Flying Aces Hedgehopper (oz2735)

About this Plan

FA Hedgehopper. Free flight rubber model. Flying Aces Hedgehopper April 1935. An all-sheet balsa outdoor model, with rolled motor tube.

Quote: "The Flying Aces Hedgehopper, by Julius Unrath.

If you want something different in models, something that is easy to build and easy to fly, try the Flying Aces Hedgehopper, which lives up to its name by taking off quickly and staying in the air for amazing flights. A tubular motor-stick, all-balsa construction, and one-wheel landing gear make this a unique model. In writing for further details, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

For those of you who want something unique, the 'Hedgehopper' is the ideal model to construct. The following are some of the features combined to make this model strong, easy to build and a good flyer:

(1) Tubular motor-stick.
(2) All balsa construction.
(3) One-wheel landing gear.

The Hedgehopper, when completed, is not at all handicapped by its single-wheel landing gear. It will take off so quickly that the need for a wide-trend landing gear is not at all necessary. When I tested my model, I first adjusted the wing setting. Then the model was wound 325 turns by hand and launched. It was an exceptionally windy day, and I expected the model either to crack up or flutter around like a dry leaf, since it was so small. Instead, it started circling and bucking the wind like a gas model powerful enough to fly in a strong wind.

The model circled to about 75 feet, then hit an up-current which shot it up to over 100 feet in less than 15 seconds. When the Hedgehopper finally landed a half a mile away, it had been in the air 1 minute, 43 seconds. During test flights indoors, the model flew with exceptional consistency, averaging 30 to 45 seconds. Follow the instructions carefully and you, too, will encounter no difficulty.

Fuselaqge: Make a piece of balsa 1/32 x 1-9/32 x 11-3/4 in and boil it for at least 15 minutes. It should now be soft enough to bend into a tube by bending it around a 3/8 dowel and wrapping gauze around it to keep it in place.

Drying may be speeded up by putting the tube and dowel in an oven for at least two hours. If this cannot be done, the tube must be allowed to dry at least 24 hours. When dry, the seam should be cemented and the tube covered with colored or white tissue. The landing gear is built of 1/32 x 1/16 bamboo, covered with 1/32 balsa and cemented in place.

Wing, Tail Surfaces, and Propellor: wing panels (1/32 balsa) are cut to shape and sanded. When this is done, the ribs (1/32 sq) are bent to shape and cemented in place. The wing is now ready for the leading and trailing edges. These are cut from 3/32 sq, cemented in place, then sanded to shape. The tail surfaces are constructed in the same way as the wing. These surfaces should receive four coats of dope and then be polished with very fine sandpaper.

No difficulty should be encountered with the propeller. The blank is cut to the shape shown in the drawing, then carved in the usual way.

Flying: Four strands of 3/32 flat rubber are used for power. Before winding the model, it should be tested for longitudinal stability by gliding. When a flat glide has been obtained, the model may he wound 350 turns by hand or 500 turns with a winder. Don't fly the model where there's not plenty of room."

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