1942 Comet Interceptor (oz16468)

About this Plan

1942 Comet Interceptor. Radio control vintage model. Texaco class model for 1/2A engine. Wingspan 43.9 in, wing area 296 sq in.

Quote: "Carl Goldberg's famous 1942 pylon gas model, equipped with a two-channel radio and built light, is a hot contender in RC 1/2A Texaco events. This one took first place at the 1985 SAM Champs.

The 1942 Comet Interceptor makes a very competitive RC 1/2A Texaco model. For the past five years several members of SAM 82, Houston, Texas, have been flying and winning with them. Their success with the Interceptor convinced me to build one, too. The model is slightly more complicated to build than some others, but the extra performance is worth the effort. With the Interceptor, I was lucky enough to take first place in 1/2A Texaco at the 1986 SAM Champs.

The original 1942 plans that were used to build the model show a class A and a class B version. Both use the same basic fuselage. However, there is a different size wing, horizontal stabilizer and rudder for each class. The class A size was just perfect for 1/2A Texaco. According to the plans, the projected wing area was 288 square inches. SAM RC rules require the use of planform wing area to compute the minimum weight. The planform wing area figured out to be 296 square inches and the minimum weight to be 16.4 ounces, (By the way, the easy way to figure out the SAM minimum weight of eight ounces per square foot for 1/2A Texaco models is to divide the planform wing area by 18.)

The model was built like the original except for the changes required for radio control and a few to accommodate my idiosyncrasies. The original main wing spar was replaced with an upper and lower spar with 1/16-inch balsa vertical sheet webbing in between. Also, to save weight (which turned out not to be necessary), the rear spar and a few wing ribs were left out. That was a mistake because the airfoil is very thin, and my wing tends to warp. To cure that problem the plans show a rear spar and all the wing ribs, No, the minor weight increase is not a problem because two ounces had to be added to my original model to bring it up to weight.

The space for the RC equipment is very limited in the Interceptor. Maybe you can figure out a better way, but it was difficult to find enough room for two micro servos, a normal size receiver and a 250 mAH battery pack. There wasn't any space left for a conventional switch and charging jack. So, they were replaced with a three-pin Deans connector and a shorting plug. If you use this method, remember to tie the shorting plug to the aircraft, so that it cannot get lost. The radio antenna runs through the fuselage in a tube made with cocktail straws. The fuselage is too short to contain the antenna, so it exits out the bottom below the tail..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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