Perigee

About this Plan

Perigee. Radio control model for multi-channel and .19 - .40 engines. Span 61in, area 570sqin, weight 5lb. Took first place in FAI World Championship, London 1962.

Quote: "After winning a place on America's 1962 FAI R?C team at the Philadelphia Nats 1961, I had the same feeling you might experience under the same circumstances. I was very pleased and proud of the honor, yet simultaneously began to sense all of the work ahead. We were told the event would take place sometime in the summer of '62, and that Team expenses of transportation from the East Coast to overseas, as well as the billeting and meals during the competition period would be the concern of AMA. An older, more knowing individual explained that I should have some sweet young thing to share the hardships of such a venture in unknown lands. This sounded logical, so I decided to take the sweetest young thing I have met - my wife, Helen.

While bathing in the honor of the situation I prepared an article for American Modeler, which appeared in its June 1962 issue, on Nimbus (oz9580) the multi model flown in Philadelphia. At that time Nimbus seemed a natural for the FAI, since it was smooth, steady and a reliable performer. As time passed and the Fall neared its end, flying sessions turned into evaluation hops for Nimbus, looking at her from the standpoint of FAI requirements. By November I had received a list of the competition maneuvers, which included vertical eights and vertical rolls. Putting Nimbus through these, I began to realize that more power and a lighter plane would be desirable.

We had been told we should have two planes to back our venture, and since a second plane still had to be built, I began scanning the plans to see where weight could be cut out. As I sketched over the prints, knocking out parts, reducing and revising construction and hardware, I soon saw that a smaller ship would help to zero in my target. After still more sketching I decided on a complete new design, lightness being the keynote.

New relayless equipment could be utilized, saving about a half pound in the installation alone. Per usual my first step was to round up all the equipment I planned to use, and make full size drawings for juggling component placement. As to the plane size, I hoped to be able to fly at about 22-oz per sq ft. If I could build a ship to weigh about 5.5-lb a wing area of about 570 sq in. should do it. This then became my guide.

Utilizing the Nimbus theories discussed in A.M. and some new gimmicks, the new ship emerged. Some of the peculiarities of this design that I believe are novel, at least in R/C modeling, are worth mentioning. To eliminate a clumsy and bulky bellcrank and pushrod hook-up for rudder, I adopted a nylon cable type drive. A single bell-crank, operated by the rudder servo would drive a pair of nylon monofilament lines through conduits on each body side for nosewheel steerage, as well as rudder.

Rather than having a 'T' arm on the nose gear assembly, I planned a single arm coming straight back from the gear like a tiller, to properly couple rudder direction. A single piece of nylon would start from one of the two rudder horns and run thru aluminum conduit down the side of the fuse to the bellcrank. Looping it around one end of the crank several times, so as not to slip, it would continue thru another section of conduit to the nose wheel comparment..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 06/12/2017: added article, thanks to MikeFoster.

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