The spark that got is all started:

Sometime is the mid-seventies I went to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, it was there that I saw a B-36, it was taller than most buildings I have ever saw. The wheels were taller then me. The propellers seemed to be 3 stories in the air, everything about this plane was huge. It put a thought into my mind that anything could be built with the right team of designers.

I am on a mission and didn't even know it:

The when I was about 16 I saw a magazine that had an exploded view of the B-36, it was at this time that I realized just how complicated the systems were on this engineering marvel. I had started flying control line planes and thought it would be cool to have a B-36 control line, but how could I ever find one to buy? Not to mention how would I ever keep six glow motors running at one time? It was at this time I could not get out of my mind of how one day I could get my hands on a B-36 that would be a flying model.

Wow the internet is cool!:

When I first got on the net around 1996 I was like "WOW" I can look up some really cool stuff, cool car stuff, history, and wait a minute, look at the bazillion's of pages of aviation stuff. So as I surfed the net for cool pictures of the X-B-70,  B-36, T-28, B-47, F-104, and anything that North American Aviation designed. I got a book called Angel of Attack, it was about the greatest designer in the world named Harrison Storms, he worked on the X-15, and the XB-70. After reading the book about this incredible man I started thinking about aircraft design at the drawing level. I made up my mind that I had to learn how to draw aircraft designs on a computer.

The Stars were aligning and a job where I was around CAD:

Around 1998 I got a job that put me in charge of running an entire division of a company. The division worked mostly with Architects and Engineers. All of the project drawings were in CAD and I started talking with the CAD operators about how it worked, so I though I would take a swing at learning it. Over the next year I got to the point that I could actually drawing some simple airframe parts and knew I was on my way to being able to design my own airframes.

What to build first?

In the summer of 1998 while learning CAD I started gathering my info for the B-36. I collected hundreds of photos from the net and then struck it rich, I found a 3 view drawing that was about 95% accurate. I spent many hours drawing the entire 3 view into CAD. I then had to pick a wingspan. After looking at all the power options and having to design at 100 pounds or less I came up with a wing span of 28'. Then I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, what if I build this plane and it is just to much of a project for me, so I decided to start with something to sharpen my skills. I found a set of plans of a Don Smith B-29. So over the next year I slowly got together all the tools I would need keeping in mind that one day I would be building the B-36.

The B-29 Learner Kit.

In January of 1999 I had the B-29 kit cut for me from the Don Smith plans. The kit cutting was 150% perfect, but I thought wow, I could have cut all this out. The B-29 Plans were ok, but half way through the build I saw where I had to cut one of the main spars to get the main wheels into their nacelles, what kind of a turd design was this? I went to the Boeing drawings and nowhere were are any of the boxed spar system cut for the main gear, I realized that I could have designed this wing better by just moving that spar forward something like 3", and structurally it would not have hurt a thing. What a waste of time, I see where the design relied on the nacelle ribs and bulkheads to create a boxed structure, and this has worked on this plane, but after speaking with many people that had built the kit, they all had changed the way they attached that spar to the structure. I ended up shelving the B-29 to design my own wing for it. One great thing about the B-29 project is that I purchase a combo Lathe-Mill from Grizzly for about $700.00. I was able to learn how to make landing gear parts. This was one of the greatest investments I had made for my hobby.

Wait just a moment, drawing in 3D is really cool!:

Around 2000 I was working for a engineering firm as a integrator/design support for the equipment that goes in theatres (Lighting, Rigging, and Systems). While there I meet an apprentice that was in school to become an engineer, he was about 21 and a real tech-nerd. He thought my planes were really cool and asked if I had ever used Max5 by 3dMax. I said" never heard of it". He showed me how it worked and I knew I had to get it. The problem was it cost like $5k. The I was lucky enough that when I started my own company that I actually used it for my company in designing systems. It is at this point I knew I could design 100% of the B-36.

Excuse me while we interrupt you normally schedule program:

In 2002 after putting the 29 in storage I decided to look for something I could have flying ASAP. I love Pitts S-1 and got a Kit from G&L hobbies, the kit was good, and I had the plane in the air in 6 months. It was a 50% kit that was scaled up from the Byron 33% kit. The pitts flew good and had a ton of power with the 3W150, but the wing loading just felt heavy. So I tore off the wings and designed my own set, then I cut off the tail and re-designed the V-Stab, and H-Stab. I flew it for one summer then tore it a part to re-design a bigger version, then I decided that I could build a much lighter version by using a built up fuse (not glass from a mold). While all this went one I had polished my 3D and CAD skills on a vintage 1919 which was my  first airframe I designed 100% myself. The plane was designed around what a plane might have been built in 1919. I was still working some on the 36 drawings but needed to make sure my skills for making parts that fit were going to work when I actually started cutting wood.

Flying wires that work:

In September 2003 I started the 1919 project.  The design of the 1919 would call for it to have a 192" wingspan and a weight of 80 pounds. All the fabric was sewn on like that planes of the 1915-1920 era. All the flying wires were true structural parts of the plane. After getting the plane built my soft motor mounts caused the tail to vibrate to much so I am re-designing the firewall.

75% 3D drawings done, and 50% CAD drawings done. In march of 2006 I had completed most of my drawings for my B-36D. The 2006 year saw my 1919 get 50% finished. I got my 35% T-28 project 50% drawn.

90% 3D drawings done, and 80% CAD drawings done, lets light this rocket!:

In June of 2007 I had completed over 90% of my drawings for my B-36D, the next year was a bunch of working to pay the bills and riding sand buggies with my family, me little girl fell in love with drive 75Cc dune buggies and getting muddy. The 2007 year saw my 1919 get 85% finished. I got my now 39% T-28 project 75% drawn. The B-36D drawings were now be plotted onto cardboard to test fit parts.

99% 3D drawings done, and 95% CAD drawings done, lets cut some wood:

By the fall of 2008 I had completed over 98% of my drawings for my B-36D. So I started cutting wood and the project is taking shape to begin test flying in Spring 2010.

How did you get the round peg to fit in the square hole?:

I have been asked by many friends on my blogs what formal education I have in aerospace design of aircraft engineering. The truth is none, I barely got my high school diploma, school was just way to slow and boring. Everything I have learned is from researching people (great engineers) and the way they designed, along the way I have picked up a bunch of engineering techniques.

Thanks all,

Damon