Satellite 1000 (oz3725)

About this Plan

Satellite 1000 (Series 70). Free flight power contest model.

Quote: "The Series 70 Satellite 1000 'C' Special was designed especially for the brute power delivered by the K&B 40 RR. If a thousand square inches of wing area seems a little large, take all factors into consideration.

The Satellite features an elliptical wing and stab that offer more than just pleasing lines. Consider for a moment what happens to the 9% flat bottom section as it moves from the center to the tips of the wing. Right, it becomes much thinner. Since the wing is elliptical, the 14-11/16 in chord at the center section becomes 12-1/8 in at the tip dihedral break, and, in proportion, the 9% section at the tip dihedral break is considerably thinner. As a result, drag is enormously reduced, allowing the ship to move under power like a 700 sq in job of the typical square design.

When the Satellite flips out on top however, you get every one of those thousand squares back, giving this ship a glide second to none - as witnessed by many at the San Valeers Annual, November 14, 1971 at Taft, California. Seven ships maxed out on Saturday including both the Satellite 'C' Specials entered."

Quote: "Class C gas FF 1970. This gas FF set so many records and championships, it was designed and flown by Bob and Bill Hunter. I watched the first versions fly in 1959 and it later went through many versions. This version is 1970. Take careful note of the exquisite construction - light, strong - I apply these principles to my building projects. Too bad the full size plans are not available anymore in hard copy."

Update 11/6/2024: Added kit review from Model Builder, November 1973.

Quote: "Products In Use: The Satellite 1000 Pro Kit, by Satellite City (Bill and Bob Hunter). Construction by Phil Bernhardt, text by Bill Northrop.

The father and son team of Bob and Bill Hunter, operating as Satellite City,' 9486 Sandusky Ave, Arleta, California 91331, sent us a sample of their Satellite 1000 Pro-Kit for review. Turning it over to someone else to build was difficult, because it's the kind of kit you like to work on just for the sheer pleasure of seeing everything go together so methodically. Unfortunately we can't very often enjoy this privilege any more, and so, turned it over to our Old Timer draftsman, Phil Bernhardt.

In case you don't know, which among freeflighters is doubtful, the Satellite 1000 is a Class B-C-D design which spans 83-1/4 inches and carries 1021 projected square inches of wing area. As of March 1973, it held 8 AMA records, and was also selected as one of the NFFS 10 Best Designs for 1973.

The kit is actually a partial one, in that it consists of full size plans, including entire wing layout, and 132 pre-cut balsa and plywood parts. A complete bill of materials lists all of the strip, sheetwood, blocks, and hardware required. The kits costs $24.00, plus $2.00 postage. Phil spent $12.00 on additional materials to complete the construction.

All of the clean, precise machine-cut parts are produced by P & W Model Service (Chuck Partch and Gene Wallock), the same company which produced partial Old Timer kits, and now also cuts parts for Pierce Aero Company, manufacturers of the Pierce Arrow 2 meter R/C glider kit. The quality of P & W's work is simply above reproach.

The Satellite's wing and stab feature a beautiful elliptical planform, a departure from most contemporary free flight power designs. The curved trailing edges are pre-cut and the leading edges are a combination of solid and laminated balsa. Basic wing construction consists of 1/8 x3/8 spruce main spars, 3/32 x 3/16 balsa turbulator spars, straight full ribs and diagonal half-ribs from the main spars to trailing edge. The wing and stab sections are flat bottomed.

Fuselage is a one inch wide box with diagonal bulkheads, and built mostly of 3/32 sheet balsa. Half inch balsa cheeks build the nose out to 2 inches wide, where it is shaped to a circular cross-section. The dual wire skid landing gear is sandwiched between ply bulkheads and the 3/16 inch ply firewall. On Phil's model, a K & B front rotor .40 is mounted at the specified 5 degrees down, 2-1/2 degrees right thrust offset.

Phil first covered the fuselage and fin with tissue and nitrate dope to hide the grain. This was followed by a coat of K & B Super Poxy primer, and a final finish of light blue Super Poxy paint. The wing and stab were covered in 1 mil mylar which had first been sprayed on the interior side with Candy Apple Lime Gold. The bottom inside was sprayed black for improved visibility. The mylar is applied somewhat like Monokote or Solarfilm, except that the adhesive, spray contact cement (get it while you can), is applied to the wood framework. incidentally, Satellite City markets the clear mylar in 1/4, 1/2, and 1 mil thicknesses. Cost for 50 sq ft is $5.00, $7.50, and $10.00 respectively, plus $1.00 postage. Also, might as well mention that the Hunters market 'Hot Stuff,' a 10 second curing glue that is especially great for field repairs, but can be used for regular construction work. It's 8 dollars an ounce, but a single drop of this thin liquid adhesive goes a long way.

Flight trim on the Satellite is relatively simple. The wing should have an 1/8 inch washout in each tip panel. Key the stab for 1/16 inch left turn in the fin. Tilt stab 1/2 inch high on left side for left turn. Adjust for a final trim that will give a 3/4 turn in 15 seconds of power and a 45 second glide circle."

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