New Skipper features a brushless motor (above left) for more efficient flight times than the original. Tom added the cheek cowls for aesthetics. Small as it is, the cabin (above right) has ample room for today’s micro servos and receiver. The battery and ESC are in the nose. Tom added
elevators (below left) to the original design. Horns are made of 1
⁄32
-inch ply
and .032 wire pushrods exit through a thin slot in the fuselage side. The new Skipper awaits its maiden flight on a picture perfect afternoon (below right). Open frame is covered, windows are painted with acrylic.
their places on the plans. Decide how much to shorten the ESC battery leads and ESC to motor wires to best fit the space. Shorten and solder as needed, checking that the mo- tor rotates in the right direction. Next prepare your R/C gear. Turn on your transmitter, with trims centered, plug in your servos and power up your receiver to center the servos. With servos centered, turn everything off. Then, mount the motor and prop on the
firewall with the ESC in the nose. Trial fit the battery in the nose, and the receiver and servos in the cabin area as shown in one of the pictures and lay two .032 pushrod wires in the rear of the fuselage. Attach the wing with rubber bands and check that it bal- ances under the spar. Move components for- ward or rearward if needed to balance. Once balanced, install the battery and receiver in their place with hook and loop fastener, then attach the servos to the fuselage sides with
a dab of 5-minute epoxy or double-sided tape. I epoxied my servos and held them in
place with a Styrofoam block. Using epoxy, I have never had a servo come loose, even in a crash, but if needed, a servo can be care- fully popped loose without damage, using a knife.
Make pushrods from .032 music wire,
feed them through the narrow exit slots in the rear fuselage sides, then connect to con-
trol horns and servos. Set rudder travel to 1⁄2 inch total, and elevator travel to 3⁄8 inch total. Activate the brake feature on your ESC to maximize glide. When everything is working correctly, cover the fuselage top with 1⁄32-inch cross grain balsa, sand and lacquer. Before flying, confirm that there are no
warps in the wing and stab and reconfirm that it balances under the spar. Shift the battery to fine tune balance. Pick a calm day and a large open space for
your first flight. On a smooth surface the Skipper will ROG easily. Take off is quick at full throttle. Climb gently to a safe altitude and adjust trims as needed. Skipper is sta- ble and easy to fly and it has a gentle glide. It is easy to land power off, or with a little throttle, flare slightly just before touch- down. In grass it will nose over, but without damage. On a smooth runway it will do very nice touch-and-go’s. And with a little prac- tice it can be flown in confined areas in your street or park. In 1993 the Skipper was ahead of its time.
In the air, the Skipper is gentle and stable, perfect for those early morning flights. For best glide results, Tom recommends activating the ESC brake.
FLYING MODELS
Now that micro R/C gear is affordable and readily available, Skipper is more than just a small, light and cute model that is relax- ing to fly and a delight to watch. This little Skipper is a childhood dream come true!
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