Bel-Air 60 (oz14461)

About this Plan

Bel-Air 60. Radio control sport aerobatic model. Wingspan 52 in, wing area 935 sq in, for .60 engine.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 27/3/2023: Added kit review from RCM, May 1984, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "RCM Product Review. Northeast Aerodynamics BEL-AIR 60.

We had been looking for a more advanced plane, one that could perform a full range of aerobatics while maintaining a sporty look. The Bel-Air 60 not only fulfills that objective but it is simple to build, modern looking and a real value for the hard earned dollar.

The fully symmetrical wing gives the potential of aerobatics both upright or inverted. The fact that it can take either a high output .60 or a .75 to .90 4-cycle engine gave us a feeling that it was of top quality design. Two other innovative features also caught our eye, the 'I' interplane struts and wheel pants, which gave the possibility of customizing the plane into one of great appeal.

The plane is capable of rigorous acrobatics and is a pussy cat, as stable as can be, when throttled back to low speed.

When we removed the protective paper stuffing from the box we had to stop to admire the quality of the machine cut balsa and hardwood parts. Not only were they clean, but as we proceeded with the building we found they fit most accurately. The hardware is packaged in an interesting manner, it was placed in a heavy duty plastic bag which was then stapled to the end of the box then it was layered with paper stuffing. This way it could not shift in transportation and pound the softer materials to a pulp.

The balsa wood in the kit was light - not pulpy light, but strong and light; it all seemed to be hand picked. There wasn't a single piece of rock hard balsa. All of the small jig cut pieces were sanded clean and were stacked in a plastic bag in such a way that the ply parts could not rub against the balsa ones. Rubber bands held the other groups of parts into a rigid mass. The spars were rolled inside the plans; this kept them in place and warp free. This is one of the better packaged kits we have run into in a long time.

Construction: The two sheets of plans were black line prints of professional quality. Each sheet was 24 x 52 inch in size. Also included was a sub sheet that showed construction of the alternate 'I' interplane struts, wheel pants and the installation method for larger 4-cycle engines.

There was a thirty page 'step by step' check-off instruction manual. The instructions are extremely detailed and even included the type of adhesive recommended at that step. There were a number of high quality construction photographs on each page. The instruction manual had a novel feature we have never seen before. Just before you start construction of a particular part of the plane, there is a photograph that shows every piece, as it comes from the box, that will be involved in that particular bit of construction.

Even though the designer of the kit has a perfectly acceptable method of assembly of the fully symmetrical wings, we wanted to use our A-Justo Jig to insure our plane had warp free wings. It was necessary to use the jig template to punch holes in the Bel Air 60 wing ribs so they would fit on the jig wires... "

Supplementary file notes

Review.

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