Gannet (oz6818)

About this Plan

Gannet. Radio control sport model. Pusher canard design, for .40 power.

Quote: "From the designer of the Force 1 (oz6051) comes this neat canard. It flies just as well. Gannet by Laddie Mikulasko.

Over the years, I have seen several models of canards in magazines and always wanted to design and build one of my own. The one thing which prevented me from doing it was that I didn't know how the Center of Gravity was calculated. Finally, in one of the modeling magazines, there was an article on canards, with a set of figures for the calculations of CG. I immediately made some sketches of models for .40 size engines, picked the one I liked best, and made a set of working drawings.

The model was built in a short time, and the day came to fly my first canard. I was a little worried about locating the CG as calculated, but all I could do was give it a try. So, I taxied the model onto the runway and gave it full power. The take-off was nice, and the model appeared to be stable, so I made a turn showing the model's unusual shape in full view. I explored the canard's capabilities, doing loops, rolls, split S's, and so on. I was pleased with how easy it was to fly. Though different in its handling in some ways, it has no bad habits or hang-ups.

I built three versions of this model, making some minor modifications to improve the looks and speed up construction. The model is fast and easy to build. So, if you think that this is a model that you would like to fly, read on.

Construction. Study the plan. All parts are numbered, and in this article will be referred to by number. Cut out all of the parts. Drill all holes where shown. To speed up construction, I use cyanoacrylate glue on everything except the firewall and landing gear mounts.

Stabilator, Elevators, Fin, Rudder: Trace the outlines of these parts on medium-hard 1/4 in balsa and cut them out. Round the leading edges and, in the case of the elevators and rudder, taper them from leading edge to trailing edge as shown on the drawing. Make the slots for the hinges. Bend and silver solder the horn and torque rod for joining the elevators, or purchase a suitable commercially available unit (40). Sand all the surfaces to a satisfactory finish: it is easier now than after the model has been assembled.

Fuselage: Trace the outlines of the fuselage sides (25) on 1/4 in medium balsa, and mark the locations of all the bulkheads (26, 27, 28 and 29), and the slot for the stabilator (34). Cut out half-bulkhead (28) from 1/4 ply, and mount a steerable nose gear bracket on it..."

Gannet by Laddie Mikulasko, plan #896, September 1983.

Update 05/05/2016: Replaced this plan with a clearer copy (no missing central section) thanks to jtplenge, hlsat.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, text and pics, thanks to hlsat. Also, previous scan version.

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