Widget (oz6573)

About this Plan

Widget. Radio control sport model. Uses a Midwest foam wing.

Quote: "For Galloping Ghost or small digital proportional, the Widget is an attractive 44in span low-wing design that is ideal for small field sport flying. 34oz weight with Midwest foam wing and OS Max .10

For over a year and a half I have been flying Galloping Ghost very successfully, having built a few kits and a number of planes built from plans. For sometime now, I have wanted a plane that was of my own design, one that was attractive and a good flyer. I wanted a plane that incorporated all the features that I have enjoyed in other planes I have flown. Although my idea for a design was only to be for Galloping Ghost equipment, the R/C Modeler Magazine Design Contest pushed the design into reality and also made it big enough to accomodate the new micro-miniaiture proportional systems.

Some of the characteristics of the plane were that I wanted it to be stable and a smooth flyer, but give it the necessary pushes, and it would become aerobatic. (These pushes are only necessary with Galloping Ghost.) I wanted to be able to take my hands off the controls for a second and not have the plane fall out of the sky. It would also have to be fast at high motor, and have a nice glide at low throttle.

Since I am using Galloping Ghost to control my plane, there are certain compromises that will have to be made. The plane would not have a steerable nose gear, and the elevator throw would have to be cut down in order to get rid of the gallop and looping tendency while going through motor control. Since l am limited in ground handling due to the drag of a steerable nose gear on a Galloping Ghost plane causing too much battery drain, I designed the fixed nose gear of the plane to be shorter than it might normally be. This shortening of the nose gear lets the nose of the plane be lower on the ground than it is when it is flying. The idea behind this is the nose of the plane lifts as the plane begins its takeoff, and the ship is then only riding on two wheels. This makes it easier to steer with the rudder than if it was on three wheels.

The problem of the low motor loop was solved by incorporating a reducer. This is used in the Widget and enables the plane to maintain level flight while going through motor control. While reducing the elevator throw, l maintain enough elevator to aid in penetration, looping, and flaring for landings.

The size of the plane was determined by the ready made foam wing I had chosen. The two reasons I chose this type of wing were because of its simplicity of construction and it had a semi-symmetrical airfoil, which I have found very successful in maintaining turns, not to mention penetration ability.

I chose the low wing because I felt it made the plane more maneuverable as well as enhancing the appearance of the plane. Both the nose and the stabilizer moments were shortened. The latter for the reason that while reducing the elevator area for Galloping Ghost, the tail would become more sensitive and Hie plane would fly faster. The nose moment was shortened to compensate for the reduction od the tail..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 24/3/2025: Added alternate wing plan (showing built up construction) thanks to MichaelRamsey, AndyKunz.

Quote: "Good morning! Fifty-five years ago, my father designed and built his first published model airplane. I was barely two-years old at the time and have no memory of the small two bedroom apartment construction experience. Finding the Widget plan on your website brought me great joy... with one obstacle.

The foam wing suggested for the design is long out of production. Personally, I don't care for the idea of a molded-foam wing on a balsa airframe even though I do understand the time saving premise. I would have to make my own wing.

Two friends came to my rescue. Greg Meyer, an aeromodelling hoarder and curmudgeon by trade (ha-ha), let me borrow a vintage Midwest Cessna kit containing the actual one-piece wing recommended for the Widget. Andy Kunz, a contributor to your website, went to work on the 'small' favor of copying the foam wing as a simple, built-up balsa replacement (the file for which I've attached).

Some notes about this wing: Some debate between my father (mind palace) and friends concluded that the Midwest wing was probably a double tapered airfoil and planform. However, our actual sample has a straight trailing edge with a tapered leading edge outline, bowed from center to tip and showed signs of material shrinkage. I gave Andy full design privileges, but insisted that the wing have a double-taper because it looked good and seemed to match the images in the Widget article.

The original foam wing offered a builder finishing choices. Similarly, Andy's all-balsa wing can be modified to have any taper, dihedral or wingtip. As shown, the dihedral is 1-1/4" under each tip and the taper of the planform is equal. Therefore, other models designed around the Midwest foam wing could benefit from Andy's effort like his Ace Foam wing (oz8557) does. Please feel free to add it to any plan you offer that suggests the use of a Midwest or Testors wing. I'm attaching a few photos of the prototype build.

Progress on my Widget is ongoing. Currently, the airframe is near completion. It has a bolt-on wing and double the elevator area. The intent is to have it flight-ready by May 2025, in time for a visit with my father. Expect finished photos and an update to publish on your website afterward.

Sincerely,
Michael Ramsey"

Supplementary file notes

Article.
Wing plan (built up).

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