Cessna 310 (oz10762)

About this Plan

Cessna 310. Radio control scale twin. For 2x Webra .61 engines.

Quote: "General aviation's famous light twin in R/C scale, for the modeler who wants to go all out with a flying scale machine. Designed by a modeler who flies the big one, it captures true spirit of real bird. Cessna 310G Twin, by Dan Gray.

It had long been my desire to build a twin-engine plane and, perhaps later on, some scale model. Someone suggested that it would save time and trouble by combining the two so I started looking for a suitable subject. Among many choices were the Cessna Skymaster, Lear Jet, Beechcraft Baron and the Aero Commander. The Lear Jet had to be out for me because of the jet engine. Although the Skymaster had center-line thrust (push-pull) it needed too much control linkage. The Aero Commander was out because of the extra long gear legs necessary - I did not think my retractable system would hold up. This left it a toss-up between the Cessna 310 and the Beechcraft Baron, and I finally decided on the Cessna 310 G.

Using factory drawings plus measurements from the real aircraft, I drew plans to a scale 2 into a foot, which resulted in a 75 in wingspan. About the only way this model deviates from the real plane is that the fuselage is thinned down (it looked too wide) and the nose gear is not canted forward because my gear will not retract past 90° (gear in plans is scale). Otherwise it is 100% scale.

The 310 was an exciting airplane when it made its debut about 19 years ago. Cessna advertised its speed, comfort and utility. The speed was everything Cessna said it was: the 310 set a standard for light twins. The cabin was comfortable and, when flown by one who knew it, the 310 could fit into some very small airports.

The first 310 wasn't the easiest plane in the world for a light plane pilot to handle. The tip tanks, first in general aviation, caused something of a flywheel effect that took many pilots by surprise, making for a flight that had first one wing down and then the other as you tried to correct with aileron. This also resulted in some pretty awkward landings.

As the airplane evolved over the years, more power was added, the swept tail made its appearance and canted tip tanks replaced the vertical ones. They were also changed in shape. Baggage compartments appeared on the wings. At the same time performance and handling improved with each new model. Despite all these changes it is still recognizable as a 310 and still a classic. (Ed note: He should know as he flies the real thing. See note at end of text.)

CONSTRUCTION. Wing: Cut foam cores initially in three pieces. Then cut the center piece in half. The core is covered with 1/16 balsa, one section at a time. Now join and epoxy the outer panels while they are inverted on the table resulting in a lint top. Then join wing halves with 2-1/2 in of dihedral at each tip. Cut grooves in wing for aileron and throttle linkage. I like to use wire and bellcrank for aileron and nyrod for the throttle.

Now comes the hard part - the tip tanks, or 'table-tips,' as Cessna call them. Start by cutting two balsa blocks roughly to shape according to plan. Working with both at the same time, begin carving to match cross section in plan. Working back and forth between the two, sand and compare, then sand and compare some more until achieving the desired contour on both. Block up wing so that it. sits zero-zero on the bench. Attach tips, taking pains to see that they are also zero-zero because if installed wrong they could adversely affect flight performance. Fare in tips and finish sanding. Cut ailerons as per plan and line exposed foam with balsa. Epoxy control horn into aileron.

Nacelles: The nacelles are basically a box construction using balsa as hard as you can find. These really take a beating. Start by laying up the sides and bottom with bulkheads in place. Take pains to see that your firewalls are set at zero-zero. Drill firewalls to accept motor mounts - fuel lines and throttle linkage. Install tanks. (I used Kraft 13 oz) Now attach top blocks to the nacelles. Cut cross section out of nacelles for wing, being careful to cut them both the same. At this time glue balsa block on firewall of one of the nacelles. This will serve as your male mold for both cowls. Sand nacelle with cowl block on as per plan. Remove block and glue to other nacelle and then sand nacelle to match this block. Remove this block or male mold and you are ready to make two fiberg-lass cowls. Use your own proven method for doing this or refer to previous MAN issues for instructions.

Glue four anchor blocks to each firewall and attach the cowls to these by sheet metal screws. Next we attach the nacelles to the wing using epoxy; at the same time thread in the throttle linkage. With the wing sitting zero-zero on the bench, align nacelles so that firewalls are both zero-zero. This can be ac-complished by extending a straight edge flush to both firewalls. Now using a triangle set nacelles so that firewalls are at right ang-les to the bench.

You are ready for the landing gear installation. The real key to this is pre-planning. Start by laying gear mechanism and legs on bottom of wing in position..."

Cessna 310, MAN, March 1974.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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