Eugene II (oz229)

About this Plan

Eugene (the Jeep) II. Wakefield model. 1940 Sparky-like contest rubber model with retract gear, by Ed Lidgard.

Quote: "Old Timer Model of the Month. Eugene II. Designed by Ed Lidgard. Text by Bob Oslan.

Eugene II is the work of Ed Lidgard, one of the best rubber modelers to ever crank 1400 turns into a motor. He's best known for his Sparky (oz85) which has been kitted by Comet for about 35 years and will probably go on forever. The Hi Ho (oz5548) is another Lidgard design that was published in Air Trails around 1941. This was a slick rubber ship that could be flown in either the fuselage or stick class by virtue of a removable streamlined cabin. Eugene II is a typical example of the Lidgard family of designs - streamlined, retractable gear, and innovative.

Ed designed and built the ship shortly before going into the Army in WW II. Consequently, it doesn't have a contest pedigree. However, it's easy to see that Eugene II has real high performance potential, and its sleek looks make it too tempting not to build.

The plan presented here was re-drawn by Jim Dean (then traced by Al Patterson) from the original, which Ed gave me during a visit to my home prior to the 1976 U.S. Free Flight Championships. I im has done his customary fine job, and the information on the plan should be sufficient for any competent builder. The only change was the elimination of the Austin dethermalizer timer which was used on the original. You can use your own favorite fuse arrangement on your ship.

Unfortunately, the original plans didn't have any propeller information on them. The 16 inch prop diameter was calculated by use of the photo of Ed's model. He sometimes did unusual little things with prop design, and you might just drop him a line via MB for his thoughts on the subject.

I was talking to John Pond about Ed, and learned that he would have won even more meets than he did if it wasn't for the exceptional performance of his models. The problem, it seems, was that his ships climbed so high and so fast that they went OOS much sooner than the competition that started lower in the lift. That's really not so far-fetched when you consider that in those days there were no maxes; whoever stayed up or in sight the longest was the winner.

Ed's ability to wind a rubber motor is legendary. He was even accused of cheating during the Wakefield competition because one of the English flyers couldn't believe the number of turns Ed put into rubber. He is one of those people with the touch, and can stop winding one turn short of the miseries.

And so, with this thumbnail sketch of one of the outstanding rubber flyers of the period we love so well, I'll turn you loose to do your thing with one of his designs. Enjoy."

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