Thermic 50-X (oz16013)

 

Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - plan thumbnail

About this Plan

Thermic 50-X. Free flight towline glider model. Wingspan 47 in, wing area 215 sq in.

Note the 50 inch Thermic 50-X (oz6830) was kitted by Jasco in 1946. This here is the later version from Jetco with sparless wing construction and 47 inch wingspan, released circa 1965.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 28/5/2025: Added scan of ribs, thanks to ScottCopeland. Note these were not printed wood, these were diecut. This is a scan of the diecut sheets that came in the kit.

Quote: "Hello Steve, Attached are the scans from the Thermic 50-X die cut parts. Both sheets are identical and are 1/16 balsa. I traced the outlines of the ribs with pencil, but the scans aren't super clear... [fixed now, edited in Photoshop, see page 3 for best version].
Cheers, Scott"

Update 29/5/2025: Added ribs in vectorPDF and CAD format (zipped AI, DXF) thanks to Schink.

Quote: "I have attached 3 files (AI, PDF, DXF/Autodesk 2000) for Jetco Thermic 50 ribs, wing and stab. That should cover everything. Scott"

Supplementary file notes

Ribs.
Ribs, CAD zipfile.
Ribs, vector.

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Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - model pic

Datafile:
  • (oz16013)
    Thermic 50-X
    by Frank Ehling
    from Jetco (ref:G-3)
    1965 
    47in span
    Glider F/F Kit
    clean :)
    formers unchecked
  • Submitted: 06/05/2025
    Filesize: 1313KB
    Format: • PDFbitmap
    Credit*: PaulKing, ScottCopeland, Schink
    Downloads: 791

Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - pic 003.jpg
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Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - pic 004.jpg
004.jpg
Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - pic 005.jpg
005.jpg
Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - pic 006.jpg
006.jpg
Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - pic 007.jpg
007.jpg
Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - pic 008.jpg
008.jpg
Thermic 50-X (oz16013) by Frank Ehling 1965 - pic 009.jpg
009.jpg

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User comments

Have changed the designer on this from Frank Zaic to Frank Ehling, with thanks to Makemfly.
SteveWMD - 09/07/2025
Hi Mary, Please find attached photos of my recently completed 1965 Jetco version of the Thermic 50-X [main pic, 006-009]. This little tow line glider was scratch built from the oz16013 plans on your website with some small modifications to convert it to RC.
I originally planned to use one of those little brick receivers but had concerns the servos wouldn’t be strong enough for the pull string setup on this glider. Went with a Radiomaster R84 receiver and 2 Emax ES9052MD high voltage servos instead. Way more torque than need, but the high voltage servos allowed me to run on a 2 cell 300mah lipo without installing a BEC. Radio setup with battery weighs in at 40 grams. Model weighs in at 154 grams (5.43 oz) ready to fly.
Full build log on RCgroups: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?4758469
Have posted several videos of the Thermic 50-x on Youtube, but these two seem to be the most popular:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoUX78-tA3M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0IIDWWc4aU
Best regards,
Henning Seidel - 09/01/2026
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Download File(s):
  • Thermic 50-X (oz16013)
  • Plan File Filesize: 1313KB Filename: Thermic_50-X_oz16013.pdf
  • Supplement Filesize: 1292KB Filename: Thermic_50-X_oz16013_ribs.pdf
  • Supplement Filesize: 173KB Filename: Thermic_50-X_oz16013_ribs_cad.zip
  • Supplement Filesize: 194KB Filename: Thermic_50-X_oz16013_ribs_vector.pdf
  • help with downloads
 

Notes

* Credit field

The Credit field in the Outerzone database is designed to recognise and credit the hard work done in scanning and digitally cleaning these vintage and old timer model aircraft plans to get them into a usable format. Currently, it is also used to credit people simply for uploading the plan to a forum on the internet. Which is not quite the same thing. This will change soon. Probably.

Scaling

This model plan (like all plans on Outerzone) is supposedly scaled correctly and supposedly will print out nicely at the right size. But that doesn't always happen. If you are about to start building a model plane using this free plan, you are strongly advised to check the scaling very, very carefully before cutting any balsa wood.

 

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