stopped at local hobby shop and noticed this Comet 4-in-1 kit. It contained the Gold Wing, Cadet, Flyboy, and CloudBuster.

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At a sale price that we couldn't resist, we promptly bought two of the kits. An interesting bit of trivia, today the Gold Wing alone lists for $12.99. Yikes!!!

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After waiting in our retirement 'stash' for over 20 years, May 2007 was the time to start building these kits. First we built the Cadet.

[simpleflyer]

The Cadet went together easily and is one of my best flying rubber powered models. It rewarded me with many fine flights and hours of enjoyment.

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[simpleflyer]

Next we built the CloudBuster. At that time it was named the FlyBoy by Comet. When Guillows took over this line the
FlyBoy changed names and became the CloudBuster. It has a simple robust structure was simple and quick to build. First test flights with low power showed promise for good flying. Much better than could be contained in our backyard flying field. It was set aside until we would have access to a larger flying area.

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[simpleflyer]

The CloudBuster sat idle for over a year until October of 2008 when we began flying models by swing control. We had read a series of articles in Model Airplane News written by F.L. Hendren describing this form of model flying. It appeared to be a simple and effective way to enjoy flying models in the backyard. So we began by converting some of our rubber powered models to swing control flight. We started by converting a 600 series Guillows Cub to swing control and it worked well.

Next, we converted the CloudBuster. We removed the prop and rubber. Sheet balsa doublers were attached to the wing pylon to strenghten the nose and provide a trough to hold clay for balance. Also a landing gear with oversize wheels made from foam was added.

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The model flew great from the start.

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[simpleflyer]

Early flight pix of the Cloudbuster(2008).

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[simpleflyer]

An early crash separated the wing from the fuselage.

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The pylon was shortened and a mounting platform was added. The removeable wing was held on with a rubber band.

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[simpleflyer]

In October of 2008 we built the Comet Cloudbuster(Guillows FlyBoy) as a swing control model from the start. The prop and rubber and associated fittings were omitted. The nose was made from sheet balsa for weight and strength. A compartment for clay balance was built into the nose.

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To fact-check our recollection that Guillows had swapped the names for the CloudBuster and the FlyBoy we checked our files and found this 1975 catalog listing for the Comet 4000 series. Those prices are an eye-opener. And we could get them a few cents cheaper in the local Howard's and Gibson's stores(long ago competitors of Wal-Mart).

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[simpleflyer]

Like the CloudBuster the FlyBoy flew well from the start.

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[simpleflyer]

More FlyBoy flight pix(2009)

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[flash52]

Nice flying pictures.
Its amazing how the price of balsa planes has increased over the years.
A Guillows ad in a 1960 Model Airplane News had the 900 Series Mustang, Bird dog, and Trojan for .69 cents each.

[simpleflyer]

Thanks for your comment Flash52, and you are correct model kit prices have increased greatly. Fortunately, by gleaning a lot of 'close-out' sales over the years, we've been able to acquire a modest 'stash' of kits to last to last us for a while

[simpleflyer]

The Cloudbuster proved to be a fine flier and rewarded us with many hours of backyard fun. In March of 2009 a scratch built modified CloudBuster was built. The dimensions and areas of the CB were used. The tail boom was retained and a nosewheel was added to the pod. The wing was similar to the FlyBoy with swept back leading edges on the outer panels.

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Earrly flights showed it to be a better flier than the CB in that it could better handle windy weather. We called it the 'Super-CloudBuster.

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[simpleflyer]

Some more pix of the super-CB. Because of its ability to handle wind and rough weather, it was flown a lot. Since it was painted with thinned white glue, it was oversprayed with 'rattle can' clear polyurethane from the hardware store. This allowed flying in wet and windy conditions.

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[simpleflyer]

A year later in April of 2010, we decided to revise the removable wing mounts by using neodymium magnets. An internet modeling friend, Phil Finn, kindly gave me several of these to tinker with. First we tried them on a Guillows Javelin that we had converted to swing control and they worked OK and the model flew well.

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[simpleflyer]

Next we tried the magnets on the FlyBoy and they worked Ok and the model again flew well.

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