Half Fast (oz2470)

About this Plan

Half Fast. Control line combat model. Nationals winning design. April 1955 MAN.

Quote: "Miss Shirley Austin ran the Senior Class boys into the ground in combat at the 1954 Nationals. In ten flights, design outscored opposition by 11 to 1.

Fellows, here's the ship used by Miss Shirley Austin to win Senior Combat at the '54 Nationals. This is your opportunity to have a ship as good as hers. The other four of us couldn't get any kills, but we got plenty of cuts. With this plane it is fairly easy to give out more than you take. It's fast, quick on the turns, rugged and simple to build. Two evenings are plenty for one and in three evenings, you can build two. If you haven't a large supply of scraps, get to the hobby shop and pick up the stuff listed in the Bill of Materials.

In ten combat flights in all classes we scored 1,100 points, two kills by Shirley and 15 cuts, while we were scored on for 100 points. In most cases, Half Fast was the aggressor, using its superior speed and maneuverability to turn tightly and solidly to carry the fight to the other plane. In local competi-tion, Half Fast has given a very good account of itself; ten different people have built the ship and all of them swear by it.

Historically, Half Fast is the sixth in a line of pure combat ships. One of these was the Scared Kitten, which Frank Zaic used in his 1951-52 Year Book. When the '53-'54 rules came out, it was obvious that combat would develop into 'sudden death,' so an extremely simple ship became the goal. One flying wing, defying several aerodynamic laws, was tried and abandoned. Another achieved some degree of success, but it became apparent that we were on the wrong track. So we sat down and did some tall thinking. Having worked with deltas for speed, we tried that tack, which gave the basic shape. The result was Half Fast No.1 flew right 'off the board' and, after thorough testing, revisions were made. Then I built a jig for assembly and the Austins and Stanfords built eight air-planes. These, including my two, were the ones flown at the Nationals.

Design features are extremely simple construction with an absolute minimum of parts, shortened outboard panel for good solid tug in all positions, rugged frame with engine and tank solidly at-tached to the lines for maximum safety, delta stability combined with short moment arm maneuverability, low drag and all parts made from stock sizes of wood.

Clocked top speed, with streamer, is 76.8 mph. Wing area is 304 sq in and elevator, 60 sq in. Airfoil is NACA 0012; weight is 16 to 22 oz. Center of gravity should be 30 per cent of root chord or forward. Engines used so far include Fox 35 and K&B .32. Since Half Fast was designed around a Fox .35, it is necessary to insert 3/4 oz of lead in the rear end to balance the ship when using a K&B. This compensates for the 1-1/2 oz difference in engine weight.

Prop tests have proved that a 9 x 8 Power Prop works best for 16 through 19 oz planes, while a 9 x 7 Tornado works best on 20 through 22 oz ships. We have burned ordinary stock sport fuels so far with good results.

When I begin construction, I cut out all parts first. The crutch is made from 1/2 x 2 x 6 in maple or similar wood. Cut-out is for Fox .35 but may be altered for your engine. Be sure the back corners are radiused as shown. Lightly score the edges to be cemented with a thin saw. This will give the cement something to grab onto. No.1 ribs are from 1/4 in medium balsa and are installed without the notches for spars. This comes later..."

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