Homebuilt Airplane?  Pfffft.  This Is A 1/3 Scale B-17!

"Thunder" (Thunder) 10/04/2016 at 22:32 • Filed to: None

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This seems right up the alley for our own Jason Torchinsky. OK... maybe if it were flown by a squid, or perhaps a giraffe.

It’s not remote controlled. Instead, it’s a 1/3 scale B-17, powered by four 60 HP two stroke engines, and boasting retracts and an estimated 110 knot cruise.

The Bally Bomber is based in Illinois, and is sure to cause a double-take at any fly-in. 

The cockpit does look a little snug for Jack Bally, who’s been building this masterpiece since 1999.

It’s been a while in coming to fruition... but it’s so tantalizingly close!

Check it out at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

itschrome > Thunder 10/04/2016 at 22:35

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Yeah, but has it ever actually flown??

Thunder > itschrome 10/04/2016 at 22:39

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Not yet, to my understanding, but it’s looking close.

A bit of a higher threshold when one is stuffing oneself in it, vs sending it aloft remotely controlled. This is my unresearched thought, BTW.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Thunder 10/04/2016 at 22:44

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Admittedly I’d probably want to try it remote controlled before I got in it but.....

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Thunder 10/04/2016 at 22:48

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bonkers

Thunder > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/04/2016 at 22:49

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I dunno. As a private pilot, I can somewhat understand the “give me a BRS” mentality (Ballistic Recovery System - rocket-propelled entire-airplane parachute), particularly for a homebuilt. But for something 1/x scale, remote control sounds tantalizingly safe-ish.

That said, if I’d worked on this for 17 years, I’d probably get in the darn thing. If it’s going to auger in, I’d want to be a part of the hole it dug.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Thunder 10/04/2016 at 23:04

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I understand that.

I just wouldn’t trust anything I built myself. But bonus points if you land it in a cemetery and can use the tail as your headstone.

Die-Trying > Thunder 10/04/2016 at 23:06

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sometimes, you truly CAN take it with you................

shop-teacher > Thunder 10/04/2016 at 23:22

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That is freaking incredible!

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Thunder 10/05/2016 at 08:07

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Guys got balls if he ever gets it off the ground. Looks amazing.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Thunder 10/05/2016 at 08:20

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Holy crap that is awesome!!!

At first I thought it was an RC when you said “1/3 Scale”, and started thinking about how cool it would be to actually be able to fly... Glad to see me and this guy are on the same page.

Now I wonder if the bomb bay works...

J.G. Murphy > Thunder 10/05/2016 at 08:20

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Freaking amazing ! I love that he went with 2-strokes...great power-to-weight AND I think the smell will truly enhance the experience. Can’t wait to see it fly!

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Die-Trying 10/05/2016 at 15:40

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Dammit. I laughed and now I feel bad.

There we go, I’m over it now.

Die-Trying > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 10/05/2016 at 16:03

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i remember being a kid, and we would be at WHOEVER it was’s house, working on the YOU name it.......... dirtbike,lawnmower, go cart, the old truck in the yard, the ramp at the end of the driveway...............didnt matter.......... there was always the fistfight afterwards for who got to be THE FIRST person to drive/ride the newly hacked together pile of parts, BECAUSE......... the first ride/drive, was more than likely going to be THE LAST time the pile moved under its own power.............

good times..............

Die-Trying > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/05/2016 at 16:20

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the fuselage is about the same size as a coffin.............

spectacular build............