Bristol Beaufighter (oz14591)

About this Plan

Bristol Beaufighter. Radio control scale model twin British WWII fighter bomber.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Note see: http://www.cdmfc.org/archives/mar19… for some background, and a depron build thread.

Update 31/5/2023: Added article, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Bristol's Beau. John Deacon introduces you to his delightful twin '10' version of the versatile Beaufighter.

WHY A BEAUFIGHTER? Why any particular aeroplane? Most of us have different reasons for choosing our next scale model and we can be influenced by many different things. A friend of mine was considering building a DH Hornet for two .10's and I was tempted to do the same, but I was flicking though the Argus Books 'Aircraft Archive Fighters of World War Two Vol, 1' (good plug, that, even if it is a bit of a mouthful!) and came across the 'Beau'.

Having had a soft spot for the Beaufighter for a long time and having two OS 10FP's waiting for an airframe, I was hooked straight away.

The proprotions looked about right with the wing position giving sufficient fuselage to grasp during hand launching and the same giving a reasonable 'keel' upon which to land - no wheels on this one!

With the two engines as far foward as you can get, there should be no problems with the CG and the dihedral tailplane would give more area than the flat version. This extra area was considered to be worth the complication of having separate elevator rods and horns with a divided push rod.

Canting the engines at an angle should enable the silencers to clear both the wing and the ground and ensure that the needle valves would be accessible.

So, with trusty calculator in hand, a scale was chosen to give the right sort of wing area - my main criterion for selecting scale factor - and the aircraft was drawn up.

Construction is completely orthodox and outlines are true scale except for the flat bottomed wing section and the size of the ailerons (see flying notes). The wing section was chosen to give predictable flying characteristics and easy building, with washout incorporated for slow flying stability - and peace of mind!

Construction: The more experienced builders of this model will probably have their own pet methods of construction and will go ahead and do their own thing, but for those who might need a little guidance the following notes are offered.

Like many modellers, I spend some time making up a kit of parts so that construction can proceed in an uninterrupted fashion. Select your wood to suit the job in hand in order to keep the weight to a minimum - it is very easy for the weight to creep up here and there if care is not taken.

The prototype weighted 3-1/4 lbs ready to fly, although admittedly, I did use a 225 mA/h nicad and micro servos. These proved to be perfectly adequate both in power and spped. With standard gear and a 500 mA/h nicad (it will fit) you should be able to keep the weight to between 3-1/2 and 3-3/4 lbs. Right then, let's build a Beaufighter.

Wing: Butt join sufficient lengths of 1/16 sheet to form the top and bottom wing skins and sand the outer surfaces smooth. Mark the skins for the ribs and spars. Pin down the outer section bottom skin and glue the bottom main spar and aileron spar in position followed by the ribs noting that R4 and R5 must be cut clear of the dihedral brace.

Fit the top spars and dihedral brace followed by the main spar webbing making sure that the grain is vertical. Fit leading edge and tubes for the aileron torque rods. Repeat for the other wing. We now have two outer wing sections minus top sheeting.

Using a similar procedure construct the centre section again slotting the appropriate ribs to clear the dihedral braces. Ensure that R4 is set at the correct dihedral angle.

Slit sheeting to allow for the wing dowel and fit dowel butting it up against the main spar and bottom sheeting. Add CS1 followed by R1A ribs and 1/4in square hardwood servo rails spacing these to suit your servos. Fit throttle torque rod, not forgetting the centre servo horn and solder the horns in place except the starboard one.

With the centre section pinned down glue the outer sections in place trimming where necessary and maintaning 11/2 in dihedral under each tip.

Cut out each aileron, then fit the aileron torque rods and bearings into the wings. Cut away ailerons as necessary to clear torque rods and epoxy rods into ailerons, securing with scrap fill. Of course, if you prefer, the ailerons may be fitted after covering and painting. Solder horns to rods in centre section.

Fill in between ribs R1 at rear with TE stock to reinforce the wing bolt area. Shape top of . to section.

With the centre section pinned down along the centre-line, pack up the TE at the dihedral breaks with 1/16 in scrap and sheet top of wing leaving the appropriate cutouts for horns and servos. Solder starboard throttle horn in place.

When dry, remove from board and pin down one outer section with the TE flat on the board at the inner end and pack up with 1/16 in and 1/8 in scrap as per plan.

Sheet the top of the wing including the aileron and leave to dry overnight. Repeat for the other wing. Finally, complete bottom sheeting to LE.

Mark the position of the nacelle sides on the sheeting and cut away top and bottom sheeting and leading edge. Fit and glue N2 against main spar, making sure it is central between R3 and R5. Fit nacelle sides ensuring that they are parallel then epoxy firewall N1 in place. Don't forget sidethrust on starboard side. Reinforce with triangular stock. Drill to suit engine mount and fit blind nuts. Fit throttle cables and tanks followed by N3. Then sheet or plank the nacelles. Finish with soft block top and bottom. Construct cowls as per plan, trimming to suit your engines.

Fuselage: Glue ply doublers to fuselage sides using contact adhesive, incorporating a 'curl' from F2 forward. Join sides with F3, F4 and F5. When dry, join at tail with fin spar using a centre-line drawn on the board, or your favourite jigging method, then add the remaining formers. If centre-lines are drawn on each former, it is easy to eyeball for true alignment.

Fit F1 and noseblock. Glue F2B and F5A in place to sides, then add bottom 3/16 in sheet in one piece. Add tailplane saddles, then 3/8 in top decking sheet - the join line will be cut away afterwards for the observer's astrodome. Fit cockpit floor..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.

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