Leprechaun (oz3252)

 

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User comments

Are there any dimensions available on the larger leprechaun?
John - 26/08/2018
I think that you will have to have a full size copy for you able to take measurements. You can see that the author did not give any more that what is shown on the faithful restoration by Hogal. There is also a plan view at RCGroups, Vintage & Old-Timer Designs, Vintage & Old Timer Plans Pre 1960 Plans Only.
rchopper56 - 27/08/2018
Hi - some photos of my new built Leprechaun glider [more pics 004, 005].
PhilipHickey - 30/10/2018
I got involved in a discussion many years ago about what was written on the wing of the original Leprechaun. The problem was solved by my better half who grew up in Ireland and learned Gaelic (which was, and still is, a compulsory subject). The text reads 'Tuama' which is the Gaelic version of 'Twomey', the designer's surname!
ChrisPinn - 31/10/2018
I built a model of the Leprechaun from APS plan about 1990. The problem I had was that every time she landed the rear end of the fuselage broke off, immediately in front of the tailplane assembly. As many models of the Leprechaun fly successfully, can anyone tell me what I did wrong? Wouldn't mind building another Leprechaun using Depron and an electric power pod.
Malcolm Jackson - 22/01/2019
You did nothing wrong! The structural design is poor, slimming down as it does to a very thin section that has a very low moment of resistance. As long as the model lands in a straight line it will be OK. However if the wing catches on something and slews the model around, the radial acceleration will snap the tail off.
Denis - 24/01/2019
Attached pictures of our Leprechauns in their maiden flight in Zarautz (Spain) [more pics 006, 007].
Ignacio_Martinez - 11/02/2019
Where can I get the drawing of the current Leprechaun, with the lowered wings?
Aard Textor - 01/08/2019
Please find attached photos of my recently completed & flown Leprechaun glider from the oz 3252 plan [more pics 008-012]. Our club field does not suit high start or winch launching and not having a scenic sea side cliff available to hurl it off I modified the model for aero tow only. Wing and stab incidence is exactly the same as the plan. The wing rib under-camber is half of that shown on the plan. 2 only 5m rolls of covering were used with some left over. All up flying weight of my model came out at 2.665 Kg due to the extra wood used to help it survive being dragged across the field during launch (a maximum of 1 1/2 fuselage lengths it turned out!). The weight includes a 6v 4200 ma 5 cell NiMH battery for the three servo flight pack. The first flights were at the Oakwood Model Club annual Glider Fun Fly this past June 2019. What a terrific flying model this turned out to be, far exceeding my high hopes. Thanks to Mr. R. A Twomey for such a long lived versatile design.
MikeFoster - 16/08/2019
Please note rib 8 is too short. Both on the original plan and the CAD drawn one.
MP - 06/05/2020
Hi, If these pictures could be interesting for you! Very nice flight recently [pics 013-015]. Yours sincerely, from Revel France,
Patrick Houms - 13/04/2021
Some Leprechauns are less the pylon on both the wing and the tail plane. Are there details of this version of the plane?
Dave Evans - 02/05/2021
How will I know the width of each former of the fuselage? That is something that is not in the plan.
JMaglione - 08/11/2021
Reread the second User Comment above.
Bill - 08/11/2021
Everything you need to know is printed on the plan, along with the full list of materials required. There are no fuselage 'formers' to speak of, apart from F1 which is labelled as 3/16 ply. If you read the plan carefully, it has a note on the fuse side view saying: "Fuselage width from A to A is 3-3/4 inch". Just look at the plan and take it in, take your time and think about it, slowly. Everything you need is there.
SteveWMD - 09/11/2021
A dream in balsa, modified and electrified [pics 016-020]. In German it would be called Kobold.
Hartmut Blesch - 06/12/2021
"A dream in balsa"? How the hell did I let this one get away???
:-))
Miguel - 06/12/2021
Added three photos from Pavel Gazaryan [023-025].
Mary - 09/09/2022
The plan to me seems a bit out of scale. I think it is necessary to reduce during print at the 98.189% of the size. Measure dont match.
Alessandro Bocchi - 08/02/2024
Please find attached photos of my scratch built Leprechaun glider [pics 024-026]. The fuselage on the original 103” version was just a little too long for my 6’ building board. I decided to scale down the 103” set to 80%. This brings the fuselage length down to 69”, just small enough to fit on the board. At 80% the wing span came out around 84”, but I decided to stretch it back up to 90”. That brings the wing area up to 1145 sq/in.
Since most of the Leprechaun is built out of balsa sticks and you only need to hand cut 22 wing ribs, she is a pretty easy model to scratch build. I ended using the full under camber airfoil as per the plans. As stated by other’s there is an issue with rib #8 on the plans.
Components used for my build: Suppo 2810 motor, FlyFun V5 30Amp Mini ESC, Super-s 12x6 folding prop, and two Emax ES3054 servos. To eliminate the need for ballast ending up going with Lipo 2200mah 3 cell battery.
Final AUW came in at 48oz. This gives the modified Leprechaun a wing loading of 6.04 oz/sq ft. She is not a rocket with the 2810 motor, but it definitely gets the job done. During launches I give her about 1/2 throttle and she flies right out of my hand. Then once both hands are on the sticks push to full throttle and she will climb to 400ft in about 30 seconds. Once you turn off the motor she just slowly floats around up there.
You can find a full build log on the RCGroup forum: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?4290983
Video of my Leprechaun flying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8BxKN_gEDQ&t=242s
Best Regards
Henning Seidel - 26/06/2024
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