Ercoupe (oz5108)

About this Plan

Ercoupe. 1/2A scale model for RC. From Jeff McCammant of Story City Iowa USA, scanned from his original kit plans.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Planfile includes full build instructions.

Quote: "The Live Wire 'Ercoupe' is an R/C Scale model of the famous 'Ercoupe' sport aircraft. The full size machine is noted for its fine flying qualities and its great inherent stability. You will find all of this in the Live Wire version plus many other features to make it an exceptional model for R/C and freeflight flying. Being compact in size it is easy to handle and can be flown in more restricted areas.

In the Live Wire 'Ercoupe' design you have a model developed especially for R/C flying. Every aspect of its design lends some desirable feature to R/C performance. The excellent penetration characteristics allow the 'Ercoupe' to be flown in moderate winds. Exceptional stability makes it simple to adjust and fly. Controlled climb gives a most realistic performance and good maneuverability allows it to be flown in more restricted areas. The model is built in a rugged manner using simple sheet balsa type of construction which gives you a model that is not only easy to assemble but also one which will last for many, many flights.

POINTS TO BEAR IN MIND: This is a radio controlled model aircraft. Therefore, it is different from all other types and no matter what types of models you have built and used before, there are some things which are done differently in R/C which you must be aware of if you are to have success. There is not the slightest thing complicated about them and if a little care is used so that things are done as experience has proven best, success should be immediate.

The 'Ercoupe' was designed around the lightweight 27 me equipment. You will find the R/C compartment more than large enough to hold all of the required equipment. You should decide upon the equipment to be used before commencing construction. The total weight of it should be estimated and this must not exceed 10 oz total. This is ample for the normal receivers, batteries and actuators. Different types from those shown may be used but they should be mounted in the same relative position as indicated on the drawings.

Before commencing construction you should understand how the model works and what makes it fly well. The main thing which controls the flight of the model under power as well as in the glide (no power on) is the angles at which the wing and tail are set. This is the main control over the angle of the climb and it also governs the recovery of the model to level flight from such things as stalls, loops, etc. Properly set, these angles will give you a low rate of climb and yet provide instantaneous recovery to level flight from abnormal posi-tions. Improperly set, they can cause erratic flight, excessive climb or no recovery from stalls, etc. Hence, it is most important to use the correct angles for perfect R/C flight. The wing and tail angles used on the 'Ercoupe' provide the most desirable sort of flight, careful at-tention should be used in order to maintain them as shown.

The balance of your model (CG Location) is another major factor effecting its flight and has a lot to do with the gliding angle. In R/C a rather steep glide is preferred so that the model will penetrate the wind well, this allows better control on landings. The ideal location for the CG is determined during testing, and it is shown on the drawings; every effort should be used to bring it to the point shown. Slight differences in workman-ship and material weights can be the cause of variation between different models; dmeco checks the material weight but you must watch the workmanship. In assembling the model, be sure to sand the rear portion of it very well and do not use anything which will add additional weight to the aft section.

Otherwise, if you use the same care in assembling the 'Ercoupe' as you would with any other sort of model, you should get along quite well. If in doubt about construction procedure, proceed as you would with a control line stunt type and you should have no trouble.

CONSTRUCTION: The Live Wire 'Ercoupe' may be completely assembled, covered and painted before the final R/C installation is made. The only items installed before this are 'the fuel tank and engine mounting.

WING: The assembly is begun with the wing. Choose a perfectly flat board to build on which you can stick common pins into. The alignment of your model can be only as perfect as your building board!

Commence assembly of the wing by placing the drawings on your board, then pin the leading edge, spar and trailing edge of the right hand panel in place as shown. Assemble the ribs onto them and cement in place. Next add the wing tip outline parts. When dry, remove from the drawings and repeat for the left hand panel, be sure to use the LH drawing! While it is still drying, install all dihedral braces to this half, then the right hand panel can be joined to it. When completely dry, remove from the drawings and add the upper 1/16 x 5/32 pine piece for the landing gear. Next, cement the wire landing gear against the pine piece. Now add the lower identical piece. Then the 1/16 x 3/8 pine cap piece can be cemented over this assembly. Now the center section 1/16 sheet covering is installed and all details are finished to complete the wing. Later on when completely dry, sand the whole structure using a sanding block and fine paper; lay it aside for covering.

TAIL: The stabilizer is built by pinning the leading edge, spar and trailing edge in place on the drawing. Now, cut and fit the rib pieces as shown; cement and. allow the stabilizer to dry thoroughly. Remove from the drawings and sand well as with the wing. Next take the rudder parts and sand well. Fasten the rudders to the fins using Nylon or Dacron 1/2A control line thread as hinges. Use a figure eight stitch for this. Make and install the rudder hinge pins from common pins, these are for the wire actuating arm. Now install the fins onto the stabilizer as shown. The wire actuating arm is installed after covering and painting.

FUSELAGE: The fuselage consists of two side keel pieces joined by bulkheads and the fop and bottom covering and fairings. Before commencing construction compare your engine and fuel tank with those shown on the drawings. If yours has an integral fuel tank and you do not wish a larger supply, it probably will be similar to that shown in the side view. The top view shows an engine without the integral tank and an auxiliary tank installation. The important thing is to keep the location of the propeller the same as indicated on the draw-ings. So if you have a different sort of engine, you must locate the maple flrewall to suit your engine and bring the propeller to the proper place. Make any changes in the firewall location on the drawings with pencil, and consider all other construction to be the same as shown.

Start construction by cutting the two keel pieces to the length, as you have deter-mined it to be. The front and rear tapers may also be made. The fuselage is assembled upside down on the drawing using the top of the keel pieces as a base. Bulkheads 1 thru 6 are pinned to the diawings in their respective places and the keel pieces bent around them, pinned and cemented. The wing fairing pieces are added and the bottom covering installed. The reinforcements are added to the nose section and the R/C compartment. When thoroughly dry, remove from the drawing and add the 1/8 sheet R/C compartment floor. Now all top bulkheads are cemented in place and you are ready to cover the fuselage top. The, top is covered. with 4 pieces of 1/16 sheet. Two of them reach from bulkhead #4 to the nose and are separated along the center line of the model. The remaining two reach from bulkhead #4 aft to the stabilizer saddle at bulkhead #6. These pieces must be fitted and installed one at a time..."

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