Dancer (oz12689)

About this Plan

Dancer. Control line trainer model. Simple all-sheet design, for Baby Bee .049 engine.

Quote: "For the Tenderfoot: Dancer, by Dennis Haimerl.

Dancer is a simple model to construct because of its straight design. It does require elevator hinges, but they are not difficult to install. Hinging methods other than cloth (or other fibered materials) are up to the builder. However, cloth is best.

Ready-to-use plans are on the back of the magazine's centerspread. For the wing use a 1/8 x 3 x 24 inch piece of balsa. Mark its center and align with the center of the plans. Wing tops are placed at the end of the balsa. Cut out the pieces.

After the wing has been assembled, pin it down on a flat board. Apply cement liberally to the center of the wing and set the fuselage piece in place. Add the 1/4 x 1/4 x 3 in fillets to each side and hold in place with pins. Using a small square, make sure the fuselage is exactly vertical to the wing. Apply cement to the center of the stabilizer and slide it into position in the fuselage slot. Again use the square to be sure the trailing edge of the stabilizer is at a right angle to the fuselage. Measure the distance from each stabilizer tip to the building board and make sure they are the same.

Be sure the rudder is parallel to the fuselage. Set the trailing edge of the rear piece offset 3/4 in. to the right of the fuselage.

Apply cement to the back of the plywood firewall and to the two 1/2 in gussets, then set into place. The firewall must be tight against the front of the fuselage. Cement two of the 1/16 plywood pieces to the wing at the bellcrank location. Allow the whole assembly to dry overnight.

Since the Dancer was built for flying, paint should be kept to a minimum. First smooth all edges with fine sandpaper, then apply only a few coats of clear dope.

When the dope has dried, assemble the slot. It should be sanded as shown on the plans for best performance. Cement the triangular slot supports to the wing and, when they have dried, glue the slot in place. Cover these parts with clear dope. The entire model may then be covered with one or two coats of color dope, if desired.

After the final coat has dried, the controls and engine are installed. Mount the horn on the elevator and bend the pushrod to fit. Put the pushrod into the outer hole of the bellcrank, which is then set on the 1/16 plywood pieces attached to the wing. Drill a 3/32 hole through the bellcrank mount and attach the bell crank with screws. If desired, make a landing gear of 1/16 music wire and mount it between the engine and the firewall.

Flying is easy. Use a 6-3 propeller and 20 to 30 ft flying lines. Launch downwind to keep the lines tight. Have your helper toss the model level so that the controls are not jerked."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Quote: "Hi! Steve and Mary. Good morning. How are you? I hope all are fine. Some days ago, when I was looking for information about Jack Headley's 'Flying Sorcerer' (oz6852), I found another interesting little model: the 1/2A C/L trainer 'Dancer', by Dennis Haimerl. It's one simple and, in some way, unorthodox model, for two reasons: First, is one high wing model (something not usual in C/L); and, Second, uses one slot in the wing's leading edge. I've found the plan, photos, and information about the model at the Airplanes and Rockets web page:
https://www.airplanesandrockets.com/airplanes/dancer-february-1971-american-aircraft-modeler.htm
As usual, I added my CAD redraw of that plan: in PDF vectorial format, and
both CAD vectorial versions DWG and DXF. Greetings, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. From your friend,
Valeria367"

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