Skidoo 23 (oz7755)

About this Plan

Skidoo 23. Twin pusher rubber model.

Quote: "Shades of 1910! Here's your chance to find out why all the old-timers still consider twin pushers plenty of fun. The Skidoo 23, by Bill Winter.

THE twin-pusher is one of the oldest of all model types, going back to shortly after the turn of the century. Fornearly thirty years this now-unusual type was the contest king-pin. Its two long rubber motors and twin propellers gave it the highest possible ratio of weight of its powerplants to total weight of the air-plane, and an unusually long propeller run. The result was a fantastic rate of climb to an immense altitude under power ; if glide was poor, that hardly mattered. Most twin pushers were distinguished by their A-frames, but an occasional design for all-round flying had the simple configuration of the ship you see in these plans.

Long before we were born - and that is a fair time ago - Ideal was manufacturing a Cecil Paoli racer with twin fibre props. About 20 years ago a company we seem to remember as 'Mosquito' produced some interesting rubber-model kits, one of which we have tried to imitate in miniature in this article. While those old full-size twins were a handful to wind and launch, this roughly half-size model can be wound by hand one motor at a time and launched with no great difficulty. Its odd appearance makes it look like a racing duck in flight. If you should want to put a winder to it, you'll see what we mean by performance, even if this odd fellow is a midget!

For the motorstick select a nice white-looking piece of 3/8 square balsa of medium grade: Try to pick a piece that is not mushy and weak, and one that is not rock hard and just as heavy. Sand this stick smooth with fine sandpaper, slightly rounding all the corners. Taper the front or hook end very, very slightly, and round the tip bluntly. At the other or rear end of the stick, cut a notch big enough for the 1/8 x 3/8 stabilizer spar. Now bend the double rubber hook from 1/32 wire and attach the hook..."

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