Whippet (oz3198)

About this Plan

Whippet. RTP semi-scale Biplane. Model Aircraft, September 1959.

Quote: "From whatever angle you look at it, Whippet is a compact and snappy design.

LOOKING for an eye-catching model for that small motor of yours - semi-scale, with good flying characteristics, ease in building, yet robust. Here's just the model for flying round the pole on the club night or on that nice Sunday that comes suddenly out of the blue. Whippet takes only a short time to build and most of it can be built out of the scrap box.

Fuselage: Construction begins with the fuselage, which is built mainly out of 1/16 sheet balsa. F1 can be cut out of 1/8 balsa if the engine is to be beam mounted, eg DC Bambi (if this motor is used, the model should be kept as light as possible - don't skimp the doping but choose the wood carefully), but if the Cox Pee Wee is used F1 is as per plan for the motor). The cowl is not necessary, but gives the model a neater appearance.

The motor should be given 5° down thrust and 5° right thrust to start with; final trim is obtained by adding washers to suit so as to give a smooth power-to-glide change-over. Bend the undercarriage as shown and stitch to ply plate with strong thread. Then cement firmly in the fuselage. The rest of the detail is explained on the plan.

Wings: The wings are built in the usual way. Check for warps (it is recommended that the bottom wing is pinned in position on the fuselage and then the tailplane cemented in position so as to line up with the wing).

Finish by getting rid of the warps! Remember, the heavier the model is, the faster it flies, also the poorer the performance. Also remember to put your name on the model (mine is on the centre strut which is cemented firmly to the fliselage), in a non-fade ink, eg indian ink, as a model may spend a long time in the open before being found! I leave you to give the model its final trim as each of us has his own pet way.

Flying Do not use too big a tank for FF - a 1.5 cc tank is ample, as the model has a good climb and ran cover a lot of ground during a flight. Also do not fly it in a gale - it is only small, so give it a chance. For RTP flying the tank may be as large as possible."

Quote: "Hi Steve. Re:Wippet Vintage Model Aircraft Plan: John Wylie. Technically, as the designer of this model I still hold the copyright to the design. This is on the grounds that the plan was first published in the Model Aircraft Magazine under first publication rights. But like all plans published in the magazines, through time; the plans the now passed to other publishers. The plans have also been collected and published by historians who wish to preserve the availability of these plans, for use by next generation of hobbyists. Therefore I raise no objection to my design being republished.

Free flight: From the technical point of view, fitted with a Cox 020 motor, built light through choice of woods and finish, the model climbs and glides very well. Therefore a 30 second engine run is more than sufficient for an excellent flight. Trim to turn left climb under power and glide in a right turn. If it climbs straight and glides straight you would be in for a very long chase.

Round the Pole (indoor flying): Using about a 10 foot line, tether the model to the top wing and fill the tank just before release. Time the tank from full to empty, so you know how long the engine runs. For free flight, run the engine from a full tank until around 30 seconds engine run time is left on release… Enjoy! John Wylie, 16th June 2014."

Supplementary file notes

Planfile includes article.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction