Miss Science (oz1817)

 

Miss Science (oz1817) by Frank Zaic 1939 - plan thumbnail

About this Plan

Miss Science. Free flight gas model, from September 1939 Popular Science.

Quote: "A gas-powered model airplane designed for contest flying, but unusually easy to build. Miss Science, by Frank Zaic.

BUILDING a large model airplane powered with a miniature gasoline engine is almost as easy as constructing a medium-sized rubber design. A gas model, however, flies at about 20 mph, so the slightest flaws show up, and this makes it necessary to be very careful in your workmanship.

Miss Science was designed especially for those who have never attempted a gas job, yet the model will qualify for all national and international competition and record requirements. Structurally, the design is of straight lines so that no trouble should be experienced in the correct angular setting for the wing, tail and motor mount. Aerodynamically, the model is stable in all directions under normal flying.

The first step is to decide on the engine and buy the materials listed on a following page. The engine should be 1/5 hp and weigh between 6 and 8 oz. The complete flying weight of such engines is from 12 to 16 oz when large flash-light cells are used. There are many engines now on the market that will fill these requirements, priced from $10 to $21.50. When ordering the balsa wood, specify rock-hard balsa for spars and longe-rons, medium-hard sheets for ribs, and soft stock for cowlings. Use fair-ly thick cement and take extra pains with all joints.

Fuselage. Make a full-size drawing of fuselage side on paper, tack to soft board, and coat all joints with soap to prevent cement from stick-ing to the drawing. Super-impose the top and bottom longerons over the outline and hold them in place with small brads. Carefully bevel the uprights for a snug fit before cementing to longerons. Make two of each upright, one for each side, to assure indentical sides. When uprights are well set, fit in diagonals and window strips. Apply another coat of cement all over. Leave the side in the brad jig long enough to let the cement dry thoroughly. Make other side in same manner.

The two sides are assembled by first cutting the cross braces over a full-size top view. The braces that take care of the curved portion are dimensioned. Others can be marked directly from your full-size drawing since the taper from tail to just behind the wing is straight. Start assembling the sides in the rear where there are no curves. Check for true rectangular alignment. The curved portion is pulled in with rubber bands while the braces are drying. With braces in place, coat all joints again. Leave rubber bands while cement is drying. Shape the tail base and soft balsa block skid, and cement wire hook in place.

Motor mount. The plus or minus dimensions 1-3/4, 1-1/2, and 9/16 in will have to be determined by the motor you use. Make the four 1/4 in balsa uprights and notch them for the motor skids. Tack-cement them in place and fit the basswood skids. Check for parallelism and correct angular setting by laying an edge on them and sighting toward rear, and also sight from the side. When this is correct, recement the uprights permanently. While cement is setting, make the plywood outlines and drill mounting holes on the dural angle.

The mount is assembled by fitting the lower plywood in place, marking the three dural angle holes on it, drilling the holes, and bolting the angle in place. Be sure that you have the plywood strip in the rear of the bulkhead to press the balsa portion between the plywood. Replace the skids so that they protrude very slightly beyond the bulkhead B-B. Mark bolting holes through the dural angle, remove, drill, and replace by coating the joining or contact surface with cement and bolting them to the angle. Keep the rear end spread apart with balsa blocks as shown. The front is completed by fitting in place the top front plywood, rear horizontal blocks, corner braces, and several extra layers of cement all over..."

Supplementary file notes

Planfile includes article.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction

Miss Science (oz1817) by Frank Zaic 1939 - model pic

Datafile:

Miss Science (oz1817) by Frank Zaic 1939 - pic 003.jpg
003.jpg
Miss Science (oz1817) by Frank Zaic 1939 - pic 004.jpg
004.jpg

Do you have a photo you'd like to submit for this page? Then email admin@outerzone.co.uk

User comments

No comments yet for this plan. Got something to say about this one?
Add a comment

 

 
 

Download File(s):
 

Notes

* Credit field

The Credit field in the Outerzone database is designed to recognise and credit the hard work done in scanning and digitally cleaning these vintage and old timer model aircraft plans to get them into a usable format. Currently, it is also used to credit people simply for uploading the plan to a forum on the internet. Which is not quite the same thing. This will change soon. Probably.

Scaling

This model plan (like all plans on Outerzone) is supposedly scaled correctly and supposedly will print out nicely at the right size. But that doesn't always happen. If you are about to start building a model plane using this free plan, you are strongly advised to check the scaling very, very carefully before cutting any balsa wood.

 

Terms of Use

© Outerzone, 2011-2024.

All content is free to download for personal use.

For non-personal use and/or publication: plans, photos, excerpts, links etc may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Outerzone with appropriate and specific direction to the original content i.e. a direct hyperlink back to the Outerzone source page.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's owner is strictly prohibited. If we discover that content is being stolen, we will consider filing a formal DMCA notice.