Skipper (oz1620)

About this Plan

Skipper. Free flight pod and boom pylon model. For class A diesel engines.

Quote: "HERE'S a model that literally flies off the work-bench. About 12 hours of work is all that is needed to get Skipper airborne. Designed for any .099 engine, this 30in job will really go places due to its slick, simple design.

Conforming with AMA regulations, Skipper is a real threat in any contest if given half a chance. Tested with every conceivable type of adjustment, the plans show the happy medium arrived at after numerous flights with different sized wings and tail areas.

The dieselized Arden engine used in the original model has behaved perfectly, considering the author's brief experience with ignition-less engines. With the dieselized Arden, or with a Mite, weight will have to be added to bring the model up to weight rule for contest work. More about that later.

Interested in building Skipper? Well, grab a razor blade and

Cut out the necessary ribs from medium 1/16 balsa sheet. This should be no trouble at all, considering the full sized outlines given on the plans. All four panels can be built simultaneously, then joined after the cement is dry through the addition of dihedral braces W-9 and W-10.

While waiting for the cement to dry, get a piece of 1/4 x 3/4 hard balsa. Taper it to 3/16 x 3/8 at one end, round the corners off with sandpaper, and there you have the completed tail boom. The pod is simplicity itself, so we won't gab about it too much.

If a battery, coil and condenser contraption is desired, you'll have to modify it to your needs, maybe enlarging it to hold all these old-fashioned items.

The method of mounting the landing gear is optional. As shown on the plans, the struts are set at a rakish angle, but if you are in a hurry, simply cement the getr to the rear of the fire-wall or nose bulkhead.

Now you can tackle the pylon, Five outlines are needed - make it any way you want, but laminate the different layers crossgrained, obtaining a pylon 5/8 thick..."

Update 05/10/2016: Replaced this plan with a more detailed full-size version, also now includes 2nd sheet with formers, thanks to JJ. Also, added article pages.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics. Also, previous scan version.

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