Nicholas Beazley NB4 (oz16289)

About this Plan

Nicholas Beazley NB4. Radio control scale model. Wingspan 54 in, for 10-15 engines.

Quote: "A 54 inch span model of a little known aircraft from the Golden Age of Aviation. Nicholas Beazley NB4, by Phillip Kent.

One of the fascinating aspects of designing and building a scale model aircraft is being able to choose a subject from the almost limitless number of full size prototypes that have been built over the years.

Whether the model is to be of a well known aircraft, or a more obscure type, is up to the builder and his or her personal preference. Searching through aviation literature for that little known aircraft can be most rewarding, particularly if a model of the aircraft is eventually constructed. One such aircraft was the Nicholas Beazley NB4, a three seat monoplane from the late 1920's. The Nicholas Beazley Airplane Co Inc was founded in 1921 to supply various approved aircraft materials and accessories to the public from a number of depots in the USA. In only a few years the firm became one of the largest suppliers of aviation equipment in the States and was known as the place where one could obtain anything from a split pin to a ready to fly aeroplane.

The aircraft that were sold originally by the company were war surplus 'Standard' biplanes at the very low cost of $750 each. The Standard was modified and developed into the Nicholas Beazley Standard, an aircraft that was aerodynamically much cleaner, giving a much improved performance. In 1929 the firm marketed a three place low winged monoplane, the Barling NB3, designed by Walter H Barling. It used a five cylinder Le Blond radial engine and it was this aircraft that was developed into the Nicholas Beazley NB4.

The NB4 was powered by a variety of engines that included the previously mentioned Le Blond, the Warner Tiger, the Lambert and the Armstrong Siddeley Genet. The pilot sat in the rear cockpit and two passengers could be accommodated in the open front cockpit side by side. The wingspan of the NB4 was 32' 8" and it had a length of 23' 4". The maximum speed was quoted as 101 mph with a cruising speed of 90 mph. The performance was considered very good at the time in the light of the power that was available.

The Model: The model was drawn up from the scale general arrangement drawing by Robert Hirsch. These were published in the journal of the American Historical Society, Autumn 1982. A 1/5th scale model of the NB4 was built by my friend, Joe Bentley, a few years ago. This model has proved to be very easy to fly and it looks most impressive in the air. The flying speed also looks about right, always a difficult problem with a model.

The smaller version presented here is the result of my need for a small economical scale model that could be flown from our small club flying field. The model uses standard built up model aircraft construction techniques. A 3/16 square balsa box is used for the basic fuselage and this is filled out with top decking and side stringers. The wings consist of a flat centre section with outer panels that gave dihedral. The ailerons are the full length of these panels and are of generous area. The tail unit uses the very practical sheet core method of construction. A high tensile aluminium undercarriage is fitted and this has proved to be tough and maintenance free.

Construction: The model has very simple lines and is very easy to build. There should be few problems encountered by the modeller who has constructed a handful of built up structure models. The fuselage sides are built directly over the side elevation. Pin the top and bottom longerons in place followed by the uprights and sheet balsa parts. I always build the second side on top of the first, make sure that a sheet of thin polythene is placed over the first side before building the second - it stops them sticking together. Add the 0.4mm ply doublers when the sides are removed from the board.

To get an accurate twist-free fuselage I would suggest building the basic box over the plan view. Cut the cross members first and then pin the sides over the plan. When dry, add the formers and engine bearers followed by the top decking formers. The stringers are fitted next along with the triangular balsa supports for the sheeting. Complete the rear fuselage by fitting the 3/32 sheet balsa top.

The tank is mounted in a fuelproof box behind the engine with access from the front. The aluminium undercarriage legs are bolted onto a plywood keel. Block balsa is used for the bottom around the legs.

The full size aircraft was flown from the rear cockpit by the pilot and the front cockpit accommodated up to two passengers seated side by side. As documentation was very sparse for the aircraft it was very much a guess on the part of the builder as to what should be included in the cockpits..."

From R/C Scale International May 1998.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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