Beech 77 Skipper (oz16983)

About this Plan

Beechcraft 77 Skipper. Free flight scale model. Wingspan 22 in, for rubber, CO2 or electric power.

Quote: "Easy to build and fly FF low wing lightplane. Beech Skipper, by Dave Ridgway.

Aimed at the lucrative US private pilot training boom, the Skipper was designed initially for Beech's own flying schools. First flown in 1976 with a conventional low mounted tail, the Skipper offered excellent handling and with its large canopy, excellent all round visibility.

Unfortunately, development was slow and by the time the production 'T-Tail' version finally arrived in 1979 the similar, rapidly-developed Piper Tomahawk and the evergreen Cessna 152 had taken the lion's share of the market. However, the Skipper is probably the most attractive of this trio, being less gawky than the Piper and is far more interesting than another variation an the high wing Cessna theme, however practical they may be!

RUBBER, CO2 OR ELECTRIC POWER: The Skipper has many desirable attributes for a model, ample dihedral, straight wings all in a very attractive package with a lovely big cockpit canopy - if only more full-size designers were as considerate!

Employing the similar rugged all-sheet balsa construction to the Weetabix Wonderplane (MF Feb '05) the Skipper is a quick, satisfying building project. The extended wing root provided an opportunity to use 'knock-off' wings, a feature that has proved valuable, both for transport and durability. Originally intended for rubber power, the design is also ideal for CO2 (GM63-120), or electric power (KP 01).

AFORE YE START! The performance of all planes is dependent on keeping the arch-enemy weight at arms length and with the all-sheet construction used in this model, the correct choice of balsa is of the utmost importance. The design of this model is such that for all large sheet areas, the lightest grades of balsa can be used.

For rubber power, some extra weight will be required at the nose, so a hard nose block can be advantageous - with electric power, nose-mounted batteries will suffice for ballast - so no weight penalty here, similarly the CO2 motor and tank will add weight where required.

CONSTRUCTION: My own preference is to make a complete 'kit' of parts (Photo 1), this ailows me settle in to the relevant modes - cutting out, building, finishing etc, rather than flitting about between the different aspects of construction. I transfer the parts by scanning and printing the parts from the plan, these are then stuck, temporarily to the sheet balsa using photo or craft spray mount, the paper patterns can then be peeled from the parts after cutting out.

For all general building, especially the wing and fuselage sheeting I recommend Deluxe Materials Aliphatic glue along with medium cyano for parts that require instant tacking and wire parts.

WINGS : These should be made first as the root fairings are used when making the fuselage. Start by chamfering the leading and trailing edges of the bottom wing sheet. Mark the positions of W3 and the wing ribs on to the wing bottom sheet Cover the plan with a sheet of polythene and securely pin the lower sheet in position. Glue in place W3 and ply spacers W6 and W7 - using the ply wing tongue as a guide. Glue in place all the wing ribs anid add W8 to complete the wing tongue box (Photo 2).

After ensuring the bottom sheet is well pinned down flat on the building board, add the top sheeting, using scrap balsa strips pinned in position to hold sheeting in place until set. Repeat procedure for the other wing panel. Using the same techniques make the wing root fairings, not forgetting to angle rib W1 using the template to set the dihedral angle (Photo 3). After sanding the root and tip ribs flush add the soft block wingtips and shape as shown..."

Beech Skipper from Aviation Modeller International, August 2005.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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