Yankee Mike (oz7907)

About this Plan

Yankee Mike . Radio control sport model.

Quote: "If you like Golden Age aircraft, this .25 powered look-alike has it all! Yankee Mike by Tim McKay.

I have always had a special liking for civil aircraft from the Golden Age of flying, that period from the late 1920s through the 1930s. A variety of aircraft designs with character and appeal bounced off grass runways all across America. Open cockpits, flying wires, tail wheels, engine cylinders hanging in the breeze - is there really anything else that can bring back a truer sense of aviation?

Yankee Mike is a design that tries to capture that era, in a size that is affordable to build and operate, fits nicely in the trunk of any car, and requires a minimum of time to set up at the field. As an added bonus, with Yankee Mike, you now have an excuse to purchase an 0.5. Max .26 4-stroke engine - a jewel of a power plant. In short, you will find Yankee Mike an easy-to-build, good looking Sunday fun flier. While not a primary trainer, Yankee Mike can easily be flown by anyone on their second airplane. By the way, the name Yankee Mike conies from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetics for the initials of my wife, Young Mi.

One of the neat things about basing a design on civil aircraft from the Golden Age is that full-scale construction methods, to a large extent, are mirrored in the model aircraft. Thus, the model can quite easily get the look and feel of its full-size inspiration without a lot of exotic shop procedures. Yankee Mike is straightforward construction of balsa, plywood, and a bit of spruce, with the normal iron-on coverings. The flying wires are for show only, with the wing top wires remaining permanently attached to the wing structure. The wing bottom wires are attached to the underside of the fuselage with two screws at the field once the wing is in place.

The landing gear is strong, with three 1/8 in music wire legs soldered together and situated far enough ahead to essentially prevent nose-overs, and ground-looping hasn't yet happened to me with this model. The large, 3 in main wheels are ideal for grass runways, just like on the 'real ones'. The shoulder-mounted wing provides an almost foolproof method to properly mount and align the wing, as it lies flat on the top of the plywood fuselage sides. The only bit of extra work is the barn door ailerons, but the visual effect is well worth the effort. Somehow strip ailerons just didn't fit with the Yankee Mike theme. So, without further ado, let's get started on construction.

General: There is nothing unusual in Yankee Mike's construction. Make your decision early on as to the power plant for mounting location and cowling planning. The prototype used an upright D.S. Max .25 2-stroke engine, and the second model used a side-mounted O.S. Max .26 4-stroke power plant. The .26 4-stroke provides plenty of power, and I find spend a lot of my time cruising around at half throttle. The sound of the 4-stroke really 'completes the picture' of Yankee Mike. Perhaps the only downside of the 4-stroke is that the engine is so quiet; if anyone else is flying, I have a hard time even hearing if the engine is running! As with any model, try to build as light as possible..."

Supplementary file notes

Article pages text and pics, thanks to davidterrell80.

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