Caricature Citabria (oz12828)

About this Plan

Caricature Citabria. Simple rubber profile scale model.

Quote: "Caricature Citabria, by Bill Hannan. All balsa simplicity with easy-to-follow details produce an attractive and fine flying profile scale model. The real craft is a popular air show performer famous for its aerobatics.

HOW long has it been since you've attended an air show? Chances are good that the next one you see will feature a Citabria or two. This fine product of the Champion Aircraft Company, of Osceola, Wis., is gaining much attention for its aerobatic capabilities. It was my pleasure, recently, to witness a Citabria being put through its paces by an outstanding pilot, Mr. Mike Dewey, who teaches aerobatic flying at Santa Paula, Calif. Also present, was famous Bucker Jungmann pilot, Mira Slovak, who has bestowed compliments upon the good handling qualities of the Citabria. This is high praise indeed!

Our little model can be quickly and inexpensively fabricated, and it is great fun to fly. Average hand-launched flight times have been 30 seconds, with an occasional 40 seconds in good air. For best performance, build it light!

Construction: Trace the outlines of the main fuselage section onto a sheet of heavy tracing paper, which will serve as a template. Transfer the outlines onto a light, but stiff sheet of warp-free 1/8 thick sheet balsa, with the aid of a soft pencil, or ball-point pen. After cutting this part to shape, pin it in place over the fuselage drawing, and add the cabin struts, as indicated. Allow the assembly to dry thoroughly before removing it from the board. Next, taper the rear of the fuselage (as viewed from the top) for a smooth transi-tion to the thickness of the rudder, as well as to reduce weight. Glue on the 1/8 thick nose block sides, and after they are dry, sand them to a smooth contour. The corners of the fuselage may be rounded slightly, except for the wing and tail mounting areas. Drill a 1/16 diameter hole in the nose to accept the aluminum tubing prop shaft bearing. Roughen the surface of the tubing, and glue it into place. Force a straight pin into the rear underside of the fuselage, as shown on the drawing, to serve as a rubber-band retainer.

The cabin sides are covered with thin celluloid or even cellophane. The wind-shield is cut from thin celluloid, and bent to shape. A template is given to assist you with this, but it is best to cut your wind-shield slightly oversize, and trim it to an exact fit.

My own frustrating experiences with windshield patterns, date back to kits from the early 30's, which is one reason why I usually build open cockpit models! At any rate, try to keep the glue smears minimal while attaching the celluloid. Neatness counts!

Wings: Medium soft 1/32 sheet balsa is used for the wing panels. After cutting them to outline, add the Vie square leading edge reinforcements, and weight them down to prevent warping during drying. The two root wing ribs are made from hard 1/16 thick sheet balsa, while the outboard ribs need only be 1/32 thick. Prepare these ribs, by rubbing glue into the top surface of each one. This pregluing will increase their strength, as well as easing assembly. I usually install the ribs one at a time, and hold them by hand until they are dry - which only takes a few minutes, or you may use masking tape to do the job. The root ribs should be angled slightly, so that the correct dihedral angle can be achieved.

After the wing panels have dried, give them a good overall sanding, and radius the leading edges. The wing struts are made from medium-hard 1/4 x 1/16 strips, sanded to a streamlined cross section..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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