Mini Brooklyn Dodger (oz15639)

About this Plan

Mini Brooklyn Dodger. Free flight sport model. Wingspan 22 in.

Quote: "Mini-Brooklyn Dodger for CO2, Electric or Rubber Power.

The Sal Taibi Brooklyn Dodger (oz1056) dates from a time when many gas models tended to look like full size airplanes. It has a windshield and a nicely rounded body shape. This plane was featured as a construction article in a pre-WWII issue of Model Airplane News. The wing uses a shallow undercambered airfoil with polyhedral.

In construction, the Brooklyn Dodger (BD) used the fairly common, for the times, 'crutch' as the basis for the body, where a crutch-like frame supports formers and stringers. As you will note, the BD requires a number of formers and stringers to produce that rounded shape! The stabilizer has a lifting airfoil which allows the balance point to be farther aft.

The BD mini- comes out to be about 1/4 full size, so the investment in time and material will also be much smaller. These minis were developed as fun models, but as this is written early in 1994, the Flying Aces Nationals is scheduled to hold an event just for electric powered, scaled down old time gas models. Perhaps you can interest other local flyers to hold such an event where you fly.

The mini-BD can be powered by Brown, Gasparin 120 or TELCO CO, motors, HiLine's Micro-4 (or Mini-6) electric motor or rubber strips, with each type called out on the plans. It would be a good idea to decide on the power type before beginning and to have the motor/rubber/prop hardware on hand before beginning, recognizing that a rubber model needs to have motor clearance holes through most of the formers. Some formers will also need to be cut away for installation of the electric's battery and the CO, tank. You may also want to allow for ready removal of the motor system with removable access panels. The builder can, however, complete much of the structure and cover the flying surfaces before deciding on the power source.

WING: Begin the wing by cutting out the tip parts and gluing them together. Cut out the ribs now but don't cut the spar notches. Stack up the ribs and pin the stack together. Sand the upper and lower surfaces to smooth their outlines. Due to the taper, you won't be able to completely sand or notch the outer panel ribs until they are removed from the stack. Use a thin file or two fine-toothed hacksaw blades taped together to cut the spar notches.

Shape the trailing edge (TE) stock with a sanding block before pinning the pieces to the work surface. Note that the TE can be pinned down flat in spite of the undercamber of the airfoil. Add the tip pieces now, and remove the tip /TE assembly from the board to smooth the inside edges. Pin down the LE pieces. Use a few rib to locate the lower front spar and pin it down. Glue in the ribs now except for those at the center and the polyhedral breaks. Add the upper spar. Use a razor saw and cut the LE, TE and spars at the center and poly breaks.

Remove the tip panels and sand the mating edges to allow for dihedral. Block up the tip panels and glue them to the main panels. Then, block up one main panel to make the center dihedral. Add gussets now, and finish shaping the wing with a sanding block.

STABILIZER: Cut out the stab parts and join the tip pieces. Pin down the TE, tips, spar and the LE. Trim the ribs to fit and glue them in place. Sand as needed to get ready for covering.

FIN: The fin is a simple flat plate made from square and strip stock plus a few cut-out pieces.

BODY: Begin the body by building the crutch. While you can remove this piece from the building board and begin adding the formers, there's a better way. Pin the crutch back down with its front end slightly overhanging the bench. Now, add the Fl former with a slight bit of downthrust, and glue on the rest of the lower formers. Note that the formers require notches for stringers, but that these notches can be located better after the formers are in place. For example, pin a piece of 1/16 x 1/4 balsa to the lower formers aligned with the edge of the crutch..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Instructions.
Printwood.

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