Milli Kema Series 3 (oz12302)

About this Plan

Milli Kema 3. Radio control sailplane model.

Quote: "Keith Humber offers full-size drawings for the latest in his popular 'Kema' series of sailplanes - 86 in span for light wind floating. Milli Kema III.

The series 3 Mini Kema has evolved over the last five years. This commenced with the series 1 which was designed as an out and out hand-launch soarer. The Milli Kema Series 2 (oz11763) was taken a stage further and has proved to be a super all rounder but best, I think, as a slope knockabout model. Finally comes the stretched version, the series 3 which with an all up span of 86 inches on virtually the same fuselage and tail group is about as far as the design will go. Milli Kema is not designed to any class but if you want a really good floater for the slope when there isn't any wind try this one!

As you can well imagine with that sort of span and area she really does make the most of what lift there is about. She will also handle quite a surprising amount of wind and for thermal hopping from the slope she will give the 12 ft span models a run for their money. In fact she will out climb them even if she won't hang on quite as long in sink. However, enough of the chat, and on to a brief resume of the construction.

Getting cracking: The fuselage is constructed with two basic sides cut from medium 1/8 sheet framed up onto the 1/bin ply formers. The forward underpan is 1/4 in sheet glued into position and rounded slightly with a razor plane and sandpaper. The rear top and bottom sheeting is 3/32 with the tail group from medium 1/8 sheer. The rudder and elevator are hinged on my model with magic tape used like the old control line tape hinges (for those of you long enough in the tooth to remember control line models - count me in on that).

The canopy is made from 1/2 in sheet blocked up and fixed with screws. The wing ribs are cut from 1/16 sheet. The inner panel spars are 3/16 x 3/16 spruce and the outer panel spars 3/16 x 3/16 hard balsa framed up over the plan. Sheet the leading edge top and bottom with flexible 1/16in sheet. Dihedral braces are good quality 1/8in ply epoxied into position. The trailing edge is built up with Sin x 1/16in sheet cut down the middle to make 1.1/tin top and bottom members. Finally the actual leading edge is cut and shaped from soft 3/8in sheet.

The tips are washed out for the last few rib bays by about 1/8in to 1/4in. Dihedral is approx 4.1/2in at each tip underside. The wing is mounted on the Fuselage with a 3/16 dowel at the front and a PK screw into a 1/8in ply plate at the rear.

Installation: The R/C installation is pretty tight but the mode] will accept normal sized radio. If you have mini gear it would be easier to install: however. I have fitted two 148 Futaha servos bolted together in tandem so the forward servo is the thickness of the mounting lug above the rear which enables the appropriate push rod to go over the rear servo for a clear run.

The pushrocls are 15 swg bound and glued to 3/16 x 3/16 balsa rods. A 224 mAh nicad would be helpful but not absolutely necessary - I have used a 500 mAh nicad taken out of its original case and heat shrink film cased to fit the fuselage bay.

No Rx switch harness is used: I simply plug the nicad to an extension lead using this as a break joint at the plug. It saves a bit of space. The model is covered with Solarfilm for the wings and tail group and with Solartex on the fuselage painted with Solarlac for colour trim.

The model has a small amount of lead as nose weight which brings the all-up weight to about 26oz; don't worry if it goes a few more, it won't effect the performance that much.

Airborne: Flying is pretty viceless and she has a very nice thermal turn. The rudder response is, however, sometimes a bit slow when coming out of a turn fie, opposite rudder). Still you soon get used to it and can quite easily anticipate and correct the rudder slightly earlier than normal.

Well that's about it really - here's a model you can fly and enjoy when your mates are grounded. Most satisfying!"

Milli Kema III - another of Keith Humber's glider series from December '93 RM.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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