Purple Haze (oz14589)

About this Plan

Purple Haze. Radio control sport model. Wingspan 38 in. OS Max 15 shown.

Quote: "A Sport/Racing Monoplane having exceptional aerobatic qualities meets Club 20 Rules. Engines from .10 to .25 cu in may be fitted. This model is not suitable for beginners."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Note the later 1986 Electric Haze (oz10964) was an electric powered variant of this original design (with ailerons). There are some notes on the origin of the Purple Haze in that 1986 article.

Quote: "The Purple Haze was a high wing cabin model for 0.15 motors and 3 function R/C. Despite its 'trainer-like' appearance it was no slouch, and was built at about the time that David Boddington was formulating the Club 20 racing rules. It met these rules exactly and was not only fast but aerobatic to the point where near-axial rolls could be achieved on rudder only (it had no ailerons).

Purple Haze was originally inspired by seeing a model flown by local clubster Gary Pope. Gary built his original from an American plan published in R/C Modeller entitled Quickie (oz5856). Regrettably, Gary's model was demolished somewhat rapidly when the wing folded in the centre. However, the couple of flights that I witnessed were enough to inspire a sort of 'anglicised' version with the inevitable Peacock swept fin..."

Update 30/5/2023: Added review from Radio Modeller, January 1976, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Test Report: Fast and Agile Sportster/Racer. Purple Haze from Peacock Models, built and flown by Nigel Ross.

A two/three function sports model or Club-20 racer, with a span of 38in, the Purple Haze is obviously designed for speed. The instructions also claim axial rolls - and give plenty of warning that this is not a beginner's model. To quote: 'Despite its cabin monoplane appearance, it is not ultra-stable and must be flown at all times.' Clearly something to look forward to!

The wing construction is novel (at least to me) but the rest of the model, fuselage and tail unit, is entirely straightforward, being made basically from balsa with some ply in areas of stress. The design has been thought out to keep weight to a minimum and the structure felt quite flimsy at times during its construction, yet when completed and covered it has a nice, solid feel to it, without being heavy.

In appearance, it makes no pretence at being semi-scale, and being quite angular, has a somewhat boxy look, and you either like it or you don't. However, in its final colourings it looks quite smart and I think it is more than acceptable. Its main claim to fame must, of course, rest on its speed, so more of this anon.

The kit: The fairly small and unpretentious box was pleasantly full of balsa and ply parts, ready cut to shape. These included fuselage sides and doublers, top and bottom decking, tailplane, ribs, and ply wing braces. The 1/16 sheeting, too, was all pre-shaped and was reasonably well matched for weight and strength.

Getting it together: The assembly of all parts was fast and straightforward, and presented very little in the way of problems. The wing took only 2-3/4 hours work to complete, ready for covering, and I am not a particularly fast builder..."

Update 3/6/2023: Added dihedral brace drawing, thanks to Pit.

Supplementary file notes

Dihedral brace drawing.
Review.

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