All that remains of the first Baby Biwinger built from magazine plans back in 1976. This model had the smallest available Perfect brand tank and nearly flew out of sight on the first flight. A major miscalculation that was not repeated on the second unit built in 1991.
AT A GLANCE Type:
Construction: Wing span: Wing area: Airfoil: Length:
Weight w/motor: Wing loading: Motor:
F/F sport
balsa and ply 13 inches 58.9 sq. in.
undercambered 11.375 inches 2.5 ounces
0.038 oz./
sq.in. K&B Infant or
Cox Tee Dee .010
I was transfixed and knew in an instant
what I must do with this great find. Racing home with the prized magazine in my hand I stopped only long enough to pick up a sin- gle sheet of 1⁄16 × 3 × 36-inch sheet of the lightest balsa I could find from the hobby shop on the way home. My mind was in overdrive and there would be no stopping on this project (except for work) until it was finished. And finished it was in fairly short order!
The plane took only about a week to com- pletely fabricate and of course one of my prized Cox Tee Dee .010s went right on the nose. It balanced very nicely and I had in-
FLYING MODELS
stalled the smallest Perfect brand tank (1⁄8 fluid ounce if I remember correctly) and fea- tured a black dope color scheme with Cub yellow trim on the leading edges and stripe down the fuselage. It was a stunning little model and I was eager to try it out. That chance came about a week later on a Sunday afternoon. Freeflight was still an ac- tivity at the Sepulveda Basin in 1976 and I took the little model out to the field with bat- tery and fuel and an air of expectation. Lit- tle did I realize this first flight would also al- most be its last. I had absolutely no idea how well this little plane would fly. Glide tests were performed in the same manner we usu-
ally did with the Veco/Dumas Dakota. The little Baby Biwinger looked like it would ac- tually glide a good deal better than the Dakota and seemed very stable. I filled up the little tank and proceeded to
fire up the engine. With the engine scream- ing away at a delightfully high pitch indicat- ing full power (required for the Veco/ Dumas Dakota) the battery was disconnected, the model faced into the light prevailing wind and launched. It leapt from my hand and im- mediately began a steep skyward spiral much like the old Dakota, but with a vigor I had never experienced before except in a competition F/F aircraft. The model was
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