Yako (oz6719)

About this Plan

Yako. Rubber canard pusher sport model.

Quote: "A peppy little tail-first sportster, Yako provides a lot of fun and performance for a small investment of time and materials. With perhaps 300 turns cranked into the motor it will zip up over treetop height and then glide down nicely to a landing.

The tail-first or canard configuration has more stability than the more common tractor and presents a distinctive appearance. But it needs to be built closely to specifications for proper flight characteristics.

Construction. Yako should be constructed mainly of medium hardness balsa. (If you are new to balsa wood ask the shop proprietor for guidance.) Measurements can be made directly from the full-size plans. Parts can be traced onto sheet balsa by utilizing soft carbon paper. Single-edge razor blades work well for cutting balsa and a metal straight edge helps to keep true lines. A piece of fine sandpaper, perhaps No 250, wrapped around a wooden block is useful for smoothing balsa edges. A dozen pins or so are needed to hold pieces at various stages of construction. A 6 x 18 in piece of insulating board or soft wood can be used as a working surface. Fast-drying plastic model airplane glues can be used, but the slower-drying white glues are preferable as they are less likely to warp the surfaces.

Cut the wing out as a single piece and mark rib locations on underside. Glue the ribs into position and immediately place the wing on the work board and pin flat, placing a piece of waxed paper between the wing and the board to prevent the wet glue from sticking to the board. If necessary, use pins to hold the wing to the curve of the ribs. Forcing the surfaces to dry in the flat position helps reduce warps so repeat the same procedure for the stabilizer.

After the glue has dried thoroughly, re-move the surfaces from the work board and cut in two down the center. Prop each tip up for the required dihedral and observe the gaps at the center joint. Take each half and cut and sand the edge carefully until the joint fits snugly..."

Clarence Mather's Yako from American Aircraft Modeler magazine issue 12-71.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics.

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