Stits Sky Baby (oz6409)

About this Plan

Stits Sky Baby, by Ken Willard from RCM. Scale model for radio control. Scale is 1/4.

Quote: "The recorded title of World's Smallest Piloted Aircraft for several years is presented in an accurate One Quarter Scale R/C building project.

The full scale Stits Sky Baby was designed and built by Ray Stits and Bob Starr in 1952 for the express purpose of claiming the title of World's Smallest Piloted Aircraft. Only one was built, and only two men ever flew it. Bob Starr was the demonstration pilot at air shows, newsreel demonstrations, and various aviation gatherings. Lester Cole flew it on one occasion to demonstrate that any competent racing pilot could fly the little beauty, That is, if he wanted to.

No plans exist for the full scale machine. The structure was lofted on the hangar floor, and only rough sketches were made. The lofting was done in chalk, and gradually disappeared as people walked around in the hangar.

The Quarter Scale model was made from measurements and photographs taken at the Experimental Aircraft Association's Museum in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Additional information was kindly offered by Ray Stits in response to my request. Later, when I sent Ray a set of the plans, he wrote back - It sure is a strange twist of events when 30 years after I build an airplane I ask someone to send me the blueprints.

The specifications for the full scale Sky Baby are shown in Figure 1, They were provided to me by Ben Owen of the EAA.

Those of you who have followed the story of the Quarter Scale Sky Baby project are fully aware that it took over two years before successful flights were achieved. One reason for this was that I was determined to fly the model in a configuration exactly the same as the full scale aircraft. Several of you readers wrote in with suggestions to make it more reasonable in control, but that would have defeated the purpose, since it involved changing the aerodynamic shape - most notably enlarging the vertical fin area, as suggested by Fred Reese.

Enlarging the tail feathers of models is a common practice, and it works - but I was stubbornly resolved to fly the Sky Baby in exact miniature.

So be warned. You better be good at flying a very responsive model - or you'll soon be very good at repairing it. I know, I repaired or rebuilt mine at least 4 times, with many intermediate minor repairs..."

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