King Altair (oz16236)

About this Plan

King Altair. Radio control pattern plane. Wingspan 203 cm.

Note the King Altair (oz9152) was first published in RCM, April 1967. This here is a later redrawn plan, in vector format. Published in Modellismo.

Note this is not a full size plan. As per note on the plan, print at 150% for full size.

Quote (google-translated): "When dealing with vintage RC aerobatics, the magazines and drawings, especially between the late 1960s and the 1980s, very quickly pile up. Dozens and dozens of articles and projects, sometimes very beautiful and original, sometimes a little less so. Then, suddenly, the true masterpiece appears.

RC aerobatics was officially born at the dawn of the 1960s. The models, piloted with pulsed radios and therefore non-proportional, were divided into two classes: the 'mono' (yes, you can do aerobatics even with just the rudder control!) and the 'multi,' where at the cost of considerable electronic and mechanical complications (not to mention the costs) it was possible to pilot the model on the standard three axes. The definition of 'multi' has defied time and has survived intact to this day, even though in reality it no longer has any meaning other than to indicate a precise category of models. The design and architecture of the early multis were conditioned by two fundamental factors: the uninspiring power of the engines of the time (whose displacement for many years to come was limited to a maximum of 10 cc) and the need to find a compromise between the maneuverability essential for the execution of the tricks and the stability necessary to compensate for the limitations of a control system where the command could be only all-or-nothing.

Aesthetic lines aside, the proportion of the models were fairly standardized: wingspans around 155-165 cm, significant dihedral for stability, and leading edges often pointed for the opposite reason. A very stable model, in fact, has difficulty entering a spin even if this is performed at the end of the program, when the fuel tank is almost empty and the model's CG is further back, but a failed spin in a race is equivalent to a solid zero. As often happens, however, the most lively minds aren't content to just go with the flow and always try to explore new paths, even at the cost of some disappointment.

This was the case with Ed Kazmirski, the first hero of aerobatics, who, traveling the world with his Orion and Taurus, truly made history, especially after the advent of proportional radio controls. The search for something different, a model with slower, more plastic and harmonious flight, led him to design the 'Simla' (see Modellismo 134), a model of great elegance, but too ahead of its time, given that the engines available at the time severely penalized it. A similar path, although less extreme, was followed by Vic Husak, a great friend and flying companion of 'Kaz' within the same club in the Chicago area. The model, which we present to you as an attached drawing thanks to the work of Beppe Ghisleri, was called King Altair and was first presented on RCM in April 1967.

It was, as Husak himself wrote in the presentation, an enlarged version of his Altair, with proportions almost like modern-day multirole planes: two meters span, by one meter and eighty meters in length. In my opinion, it is a model of great elegance that, with current engines (whether electric or internal combustion) can offer fantastic performance and make a splendid appearance on all airfields and at vintage rallies. But let's hear what Husak writes in his presentation:

'You may be wondering why I decided to build a larger-than-usual model in the field of multi-rotor RC aircraft, but I believe that a model of these proportionate dimensions offers a notable series of advantages over smaller models: a larger fuel tank, easier radio system installation, a wider undercarriage track with consequent better handling on the ground, less susceptibility to gusts of wind, a smoother and more graceful response to the controls, and then - it's more beautiful!'

Some of the points listed by Husak no longer have crucial importance today. With the current miniaturization of servos and receivers, radio system installation problems would no longer exist anyway, and ground handling is no longer as important as it was back then, when takeoff and landing were also evaluated in competitions.

The original design calls for the engine to be inverted for a cleaner aesthetic, but as Husak himself writes, there's nothing stopping it from being placed in other positions. Moreover, by rebuilding it today in an electric version, it will be easy to maintain the original lines.

The model is completely structured. Husak writes that although he has nothing against fiberglass fuselages and coated polystyrene wings (technologies that were just beginning to emerge at the time), he is accustomed to building in the traditional manner and therefore finds it better to work that way. Recently, in the United States, the King Altair has also been offered as a CNC kit, and today there are numerous examples..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

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