Knight Twister Imperial (oz7932)

About this Plan

Knight Twister Imperial. Giant scale model. One third scale biplane racer. Wing area 1,505 sq in.

Quote: "One of the all-time greats of the Golden Age, in a fabulous model.

THERE CAN BE no denying the appeal of a biplane. For sure, nostalgia is a primary reason for their attraction. To fly in a full-size biplane is to awaken senses we never knew existed. The sound, feel, and environ-ment are addictive to us. My love affair with biplanes began when, for a few bucks, my father placed me in the hands of a barnstormer pilot at a State Fair in California. I was 6 years old and I shall remember it always - the sing of the wires, the rush of air, the joy of flying. Like so many other airplane enthusiasts, I had an eye for one particular airplane for many years. I had seen it in California years ago and the sight of it stuck in my mind like a rivet. It was the sleekest, most appealing airplane I'd ever seen, and, like a passing fantasy, was gone before I could really scrutinize it up close. It was a Knight Twister.

When the time came, I obtained my pilot's license and, like so many others, skirted the clouds and chased the wind in Cubs, Taylorcrafts, and Cessnas, trying to fulfill a need, if only imaginary, to be at the controls of a Knight Twister.

There are those who say that modelers are actually full-scale pilots flying in a smaller world and a different dimension. I would agree with that and would also add that modelers in many respects enjoy an added dimension, that of observation. When I fly any of my models, I try to place myself in the cockpit and live out my fantasy for flying that particular aircraft in full-scale. Perhaps that is why I enjoy scale modeling so much. It gives me the opportunity to fly anything I wish, my imagination being the only barrier. With the Knight Twister at my command, I have the best of both worlds, full-scale and modeling.

This model is 1/3 scale, meaning that it is dimensionally one-third the size of the actual aircraft. This places it in the giant-scale category, however it is very manageable and will fit, disassembled, in almost any station wagon. Because it has no fussy flying wires to worry about, assembly at the field takes only a few minutes. And, when you arrive at the field, I can assure you that it will garner a lot of attention. It's just that kind of airplane.

Last month I gave you a history of the Knight Twister and also a set of four-view drawings for documentation. If you're now ready, let's get to building it.

CONSTRUCTION. It is absolutely essential that you build this model as light as possible. The ideal flying weight is between 12 and 15 pounds, which will give you something in the range of 24 ounces per square foot wing loading. In order to do this, some careful thinking must go into the structure. You'll notice on the plans that I used Magnalite from Bob Violett Models for all of the bulkheads. Use of this material will easily save you as much as 2 pounds weight. It is also very strong and vibration absorbent..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 05/08/2016: article pages, text & pics added, thanks to RFJ.

Supplementary file notes

Article.
Cutaway drawing, thanks to Nigel.

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