THERMIC50X
A classic freeflight design is updated for simple two-channel R/C!
By David Fortuna
AT A GLANCE Type:
PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID FORTUNA T 18
he Thermic 50X goes back quite a few years for me. The Thermic 50 was originally designed by Dusty Loeschner and kitted by Frank Zaic of Jetco Models. It was in the ’60s and ’70s that Jetco sold kits of the Thermic 50 and 50X. They both had a 47-inch wingspan and were designed for tow line or freeflight with a .010 to .024 engine. Single channel escape- ment radio was also an option.
It was in those days that I was just getting into model airplanes and Jetco kits were a fa- vorite of mine. Their models were well de- signed, lightweight and flew great. It was at that time that I bought a kit of the Thermic 50. Being a teenager and knowing very little
about airplanes at that time, it was fun to take all the balsa parts out of the box and as- semble them into an airplane. These were the days before ARF airplanes. You had to build them and that taught you a lot about air- planes, along with building and design skills. Not being able to afford an R/C set I built
the Thermic 50 for freeflight, using a .020 en- gine. I was thrilled and amazed to see it fly, because I built it. Flying from a small field, I lost the model on the third or fourth flight. About a year later I had saved up enough money to buy another one. This time I bought the Thermic 50X. Well, that one didn’t last much longer than the first one, it too flew away. That’s when I switched to control line.
Construction: Wing span: Wing area:
Average wing chord: Length: Weight:
Wing loading: Prop:
Engine: Radio:
Servos: R/C sport
balsa and ply 64.5 inches 442 sq. in. 7.5 inches 36 inches 30 ounces
9.5 oz./sq.ft. 6–4
.049–.10 2-channel
(2) Hitec HS-55 SEPTEMBER 2013
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