Carley C-12 (oz10138)

About this Plan

Carley C.12. Free flight scale model for electric power using KP-01 geared motor. Wingspan 24-1/2in.

The subject Carley C.12 was a small Dutch single seat sporting monoplane from the 1920s.

Scan from DBHL, cleanup by theshadow.

ref DBHL-7672.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 9/6/2022: Added article, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Carley C12. Eric Marsden designed this historic model for free flight and KPO1 motors.

Reference to the Carley C 12 may be found in the copy of Air-Britain Digest for November/December 1982, vol 34, No 6, in an interesting article on the designer, JD (Joop) Carley, who died aged 88 in 1982 and who was an important figure in Dutch aviation from before WWI when he learned to fly on a Bleriot. He and Thom Slot, later designer at the Pander works, built a light aircraft which they 'hopped' on the beach at Scheveningen. Following this, they started a flying school after the war, using 'bitsa's' made from pre-war remnants which they got for 1,400 Guilders and later some Farmans. At this time they also built two canard types, which were followed by ultra-lights. The S. 1 used a 50hp Gnome, which was unreliable.

As the flying school was not a success, Carley closed it down and moved from Ede to The Hague where he built a replacement for the S. 1, calling it the C. 12. With the original engine, an 1180cc, 10hp Indian V-twin, Carley had several in-flight engine cuts and changed it for a French 4-cylinder Sergant air-cooled engine - with which he had similar experiences. The fitting of a 3-cylinder Anzani of 22hp cured his problems and gave a top speed of nearly 82mph with a landing speed of around 25mph.

The span of 24 ft 7 in and length of 15 ft 9 in made it easy to park and cheap to hangar. The fuselage was ply covered and the wing ply covered back to the main spar. The regular pilot, a Belgian war veteran, J Raparlier, was enthusiastic about its handling qualities and speed, demonstrating it on flights to Brussels, Paris and Villacoublay.

With its red fuselage and white flying surfaces, the name 'Carley' prominent in red on the mainplane, the machine was an eye-catcher. First registered as H-NACB - the NACB underlined - it was sold and re-registered as H-NACI for Mynheer van Koolberg, who had taken over Carley's firm, Vlietuig-industrie Holland.

There are not many Carley's in the literature, so I suspect that Joop Carley may be the originator of the Carley float, the liferaft made from balsa and deal boards which saved so many lives during WWII and which has provided the material for so many models since then.

The Model: I used 6-8 lb balsa, except for the wing spars and tailplane mainspar, where a little extra stiffness is worthwhile. You will build in your own preferred order but when you come to the fuselage, first laminate a keel piece of 1/8 x 1/16 balsa strips to extend from the firewall at 'A to frame 'C', leaving at the C end of this piece a lap for the bottom longeron of 1/8 square which is glued to this member.

The firewall is cut from 1/16 ply and has small scabs of more 1/16 ply glued at the back to give an increased depth of thread for the motor fixing screws after an adequate clearance hole for the KPO1 has been taken out and tried. Cut a 1/8 former to fit the bottom half of the firewall at A and recess to clear the scabs.

Make the fuselage crutch on the plan view, erecting frame A cut from sheet balsa, with tail-skid ready bound and glued in place. A small gusset of 1/16 balsa helps to keep the post square and makes attachment of the bottom longeron easier. When all is good and set, install the keel and bottom longeron.

Before skinning the lower half of the fuselage, bind and glue the two undercarriage legs to hard cross pieces of balsa, which can then be set in place. This is easier if the undercarriage legs are set up on a soldering jig for assembly..."

Supplementary file notes

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