Construction Articles – Model Airplane News

Bellanca Cruisemaster

Model Airplane News — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 16:50:24 +0000

I’ve always liked scale models and building unique aircraft and the Bellanca Cruisemaster is one of those classic general aviation airplanes that’s seldom modeled. To develop my plans I used a 3-view drawing from Bob Banka. My particular model is of a 1951 example I found on Aircraft Shopper Online. I loved the classic turquoise and white color scheme and was pleased to find out that UltraCote turquoise matched. Construction is pretty straightforward and is all balsa.

Read the article, here.

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Giant-Scale Howard Ike Miss Chevrolet

Model Airplane News — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 12:33:52 +0000

Henry Haffke has been a contributor and consultant to Model Airplane News for close to 40 years and one of his most popular projects was his 40-size, 56-inch-span, Howard “Ike” DGA-5 racer Miss Chevrolet published in the April 1979 issue of Model Airplane News. Henry teamed up with expert pilot Sid Clement and competed at many scale regional and national scale meets with the Ike. It’s amazing that Henry’s original is still airworth today and can be seen regularly at the Old Rhinebeck RC Jamboree.

Henry always thought the “Ike” would make an excellent giant-scale project and he teamed up with Senior Tech Editor Gerry Yarrish to develop a 1/3-scale, 80-inch-span version.

Using a mix of traditional construction and up-to-date engine and radio equipment, the giant “Ike” was born and published in our March 2013 issue.

Read the article, here.

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Compact T-28 Trojan

Model Airplane News — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 14:00:32 +0000

A WARBIRD FOR GLOW OR ELECTRIC POWER

Are you in the market for an easy to build warbird, that’s compact in size and easy to fly? Check out our Classic Construction article coming in the Summer 2020 issue of MAN. Look at the desirable traits in RC trainers, big wing with lots of dihedral, tricycle landing gear, ample room for equipment and rugged construction. We’re not saying that this T-28 should be your first model after destroying three ARF foamie, but it is one to be considered if your interests lean toward RC scale. Designed by Rich Uravitch, this model has been built and flown in both glow- and electric-power configurations; and both versions performed well, each with its own advantages.

Click HERE to order plans.

Be sure to check it out on the Summer 2020 issue of MAN coming soon. A Laser-cut flat wood kit and formed plastic parts are available. Check www.richuravitch.com for pricing.

Specifications

Wingspan: 48 in.

Length: 36 in.

Wing Area: 385 sq. in.

Weight: 3.25 lb.

Wing Loading: 19.5 oz./sq. ft.

Power: .25 to .32 2-stroke glow or Mega 2230/3 brushless motor (or equivalent) with/3S, 6000mAh Li-poly pack

Radio Req’d: 4- to 5-channel (elevator, throttle, rudder, aileron); retracts optional

Difficulty Level: 2

Easy construction for a lightweight yet rugged structure.

Plenty of room for any radio gear you like.

Ideal for electric power.

Perfect for .25 – .32 glow power as well.

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Skoda Koba V4

Model Airplane News — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 21:07:06 +0000

As a builder and model designer, I’m always on the lookout for new scale birds that have nice lines, good moments, and an interesting history. My latest search uncovered the little-known WW II–era Skoda-Kauba (S-K) series of aircraft. Of all the aircraft produced in the series, the V4 had great possibility for a sport-scale RC model. The model translated into a very good flier, and performed well enough to garner two Contest Director’s Choice awards at the 2016 Mid-America electric RC event. Whenever Ken Myers or Keith Shaw gives an award, the model has to be a winner!

Read the article, Click here.

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Lower Minges

Model Airplane News — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 20:42:38 +0000

It’s doubtful that more than a handful of people have ever heard of the Lowers-Minges LM-1. I discovered a three-view in a 1974 Flying magazine article about the up-and-coming Reno Unlimited class racing technologies. Though never built, it was to have been powered by a 500hp Ranger Inverted V 770 V12, yet it only had a 16.5-foot wingspan. No mention was made of methods or materials, but I suspect that it might have been planned to be of wood construction, like the Osprey GP-5. Small, undoubtedly fast, and no doubt a handful to fly, I thought it would make a great challenge as a model. Was I ever right on that one!I had an E-Flite Power 25 brushless motor sitting in a box and an E-Flite 60 Pro speed control, as well, so I designed the LM-1 around this power setup. I originally built the model with a scale wing planform, but it proved to be very roll axis sensitive, so I ended up adding a few inches to each tip. Although this helped in roll damping and wing loading, I also added some vertical to the fin and a lower skeg to aid in stability. This was necessary most likely due to the significant side area ahead of the center of lift and neutral point. I also built a simple takeoff dolly as hand-launches didn’t have enough speed for the controls to become effective. With all the bugs worked out, the LM-1 is now a great little ship but certainly not for the faint of heart or an inexperienced pilot—most likely just as the full-scale aircraft would have been! Because this is not a beginner’s bird to build or fly, I’ll just touch upon some of the more tricky and problematic portions of the build.

