Earthquake (oz1044)

About this Plan

Earthquake. Control line sport model, for .35-.60 power.

Quote: "Plans are full size, construction is easy. Takes .35, .45 engines on up. Try flaps maybe, or night lights, engine speed control? Earthquake, by Don McGovern.

The process of evolution seems to work a bit quicker with contest types than with reptiles and the like. It took just about a decade for a wide variety of stunt ukies to refine themselves into one basic type, the familiar area-laden streamliner on the contest scene today.

In flight the basic stunter is tough to improve upon - for moments, areas, airfoils, weights, balance, power and streamlining are just about perfect, the minimum and the most in that order. Take-offs are smooth, flight stable, corners tight, power ample, inverted it's no different, and the glide is like a feather. Only one drawback - it can get a trifle monotonous, both to the spectator and the flier.

The Earthquake was designed to create a little hot-blooded change of pace, when things start to lag. It is not intended for contest flying, does not fly inverted, and is limited in its stunt-ability. However, what it does do, it does fast. And
to the tune of a roaring .45, or more.

We suggest it be equipped with at least a .45, J-Roberts Flight Control System, and possibly landing flaps. A Johnson Auto-Pitch prop would do it proud. With engine idling, it goes nowhere, until you rev it up, and the blades seek full pitch. Off the ground and tight on the lines in seconds, with the scenery a blurr. Its small area will increase the radius of all manuvers, but will give you a more realistic flight. Wing-overs and loops are about its limit, though the feel of a high-speed dive on a tethered balloon will be action enough. For buzzing bushes, trees etc it is ideal, and if two are built, formation flying can be pretty wild. With engine idled down, the ship will lose altitude and barrel in for a power-on landing. Here it has an advantage over the stunt ships, as the touch-down speed is greater, and it will hold tight on the lines quite a big better with power-off on throttled down approaches.

Line lengths of '75 feet are recommended, and the ship can fly with longer if you wish. We have flown similar ships on 125 foot lines in calm air, but this seems to be about the limit, as the bow in the line wanted to touch before the landing model. If the flier was on a mound of earth, it would help.

For still more fun, try a light on the ship. One bulb is all you need, though you might wish to build in a full system of wingtip and landing lights. If the field is smooth, no ground lighting is needed. It is best to fly from the darkest site you can find, as lights in the area tend to confuse the vision as you rotate with the model.

So, if you feel the need of a little sport flying, try the Earthquake. It will not replace your stunt ship, but add a new dimension to your flying experiences. Plans are full size right here in the book, and the minimum needed to save page space. Most of the data is on the plans, and experienced builders will have little trouble in duplicating the design. New builders had better build calmer projects, as ships of this nature either land on the wheels or total out:

Build the wing and tail surfaces first, in order that they may be test fitted and installed in the fuselage as you proceed. The bellcrank mount must be sturdy and well braced to allow for the higher forces imposed on it by faster flight. Lines should be pull tested as always, and take care to keep clear of spectators, high-tension and telephone wires at all times.

Initial test flights should be made in calm air, from a smooth field, with engine running at a good clip, richened slightly. Try to avoid the com-mon tendency to over-control a new ship, which can best be done by stiffening the arm at the elbow, and wrist, relying on up and down movements of the entire arm for small control corrections..."

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