Lone Eagle (oz3602)

About this Plan

1928 Lone Eagle. Rubber scale model. Bob Oslan's Lone Eagle from Model Builder issue 09-74.

Quote: "Lone Eagle, by Bob Oslan. It was sort of a haunting coincidence - the model was slated for publication in this issue several weeks prior to the announcement that the real 'Lone Eagle,' Charles Lindbergh, had passed away. Aeromodeling, as well as full scale aviation, owes him a lot because both were really discovered as a result of his historic flight.

The Lone Eagle was designed and built in 1927 by the Ryan Mechanics Monoplane Company of San Bernardino, California. The Company expanded in 1928 and incorporated into the Federal Aircraft Corporation; the Lone Eagle then became the CM-1 Lone Eagle. I have no idea what CM-1 stood for, but the Lone Eagle was in honor of Charles Lindbergh. The three principals of the company had worked on the Spirit of St Louis and possibly hoped to capitalize on the Ryan name and fame, hence the name Ryan Mechanics. Their success can be measured by the fact that the Lone Eagle did not become one of the classics of the period despite creditable performance.

It was powered by a 230hp Wright Whirlwind J B-4 and had a maximum speed of 125 mph with a 105 mph cruise. It carried a pilot and four passengers for 700 miles at cruising speed and landed at 40 mph. The wing span was 37 ft 6 in. An article in the March 1928 issue of Aero Digest describes the interior as follows: The chairs are of reed and fibre construction and the backs are padded and finished with tapestry to harmonize with the upholstering. Each chair is provided with a separate cushion built up of 36 separate coil springs and covered with tapestry. The interior of the cabin is finished with heavy red Fabrikoid and the floor is covered with carpet. Pretty classy, those were the days.

The Lone Eagle is well suited to model work, with its reasonably long nose and tail moments. The tail surfaces were enlarged for stability and the landing gear was lengthened slightly to allow for a large enough prop to insure good performance. These are customary scale compromises and do not detract from the model's appearance.

Construction is conventional throughout and building goes surprisingly fast.

Fuselage: The basic framework is made of hard 3/32 sq longerons with medium uprights and crossmembers. Note that all the uprights are one piece and the horizontal sticks that form the cabin windows fit between the uprights. This is important, because the strength of the fuselage depends to a great extent on one piece uprights. Stringers, or fairing strips, are 1/16 sq medium hard unless otherwise noted.

The noseblock and spinner should be made from the heaviest stock that you can cut with reasonable ease, as weight in the nose is needed and it may as well give you some structural advantage. Dummy engine cylinders should be made from heavy stock..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 30/9/2022: Replaced this plan with a clearer version now at 600 dpi, thanks to theshadow.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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