Mercury Meteor (oz2335)

About this Plan

Mercury Meteor. Free flight gas model. The design features an enclosed, inverted, motor installed at the CG position, using an extension shaft.

Quote: "Mercury Meteor, by Frank Tlush. Complete plans for a unique design by the builder of the 1938 Texaco winner, Inspirer (oz8074) and Midget-Powered Mite (oz6146).

THE advantages of putting the motor inside the model more than compensate for the additional construction difficulties. This design shows better flying qualities because the weight is concentrated at the desired point; ease of adjustment because there are no long moment arms; small fuselage that can comply with a true streamline shape because the maximum cross-sectional area is needed at the point necessary for good streamlining; reduced frontal area for less resistance; and numerous other advantages that will be obvious after you've given the design some consideration.

Difficulties in the design all originate with the motor installation and maintenance. Minor troubles can be taken care of through the access holes in the front, top, and bottom of the fuselage. The motor should be in perfect condition before leaving for the flying field. There's no reason why modelers should tinker with the motor on the flying field - whether it is mounted in this model or any other type.

Another advantage of this model - not a function of the motor location but general design - is that it can be disassembled and packed in a box no longer than the fuselage (40 in) and no higher than the chord of the wing (10 in). if you're a city dweller you'll be interested to know I carried the model from my home in New Jersey to the Air Trails office in the heart of New York City during the rush hour with no damage and a minimum of inconvenience.

Model builders without machine-shop facilities should have no trouble getting the work on the extension shaft done without much additional cost. The dyed-in-the-wool model fan will be interested in following through this problem in machine design. This extension shaft can be used in a variety of model designs. It will provide opportunity to diverge from the conventional practice - which undoubtedly has become somewhat stalled in recent years.

As originally planned the Mercury Meteor was to include superstreanulining, retractable gear, and several other interesting gadgets. Working drawings had al-ready been completed when it was decided to hold these features for a future design and concentrate on the motor installation.

Construction. Fuselage weight had to be concentrated in the forward part since the motor weight was no longer as effective in trimming the model. The side shape of the fuselage is an outgrowth of these requirements..."

Quote: "From legendary engine builder Frank Tlush. This plane was a very advanced design for its time and not an easy build even for the 1930s. A bit of machine work involved. Featured a set-back motor with a 3 1/2" drive shaft and single bladed prop. Motor was a Tlush 61, at least that's the motor recommended on the plan."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics, thanks to BillW.

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