Tiger Moth (oz14552)

About this Plan

Tiger Moth. Radio control scale biplane model, for electric power. Wingspan 36 in.

Quote: "Tiger Moth, by Dale Tattam. Build our 36 inch span Tiger Moth for electric power and some quiet fun!

Why the Moth? I was looking through a book on De Havillands my Mum had bought me for Christmas a couple of years ago called 'De Havilland A Pictorial Tribute' by Gordon Bain, when I thought I would like another Moth. But this time a small one for my MFA 380 reduction drive which had been sitting in a box for ages. Well balsa comes in 36 in strips and sheets so the span will be - yep, 36 in! After some sketches to make sure everything fitted, a plan was drafted.

The airframe only took a few evenings to construct and the model was framed out in a couple of weeks, then put aside for months while a couple of other models were built, flown and sold. Then over the Christmas holidays the dust was removed along with a family of spiders and with lots of sanding she started to look like a Tiger Moth.

I had been looking through my late Father's photo albums to find a colour scheme I could live with. I had built a camouflaged one before so this time I chose an all silver finish, based on one which my Dad flew at Sywell in 1948 with the RAF. This aircraft is still flying in 1998, but in yellow all over, as part of the Diamond Nine Display Team.

I chose to use silver lite span for the covering. This gives a very real look to the model, also saving weight with just the markings to paint on the finishing and can be completed in a weekend.

Air test: The first flight happened around 11.30 pm by accident. I had spent most of the evening fitting out the Moth ready for the next day as the forecast was 10 mph winds and sunshine. Too good to miss! After checking out the model I decided to do some test taxiing around my drive just to see if the prop had plenty of pull. Anyway, after a few bursts I thought a quick taxi run down the lane would be good for a laugh. As the street light gives plenty of illumination I gave a quick burst of power and away she went. The tail skid lifted and a few seconds later she was 2 feet up and climbing! I flaired out and taxied back trying to stop smiling!

The next day was indeed bright and sunny with no wind. Once at the field everything looked good so it was time for the heave-ho. After a little wobble - I needed some right aileron and with a couple of clicks of down elevator she climbed out very well. Once up to about 50 feet I reduced the power to half and a nice scale speed was attained. A very good control feel right down to the stall gave me lots of confidence to do very low 12" passes (no wind) around the camera and myself. After several passes both ways, I climbed the Moth up to height to do some aerobatics before my nicad ran low. Rolls, loops, stall, turns are all very easy to do with very good control response all round. I was happy.

Sunday morning turned out to be a bit 'drafty' but the afternoon was better but still windy. I had to find out if she would handle some wind. This time a couple of club members were there so after the compulsory chat. Flight no.4 came about. All were impressed as they thought speed 400 electric would not fly in a 15 knot wind. Wrong. Flight no.5. The transmitter was handed over to club mates CJ and Paul Thomas who usually fly fast aerobatic models. They found the 'Tiggie' very responsive even though the wind had got up a little while the nicads were charging, so they were using 3/4 power to keep a scale speed into wind. They liked the idea of being able to switch off the power and to do air restarts. Try that with an IC engine!

All in all I found the Moth great to fly. Aerobatic and positive on the controls what more could we want - apart from blue sky and no wind every weekend. So, if you like the sound of the flying performance, let's take a look at the building sequence.

Fuselage: A good place to start is the lower wing seat, the prototype had 1/8 hard balsa for this, but with the thin ply glued to this, you end up with the same weight as a piece of liteply, so it's your choice.

The basic sides are 1/4 x 1/8 balsa, 1/8 x 1/8 or 1/8 x 1/4 uprights, then the 1/8 x 1/8 cross braces. Build the second side on top of this. When this has really dried out remove, sand, add all the front cross braces, checking for squareness all the time.

Next, pull in the rear and add the rest of the cross braces. That's the basic frame built. After bending up the cabane struts, bind and epoxy them to the hard wood. Add them, making sure the top wing sits square with the centre line down the fuselage and the angle of incidence is correct. Happy? Good. Time now to add all the formers for the top deck then add a light sheet balsa skin. Great, time for a cup of tea while you look at the work you have just done.

Cowling: Good time to choose the motor/gearbox combination you intend to fit. My cowl is fixed in place permanently. The engine/motor bearers may need to be moved in or out to fit your type of motor.

The nose block is from laminated 1/4 balsa. Carve the outside to shape first, then trim away the inside to clear motor and gearbox then add the rest of the lower cowl and sides. Mine has been built in place but a little mod could be made so the cowl can be removable..."

Tiger Moth, R/C Scale International, July/August 1998.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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