Howard Pete (oz1521)

About this Plan

Howard Pete. Control line scale model. For .19 -.29 engines. Benny Howard's racer by Frank Ehling from Model Airplane News, Oct 1945.

Quote: "A control line model of Howard's famous racer - easy to build and a swell flier. Pete, by Frank Ehling.

WE TAKE you back fifteen years to the National Air Races of 1930. Many of us remember the Races but few can recall the sensation of that year's meet. While the pre-race crowds were looking over the Laird Solution, the Travelair Mystery S and the Curtiss XF6C-6 speed entries and making their choice between them, few observed a tiny pure white ship sitting in a far corner of the hangar. Those who did notice it hardly gave it a tumble after they heard from the lips of its owner and builder, Ben Howard, that it was powered with a Wright Gypsy engine of 90 hp.

What chance has this low powered job against the Wasp and Whirlwind engined Lairds and Wedells?, they thought. Well, Benny Howard showed them and removed all traces of doubt by placing third in the Thompson Trophy Race, and collecting a lion's share of the prize money by winning two other 3rd places and four 1sts. By the time the Races were over Howard and Pete were famous, and in the succeeding years Pete was replaced by Ike, Mike and Mr Mulligan and they too showed their exhaust to many high powered racers. It was Pete, however, that opened a new era in small fast racers and it will be many years before another plane stirs up as much interest.

Many of our readers and builders have been asking for a model of Pete so we thought we would commission Frank Ehling, one of America's foremost Control Line model builders to work out a simple yet realistic model of Pete. Frank has more than lived up to our expecta-tions and reports that Pete even sur-passed his fondest hopes; he says it handles with ease and affords all the thrills not achieved with a super speed job. There are several engines that fit this design nicely.

The ship is of crutch design, this makes for easy construction. A built up wing affords all the necessary strength for this type of flying. The solid tail group is' used to an advantage, as the thin section would warp out of shape if built up. This ship is not difficult to build; however, a little more time than on the usual run of the Mill ship will be required.

To construct the fuselage, cut out the bulkheads. The crutch is then cut to size and cemented together at the end. When dry, cement bulkheads in place, starting from the rear and working forward. The engine mount is now cut out and ce-mented in place between the crutch members. This engine mount will have to be cut to fit the particular engine used. The wing should be assembled now be-cause after it is attached, to the fuselage bulkheads the fuselage will be completed.

To build the wing, enlarge the wing plan to proper size and cut the ribs, leading and trailing edges along with the wing tips all from hard balsa. Lay out the wing in the usual manner, making sure to cement all joints well..."

Update 15/01/2019: Added article, thanks to RFJ.

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