Nobody (oz7842)

About this Plan

Nobody (No Body). CL combat model. K&B 35 engine shown.

Quote: "National Open Stunt Champ comes up with the ultimate combat job. Irreducible minimum in planes, maximum performance. Nobody, by Don Still.

When you get to thinking about it, there have not been so many combat designs presented in magazines. Also, there aren't very many kits on the market. This could very well be the reason for seeing so many clunkers at every contest. Even at the Nationals, the number of junks was amazing. Maybe it is the rules that keep the fellows using such ships for combat, and if it is, the rules need changing; but, if it is the lack of designs, I hope this little 'Nobody' will do something for somebody. I won't say this ship has everything, won't say it is the fastest, the smallest, the lightest or the tightest turning. All I will claim is that it is a combination of the things that I like most in a combat model and I will further explain my likes and dislikes.

Strength! When some one mentions combat, what comes to mind? Crack-ups! Mid-air collisions! Tangled lines! These are the things that make combat, but they are the things that unmake combat fliers. In the Nobody, I guess strength was the first consideration. To achieve strength without the addition of weight, something had to go. In U-control, the most unnecessary thing is the 'body,' so no body means less weight, this weight being put to better advantage in the wing construction.

A close look at the plans will show you all the sheet wood goes on the leading edge of the wing where it is most needed. The four sheets of 1/16 in balsa that make up the leading edge are arranged as follows: a vertical sheet spar, to take the wing loading strain; a horizontal sheet spar, to take collisions, prop cuts and 'quick stops'; two sheets of covering for additional strength and smoother airflow over the wing. Even with all this wood, in the most direct mid-air smash-up, pieces will fall, but just try and demolish it by hitting the ground. No kidding, it is almost impossible. My first Nobody lasted a season and a half through 12 mishaps, four mid-air, and eight hard landings (some straight in from overhead.) Usually, a new strip of paper here or there would fix her up - repairs that could be done on the field. Never were the basic mem-bers of the structure damaged.

My whole theory is radical to most combaters' ways of thinking. They use very flimsy construction in the hope of saving time in building. This I believe to be a misconception. Why spend four to six hours on a plane that might last three minutes rather than spend eight hours on one that will last all season (with some luck)?

No one will complain about construction time or difficulty with the Nobody. After all, you have no fuselage or stabilizer to make, just the wing, flipper, rudder and motor mounts. With the rudder, elevator, and mounts being solid, the only 'construction' is in the wing. Here you will find simplicity and strength. It is the familiar D-tube type with slight modification; the addition of a sheet spar in the center of the D with half ribs on each side..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 03/07/2017: added article, thanks to RFJ.

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