Read the article, click here.

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The Pharoah

Model Airplane News — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 20:30:58 +0000

I like airplanes that look like airplanes. You know, they look like you could hop in, ฀re up the go-power, and have a lot of fun ܀ying. I also like a ship with nice lines and moments that just look right. So this time out, I thought a nice, new, original design would be fun. Back when I was 15, I designed a 2m sport glider that I called the “Pharoh” (missing the second “a”). So this time, I went with the proper spelling and added an ancient Egyptian theme. Note the all-over Aztec Gold MonoKote and the general theme of the covering scheme to convey the Egyptian Pharaoh feel. As it turns out, the Pharaoh has become one of my favorite models ever. It ܀ies beautifully and smoothly, and it is very linear for a sport model. It has a relatively light wing loading, and it builds quickly, using commercially available foam cores and canopy. Anyone who has a little building experience should have no problem constructing this. You can order the wing cores (WT-2) from eurekaaircraft.com to go with the plans.

Read the article, click here.

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Fiesler Fi 156 Storch

Model Airplane News — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 20:29:09 +0000

Used throughout World War II, the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch was a two-place observation airplane with a 46-foot 9-inch wingspan and a gross weight of 2,780 pounds. It was powered by a 240hp Argus As 10 V8 engine and had a range of 240 miles. Tje Storch would climb at 945 feet per minute and had a service sealing of 15,090 feet.The 55-inch-span model uses conventional wood construction and is 37.5 inches long. The model requires a 5-channel radio and has functional flaps. It features plug-in wings and has a fuselage hatch. No tools are required for assembly or battery access. With its large flaps and a flying weight of only 21 ounces, the Storch’s slow flight speed and short-field performance are exceptional.

Read the article, click here.

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Trishula

Model Airplane News — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 19:58:26 +0000

Trishula is ancient Sanskrit for “trident,” and after you see this model in ऀight, you’ll understand why I gave it its name: The model looks like a ऀying pitchfork. I wanted this one to be really different. The model has 32-degree forward-swept wings (FSW) and retracts. With this odd planform, the retract geometry proved to be challenging, yet it seems to work just fine. The Trishula actually performs very well. My ऀying buddy, Keith Shaw, ऀew it at the Mid-America Electric Flies and was quite pleased with its performance.

Why use a FSW setup? Well, it’s different, and the wing has excellent stall characteristics and increased maneuverability. The drawbacks are the requirement for a very still wing to avoid aeroelastic diversion, better known as “wing twist.” Because of this, I used a fully sheeted foam wing for increased torsional rigidity.

This is not a beginner’s model in any sense. It uses some advanced construction techniques and must be built precisely to ऀy well. Any unevenness in the wings or misalignment can—and will—result in an almost uncontrollable model. It must be built correctly. So I’ll assume anyone building the Trishula will have significant building experience, and I’ll provide just a basic overview of the construction.

Read the article, click here.

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Mooney Mite

Model Airplane News — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 19:34:24 +0000

I like unique and lesser-known general aviation airplanes, and so, with a little prodding from fellow electric ఀier Mike Brinker, I picked the Mooney Mite for my most recent project. Ѐe model is all-balsa construction, and it features a fully sheeted wing and 3/16-inch balsa tail surfaces and is equipped with E-ఀite 15–25 electric retracts. The model features a large top hatch to make battery changes easy, and the build is pretty straightforward. To help speed it up, I asked Top Notch Kits (TNK) to laser-cut my cowl pieces, Firewall, formers, and wing ribs. I also used the TNK 1/6-scale A-65 scale engine kit to help dress up the nose of the airplane. If you are interested in building a Mooney Mite of your own, TNK has all my CAD files and can cut a short kit for you as well (topnotchkits.com).

Read the article, click here.

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Hawker Hind

Model Airplane News — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 19:25:41 +0000

A derivative of the Hawker Hart, the Hind incorporated the newly developed Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engine along with a few other refinements. The most notable of these was the cut-down rear cockpit, which afforded the gunner more mobility. With a combination of extremely clean lines and the new Rolls-Royce engines, these rugged biplanes could fly 30mph faster than their contemporary front-line British fighters.

Read the article, click here.

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