Luscombe Phantom 1 (oz11546)

About this Plan

Luscombe Phantom 1. Rubber scale model.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 21/7/2022: Added article, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "The Luscombe Phantom model 1 was an all-metal high-winged cabin monoplane with side-by-side seating for two. From any angle the Phantom was a combination of soft, round curves that spelled out speed with a beauty of line that had many green-eyed with envy. Because of its speed and its desire to be unfettered, this Luscombe was strictly a let's-go-somewhere airplane; it covered a lot of ground in an hour. The all metal framework was unusually tough, strong enough if need be to withstand the stresses of amateur aerobatics, and it certainly eliminated frequent airframe maintenance.

Airplanes like this came rather high, so the Phantom had to be leveled at a certain clientele, those few that would enjoy this airplane and be willing to pay for it. As powered with the 7 cylinder Warner Super Scarab (Series 50) engine of 145 hp the Phantom drained every ounce of power from the engine and put it to good use; a testimony of this airplane's aerodynamic cleanness. Not burdened with a heavy, clumsy framework, the Phantom was quick and very deft in its maneuvers.

A thorough pleasure to fly, the narrow-geared airplane was however, often skitterish on landing and required complete attention; some pilots did not like this. The Phantom was not really a difficult airplane, once you got wise to its habits, but it was feisty enough to quickly discourage sloppy flying. It was a high-performance airplane and really showed off for high-performance pilots.

The type certifcate number for the Phantom model 1 was issued 8-18-34 and perhaps up to 25 or so examples of this model were manufactured by the Luscombe Airplane Development Corp. on Mercer Airport in West Trenton, NJ. Donald A Luscombe was President and General Manager.

The Model Structure: Sometimes it takes awhile to get started on a long loved project. In 1935 I drew up a set of 1/2 inch to the foot solid scale plans for the Phantom, scaled from a 3-view drawing in an old Aero Digest magazine. However, I never got around to building the model until this year when I redrew the plans for 3/4 to the foot Rubber Flying Scale.

The Phantom proved to be a little more difficult model to construct than my previous scale models. The fact that the design was highly streamlined with fillets and fairings at the juncture of all components is very time consuming, but the end result is well worth it.

My model is a copy of the white Phantom owned by the prominent sportsman Dr K Tschudi of Bergamo, Italy and Lucerne, Switzerland.

Build the fuselage first. Select two very light balsa blocks of ample size to cover the side view and thick enough from the centerline to each side on the top view. Tack glue the two blocks together on the vertical centerline and saw to match the top and side contours. Make some cardboard contour templates of the fuselage stations and carve and sand to shape, a complete cigar shape even at the cabin area. After you carve and sand the basic fuselage, give it a couple of coats of lacquer sanding sealer.

Now, split the fuselage at the tack glue joints and hollow to 1/32 thickness. Cut the cabin area out, using template shown on the plans. Carefully mark the bulkhead locations on each half of the hollow fuselage and make the bulkhead in halves and carefully glue them into the fuselage half shell with Hot Stuff instant adhesive.

Carefully align the two fuselage half shells and glue them together with Hot Stuff. Install the two 1/32 balsa cabin sides. Caution! do not cut out the windows until the sides have been glued in place. Add a piece of 1/64 plywood in the bottom of the fuselage between stations E and F up to the cabin window.

Make the landing gear wires as shown on the drawing with the coil shocks. Drill a hole in the fuselage at the correct location just aft of the bulkhead E. Glue the wire firmly to bulkhead E and align the bottom..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.

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