nyone who knows me knows that model airplane design is one of my absolute favorite things to do in modeling. Kit building is a ton of fun, and scratchbuilding is even funner—is that even a word?—but no matter, gluing parts together that ultimately turn out look- ing like an airplane is truly a lot of fun. And when they fly well, it can’t help but put a great big grin on your face.
Sm Tall alk A
However, there’s another level of model- ing that only a few dedicated modelers will experience: design. Designing model air- planes for your own enjoyment really only requires rudimentary drafting skills, and af- ter building a few kits or scratch designs, a basic knowledge of how much drafting needs to be done to build a model will become evi- dent rather quickly. You won’t need much in the way of drafting tools either. Items such as a 12-inch ruler, a T-square, a couple of tri- angles, a circle template or compass, and a simple set of French curves will definitely get you started.
You don’t need fancy paper either; draw- ing on banner paper (available from art sup- ply stores) or even butcher paper will do nicely for a one-off design. Then once all the tools are gathered up, the next decision is what to design. In a word, start with some- thing basic. Work with a model type that you’re familiar with, and above all, keep it simple. Then as you gain experience and you learn what works, and what doesn’t, you can add the finer details and work your way into more complex designs as well as refine the simpler points that you find can be done more efficiently as your experience grows. Then once you have your basic design concept worked out, go with an airfoil that is best suited to your particular design. If it’s a slow floater that you’re after, a Clark- Y airfoil is a great place to start. For the mild aerobatic types, go with a semi-sym-
by pat tritle You can reach Pat Tritle at 10313 Snowheights NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112 or via e-mail at
patscustommodels@aol.com
PHOTO: JIM KITCHEN
Jim Kitchen built his Wings Maker J-3 to fit his standard criteria for the perfect model airplane. In fact, it fit so well that he built a second after the loss of the first. Let’s face it, the J-3 isjust about the perfect airplane, right?
metrical section or a fully symmetrical sec- tion if all-out aerobatics is your goal. If it’s fast that winds your watch, a thin symmet- rical airfoil section is just what the doctor ordered.
And finally, power your design properly. We’ve talked before about the “way too much power is almost enough” concept, and that works great for fast or aerobatic mod- els, but for the slow floaters, over-powering your model will create more problems than it will solve, and many that wouldn’t other- wise exist. And what’s even worse, it can have you chasing your tail in an attempt to overcome a problem that is caused simply by—you guessed it—too much power. But above all, have fun doing it. Starting out with a simple basic design and complet- ing it successfully will go a lot farther in keeping your interest up than fighting the
frustration of trying to figure out the solu- tion to problems that your level of expertise simply isn’t ready for. The thing is, success is a fantastic motivator.
The “must” test
Jim Kitchen has devised a plan for select- ing a model that makes a lot of sense. Not having given it much thought, I’ll bet it’s something we all do, be it consciously or not. This is how it works: (1) Must resemble a real airplane, (2) Must be able to take off and land, and (3) Must (at least in Jim’s case) be large enough for “these senior eyes to see”. In this case, the Wings Maker J-3 EP ARF real- ly fills the bill. With a 48.5-inch span and a flying weight of 26 ounces, the Cub covers all the necessary criteria. The only modification was to add ½ inch of dihedral rather than the recommended flat wing. Unfortunately, af-
PHOTO: FERRELL PAPIC
The 18-inch span 1933 Farman Mosquito (above left) was built by Ferrell Papic for 3-channel R/C, and when not gracing the skies over Orange, California, resides safely tucked away in its own custom made hangar. The
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PHOTO: JERRY SMITH
FREDe 2X(above right) was built by Jerry Smith from the Steven’s Aero kit for a good friend who loved the model but was not able to build it. Good for you Jer, once again demonstrating what a good group of folk modelers really are.
JULY 2013
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