Flying Goose (oz2192)

About this Plan

The Flying Goose. Free flight power model.

Quote: "A free flight, class A gassie that isn't a pylon but has a contest record that'll make you want to build it. The Flying Goose, by Kenneth Fisher.

HERE'S something a little different from what you'd expect to see in a Class A contest model. At first glance, the high thrust line and close coupling of the forces in this model may seem a little old fashioned for a high powered model. This is true. The close coupling is more critical to adjust than the pylon model with its tremendous stabilizer and long tail moment arm. But its basic characteristics are far superior and the overall lift to drag ratio of this type of ship is much higher. As far as the builder is concerned, the problem of adjustment on this ship has been licked. Later in this article, you'll find detailed instructions on this aspect of the ship.

Quite a few of these models were made using engines from a Bantam to a Hornet. All of them were adjusted approximately the same way. Only twice has a Goose been flown officially in any contest. Both times it placed on only one official flight. One of the first placed eighth in the 1941 Prop Spinners contest on Long Island with a flight of 4:26 and the other placed third in March of 1944 in Fresno, California with a flight of 5:60 minutes. The model has been made in various sizes with various engines as shown in the table on P. 44. Where two or more sizes are shown for the same engine it indicates a difference in wing loading rules at the time it was built.

With proper adjustments your Class A Goose should average better than two minutes on a twenty second run.

Now to start construction. Begin with the fuselage and cowl. Start by cutting out the firewall and bulkheads. Then assemble them on the two main stringers working forward from the tail cone. Before you attach the firewall, install the coil on it by inserting one end of the core through it. Then apply glue generously. The next step is to add the top and bottom stringers, bulkhead X, the motor mounts and the two 1/8 x 1/2 wing mount bearers. After this install complete wiring system. It will be difficult to solder if you wait till the fuselage is complete.

Next put in the wing and tail tie down pins and add the remaining stringers. The landing gear can be held in any of several ways but I found 'J' bolts to be the simplest and best. Now bolt your engine in place and build up the cowling around it. That way you'll only have to carve the outside of it to shape after you have all the pieces cemented. You'll be sure it fits over the motor. Don't omit the cowling. Leaving it off cuts the performance down by over 1/3. I know since I tried doing it. There is also a tendency for the ship to spiral if it is left off.

The stabilizer and rudder need little explanation. The stab is built square and sanded to a streamlined shape. Then countersink the ribs and add the sheet covering at the leading edge. The rudder is cut from solid balsa and the tip rudders from plywood.

The wing is also made like the stab except that it has polyhedral and the ribs are cut out before assembly. A dihedral brace is used at the center but at the two outer joints it is not needed since the spars are overlapped. The center section is also sheeted top and bottom..."

Supplementary file notes

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