Gieseke Nobler (oz10588)

About this Plan

Gieseke Nobler. Control line stunt model, for Fox 35 power.

This is the Paul Tupker plan drawing of the Bob Gieseke Nobler, which is an adaptation of the classic George Aldrich Nobler (oz6212) design.

Annotated and dimensioned in both Dutch and English.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 10/11/2018: Added alternate plan, thanks to Pit. This is a sketch by Gieseke, showing how his Nobler differs from the George Aldrich original.

Update 24/9/2025: Added kit review (of the Top Flite kit), thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Field & Bench Review: Top Flite's Gieseke Nobler, by Bob Hunt.

Great designs never die. They just get better. It was Christmas morning, 1960 or 1961. I had not slept well at all. I had seen the brightly papered box, the long box, the kit box! Yes, I had sneaked several looks in my father's closet in the days past. Not that I had not dropped a hint or two, you understand. I am, if you will look, in the Guinness Book of World Records for most uses of the word 'Nobler.' I guess I had built all of the popular sport stunters and lesser full stunters, but a Nobler? Well, that plane was in a league all its own, with more national and international contest wins than all other designs combined. That kind of record is more than a coincidence. Originally designed by George Aldrich in November of 1950, the Nobler is still a force to be reckoned with today. Yes, there was a Nobler in that box that Christmas morning, and I was in heaven and hooked on stunt flying forever.

About that same year, way down south in Texas, a soft-spoken gentleman was beginning a competition career in control line aerobatics that is yet to be equalled. The man? Mr Robert Gieseke. He started with, you guessed it, a Nobler. From pictures in old magazines, it appears that the first models were stock Noblers. Bob developed a strong personal style of flying; and very, very slow and fluid patterns quickly moved him to the top of the stunt ranks. He started early to modify the basic Nobler to suit his very distinctive style. Unlike others, however, Bob didn't try to hide the true identity of the design; instead, he honed it to his taste.

Over the years, Bob's modifications changed the overall Nobler into a hybrid, an original based on an original. This new Nobler was tagged the 'Gieseke Nobler'; and as Bob's string of victories piled up, so did the number of Gieseke Nobler copies seen at local meets. That record so far includes five National Championships, one World Championship and seven berths on the United States World Team, plus numerous 2nd and 3rd place finishes in national and international contests.

The original Nobler (oz525) was kitted in 1957 by Top Flite. In its time, the Nobler kit was one of the finest examples of the state of the art in kitting and prefabrication. However, over the years new techniques in kitting started Top Flite thinking about updating the Nobler to current techniques and standards.

The original Nobler wing was difficult to build straight, as there were no jigs available for alignment in those days. The fuselage in the original kit called for planking over formers to achieve the shapes. This is a very hard technique for the average modeler to master. The new Nobler would have the latest in kit design features: jig-built wing and molded prefinished planking, and super detailed plans with an artist's drawing to clarify construction details. A whole new Nobler kit really deserved a whole new Nobler design. Enter the Top Flite Gieseke Nobler.

The moment I heard the news of the release of this kit, I called Al Novotnik at MAN and asked if I could do a Field and Bench on it. Sometime later, I received in the mail another brightly colored kit box (deja vu?). The first surprise is the packaging. What a super looking label, with a full color picture of a Gieseke Nobler actually built from that kit (this plane was built by Mark Bauer, one of the engineers of the kit) and a small inset picture of Bob Gieseke and some of his loot - beautiful!

Inside the box is a set of plans that are fabulous, both in drafting technique and in useful information on building, including a prop chart. Further inspection turns up a pair of molded fuselage top planking pieces (more on this later), generally excellent quality wood throughout, and a complete hardware package.

I had asked Al if I could use an OS Max 35 engine in this review. My previous experience with the 'Max' had started a love affair with this product of Nippon. All of the OS products reflect a very high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail. In my own ships, I am using the OS 40-FSR and continuing the love affair. Thanks to World Engines for this gem. And now to the ship.

DETAILS OF KIT: Die-cutting is very good and parts are very accurate. It is a good idea to run a #11 knife blade around the die-cut parts to insure easy disassembly from die-cut sheets. Wing assembly goes together fast with use of 'Tri-Ads' and the platform ribs. Be sure each platform rib is stationed and pinned down very securely. A little extra time spent here will insure accuracy later. No cutting or fitting was necessary during assembly of ribs and spars. Everything just fell together, and the basic wing frame was completed in approxiamtely two hours..."

Supplementary file notes

Alternate plan (sketch).
Review.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction