Speedysport Flyer (oz14234)

About this Plan

Speedysport Flyer. Rubber sport model.

Quote: "HERE IS a stick job whose small and simple construction places it in the Victory Ship category. A minimum of hard-to-get balsa is employed without sacrificing performance. The 'Speedysport' was specifically designed for the modeler who not only finds it difficult to procure the conventional materials, but also for the modeler who finds that time may also be a scarce commodity.

One of the essential requirements for model construction is simplicity of design to insure this all-important saving of time which in these war days is a must. Again, with restriction on materials used, the average model builder is inclined to cast a disdaining eye on the plan which plainly shows up as a mass of intricate detail, Research on the subject and questioning of many habitual and expert model builders confirms this, although it must be admitted that such was not the case in the early days of model building and flying. Then the emphasis was all upon the fancy ship with fancy trimmings, a setup which required the builder to carry a large amount of spare parts for repair on the spot and which eventually resulted in producing a ship after the usual amount of crack-ups that looked like a patchwork of makeshift pieces instead of a flying model airplane.

The war has put an end to this trend permanently, it is to be hoped. There is still a lot of agitation going on in favor of the fancy ship - witness the ravings of the higher-ups in the field who insist on adherence to all the orthodox rules of model-building with never a word for economy of design.

There is nothing wrong with the simplified model design. True, it does away with a large part of skillful work formerly necessary in construction and adjustment of stringers, formers and the like. But simplification reduces the amount and severity of the common headaches and heartbreaks experienced over the building, flying and repair of the gingerbread sort of ship. There is less mass to go the way of all smashups and certainly a good deal less. of repair work in time and energy, thus leaving infinitely more time for the actual business of flying, which, after all is the real end for which the means have been devised and followed.

On the other side of the ledger are the exponents of the equally fantastic theory of over-simplification to the point where the model loses all resemblance to an airplane and becomes nothing more than a collection of surfaces - more often than not a lack of surfaces, held together haphazardly. The result of this is a ship looking like a flying page of paper or an oddly shaped leaf of large size blown about by the wind. In addition to its other qualities, the Speedysport attempts to create a satisfactory mean in design between the two extremes.

The fuselage is novel, simple and is constructed essentially of easily obtained material. The nose and tail block, the longerons and the internal bracing are all of white pine. Cut the nose and tail block to the shape shown from 3/32 sheet. The longeruns and bracing are 3/32 sq white pine. Carefully sand all members before assembly. After glueing the parts together, cover with 1/32 sheet balsa. In order to strengthen the fuselage, glue the sheets at various angles so that their grains are not parallel, as is shown in the plans..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction