RC Flying Models

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

RC Modeler's Yardstick - The Humongous Model Airplane Built Entirely of Yard Sticks

Yardstick

A model made completely of surplus yardsticks

This model was so large that it makes the Quadra 40 engine on the nose resemble an 049

RCModeler's Yardstick

Yardstick.

Plan 910.

Type Model RC Sport Trainer.
Wingspan 108in.Highwing.
Engine Glow Fox .60
Control 3 channels.
Designer George Thompson.
Magazine RCModeler Apr.1984.

The wing was made up of 2 - 6 foot panels joined at the center and supported by two struts made from tent poles. To watch it drone overhead you almost could image that it eclipsed the sun. Actually the model was designed to fly on a healthy sixty size glow engine. I flew this plane at first with an Eagle 61 Fox engine driving a Byron propeller speed reducing apparatus swinging an 18 X 6 inch propeller. This prop was much too small for this power setup; even at full speed the model would catch up to the engine and the thrust dropped accordingly. The result was, after takeoff the planes altitude could not be increased to much more than a couple of wingspans above ground level. I remember that first flight very well: how scared I was at the time frantically attempting to negotiate this big beast around the field. The flight ended when the engine power began to sag and the forced landing was made in the rough off the runway. The cause of the power loss was abundantly clear as soon as we approached the downed Yardstick. The high revolutions caused the screws holding the cylinder to the crankcase to loosen to the point that the members were on the verge of separating. The problem could have been solved with a bigger and higher pitch propeller but as I recall I couldn't bring myself to spend thirty dollars for a propeller that may have lasted no more than one flight.

One day while flying the model with the large Quadra 40 Gas Engine installed, it suffered a nasty accident when it was caught in a tail wind and hung vertically by the propeller. Foolishly I immediately reduced power, instead of trying to power out of the problem and it settled heavily onto its tail feathers. In the end this was the final straw for my old Yardstick, not worth repairing and too large to store in the limited hanger space.

Yardstick Plans

Get all the details by watching the video below.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Unionville Hobby's Norseman - Canadian Famous Bushplane

Unionville Hobby's Norseman semi scale kit was modified to more closely resemble the full scale airplane which is at the National Aircraft museum in Ottawa.

The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. The partial streamlining of the landing gear, in the form of two small "wings" extending from the lower fuselage, is a distinctive feature of the design which makes it easily recognizable. Originally introduced in 1935, the Norseman remained in production for almost 25 years with over 900 produced. A number of examples remain in commercial and private use to this day. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

This model was constructed from a Unionville Hobbies kit more than 20 years ago and was modified by the builder to more closely resemble the original aircraft which is on display at the National Air Museum in Ottawa Canada

Those changes are principally confined to the tail surfaces and landing gear strut arrangement as well as the cowl shape

The wing panels are attached with bolts at the fuselage sides where the shear loads are reacted, the wing bending moments are carried by the wing struts, just like the full size airplane