Bingo (oz11588)

About this Plan

Ace Bingo. Radio control sport plane. Wingspan 790 in, area 840 sq in, for .40 - .60 2-cycle or .48 - .90 4-cycle engines, and 4 channels.

The original Bingo (oz6535) first appeared in RCM March 1990. This here is the Bingo as it appeared when kitted by Ace RC.

Note this plan shows wingspan at 70 inch (long wing) for larger engines, and an alternative 64 inch (short wing) for smaller engines.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 31/05/2021: Added kit review from Flying Models, November 1991, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "An FM Product Review: Bingo, from ACE R/C. By Bob Lobozzo.

What's the kit like? How does it fly? Two of the most popular questions asked at the flying field. So let's jump ahead: the kit is very good and the plane flies great. In fact, I would call the plane a 'flyer'. This is an expression I use to describe those models that are good flying aircraft and most likely taken to the flying field when you want to fly.

If you have read this far, I probably caught your attention, so let's review this new kit from ACE. Somehow I feel that this article may be a little different than is usual practice. Be honest, you're not interested in how I glued rib A to spar B. The instructions that accompany the kit do a good job of that. I think what the average reader wants to know is that if they build the model, what problems might they run into, what .should they expect from the kit, what did the author use for the items not supplied in the kit, and what does the author really think.

If you're still interested, let's begin. I will try to run through this in some logical sequence to get from start to finish.

To be honest, my first impression of the Bingo, upon picking up the box it comes in, was that this was an awful heavy package, for a supposedly light aircraft. Once all the die-cut parts are removed from their respective sheets and the scrap discarded, weight seems more reasonable.

The kit includes full size plans and the two rolled sheets show all the parts. An excellent landing gear, canopy, wheel pants, exceptional quality balsa wood, and a very good hardware package are also included. A plastic cowl and top piece are part of the construction material supplied. Design philosophy utilizes hardwood spars for the wing, with the fuselage basically all lite-ply. The tail assembly is all-balsa except for the horizontal stab which is part lite-ply. Balsa is also used for the wing ribs, wing center section sheeting and trailing edge.

The die-cutting is good quality, and removing the parts should present little problem. A photo illustrated construction manual takes you through the building sequences.

Now that you have all the parts in front of you and are ready to build, you will be faced with your first problem. Do you make the short wing version or the long wing? The short wing simply uses one less rib per wing panel. ACE recommends the long wing for the two cycle '60s. My intention was to use a K&B .65 engine. but I did not want the long wing. Contrary to suggestion I built the short wing. I now know the short wing flies very well, so for me, I made the right decision.

Realistically, manufacturers cannot please everyone. They do want to sell their products however, and will sometimes cut corners to produce a model to sell at a competitive price. They can go the other way and include costly items or time saving parts to induce the buyer to purchase their product. This is my way of saying I do not like plastic parts in a basically wood aircraft. Some people love them: one man's drink is another man's poison, etc.

If the part supplied does the job intended. it would then not be fair to criticize the material selected. I do believe if built per instruction, with all the material supplied, the builder will be rewarded with a good model. Any minor alteration I made in building my Bingo would have no effect on the flying characteristics of the model.

The wing was started first. It is simple construction, and following the instructions should take you through the assembly with out any problems. Make sure you follow the manual and insure the spars fit flush with the top of the ribs. This will require additional work but it is necessary. Once that is done, you will also probably have to trim the tops of the spar webs. With these small tasks accomplished, the wing goes together very quickly.

Designed to be built on a flat surface. the bottom of the wing ribs from main spar to trailing edge are flat. This yields a straight wing and the construction method makes it strong. The wing tips are lite-ply which adds strength to this sometimes abused area of the wing,.

I did not use the material supplied for the center section. I substituted what I normally use, 6-inch wide fiberglass cloth from Sonic-Tronics. The wing dihedral was reduced to a total of 3/4 or 3/8-inch under each wing tip. The glass cloth was secured using Hobbypoxy Formula II and, for the rest of the wing. ZAP CA was used.

The horizontal stab is built on a die-cut lite ply piece which forms the entire bottom of the stab and balsa strips form the top surface The elevators, fin, and rudder are simple sheet balsa. I have always felt that attaching the control horns to soft balsa was inadequate I inlaid small pieces of 1/32 ply into the elevator and rudder under the location of the supplied control horns..."

Supplementary file notes

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