Light and Up (oz6810)

About this Plan

Light & Up. RC sport floatplane. Wingspan 56in, for .40 power and 4 channels. Ed Westwood. From RCM Apr 1989.

Quote: "Living in an area where beautiful lakes are available, Ed Westwood designed this seaplane to take advantage of the situation. It's a perfect answer for the increasingly popular float fly event. Light & Up, By Ed Westwood

Picking a name for a new design is almost as taxing as building it.. hi the end something catchy that describes the machine is usually best; thus 'Light & Up' - a lightweight .40 powered low wing seaplane that's fun to fly.

Right here you probably are saying ho hum, another sport model with floats. Read on anyway; this design weighs less than 5 pounds dry and still looks like an airplane. With 560 squares the wing loading averages only 21 oz / sq ft. The flat bottom ogee floats allow almost instant planing with nothing but throttle and a touch of aft stick to launch the bird off the water in about 50 feet.

The 'Light & Up' is specifically designed for float flys. The tail mounted water rudder, although not aesthetically as pleasing as the float mounted variety, gives quick turning even in wind (due to the greater moment arm). Some float flys will even throw in a bomb drop. You can add this extra equipment if necessary; it's sketched on the plans.

Construction. Some folks always start with the same component,. It really doesn't make any difference but I picked the fuselage since it is a bit more complicated and I can keep motivated easier if its demanding. Since much of this model is based an 'curb appeal' a clean nose section is mandatory, so begin by selecting the engine. My plans show an O.S. .40 FP installation but any 2-stroke .40 will do.

Secure the engine to the mount and put on the 2-1/2 in spinner. Now measure the distance from the rear of the mount to a point 1/16 short of the spinner backplate. This is your firewall to nose distance..."

Supplementary file notes

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