Stare (oz1179)

About this Plan

The Stare. Free flight gas contest model, for .29 to .35 motors.

Note this is not a full size plan.

This plan was (also) printed in Flying Models Decade of Designs (1), published 1960.

Quote: "Seven years of field testing and design refinement went into this Class B-C contest free-fighter! Now you can build one too! The Stare, by Edwin Howe.

We have been flying our 'Big Stare' design in one form or another since 1948. At that time the cross-section requirement was dropped from the rules, permitting 'pencil bombers' to fill the air. To take advantage of the new rules, we built an original fuselage and used it with the wing and tail from a Goldberg Sailplane (oz1058).

The next phase in the evolution of the Big Stare came about when the Spitfire 65 became available to replace the 'Cyke' which we had been using. More power then made it necessary to increase the wing area. This was done by eliminating the original elliptical wing tips and substituting tapered ones, at the same time increasing the span.

It soon became evident that the increased lift under power would have to be balanced out by a larger stabilizer and longer fuselage. So, a new stab was designed, which duplicated the pattern of the wing tip ribs and outline. The resulting empenage suited the requirements.

Finally, on the next model, the type of wing and stab construction was changed. Lack of rigidity had caused the original surfaces to flutter at high speed. This was corrected.

We now feel that we have what we want in a free-flight contest design. The larger than average area on this 'Big Stare' results in an excellent glide, while the clean lines give a fast climb. Also, the ship has been designed, through trial and error, to take the hard knocks of a full flying season.

Now for some of the details of 'The Stare' construction - a Class B-C version of the 'Big Stare,' designed for .29 to .35 engines:

Fuselage: This is built on a 1/2 x 1/4 inch crutch which is spliced into the 1/2 in hardwood engine bearers. These bearers are first cut to the shape indicated, blending them into a smooth curve from the 2 in diameter of the spinner to the 2-5/8 outside diameter at the firewall. The engine bearers are spaced apart to suit the engine used. Hardwood cross-members are used for this purpose because they can be nailed securely to the engine bearers. This is done before the balsa side strips are attached.

Before laying out the crutch, draw the fuselage outline by referring to the fuselage former diameters at each station, as indicated on the plan. Also note that the tail tapers down to 1/8 in. The crutch is kept 3/16 in from the outside of the fuselage back to Former 9. From there, it tapers back to the 1/2 in thickness..."

Supplementary file notes

Planfile includes article.

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