Lil Swift (oz6403)

About this Plan

Lil Swift. Radio control sport model.

Quote: "A forty eight inch span all-purpose sport aircraft patterned after the Globe Swift. For .29 to .35 engines. The Li'l Swift will perform large, graceful loops, rolling maneouvres, multiple snaps, flat spins, Lomcevaks and knife edge flight.

This model was conceived in the Fall of 1974, shortly after the untimely demise of my VK Cherokee Babe (oz4619) due to a fractured elevator linkage. Left only with fond memories and an OS .30, I began hunting for a replacement, something combining the scale-like appearance and good flying qualities of the Cherokee with originality and a little more spunk. A slightly shorter nose, a tapered wing with flatter dihedral, more rudder area below the stab for better spin control - these were some of the features I was looking for. I found these features and more in the 1946 Globe Swift.

The full size subject for this design is actually a modified Swift which appeared on the cover of the June 1972 Air Progress magazine. It is owned by Mr Steve Halpern of Woodmere, New York, and sports a turbocharged 250-hp engine in place of the standard 145 hp. Billed as the world's fastest Swift, N80827 was modified by John D'Arcy of Miami, who specializes in making Swifts swifter. The article by Budd Davisson included several pages of excellent color flight photos which showed the aircraft's lines and proportions from a variety of angles. This made the basic eyeballing of the design an easy task. Here was an ideal modeling subject: it was overpowered, just like a model; the squared-off wing tips and extra dorsal fin area would adapt well to model use; and the dihedraled stabilizer added a touch of class I couldn't resist.

The first prototype flew early the next spring. It proved to be a good flyer but heavy, being burdened with a Toledo-style dope spit shine. (Just too much of a good thing, I guess.) Don't be alarmed by the past tense - it still exists down in the dank confines of my basement. The reason it's not flying is that I'm having gangs of fun with the second prototype, which is nearly a pound lighter and much more energetic.

The name, by the way, is a result, not of planning, but of having to call the bird something during all the sketching and hacking stages. It's pronounced Li'l Swift as in: When are you going to be done with that li'l Swift? Not too original, maybe, but descriptive.

Both prototypes are stable and scale-like in the air, with good control response in all three axis. The short tail is evident in spin and snap maneuvers, and the strip ailerons are quite effective. The plans specify some approximate control throws for general sport flying. Do not exceed these throws unless you are an experienced flyer. This plane is not a trainer and will do anything in the book without much persuading. It is capable of large, graceful looping and rolling maneuvers as well as multiple snaps, flat spins, Lomcevaks and knife edge flight, all using the .30 for power. I've tried my best to fold a wing and haven't yet, but if you must use more that a .35, please add a dihedral brace. There's no sense pushing your luck!

Well, enough talk. It's time to start building. I'm assuming you're familiar with basic building procedures so I'll just briefly outline the construction sequence. The only special tools required are a good sanding block and a sharp carving knife with at least a 3 in blade. By a good sanding block, I mean a flat piece of hardwood about 6 in x 4 in or bigger, with coarse sandpaper glued to it. Both these tools will make carving a lot easier. There's a considerable amount of carving on this plane and it may as well be done right.

The wing is of conventional foam and balsa construction. Cut two panels 23-1/2 in long, one left and one right. Glue on the 1/4 in trailing edge and sand it down flush. Sheet both panels with 1/16 balsa using a good contact cement such as Sorghum which is compatible with the foam..."

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics, thanks to JohnSandusky.

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