Pisces (oz13110)

About this Plan

Pisces. Radio control pattern plane for 60 power. Wing area 710 sq in.

Quote: "Top-notch RC Pattern planes don't have to be complicated to be winners. This is a well-proven flyer and should build up in only several evenings. Pisces, by Dave Hale.

Pisces was designed specifically for the current AMA-FAI Pattern event. I designed it after flying several popular models and trying to improve them for my own style of flying. This plane is slightly larger than the average pattern ship of recent years with 710-sq in wing area and a 54-in fuselage. This combination produces a smooth flying model which performs the more open style pattern with ease.

Originally, Pisces was built with a fiberglass fuselage, but without wing or stabilizer saddle cutouts. In this way changes in the wing root percentage, air-foil contour, root length and wing placement could be made. Several of the airplanes have already been constructed, however, all were built according to the plans of the first prototype presented here. The airplane handles and flies so well that no changes from the original design were necessary.

The airfoil is a 15% symmetrical root section with a 15% semi-symmetrical lifting tip section. This slightly lifting tip airfoil helps to avoid wing tip stalls on a straight trailing edge wing and gives the craft a very stable landing attitude at a slow speed. The deep fuselage profile gives good knife-edge flight and rolling maneuvers without weather-vaning on takeoff and landing with a cross wind. The wing is located just below the thrust line and the horizontal stab is on it. This construction allows excellent roll characteristics around the lateral axis. Very little down elevator is required when the model is inverted or in rolls with the force set up as noted above.

I have flown both the smooth contour symmetrical and diamond section horizontal stabilizers, but prefer the diamond section presented here. The thick vertical fin section stabilizes the airplane on the downward portion of the stall turn and figure M with no penalty on any other maneuver. I recommend the use of a good 61 engine and retracting landing gear for the best possible performance. My present model with fixed gear weighs 7-1/4 lb. A flying weight of 7-1/2 to 8 lb with retract gear affords optimum performance.

Pisces won third in the Best Original Design competition at the Toledo Trade Show this year and has done well in other competitions. Since the Pisces is a relatively easy airplane to construct, only the essential construction description is provided.

Construction Wing: Cut out the wing cores from 3/4 to 1 lb. density foam. Be sure to correctly orient the tip template with the portion marked, 'top up,' because, as mentioned before, it is semi-symmetrical. Make all servo and gear cut-outs before covering the cores with 1/16 sheet balsa. After sheeting the wing add the tip blocks of soft balsa; hollow and sand to shape. Add the 5/8 thick center section TE from hard stock balsa or soft pine along with the strip aileron control horns..."

Pisces, American Aircraft Modeler, September 1973.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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