Ebenezer Flea (oz14201)

About this Plan

Ebenezer Flea. Free flight profile scale model. For Cox .010 engine.

Quote: "Especially designed for modellers who just itch to try something different. Probably the most attractive of the famous Flying Flea series, the H.M. 290 design was first released by Henri Mignet in 1946. A number have since been built by amateurs in various parts of the world, and with some modifications, the design is still current as the H.M. 360.

The wings of our model are each made from two pieces of 1/8 sheet, with a hard leading edge and lighter rear section. They are sanded to a flat bottomed airfoil section, and the tips of the front wing only are given a dihedral angle, the joins being strengthened with several coats of cement.

Take care bending the wire struts to ensure that your wing sits square and at the correct angle of incidence, which is 1/8 in positive to a straight edge laid across the undersurface of the rear wing. Do not fix the rear strut to the fuselage until flight testing is completed. Hold it temporarily with a pin so that the wing angle may be trimmed by sliding the strut up or down on the fuselage as required.

Fleas are notoriously sensitive to the CG position, so when your model is completely assembled and painted, check to ensure that you get it balancing at the point shown, using nose or tail ballast as required.

The original had a strong left turn tendency under power, which was overcome by using right thrust as shown, and about 1/16 in right rudder, to give a left turn on the climb, and a right circle on the glide. The Cox .010 gives more than enough power for a model of this size, so for the first few flights at least, have the propellor reversed, with the convex face to the rear. To limit the motor run, the tank may be half filled by tilting the model on its side when fuelling up.

Due to its compact layout, the Flea is almost indestructable, and a little perseverance should have you turning in fine flights. On the other hand, if it still fails to 'Come up to scratch' (shudder) you can always try flea powder!"

Note photo ogf completed model [main pic] was found online at: https://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/ebenezer.html

Supplementary file notes

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