Tavis (oz15252)
About this Plan
Tavis. Radio control sport pattern plane. Wingspan 58 in, wing area 595 sq in, for .40-.60 engines.
Quote: "There is a lot to be said for modern pattern aircraft. In practiced hands, and with the latest in super engines and radios, they continually win National and World competition. As a weekend sport flyer, competing only a few weekends a year, I found I couldn't feel comfortable with a high speed, high performance airplane. I wanted a plane that would be competitive, but be slow and forgiving enough to allow me to easily learn maneuvers without things happening too fast. I also found that a slower plane allows you to concentrate more on the pattern while in competition, a decided plus when you've got a case of contest jitters.
The Tavis is such an airplane. It is smooth and groovy, yet easy to fly, and maneuvers are easily done without many course corrections. The plane's moderate speed allows time to think your way through a maneuver instead of just conditioning yourself to do the right thing at the right time. The thick wing provides for constant speed through maneuvers, and docile stall characteristics. Tavis is stable at low airspeeds with no tendency to drop a wing.
Unlike many pattern planes, the Tavis' good flying ability doesn't seem to he dependent on how much power you've got in the nose. The plane shown in the photos was originally powered by a .40, and has placed well in local competition. Speed doesn't increase much if a .60 is installed, but the extra power does help vertical performance. As you can see from the photos, an old Webra Blackhead powers my present ship. In spite of its advanced age, it provides more than enough power for this seven pound aircraft.
CONSTRUCTION: Probably the most important thing you can do when you build an airplane is to build it straight. Take your time, constantly checking for straightness and alignment, A misaligned airplane never flies straight.
Wing: After lightly sanding the foam cores, make all necessary cut-outs. This includes holes for the landing gear blocks, retracts (if used), and a slot for the dihedral brace. Soak two pieces of soft straight grained 1/16 sheet in warm water for the leading edges. While they are still wet, tape to the leading edge of the core and allow to dry. After they are dry, use a thin coat of Titebond to glue them permanently in place. Epoxy the landing gear blocks and 1/4 in ply torque blocks in position. Edge-glue the remainder of the sheeting to fit their respective wing panels and glue to the core with Core Bond, Blue Goo, etc. Using plenty of epoxy, insert the dihedral brace and join the wing halves with 1 in dihedral under each tip. Use a 3 inch strip of glass cloth and resin to reinforce the center section. Install and carve the wing tips. The ailerons are carved and sanded from 3/8 x 1 in medium balsa wood. All control surfaces are sanded with a double bevel leading edge, and are carefully fit to the trailing edge for minimum gap.
Stabilizer: Glue the stab cores together before sheeting, using a single piece of 1/4 in square for the trailing edge. Sheet the stab with 1/32 balsa sheet. No center section reinforcement will be needed if the aft portion of the stab is sheeted in one continuous piece, tip to tip. Go easy on the contact cement. A little extra weight in the tail means a lot more in the nose.
Fin: The fin is constructed with the aft portion flat on the building board. Cut the aft portion of sheeting to size, and pin to the building board. Mark locations of the ribs, spar and trailing edge. Glue the trailing edge and spar in place, followed by the ribs and leading edge. Sheet the top side of the fin before removing from the hoard, then sheet the remaining forward section.
Fuselage: Cut the two identical 3/16" balsa sides, being careful to make the cut-outs for the wing and stab as accurate as possible. When attaching doublers and triangle stock, be sure you make a right and a left side. Glue bulkheads F-2 and F-3 in their proper positions on one side, being sure they are at a 90 degree angle to the side. Add the other side in careful alignment. Draw the nose together and epoxy F-1 in place, Be careful not to induce any side or down thrust. Glue the sides together at the tail, noting that there is no tailpost. The use of a fuselage jig is recommended for best results.
Add the canopy sides, beveling them to obtain a good fit. Glue in the triangle stock, then sand flat with the tops of the bulkheads. Add the 3/8 top piece and windshield blocks. Mount your engine and spinner in order to position 1/16 ply spinner ring. Add the chin and top cowl blocks. Carefully install the wing, being sure it is aligned properly with the fuselage and that the incidence is 0 degrees..."
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(oz15252)
Tavis
by David Stuart
from RCMplans (ref:796)
April 1980
58in span
IC R/C LowWing
clean :)
all formers complete :)
got article :) -
Submitted: 17/04/2024
Filesize: 921KB
Format: • PDFbitmap
Credit*: theshadow
Downloads: 457
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- Tavis (oz15252)
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