Pazmany PL-1 (oz2649)

About this Plan

Pazmany PL1. Scale RC model of the 2-seater trainer by Nick Ziroli published in AAM Feb 1974. Wingspan 56 in, wing area 490 sq in, for 0.45 to 0.60 motors.

Quote: "The homebuilt produced by the Chinese Air Force (Taiwan) as their standard trainer makes a great little RC Scale job for competition or sport flying. Pazmany PL-1, by Nick Ziroli.

The following is a familiar piece of dialogue that has been repeated as many times as I have brought the PL-1 out to fly: Gee, that's a nice looking plane. What is it? It's a Pazmany. A what? A Pazmany PL-1. Oh, is it Chinese? No it's a California home-built design. This last answer either leads to a whole line of new questions or a nod of the head and incoherent muttering.

Actually, the Pazmany PL-1 is a Chinese plane of American design. It could be confusing if you don't know the story behind this version of the PL-1.

The original was built by Keith Fowler and John Green in California. (A complete test report on their plane appeared in the August-September 1963 issue of Air Progress.) The design was conceived by a group of the San Diego. chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, headed and finally taken over by Ladisalo Pazmany. Plans were made available.

How the Republic of China got involved in home building airplanes is another story. The Chinese Air Force was in need of a training plane for their Air Cadets, They had skilled manpower, but little funds for the program. It was decided that building their own planes, possibly 35 in all, would be the best approach. A thorough study of home-built aircraft was made with the Pazmany PL-1 chosen as the best trainer airplane.

The first aircraft, the one after which ours is modeled, was built and flown in 100 days so it could be presented to President Chiang Kai-shek on the ocassion of his 82nd birthday in 1968. Whether the 35 production planes were ever built I don't know. It would seem to be a practical approach.

Our model is built to a 2 in to 1 ft scale which produces a nice compact scale model with good performance. Any maneuver in the AMA scale regulations can be easily performed and the flaps are worth ten points for scale operation. The wingspan is 56 in, with 490 sq in of wing area.

The PL-1 weighs about 6-1/2 lb, including nose weight required to properly locate the center of gravity. Rather than stick in a piece of lead, it was decided to put the weight to good use. A 'D' size nickel cadmium battery was strapped to the side of the Tatone motor mount. A switch was soldered to the front of the battery that can be reached through the cowl opening. It is turned on before the engine is started and then left on. This helps make a low reliable idle possible.

Additional weight was obtained by using a Tatone exhaust manifold which is not heavy. The weight came from additional pipes and fittings, that were used to make a scale exhaust system. Two openings on the manifold were used with a separate pipe running from each one out through the bottom of the cowl.

The tail-heavy condition was partly due to the location of the receiver and servos which were placed to the rear of the cockpit area to obtain as much room as possible for pilots (a cheap, lightweight version of the GI Joe type of doll available in most discount department stores). Pilots add a lot to the realism, especially in the air. Although they do not gain any scale points on the ground, in the air the added realism could easily sway a judge for an extra point or two. I've seen so many flight photographs of beautiful scale models in which the absence of a pilot makes them stand out as a model.

A Supertigre 46 powers our model and has proven to be reliable and a good match for the PL-1, Any 40 to 50 would handle it without any trouble. The small size of the Micro Avionics servos and receiver make them easy to conceal behind the pilot's seat. The battery is positioned up forward next to the fuel tank.

Construction. Although this is not one of the fastest building airplanes around, there is nothing that is overly difficult - just more time consuming. It is not a beginner's project, but a modeler with any a mount of construction experience should be able to build it..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 26/07/2016: article pages, text & pics added, thanks to RFJ.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text & pics.

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