Terry 1 (oz3282)

About this Plan

Terry 1. Rubber tailless pusher model. This design was first published in the October 1943 edition of Aeromodeller. This here is a nostalgia reprint, along with a new article, written by Andrew Longhurst, from October 1987. (Thanks to Gerrit for clarification).

Quote: "Terry trials. The desire to build the all-singing-and-dancing semi-scale version of the Cutlass passed for various reasons, not the least of which was the discovery of the Terry 1 plan in the October 1943 Aeromodeller. Designed by one W Binns, I was taken as much by its delightfully antique appearance as by its duck-tailed Clark YH section.

Construction was very simple but quite good fun. The fuselage calls for 1/8in sq hardwood longerons, no doubt in deference to wartime shortages; so I built the fuselage out of 3/32 in sq balsa which I am sure will have many a Vintage afficionado grinding his false teeth to bits, but nevertheless it proved more than strong enough.

After covering I acquired a touch of washin on the starboard panel but this seemed as though it might be a good idea for it would counteract torque from my reverse-wound motor and modified tractor prop (a thirteen-inch single-blade freewheeler, just to be different).

Horsenden Hill was as usual the venue for test flights and as I always like to do things by the book I started with test glides. At first it tended to dive, and after moving the wing forwards all I got was a cartwheel flop to the right. I now know that the reason for this is that reflex sections just will not stall, they mush instead and this is not easily recognised from hand-launch altitudes. Anyway, I got fed up with pushing the wing back and forth so I gave it a few turns on six strands of 1/4 in FAI.

A recognisable power stall presented itself so 1/16 in of down and right thrust was applied. The result was a lovely power flight, the model proving generally more stable under power than when gliding. Indeed, the glide is quite something. It's almost as good as a modern P.30 - dethermalised that is! I just could not believe how steep the descent was. But moving the wing back again just resulted in a big mush and a 'sycamore seed' type of return to earth.

This model is ideal for these sunny days and small fields - quote I from the text whilst gaily winding on five hundred turns. A climb that would have graced a .40 open power job announced that I had hooked the biggest boomer in town. This thermal was so big that even Terry 1 showed no sign of coming down. I was left, expletives deleted, to fight my way through the adjoining thicket emerging on the other side just in time to see the little love descending gently in the vicinity of the Canal..."

Note this is not a full size plan, it is a reprint of the original article drawing. Intenede to be drawn up and enlarged by hand.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics (from 1987).

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