Vickers Vildebeest (oz5804)

About this Plan

Vickers Vildebeest. Scale rubber biplane model. A simple beginner's scale model. Wingspan 953mm.

Quote: "For rubber power scale enthusiasts, here's an unusual subject with a really good performance. Vickers Vildebeest, by Charles Newman.

IN 1928 Rex Pierson thoughtfully designed the Vildebeest at Vickers in Weybridge. Thoughtfully because he did not like curves and streamlines as they were difficult and costly to manufacture. The result of his labours was a large, angular biplane which is a very suitable subject for a beginner's rubber scale model. The preponderance of straight lines, whilst not exactly the last word in beauty, makes for easy construction just like the Ajax (oz1368), Competitor (oz1316), Sentinel (oz670) et alia. Anyone who has tackled one of these with reasonable success should have no trouble with the Vildebeest. There are relatively few 'tricky bits' and the model is sufficiently large to be easy to handle in the air, whilst utilising a standard 12 in Keil Kraft plastic propeller, so do not bother to carve a wooden one unless you wish to. Thanks to Pierson's angular design philosophy, there are none of these curly formers with masses of notches to cut either. All in all, a very straightforward model.

You will notice from the photographs that the model has been left in its natural tissue finish in order to keep it light. The original weighed in at 6 oz all up, with rubber and 1/2 oz nose ballast. There is no point whatever in building something this size if it is too heavy to perform properly - you are far more likely to get complimented about your models because they fly well rather than for a good but heavy finish. The same goes for detail so forget the Lewis gun and bombs! The Vildebeest flies very slowly with a majestic air and a gentle stall which is really what it is all about.

The prototype was constructed without much trouble by Adrian Flowers, a sixteen year old who has built other models but nothing like this before. His model flew straight off the board, so you see, it can be done.

Before launching into the construction of the model, there are a few points worth mentioning. Firstly, though intended as a beginner's rubber scale model, there have been only a couple of minor deviations from scale, thus it is quite accurate. So, please enter competitions with it if you wish. You may do better than you think and you certainly will come away with more confidence and know-how. Secondly, for those who really must go to town on colours and details, here are a few references..."

Added article (includes some excellent build pics) thanks to algy2's post on RCGroups.

Update 13/11/2018: Replaced this plan with a clearer copy, thanks to DBHL, theshadow.

Scan from DBHL, cleanup by theshadow.

ref DBHL-6264.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article.
Previous scan version.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction