Road Runner (oz6619)

About this Plan

Road Runner. Control line stunt model for .35 power. 54 in span, 620 sq in area. Designed to fly well at high elevation above sea level.

Quote: "Aptly named for New Mexico's state bird, our exciting Stunter is capable of performing under any geographic or climatic condition and still do important job of winning the big one. Road Runner, by Bill Melton & Jim Young.

The Roadrunner is a peculiar bird adapted to the high elevations and hot, dry conditions of the Southwest. Its namesake has many of the same characteristics except it flies much better. Most of our flying is at elevations between 4,000 and 7,000 feet altitude. Under these conditions, many of the present day stunt designs leave a lot to be desired and their pilots shaking from fright or maybe with relief. This design flies through maneu-vers with ease and smoothness and pro-vides its pilot with that all-important factor, confidence. At sea level, the only necessary adjustment has been to richen the needle valve to give a constant four-cycle throughout the flight.

This is a true evolutionary design dating back to 1959. It borrows from most of the well-known stunt designs but re-tains a functional, distinct appearance without being weird or exotic in any of its components. Its appearance must be pleasing as it has received top appear-ance points in all contests entered to date. Its outstanding flight characteristic would have to be its smoothness, but this is closely rivaled by its ability to fly clean, smooth squares and effortless take-offs and landings. Most of these desirable features can probably be attributed to the long nose moment, wing chord, airfoil design and slender fuselage.

Although neither of the designers claim to know much about aeronautics, we represent over 40 years of modeling experience, This is what led to the development of the wing planform and airfoil, the modelers method - cut and try. We do not know why the wing works so well but it certainly shows its effect on flying in thin air. Another very desirable feature is the ability of this plane to fly on 65 to 70 feet lines with a .35 engine. Pull and speed are constant and we feel this combination provides all the advan-tages of the .45 planes without the added expense or difficulty in handling the overly large model.

In short, this plane provides its pilot with a feeling of mastery and exactness. It makes the average flyer look good and heaven help us if a good flyer ever gets hold of one.

Construction of the Roadrunner is very simple and straight forward with only a few odd points introduced to provide long lasting good looks. Testor's formula B glue is recommended for all structural joints and Aero Gloss glue for all external seams. Aero Gloss is used to prevent 'bleeding' of the glue through the finish.

The wing is constructed first since everything else is built around it. The 1/8 x 1/2 x 48 in TE (trailing edge) is slotted for the ribs and pinned to the plans, checking to make sure it is straight. The front edge is elevated slightly to line up with the center lines of the ribs. The ribs are cut from soft 1/16 in sheet and inserted in the TE..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics, thanks to Pit.

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