Escondido Mosquito (oz13137)

About this Plan

Escondido Mosquito. Indoor rubber sport model.

Quote: "This silly little thing is great for living room or office. You can build it in one hour. Escondido Mosquito, by Bill Hannan.

THIS simple model, if correctly constructed, can be made to perform in the average-size living room or office. It makes a fine conversation piece that will capture the attention of even non-aviation-minded visitors. The design is intended to be rugged enough to withstand the rigors of bouncing off walls and furniture that inevitably occurs when flying in restricted spaces. While the duration cannot be expected to compare with 'serious' indoor models, it is quite possible to achieve several laps of the room, and contests between two or more of these tiny terrors are great fun!

Models of this general type have been popular for many years, and in fact, some of the earliest published plans were for flyers of this breed. Of the variety of interesting names which have been bestowed upon them, such as 'Parlor Pursuits', 'Midgets', etc, the name that seems to have turned up most frequently is 'Mosquito' or variations thereof. For example, an advertisement appeared in the Dec 1910 issue of Aeronautics magazine, which offered for sale a tiny machine called the 'Jersey Skeeter.' During the late 20s, a small model named the 'Baby Mosquito Flyer' was marketed by a firm called the Mosquito Flyer Co.

Our little 'Escondido Mosquito'. carries on this long established tradition of balsa wood insects. 'Escondido' is a Spanish word meaning 'hidden' however it is also the name of the small city in California where the author resides.

Construction: Although the model is constructed in a straightforward manner, it is important to work carefully and to bear in mind that the lighter your mosquito, the greater its duration. Since the plans are full size. you will be able to work directly over them. using a piece of waxed paper or clear plastic food wrap to protect the drawings from glue.

Wing: Select a light and straight piece of 1/16 sq strip balsa. Usually, a search through a number of 1/16 sq strips will reveal a few which are slightly undersize, and that size would be a good choice for this job. Additionally, the strip can be lightly sanded on all four sides to reduce the weight and remove the little hair-like fibers that may shape from fairly hard 1/32 sheet balsa. Note that the two mounts are different, to provide for an angle of incidence. These mounts also help to strengthen the wing dihedral joint.

Fuselage: Select a light but stiff section of 3/32 x 1/16 balsa for the fuselage. It is important that the material be rigid enough to resist bowing under the strain of a fully wound motor. Sand lightly, and notch for the 1/16 sq tail boom. Note that the tail boom is offset, as shown on the plan top view, to enable the model to fly in small circles. Glue this joint sparingly, since the angle may need to be slightly altered to suit your particular flying space limitations.

Metal parts: The propeller shaft and rubber motor rear hook are bent to shape using needle-nose pliers. Music wire of approximately .015 diameter will work well. The prop shaft bearing is made from aluminum or dural sheet stock, which is drilled to accept the prop shaft, then bent as indicated on the drawing. Roughen the portion of the aluminum where it contacts the fuselage. and glue in place. A few turns of sewing thread will greatly strengthen the joint. Glue and bind the rear wire hook in similar fashion... "

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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