Tail First Tenderfoot (oz12858)

About this Plan

Tail First Tenderfoot. Simple rubber canard pusher model.

Quote: "Tail First Tenderfoot. Many great planes have flown backwards. So does this little rubber job.

DON'T feel backward about building this 'wrong-way' flyer, because some of aviation's most important pioneers started off in this direction. For example, many of the Wright Brothers' machines featured forward-mounted 'tails,' as did Santos Dumont's Bis 14 (one of the first heavier-than-aircraft to fly in Europe). Even the famous channel-crosser, Louis Bleriot, built at least three canards, as tail-first aircraft are called.

The North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie is one of the more recent examples of the type. Incidentally, the forward surface on a canard is usually referred to as a 'leading plane,' rather than a tail, which after all is supposed to be on the south end of any north-bound animal!

Much of the design effort and test-flying of our model was carried out by Tenderfoot Kenneth Hannan, who first became interested in canards while watching one being flown indoors by Walt Mooney, of San Diego, Calif.

Construction: First, take a good look at our plans and illustrations to be sure you understand how the various parts fit together. The model will perform beat if it is light, so carefully select your balsa wood. Sight down each piece to be certain that it is straight. Heft several pieces of wood, to tell which is the lightest.

Obtain a piece of Celotex, soft wood board, or even a flat sheet of corrugated cardboard; on which to build the wings and leading plane panels. We suggest you start with these parts so that they will have plenty of time to dry while you are working on other items. Since the plans are printed full size in the magazine, you can work directly over them. Tu protect the plans from glue, cover them with Saran-Wrap or waxed paper.

Wing: Select straight 1/16 sq balsa strips, and cut the two longest ones first. Pin them in place over the plans so that they will be held flat while drying. Do not pierce the wood with the pins, but instead, put pins on each side at a slight angle, so that the wood will not be weakened.

Next, add the shorter pieces of 1/16 sq strip which serve as ribs. Note that there are two of them glued together in the center of the wing. If you measure the length of the first rib accurately, you will be able to use it as a guide in cutting the remaining five pieces. Try to avoid getting too much glue on the joints; this looks messy, and adds unnecessary weight.

Leading plane: This is constructed in two parts, from 1/16 sq balsa strips, which are pinned down to the plans in the same manner as the wing. Take your time to fit the diagonal sticks well, rather than trying to force them into place, or expecting the glue to fill in any cracks left by pieces that are too short. Patience here will pay off in a stronger and neater appearing job.

After the two leading plane panels are thoroughly dry, remove them from the building board. Using a sandpaper block, bevel the two edges..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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