Aero Commander 100 (oz15254)

About this Plan

Aero Commander 100. Radio control sport scale model, for .049 engine. Wingspan 42 in, wing area 290 sq in.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 9/6/2026: Added article, thanks to dfritzke.

Quote: "Stand-off Scale job for 049 power and single channel. Aero Commander 100, by George Penniket.

This is a Stand-off Scale model for 049 power and rudder-only control. At the time Sport Modeler asked me to suggest a low-powered, easy-to-build Stand-off Scale model, for pulse propor-tional or digital rudder-only control, I had just started building a 49 in span Aero-Commander 100 for 15 or 19 power and full-house proportional. I did not think this was exactly what the magazine had in mind, but I liked the lines of the Aero-Commander. I decided to re-draw it with a 40 to 42 in span for 049 power. The plans show how it turned out; performance is just as good as its looks.

Construction: Make patterns of all sheet-balsa parts by tracing them on cardboard with carbon paper, cutting them out with scissors. Check the patterns against the plans to ensure accuracy. The 1/16 sheet balsa for the fuselage sides needs to be at least 5 in wide. For the wing it must be 7 in. If your hobby shop does not stock these widths, you will need to make them by joining narrower sheets. I use Ken Willard's method to do this, as follows. Be sure to choose pieces of the same grade and weight so they will bend with the same natural curve. First, sand the edges to be joined so that they butt together tightly without any gaps. Pin them down on your building board, edges tightly to gether (cover the board first with wax paper or the backing from a piece of MonoKote), and cover the joint with a strip of masking tape. Freezer tape is just as good, and may be cheaper—especially if you can "borrow" it from the kitchen! Unpin one piece of balsa, and fold it back over the other using the masking tape as a hinge. Run a bead of cement along the exposed joint, fold the sheet back down to the board, pin it firmly and allow the cement to dry. Next day, take out the pins and remove the masking tape. You now have a wide sheet of balsa with an almost invisible joint.

Now cut out all balsa parts and store them in a cardboard box until needed. When you have cut out all the wing ribs, stack them together, pinning them firmly in two bundles (one of front portions and one of rear portions, because the main spar is full depth). Smooth the ribs with a piece of fine garnet paper on a sanding block to get them all to the same profile. Remove the pins.

Cut the bottom sheeting of the wing to size and mark accurately the location of the main spar and all ribs. Pin the bottom sheeting down on your building board, both halves at once, but keep them separated in the middle..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.

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