Citabria (oz14551)

About this Plan

Citabria. Radio control scale model. Wingspan 67 in. For .35 to .45 engines (note the prototype used a .60 but was greatly overpowered, according to the article). Scale is 1/6.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 13/5/2023: Added article, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "She did extremely well in scale static judging and in the hands of a good pilot, she'll bring home the bacon. Citabria by Fred Angel.

The scale presented here is two inches to the foot and there is no deviation in area, dihedral, span, or other important measurements. Because of the large area devoted to side glass and windshield, strength of the cabin area posed a real problem. This was solved by using a plywood sandwich. No structural weakness has developed even after such strain-maneuvers as snap-rolls and spins.

So much for romance - let's get to building. I'm not going to go through the 'glue part A to part B' technique. Rather, I'll attempt to hit the highlights and the trickier parts.

The body is a throwback to the cut, fit, glue, pin and swear era. The nose is made up of balsa blocks and so is the bottom. When making up the plywood sandwich for the cabin sides, it is easier to paint the window cut-outs before laminating in the glass - sure saves grief later on. Use epoxy glue for all structural members such as the motor mounts, firewall, hold-down and gear blocks and the like. White glue just isn't strong enough in these areas.

After the body has been put together, glue the fin and stab permanently in place and attach side and top stringers. Make sure you fill in the rear with sheet balsa where the push rods exit, and also glue in a piece of plywood for securing the tail wheel bracket. Set the framework aside where you can glance at it every so often and pat yourself on the back for doing such a good job, and start on the wing.

The Champion Aircraft Company now has an optional wing with a semi-symmetrical airfoil, so this is the wing to build. They also have flaps available. The extra points you can earn with flaps is well worth dropping them a line for all the details.

The rib spacing and quantity are exact scale. Build two panels and join at the center with the plywood braces. Note that the top stringers are a continuation of the body outline and should be added after sheeting the center section. Make sure you put in the gussets for the strut screws.

The struts actually help support the wing, although they were not used during test flights. Make them out of pine and hollow out the root end to receive a quick-link. This makes for a quick, easy, neat installation.

Since the real Citabria has no external aileron horns showing, I decided to use a concealed torque rod for aileron linkage. You'll be amazed at how much slop they take out of the hook-up. Solder eyelets on the rod to act as a stop against the plywood bearing plates.

Ailerons are installed after both they and the wing are completely finished. Add balsa tips, sheeting, and cap stripping. All that's left are the elevators and rudder. These are made of medium weight sheet and are pre-finished before attaching to the model.

Detail Techniques: General: Hundreds of pictures of the Citabria are in print in the various aviation publications. Air Progress and Flying are good sources. If you're lucky, your local airport will have an aircraft on the line for you to photograph and study. A letter to Champion Aircraft Co, Osceola, Wisconsin 54020, will also produce a brochure. An avid scale-nut will spend many weeks gathering informa-tion both for use while building and also for his presentation folder.

Fuselage: Use Tatone instruments for the panel - colored pin heads for the instrument knobs. Use Model Railroad Flat Black for the dash and other interior details. A small piece of black fishline will finish off the seam where the panel joins the dash. Cut out a picture of a radio from one of the aviation magazines..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.

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