Commodore (oz3357)

About this Plan

Commodore. Control line stunt model for .35 cu in power. From Aeromodeller, February 1973.

Quote: "Sleek, 50 in span control line stunt model for .35 - .40 cu in motors. Commodore, by Claus Maikis.

STUNT FLYING is a specialised, almost art of form model flying, and in common with ice skating or dancing, it is not the pure performance that counts, the whole presentation ought to have a touch of 'beauty'. Not that there is any good reason for this but the judges are only human - you know what I mean! Not so long ago, a top US stunt pilot preferred to appear all in white: shirt, trousers, shoes, model - just to give an appearance of cleanliness!

Although strongly against the awarding of ap-pearance points as used in the States, I'm convinced that a 'clean' model is not only a source of great satisfaction to the builder, but also forms good publicity for our sport. When watching the stunt circle until it's your turn to fly, you realise that most stunt flyers agree with this opinion. How often do people ask you 'is that plastic or metal'? What is missing is just the originality of design. Most models still look like the Nobler (oz6212) and the colour schemes vary even less. With such an abundance of 'full size' aircraft to choose from, I have far more ideas for stunt designs than I can ever build - take, for example, just the jet fighter section.

This type of model has always impressed me most I think, the sleek and elegant, yet straight and clean lines are most suitable for the task of today. Commodore is now my fourth model in this style, the forerunner was originally inspired by the sleek lines of Milan Drazek's Orion (oz6562) team racer some 8 years ago. It was an elegant model, but I found the shape somewhat too 'round', and since the 60 in wingspan proved too much for my Volkswagen, it gave way to the Commodore.

Since the fuselage has little effect on the night characteristics, it was chosen to be the most distinctive part of the design. The only criterion was to place most of the side area aft of the centre of gravity. I prefer to use a large fin with a considerable amount of right rudder, instead of much engine offset, to maintain line tension, because this is still effective during the occasional engine 'burps' and when the engine stops. Side area in front of the CG is kept to the minimum, so the engine is not fully cowled, and this eliminates cooling problems, With an otherwise immaculate model, the protruding cylinder head of a clean engine does not detract from the overall appearance.

The most important part of any design is the wing, and there are a lot of planforrns and airfoils to choose from! In general, the planform is fairly similar in all stunt designs, but small modifications to sweep back, tips and flap shape give a different look without affecting the flight characteristics. The air-foil is a different matter altogether..."

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