Deltik (oz6185)

About this Plan

Deltic. Free flight delta model from MA August 1963.

Quote: A simple, robust free-flight power mode! for .5 - .75 c.c. engines. Deltic, by Peter Tribe.

HERE'S a model that you can build very quickly yet it gives a sparkling performance and is almost indestructible. Start construction by cutting out and gluing together the two leading edge strips and pin them fiat on the board. Cut out trailing edge, ribs and 3/4 x 1/4 in balsa wing tips. Remove leading edge froth board when dry and pin one side of it down again with 1/8 in packing under the back edge. Due to the sweep-back on the wing, the tip which is not pinned down, will now be 1-1/2 in above the building board. This constitutes the dihedral. One side of the trailing edge is now pinned to the board with 1/8 in packing under the back edge, the other piece of the trailing edge being supported by 1-1/2 in of packing at the tip. The wing tips are now added and the whole structure left to set.

During this period, the fuselage side and engine bearers can be cut out. When the basic wing structure is set, the 1/4 x 1/4 in obeche front to the leading edge can be added. The fuselage side is now forced on to the wings and firmly glued in place. The trailing edge is then slotted and the ribs stuck in followed by the spars.

The engine bearers can now be glued in position and the balsa block around the fuselage added. The small streamlined tank is constructed and glued in position and, after sanding down, bandage is doped all over the fuselage and the cockpit canopy added. The main and tip fins are now added and the wing section sanded to shape, after which the model is covered in heavy-weight model span tissue, given several coats of dope and fuel-proofed.

The first test flights should take place over the usual crop of long grass and the model hurled into the wind until a satisfactory glide is obtained. This can be achieved by either warping the control surfaces or using small trim tabs. When the model appears to be gliding on a more or less straight path, low-powered flights can be tried.

The fuel tubing should come from the tank and go once around the engine's cylinder head before being connected to the spray bar. The model should only be launched when the last of the fuel is entering the fuel tubing and in this way engine over-runs are avoided. The two prototypes were trimmed to fly in left-hand circles under both power and glide."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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