Lancer (oz14332)

About this Plan

Lancer 32. Free flight CO2 model, with Pylon layout. Wingspan 32 in, wing area 144 sq in.

Note the Lancer was a Cleveland kit, circa 1947. Originally for free flight CO2 (or rubber) power. This here is a modern re-drawn plan, showing IC power option, along with RC installation.

Quote: "Read this information on Propellors and Flying with CO2 Power: The type of propeller used and the speed at which the CO2 motor is adjusted to run, has very much to do with the way the model flies. We recommend an 8 in diameter, 3 in pitch Co2 prop (available at your hobby store) for general flying, with the motor adjusted to run through all the power before it lands.

If you want real contest performance, we have found that the same propeller recommended above will do wonders when trimmed down so that the diameter is 6-1/4 in leaving the tips rather square to preserve blade area at this point. A deep undercamber should then be carved in the blade and excess wood around the hub of the prop which does not 'work' should be trimmed away. The motor should now be slowed down, as it will run faster with this clipped prop and should be adjusted when flying, so that the prop stops while the model is still at almost the maximum altitude, but don't speed it up so that it quits shortly after reaching the maximum altitude, as this is not as efficient.

You may find that the way in which we have installed the power bottle is different than the way recommended by the manufacturers, but we have found that this is an improvement and have thoroughly tested it. Notice that the motor has a tendency to speed up when the power bottle is lowered below the horizontal position. We take advantage of this, by installing the power bottle horizontally in the model so that when the power is almost gone and the model commences to glide in, what unexpanded gas remains in the bottle then runs out into the feed line, so that it is warmed more readily by the air, which results in more effective use of the power available.

WARNING: Do NOT attempt to get more power out of the bottle by warming or heating it before the flight, as this may expand the gas to the danger point! If what you want is a rocket climb, use an 8 in diameter prop with a five inch pitch and adjust the motor to go at full speed. The straight up climb proved this way is unbelievable, but it will not result in the longest flights. If you do this, be careful of loops and use enough downthrust to prevent them.

Our test model of the 'Lancer' has made several flights of over five minute when no thermals were in evidence, so it is advisable to incorporate a 'dethermalizer' in the model.This is a device operated by a vacuum timer of the type available at your hobby store for a small price and which is installed in the fuselage with a string or wire attached to the plunger, so that at a certain time set by you, the plunger will pull the string, pulling a small pin out of a catch, allowing a flap to open from the side of the fuselage. This creates air resistance and slows the model down below its flying speed, preventing it from floating away in a thermal, which is a rising current of air. The exact mechanic of the dethermalizer depend on the type of timer used, so detailed instruction is not given here..."

Update 22/1/2023: Replaced this plan with a revised version, thanks to Chuck Griffiths.

Quote: "Hi Mary/Steve, I took a look at the Lancer file you posted and noticed some mistakes I found (I knew I would). Anyway, here's the 'corrected drawing'. In addition, I removed the 'Grayscale' so that it's more legible when viewed and or printed. Thanks again for all the wonderful work you two do! Chuck Griffiths (aka Tripacer)"

Supplementary file notes

Parts sheets.

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