Alon II Aircoupe (oz16243)

About this Plan

Alon II Aircoupe. Radio control scale model. Wingspan 63 in, wing area 610 in, for .35 to 60 engines. Scale is 2.1 in = 1 ft.

Quote: "A while back at a local club meeting, our good friend and Scale addict. Woody Woodward, came up with a very thought provoking Why don't ya. Abbreviated by several quarts of coffee, the conversation ran something like this: Woody: Jack, you have a nice line of Scale kits going now, but they are all intended for the advanced flier. Me, after some thought - or at least some delay: Yeah, Woody, yer right, so? Woody: Why don't ya come up with something that is scale, not semi-scale, which the novice or weekend modeler can fly safely?

That started the wheels turning. We got the crew together, hauled out old magazines, poured the midnight oil, and made several trips to the local airports one of the guys checked out the real McCoy of the Aircoupe, just to be sure that our dimensions were correct). The final choice of aircraft seemed so obvious that we wondered why no one had done it before. Soon afterward, on a breezy Sunday afternoon, the little white prototype sat on the end of the runway, with the Enya .45 ticking quietly under the big cowl. I released the brakes, eased into the throttle, and away she went.

We were more than impressed. The Aircoupe was smooth and gentle, but still responsive. The loops and rolls were good - as for the spins and snap rolls, forget it! This model was just like the prototype of the Aircoupe - guaranteed not to spin (or even stall!). Such nasty habits just aren't in her repertoire. She's been my personal favorite scale entry in contests, as well as my Sunday hack-around model, ever since.

She's a chubby little Scale gal, and a great flying little sweetheart. Mine flies great. Let's put yours together..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 7/9/2025: Added review from Scale RC Modeler, Feb 1984, thanks to Pit.

Quote: "I personally thought so much of the aircraft that I bought one. My wife and I traveled the country in that little beauty, having a great time. The Aircoupe was such a docile machine that you could almost literally fly it in your sleep. I wasn't too keen on the safety feature of having insufficient elevator travel to induce a stall, and many pilots re-rigged the control runs to give more throw.

My wife turned out to be the Ercoupe fanatic. She found the side-by-side seating very comfortable, and knowing psychologically that the plane couldn't stall or spin sort of made flying just that much more enjoyable. Having flown the real thing, I have to not only agree with Jack Stafford's choice of scale subjects, but I also must agree with the claim he makes on the plans in the kit, that the Aircoupe is the perfect scale trainer.

While we refer to this plane as both the Ercoupe and Aircoupe, the model is actually a scale version of the Alon Aircoupe, which was a slightly modified Ercoupe. We use the terms interchangeably in this text, however.

It must be kept in mind that this claim was being made back in the days when 'Scale' was a very new venture for most modelers. Just to give you a feel for how long the kit has been around, the plans show Kraft PCS servos! I can fit almost four of the latest sub-miniature servos in the location where the one aileron servo fits on the original model! In those days, when you claimed to have a stable and easy-to-fly model, you were really saying something.

By today's standards, the Ercoupe is so docile that I wouldn't hesitate to classify it as a reasonable ab initio trainer, with the proviso that you get some assistance on those initial trim flights. That trike gear, especially with the trailing-castored main gear struts, makes for super ground handling. The wheels are 2-1/2 in diameter, which makes them like tractor tires - especially nice when operating from a grass field. The 63 inch span wing has a generous 610 sq. in. of area, which is very healthy for any trainer.

Since you will most likely use a .40 or .45 engine, you can see how this model winds up to be rather large for the power displacement. Avoid the temptation to shove a .60 under the cowl. The Aircoupe was designed back in the days when that .45 that Jack talked about would be equivalent to today's .35 powerplants..."

Update 8/9/2025: Added formers (fuselage formers), thanks to Pit.

Supplementary file notes

Instructions.
Formers.
Review.

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