Curtiss Jenny (oz1978)

About this Plan

Curtiss Jenny. Scale gas free flight model biplane. For .045 power.

Quote: "Who can forget the romantic Curtiss JN-4D, the World War l trainer that became the most sworn at and revered plane in history? This fine flying replica is for the .045's and .049's. The Jenny, by Herbert Kelley.

This model was designed for authentic appearance and reliable flying. Although scale sizes could be used, wing and landing gear positions were changed to improve flight and landing characteristics.

Wet the lower longeron before bending to shape on the plan; this reduces stresses in the finished fuselage. The sides are assembled on the top view, starting from the nose and working aft. Check frequently for squareness. Cowling formers are next; those for the turtleback are notched. Cowling is cut from 1/32 sheet, wet and taped to a shaped block.

When dry, the preformed cowl is cemented to the fuselage. This cowl extends from the fire-wall to the turtleback. Sand lightly and give a coat of cut dope to seal and 'stiffen it. The cockpits are traced from the plan with carbon paper and cut out with a pointed blade. Sand raw edges smooth and dope to seal them. Install turtleback formers of 1/16 x 1/16 balsa as indicated on plan; cut the louvre slots 3/32 wide, and bevel the forward edge ready to install the ears or flaps. These were considered necessary to help the airflow from the engine section.

The firewall for the .045 Spitfire was made from 1/4 x 1/2 basswood or white pine. The modeler will have to adopt this area to his own engine, but be careful to place the motor in the same relation to the reference centers. Check and recement all the joints. Lightly sand the whole fuselage and give one coat of cut dope to seal the structure.

The landing gear is bent to shape from one length of wire starting from the center of the front and working carefully around the whole gear. It was found best not to bend the axle guides down until the gear was installed on the fuselage. Groove the cross members of the fuselage before binding and cementing the landing gear in place. Be careful to true up gear so that fuselage sets square on a flat surface and the axle is square with the reference line of the fuselage.

The tailskid is bent to shape from wire, then bound and cemented to the fuselage. Shape 1/8 x 1/4 balsa to a streamline shape, groove the front edge, and cement to the landing gear wire. Use plenty of cement in thin coats to make sure of a good bond.

Make the lower wing tabs of 1/8 sheet balsa and cement in the place in the bottom of the fuselage. A 1/8 sq. piece of balsa is put under the front edge to give the proper angle of incidence to the lower wing. Next, 1/8 x 1/8 hard balsa pieces are cemented in the fuselage as shown on the plan to provide an anchor for the center section strut wires. These are gusseted and cross braced as shown.

Bend center section wires to shape as shown, cut small holes in the cowl and bind and cement in place. Be careful to line the struts and square with fuselage before cementing. Streamline is installed in the same way as for the landing gear.

Diagonal bracing can be used in the fuselage for added strength but has not proved to be necessary for other than scale.

Now the fuselage can be covered with Silkspan. Wet lightly with water to draw fabric taut and when dry, give one coat of cut dope. The control tabs of 1/8 sheet are installed with a hinge of copper sheet, cemented into slots cut in the wood. When dry, sand the wood flush to the surrounding surfaces and give a sealer coat of cut dope.

The tail surfaces are ce-mented to the fuselage. Be sure this assembly lines up. Cut out all the ribs from 1/16 sheet stock, notching for the spars. Cut the rib template from a piece of aluminum. All the ribs for one panel were pinned together and sanded as a unit. Cut leading, trailing edges to length and notch for ribs. Cut an oval hole in every other rib between the spar notches to allow the drag bracing to pass through.

The bottom spars and the trailing edge are pinned in place on the plan and the ribs cemented in place. The upper spars and the leading edge are next. The drag bracing of 1/16 x 1/16 is cemented into the structure diagonally from a bottom spar to a top spar.

Make and install the formed trailing edge (cut outs above the pilots' seats) , and then wingtips. Remove panel from the plan and recement all the joints; place on a flat surface to dry. Make four panels, two left upper and lower, and two right upper and lower..."

Update 07/01/2019: Added article, thanks to RFJ.

Supplementary file notes

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