Cloud Cruiser (oz8796)

About this Plan

Cloud Cruiser. Radio control sport model. OS Max .60 four-stroke engine shown.

The Ben Shereshaw design Cloud Cruiser (oz1614) was first published in Flying Aces, November 1937, as a free flight power model. This here is a later version, redesigned by Bob Oslan for RC.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 16/6/2022: Added article, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Who can ignore the beauty of this 1937 design by Ben Shereshaw? This beefed-up RC version has rudder, elevator, and engine controls. Author sometimes powers his with an old Super Cyclone and sometimes with a modern OS .60 four-stroke. Build either a two-piece or one-piece wing, depending upon what you have to transport it in. Cloud Cruiser, by Bob Oslan.

FROM SEPTEMBER 1937 to June 1939, Ben Shereshaw had 10 models either pub-lished or kitted. Chances are the list is even longer, but that's all I could find; I don't know about you, but I'm impressed. I've been told that he taught a high school shop class and had his students build his designs. That seems reasonable considering the time it took to hold down a teaching job, crank out model designs, and write accompanying articles. Inasmuch as those were depression years, there was much encouragement to earn extra income; his creativity should have served him well.

If someone out there has knowledge to the contrary regarding Shereshaw's background, they can send a letter to the editor, As for me, I'm sticking with my story. This is the stuff legends are made of (you should see what I can do with a rumor!).

After cranking out a Shereshaw Commodore (oz4715) a few years ago, I began looking for a larger model that would be easier to keep in sight when it hooked one of those Taft boomers. l had already learned to paint the bottom of the wing and stab black for maximum high-altitude visibility. Still, bigger is better, and Shereshaw's Cloud Cruiser was definitely bigger.

My criteria also included attractive lines, and the design had to have a cabin, Incidentally, the cabin has nothing to do with any Old-Timer or Texaco rules. I just happen to like the way they look (something like the Walter Mitty syndrome), though cabins really are problems in crashes. One more criterion cropped up after the project commenced. An 8-ft wing won't fit in a Toyota Celica, so a two piece wing became necessary.

My usual practice with Old-Timers is to stick with the original shapes and redesign the structures. That is what was done with the Cloud Cruiser, except that I made a shape change in the rear of the cabin area. The original was simply gross and didn't lend itself to installing a dowel for wing hold-down rubberbands. There was no such provision in the front of the cabin, either, so I also took care of that. (Back in the good old days, it was fairly common practice to wrap rubberbands completely around the fuselage to hold the wing down. Yuk!)

For those who wish to have a multi-purpose model, be advised that I've provided for removable engine mounts. I use an OS .60 four-stroke for Texaco and Super Cyke on spark ignition for Antique and Class C competition. Since the Cyke has to bust a gut to fly this 6-1/3 lb plane, I'd recommend an Orwick or an Anderson Spitfire for the timed engine run events: I'd use one of these if I had one. With luck you can find a benevolent engine collector who will sell one for less than a house payment. For sport flying, the OS is perfect, especially when it comes to keeping peace with the neighbors. That purring four-stroker is a very friendly engine (without a muffler),

Construction: If you've decided to build this beauty. please study the plans before you start. There isn't anything particularly difficult about it beyond its size. I always find myself hanging large structures into the light over my work table (the kitchen table) or into walls or whatever else I can find to bang things into. When that happens. and I've finished swearing, l dampen the ding with water, and that usually does the trick. If you accumulate dings after doping, you can forget the water trick; you'll need to get out the talc and dope.

In general, construction is quite con-ventional. My comments will be limited to specific areas that have some feature that warrants an explanation.

Fuselage: This is essentially a basic box-and-former arrangement. The top of the cabin instead of being made from 1/4 sq is laminated from two pieces of 1/8 x 1/4. The reason for this is the curve at the rear portion of the cabin. It's easier to bend two small pieces than one big one - stronger, too.

Pay particular attention to the details in the fuse-lage former drawings. You'll see in the areas where the fuselage sides are planked (sheeting is OK if you prefer.) that the 1/8 x 1/4 stringers are laid flat. Where the fuselage is fabric covered, the 1/8 x 1/4 stringers are on edge. This was done to make planking (or sheeting) easier, particularly at contour changes.

The formers in back of the cabin are ellipses. They really look neat when you stand off and admire your handiwork prior to covering. They look lousy after they're covered unless you scallop them between the stringers..."

Supplementary file notes

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