Morane Saulnier Type L (oz16129)

About this Plan

Morane Saulnier Type L. Radio control scale model WWI parasol monoplane, for electric power. Wingspan 30 in.

Quote: "FREE PLAN. Morane Saulnier Type L, by Peter Rake. A 30 in wingspan model for geared 150 power units and three function control. Designed and described by Peter Rake, built and flown by Tristan Williams.

Before launching into details of the model, l would like to take this opportunity to thank Tristan for his invaluable help with this, and other projects. Without his, and other like-minded modellers, offers to build some of my designs for me, you would have to wait much longer for some of them to appear in print.

The Morane Saulnier series of Type L parasol monoplanes saw much active service during the early years of WWI. Not only did she appear in various guises, from single seat fighter to two seat artillery spotter, she was also used by many different nations. Therefore, it is possible to build the model either with or without a wing cut out, as a single or two seater, and with wheels or skis. It is even possible to finish her in German colours because the Pfalz parasol monoplane was almost identical in appearance. This must have made it somewhat confusing for all concerned. Just to prove the point, Tristan has finished his model as a Thulin in Finnish military colours.

The Model: Never intended as a highly accurate scale model, this rendition of the L was designed to be an easy-to-build model that would be just as easy to fly. To this end, a small amount of non-scale dihedral has been incorporated into the design.

Although quite small, and thus easily manageable, she also has the advantage that the wings may be removed for transport or, heaven forbid, repair. The rigging does not have to be fitted, it serves no purpose other than cosmetic, but does add greatly to the realism of the finished model.

Because this model is quite easy to fly, it is suited to the less experienced pilot who, in all probability, will also be a less experienced builder. I will go into more detail over construction than might otherwise be the case.

Equipment Required: Quite obviously, with a model as small as this one, the equipment required to power and control her is also going to have to be both small and light. However, that doesn't mean that it has to be expensive. With the vast range of radio gear available these days, it is no trouble to locate micro servos and receivers at very reasonable prices. Much the same is true of geared 150 size motors, lightweight battery packs and electronic speed controllers.

The prototype model performs very well using a two year old example of the excellent little 150 unit available from GWS, two micro servos, a micro receiver and a 5 A rated ESC. The battery pack is a 6 cell pack of 280 (300?) mAh NiMHs.

Cowl: We'll begin construction here simply because this item will require several lots of sealing and sanding, to remove the wood grain, before it is ready to paint and fit to the model. Do try not to add too much weight during this process.

Start by wrapping the 1/64 ply strip around former C1, gluing with cyano as you proceed. Now, accurately align C2 in the assembly and glue, again using cyano adhesive. Finally, C3 is glued to the front of the cowl and allowed to dry.

Now we get to the messy part, the trimming and sanding to shape. Remember to trim C2 to match the shape of C3, and then it's time to set about that sealing, sanding, more sealing and more sanding. Carry on until ALL the wood grain has disappeared, and then the cowl may be painted to match your chosen colour scheme.

Fuselage: The fuselage is built as two distinct sections, the front sheet area and the rear built up section. Once both these structures are at the basic box stage, they are joined over the plan using the drawing as a guide to alignment.

Starting with the rear section, make up two identical side frames over the plan and allow to dry completely. Next, once again working over the plan, join the two sides with the cross braces and the 3/32 balsa tail skid plate. Ensure that the structure is perfectly square, and allow to dry. Although not strictly scale, you will note that in this view (from above) there is no curve to the longerons. It was felt that this minor deviation was a small price to pay for eliminating the possibility of unequal curvature of the fuselage sides - straight fuselages fly better.

TOP TIP: Pin the side frames down at the front only, both rear ends being packed up by the correct amount using one, equal width. piece of wood. Then your tail surfaces will stand a more than fair chance of ending up level, once the hinge tube is bound and glued in place.

Fit the supports for the optional fixed fin, then set your rear fuselage to one side, in a safe place, before moving on to the front fuselage section.

Bind c/s strut A to F1, but do not completely glue the bindings at this stage. Also glue B and C to F2 and F3, packing with scrap balsa to ensure that they don't pull away from the formers. Yet again working over the plan, join the two sides with formers F1, F2 and F3. Ensure that everything is straight AND square before allowing to dry. Now the two sections of the fuselage may be joined. I'm sorry to keep stressing this point, but assemble them over the plan and ensure that your fuselage really is straight and square.

Glue in place the 1/8 balsa motor post platform, ensuring that it's at the correct angle to provide the required downthrust. The VERY hard balsa motor post is then firmly glued to the platform at the angle shown to provide sidethrust. This post should be a tight fit into the little box on the rear of the motor unit, which is a simple push fit onto the post..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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