Pirate III (oz7962)

About this Plan

Pirate III. Radio control model. Classic CL design, here updated for RC.

Quote: "Twin-tailed full house multi: Logictrol, .45 to .60 power. Greases itself through the maneuvers - lovely to see! The Pirate III, by Nick Ziroli.

If you have grown up with model airplanes as I have, the Pirate (oz6498) should not be unfamiliar to you. This design by Don McGovern is as up to date today as it was when it was originated over twenty-three years ago.

The first Pirate prototype took shape in a freezing barrack at Freeman Field, Indiana, in the winter of 1944, designed lean and skinny to hide in a Cadet's meager foot-locker home, for all else was subject to white-glove daily inspections. Some poor confused electrician is still trying to figure what happened to the panel of wallboard he removed. It seems Don happened by, saw it as the solution to his problems, crammed the excess crumbs into the pot-bellied coal stove and built happily ever after. Sized and colored to make an olive-drab false bottom to hide the ship abuilding.

Two more Forster .29 Pirates were built at wars end, spanning 32 in, equipped with night flying lights. Twin 40 in .60 Super Cyclone Pirates were built in 1941, likewise equipped with a full set of night flying lights, landing lights and of course, the ignition system of the day. The ships were flown with an adjustable pitch prop, on lines as long as 125 feet. Modern controline stunt designs are somewhat slower. The Pirates flew at 90 mph or better, and once took second in a speed contest, clocking 104 mph.

The smaller B version appeared in the September 1946 issue of Model Craftsman magazine, while the .60 Pirate became a very popular Enterprise kit. If memory serves us, the span was clipped to 36 in, for the kit version. Construction of this larger Pirate was generally similar to this R/C version, planked fuselage, built-up and sheeted wing, ailerons (for manual trim) and a built-up sliding canopy. Window areas were framed with aluminum sheet.

I built several of these larger kit Pirates. Their performance and ap-pearance was always outstanding. The Pirate has a classic look about it that I have never been able to get out of my system.

This is why I decided to re-design the Pirate for full house R.C., with Don's blessing, for he too was dying to see the old bird fly on the loose. Thus the name 'Pirate III'. The third major Pirate design, and for class III Multi. Very little re-designing was found to be necessary, as the original proportions proved to be almost identical with what. I desired. It was simply a job of scaling up the drawings and applying more or less standard R/C construction practices.

Performance with a Super Tiger .45 and Logitrol is a real pleasure. Ground handling is good, takeoffs and landings are trouble free. The Pirate, due to its clean lines and fairly light weight will fly very fast, even on a .45 when wide open, yet throttled back it can be kept under complete control while flying at slow speeds. With the larger engines and in capable hands it would be possible to perform just about any maneuver desired. I would consider a .46 as minimum power.

It was intended that a Super Tiger .51 be used in the original model. Since this engine was tied up in another plane, I built it around the .45, thinking they were dimensionally the same. The night before the test flights prepared to mount the .51 and found that the spinner backplate sticks out 1/2 beyond the nose. So, back to the .45.

The day of test flights dawned cold and windy, very windy for an untested and possibly underpowered plane..."

Hi Mary/Steve - Here is Nick Ziroli's Pirate III from Flying Models magazine issue 05-67.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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Article pages, text and pics.

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