Ugly Duckling (oz8382)

About this Plan

Ugly Duckling. CO2 sport model.

Quote: "Short On Beauty, Long On Stable Flights. Ugly Duckling, by Tully Adler.

WITH the introduction of the CO2 motors a new phase of model building came into being. Ugly Duckling is a 22-inch model that was designed around the OK CO2 motor. As a sport flyer it is excellent. It has turned in consistent flights of two and three minutes, which is very good for a model of this size.

The body is a pod-and-boom which should prove very simple to build. The pod is made of two pieces of 1/8 sheet balsa laminated together for maximum strength. Mark off the outline of the window on both sides of the pod, and either cover with tin foil or paint the section aluminum. Cut out the capsule holder slot in the pod to fit the holder. Drill the four 1/8 in diameter holes as shown on the plans, for the rubber bands. Before cementing the two halves of the pod together, insert the .031 landing gear wire and then glue the two halves together securely.

The boom is a piece of 1/4 x 1/4 hard balsa cemented to the top of the pod. Make sure the boom is straight and without worm holes. This will insure a strong boom and a flexible one to absorb shocks.

The two rudders are of 1/8 sheet balsa of streamlined shape. Sand the two rudders and make sure they match each other. The elevator is a piece of 1/8 sheet balsa sanded to an airfoil shape similar to the Clark Y. Cement the rudders to the elevator and set aside to dry while you are working on the wing.

The wing ribs are cut from 1/16 sheet balsa, except the center-section ribs, which are made up of 1/8 sheet balsa. Make two of every rib including the center-section rib.

The wing is a piece of soft sheet balsa 1/16 x 3 x 22 in. Mark off the position of each rib on each wing half and cement the ribs in place. Hold down each rib with pins to maintain the airfoil shape while drying. There are two inches of dihedral under each wing tip. Slant the center section ribs so that when the two wing halves are joined they form a perfect butt joint.

Cement the boom on the pod, and the tail surfaces to the rear part of the boom, as shown on the plans. Cement the boom to the wing so the leading edge of the wing at the center section is directly in line with the rear of the cabin window. The motor mount wedges are made of hard balsa and cemented to both sides of the pod. Sand the wedges to shape before cementing them to the pod.

The wheel pant is composed of four pieces of 1/8 sheet balsa laminated together. The two center pieces are cut out to allow 1/16 clearance around the wheel. The .031 landing gear wire is bent to form the axle for the single wheel landing gear. Cement the four pieces of the pant together and sand to a streamlined shape.

Before mounting the motor apply two coats of clear dope to the model and then add one coat of colored dope. Ugly Duckling has a blue body and elevator and an orange wing and rudders. Mount CO, motor and holder and insert a discharged capsule for balancing and gliding. Balance at 1/3 the wing chord at the center section.

Test glide in tall grass to get the re-quired glide. A straight glide with no turns was found to be just the ticket. When flown under power the model turned to the right in a wide climbing spiral."

Ugly Duckling by Tully Adler, from March 1949 Air Trails Pictorial.

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