Stinson Voyager 108 (oz4823)

About this Plan

Stinson Voyager 108-3. Rubber scale model. Wingspan 34 in. Scale is 1/12.

Quote: "The Stinson Voyager 108-3 was the last of a long line of Stinson cabin airplanes. Some 5,500 of the 4-place 108 series were built in the late 30's and early 40's. Its docile, un-spinnable flight characteristics made it popular with private and business pilots. Many are still flying merrily in all parts of the world. Its ample dihedral, long nose, and large fin make it a fine choice for a model, and numerous versions have been built over the years. A large fin with a low dihedral can produce excellent directional stability, but at the price of spiral instability, especially in models where there is no pilot to prevent the heart-stopping spiral dive. The Voyager, however, has sufficient dihedral so that this disastrous tendency is no problem. Mine flew steadily and surely from its first flight. At 1 inch = 1 foot, the span is just short of 34 inches, a size large enough to perform well without being cumbersome to transport and handle.

So, as customary, place the plans on your nice, flat building board and cover with waxed paper or plastic film. Taper the 1/8 square firm balsa longerons from the rear of the cabin area towards the tail. Pin them down onto the fuselage side view and glue in the upright pieces, reducing size toward the tail in keeping with the longerons. Wax paper or plastic film over the first side, then the second side is laid and glued on top of the first.

While the sides are drying, build the tail surfaces. Note that fin and rudder are separate, to allow rudder adjustment during tests.

The stab and elevators are built in one piece, shaped, then the leading edge is cut at center and at the elevator balance locations. Keep the spar intact across the span. Don't forget the 1/32 gussets; they help prevent those unsightly wrinkles from forming in the covering.

The wing is built in two halves, one left, one right. Right? Right! Pin the notched trailing edge over the plan, slip the ribs over the spars to their approxi-mate positions, then pin over plan and glue all joints. Glue on the leading edge. Now the tips are glued in, blocking and pinning the tips about 1/8 inch above the board except where they meet the trailing edges. The top aileron division sheet is glued in place now; the bottom one after the structure has dried and been lifted off the board. The wing strut mounting sheets are also glued in at this time. Round the leading edge; taper the trailing edge and tips. Sand nicely. Cut the trailing edge to form the aileron and gaps. A small groove is pressed or cut into the aileron division sheets, span-wise, to simulate the narrow wing-aileron gap.

By this time the fuselage sides should have dried, so remove them from the board. Place them, cabin top down, on the board and glue in the cabin cross members, then the remainder, bringing the sides together at the tail. Length of cross members is shown in cross sections. Use a 90° triangle to keep the sides square. Again, don't forget the 1/32 gussets inside the cabin corners. Put in the forward cross members. When dry, remove and add nose and cabin 1/16 sheet sides. Add the cabin window frames. Add nose and cabin top formers..."

Supplementary file notes

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