Gannet (oz10503)

 

Gannet (oz10503) by Chas Gardiner 1993 - plan thumbnail

About this Plan

Gannet. Radio control slope soarer model. 75 inch wingspan, wing area 50 sq in. For 2 channel radio.

Quote: "FSS Gannet. Build your own slope soaring seabird with our 'Sula Bassana' plan, designed by Chas Gardiner.

The idea of slope soaring models of birds, reptiles or bats is not new and some pretty ingenious creations have graced the skies. Nothing evolves in isolation and various ideas have hatched out, and so the FSS class (models of creatures , originally covered in Feathers, Scales or Skin) has obtained a wider recognition.

Conway Jones inspired some interest in this direction with his excellent gull, aired two years ago in the Isle of Man. This delightful model may have been influenced by the birds made by American, Martin Smith for the film 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull' which, unfortunately, I have not yet seen. Perhaps our friends at the BBC can rectify that?

Anyway, the Gannet, or Sula Bassana to give it its Latin name, seemed a worthy project since the proportions appeared to lend themselves to two channel aileron/elevator control. Alan Willows, who created the Golden Eagle seen in 'From Up Here' last year, helped with some proportion research, and using the epidiascope, the bird was drawn out. This one is to eggsact scale.

The original elevator looked about right and it was intended to use a clear plastic fin for lateral stability, but there was a long way to go...

This will not be a first model, and the construction notes are not intended to be too precise, only as a guide to the way in which it can be done. As I said about Conway's Gull, the model is not so much a construction as a sculpture and in this case even more so.

Here we go. Trace the outline of elevation and plan view, and transfer to a block of expanded polystyrene foam. Cut carefully to outline using a hotwire clamped vertically..."

Gannet, RCM&E, September 1993.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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Gannet (oz10503) by Chas Gardiner 1993 - model pic

Datafile:
  • (oz10503)
    Gannet
    by Chas Gardiner
    from RCME
    September 1993 
    75in span
    Glider R/C
    clean :)
    all formers complete :)
    got article :)
  • Submitted: 22/09/2018
    Filesize: 593KB
    Format: • PDFbitmap
    Credit*: Circlip, RFJ
    Downloads: 2087

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Notes

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Scaling

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