Laser 200 (oz15555)

About this Plan

Laser 200. Radio control scale model. Wingspan 98.25 in, wing area 1615 sq in. Scale is 1/3.5.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 24/9/2024: Added article (found on RCU), thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "After the 1977 Las Vegas Tournament of Champions, the promoters announced that for the next season a new set of aircraft design parameters would be initiated. Dean Koger, who would be participating in that tournament, asked if I would work with him on a new aircraft I was quick to answer in the affirmative.

The first step, of course, was to come up with a suitable aircraft. It had to be modeled after a full-size acrobatic plane or one designed for aerobatics. Dean set about poring over the many design possibilities, considering the benefits of each. His choice was the Laser 200, with which I completely concurred. Leo Loudenslager, the builder/flier of the full-size version, certainly had been successful with its performance.

The one design feature most impressive to me was the wing location - directly on the thrust line. This generally helps to provide excellent axial maneuvers.

The next problem was choosing the best size. This was, perhaps, more of a dilemma than the choice of a design. What would the other fliers do? Would they build small pattern types, capturing large patches of sky in the least amount of time? The contest directors obviously wanted something a little larger with the design regulations given. If we were to build a larger, slower-flying aircraft, would it look less impressive than the fastern pattern types? Or would it be more suitable for the style of flying to which the full-size aerobatic judges were accustomed?

After much discussion it was decided to build big - and big it was. The first Laser had 1700 square inches of wing and a span of 99 in. The engine was a Webra .91 with a Master-Climb 2-to-1 reduction unit.

The model was finished in late June, 1978, and flown in two pre-Vegas contests. In July, at Pontiac, Michigan, it finished first in a field of two. In August, at Dayton, it took first place in the Vegas-type event and also captured first in the quarter scale event at the same meet. Actually, this 1700 square-inch model was one-third scale. You will notice I said 'was,' as it met an early demise at a Celina (Ohio) flying demonstration. While making a low-level inverted pass at about 75 feet, the canopy hatch dropped to the ground, causing disturbed airflow over the tail section which brought the Laser uncontrollably to terra firma rather quickly.

At this point, we obviously had to build another Laser, but what size? What secrets had the first two contests divulged? Many of the other fliers had indeed built larger-than-normal pattern ships but not that much larger. Their birds were flying almost as fast as the standard pattern planes. Should we build smaller?

About this time, the rule regarding the 'box' in which the planes were to be flown in Las Vegas was changed, expanding it from 90 degrees to 120 degrees. We decided to go a little smaller - not so much because of the box change, but because we felt that we would have a little more vertical capability with a reduced-size aircraft featuring a little less weight and a thinner airfoil for less drag. The engine would be the same powerful Webra .91 with the reliable Master-Climb reduction unit.

The result is the plane featured in the following construction article. It has 1213 square inches of wing area with a 14 percent wing section, and weighs 12 pounds dry (no fuel). It garnered fourth place in the 1978 Tournament of Champions with pilot Dean Koger competently handling the controls. I think the 'big ones' are here to stay and this Laser is one of the best designs for aerobatic competition..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.

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