Fledgeling (oz2569)

About this Plan

Fledgeling design by Cyril Shaw. A small shoulder wing semi-scale FF from the early 1950s, with open cockpit and tricycle gear. Allbon Dart diesel power.

Quote: "A Semi Scale 33-1/2 in Span FF Model with Original Lines. By Cyril Shaw.

THE Fledgling was designed to look realistic with good flight performance, and yet be original in layout. Cabin, high wing layout, inverted motor and standard undercart were considered too conventional, so substituted a shoulder wing position, open cockpit, sidewinder motor, and trike undercart to get out of the rut and be original - if such a word is accepted in model design, where it appears that nothing is original.

The reliable little Allbon Dart diesel was a logical choice of power plant to provide just the right degree of urge for the kind of flight performance required, which was: a smooth, sure take off and a reasonably steep climb in keeping with the appearance of the semi-scale light-plane type of model.

Fitted with a Stant 7 x 4 in cut down to 6-1/2 x 4 in the Fledgeling fulfilled expectations. The steep climb, in large circles, was well mannered and the glide was slow, very flat and the eventual landing was a roller.

A word here about the trike undercart. For landing on rough ground and prop-saving it is hard to beat. When testing I saw two-wheel models making beautiful lauding approaches, only to tip as soon as they touched down, or alternatively rolling a few feet and reversing direction. A trike undercart, if accurately tracked, will give a long straight landing roll every time.

Built carefully, your Fledgeling should weigh between 8 and 9 oz. The original weighed 9 oz complete with fancy colour scheme of portland grey with maroon trimming. You will notice large wood sizes are used throughout. Strength is an important factor in sport flying, so if you can get away with line performance and be as solid as a brick house, you have gained a model that is good for dozens of trouble free flying hours.

Fuselage. Construction is simple, with no tricky curves. The basic fuselage is of box section and built from firm 1/8 sq balsa. The forward part of the fuselage is 1/8 sheet with squares cut out for lightness. The two sides are built flat on the plan, and joined together by formers 2 and 3. The front and rear undercart wires are then bolted in position. Engine bearers are then cut to length and glued in place with the engine temporarily mounted to ensure a good fit. Formers are added to the rear structure..."

This is a modern redrawn plan in PDFvector format.

Added a scan of the original 1951 magazine page drawing, thanks to KDale.

Update 11/11/2020: Replaced the PDF plan file with a clearer 2-colour version, thanks to Miguel.

Supplementary file notes

Article.
Original 1951 magazine page (drawing).
Previous scan version.

CAD file

This plan is available for download in CAD format.

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