Great Lakes Trainer (oz2809)

About this Plan

Great Lakes Trainer. Scale model from Flying Aces April 1935 by Avrum Zier. Uses a 3:1 gearbox and a 9in prop.

Quote: "Build the Great Lakes Trainer. By Avrum Zier.

You thorough-going model builders who want to make exact replicas of large ships can go right to it this month! Here are plans and directions for building the Great Lakes Trainer, an exact reproduction of the real ship, complete with detailed structure work, movable controls and metal fittings. Follow the directions, and you'll have an amazing duplicate of this famous sport plane of today.

HERE'S something new in the way of model building. The replica model of the Great Lakes Trainer described in this issue is an exact reproduction of the large ship, incorporating all its detailed structure work.

Movable controls and metal fittings for attaching the parts are its most outstanding features. The controls are operated through a system of rods and are operated directly from the cockpit in the same manner as on the large ship. All the metal fittings are cut out of aluminum and bent to form directly upon the part to which it is to be attached.

Due to the fact that the model was built to scale, it was found necessary to increase the power. This was accomplished by using a three-to-one geared-up motor. With this ratio, the propeller will, under the same conditions as if it were attached directly to the rubber, travel three times as fast, thus giving the necessary propulsion power. The type of gear described can be purchased at most model supply companies, as can the propeller, which is a nine-inch Japanese carved propeller.

I would like to take the liberty of thanking Mr Johnston of the Great Lakes Aircraft Corporation for his kind assistance in supplying me with the necessary information for drawing up the plans shown in this magazine. Another person deserving credit is Abraham Bergman whose skill as a model builder can easily be seen from the pictures shown on this page.

Sport planes, in my opinion, can be considered the backbone of the aviation industry. They are, in reality, like cars, built so that anybody can fly them.

The Great Lakes Trainer is a plane of this design, made to sell almost as cheaply as some of our cars, and as easy to drive. The span of the wing from tip to tip is 26 feet, 4 inches, and the length is 20 feet, 4 inches. With the thrust line in a horizontal position, the plane stands 8 feet, 4 inches from the ground. Powered with an upright Cirrus motor of 95 hp, the plane is capable of a top speed of 110 miles per hour and a cruising speed of 90 miles per hour. Its initial climb is 600 feet per minute. All the above figures are calculated with a full load.

The construction of the ship is of metal, with the possible exception of the wing spars, which are probably wood. The fuselage is constructed of chrome molybdenum steel tubing, welded at the joints. The type of construction used is the Warren truss. Internal bracings are oil-treated to prevent corrosion. Top and bottom wings are constructed of aluminum with the exception of the spars, as I have stated before. The airfoil section used is the standard M-12 and is stamped out of sheet metal. The top wing is built in three parts, as is clenrly shown on the plan. The right and left panels of the top wing are set at a sweep-back angle of 9 degrees and 13 minutes. The bottom wing is set at a positive stagger of 25 inches. Both wings subtend a dihedral angle of 3 degrees.

Fuselage: Cut out the various sheets from the magazine, then glue sheets 1 and together. You will have a complete side view of the Warren truss bracing. This bracing is clearly indicated by the long line and dot just where the joint connects. The frame is made completely out of 1/8 square balsa. It is very important that the joint should fit perfectly; otherwise, the fuselage will not withstand the stress to which it is subjected.

The top cross bracings may be obtained by pasting Sheets 2 and 4 together. Looking from the top, you will notice that the frame is slightly shorter than the full width of the body. This is to allow for the side stringers and covering.

After you have completed the frame and are positive that it is in line, set it away to dry. While you are waiting for the fuselage to dry, cut about 12 of the finest strips that you can possibly cut. These strips are going to be used as the formers. As you probably know, the large ship has the tubing bent to shape, but since we are not using tubing, we are going to substitute the bamboo in its place.

Bamboo has a tendency to retain its original shape. It is therefore impractical to bend it without a flame because of the strain that it will set up and that will probably ruin the model after it is completed. Therefore, I suggest that you bend the bamboo to shape over a flame. The plan shows clearly on Sheet 2 how the bamboo is imbedded into the frame..."

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