Lil Gigi (Name the Plane) (oz6525)

About this Plan

Li'l Gigi (Name the Plane). Low wing radio control sport model. For Cox .09 power.

Quote: "A sensation wherever it's been flown, Herb Abram's .09 powered low-winger for proportional control lacks only a name. If yours is selected by RCM, you'll win a new proportional system, actuator, and a tewo year subscription. Interested? Read on.

THIS outstanding little low-wing design was originally conceived by Jack Lemon and Ellsworth Miller in 1957, and in its original configuration, was flown with escapements and pulse proportional for rudder only sport and contest work. My first encounter with this spritely looking machine occurred one Sunday morning when I stopped by Jack's house on the way to the flying field. It didn't take much arm-twisting to get Jack to agree to take it out to the field. The ensuing flights were beautiful - the plane was fast enough to provide a challenge, yet slow enough to make me want to try it!

After flying it on rudder-only, I could hardly wait to try it out on Galloping Ghost. The addition of elevator would add a new dimension to its flying and utility. Learning that Ellsworth Miller had built four of these models on almost a production basis, I purchased two of the existing models for my experiments. Even though they were, by now, eight years old, I found them to be in perfect condition.

Elevators were quickly added and a Rand LR-3 actuator installed. Radio equipment consisted of a Min-X Pulsemite 1200 transmitter and receiver combination. Back at the field, once again, we learned our first lessons about this airplane - the first flights were quite short, consisting of take-offs and snap rolls into the ground. The vicious stalls and subsequent snap rolls were caused by our failure to block the wing to the proper incidence angle. Several repeated attempts to fly the model ended in the same manner, yet the model sustained no damage whatsoever. Ellsworth had designed the airplane as strong as possible in order to withstand this type of activity - the design emphasis having been to build it simply, yet strong, the slight additional weight penalty being of less severity than the damage a less well-constructed model would sustain. He had proved to be an able designer!

After determining the proper incidence, plus making a few additional changes, the model performed beyond all expectations. With proportional rudder and elevator plus throttle control on the Cox Medallion .09, the plane is one of the most outstanding sport fliers we have ever encountered. It is a fairly fast model, responsive to command, and capable of some pretty fancy maneuvers! Although the size would dictate an .049 engine, and if built quite lightly this size engine would probably suffice, we used a Cox Medallion .09 with throttle on all prototypes. Don't let the power to size ratio frighten you, since the continually moving surfaces on pulse-proportional control induces drag that must be offset by additional engine power. You can fly this plane - and you'll enjoy every minute of itl

You can also win a new Min-X 1200 proportional transmitter and receiver and Rand LR-3 actuator, complete with wiring harness, if you submit the best name for this design. Originally called the Penetrator because of its ability to fly in high winds, we discovered that this was the name for a leading Class I contest design. From this dilemma came the idea of the Name-The-Plane Contest. As an added incentive, RCM is adding a two-year subscription for the winner. Let's get on with construction.

Wing. The wing is simplicity itself, with only a few additional hints needed to help the constructor, The panels are built using the lower sheeting as a base. The trailing edge filler strip should he finished to final shape prior to the in-stallation of the ribs. If the latter are left a little thick at the trailing edge, they can easily be blended to match the filler strip after installation. Do not sheet the top of the wing until the panels have been joined to the center section, and until the spars, gussets, and wing tips have been added.

Sheet the center section to the middle of the W thick center ribs and then add the top sheeting and capstrips. I would suggest that the plywood landing gear plate be epoxied in place and that 1 in wide reinforcing strip be applied at the dihedral joints. When the wing is completed, sand lightly, then spray the entire structure with two coats of thin dope before covering..."

Scanning by Don at EAC, cleanup by theshadow.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics, thanks to theshadow.

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