Saturn SE (oz9008)

About this Plan

Saturn SE. Radio control pattern plane. Wingspan 64 in, wing area 724 sq in. For .60 power with tuned pipe.

Quote: "Saturn has been a formidable entry in international competition for several years. Now its designer reveals all the modifications that have kept him and his model in the top group of pattern flyers.

It's been five years since the original Saturn appeared on the pages of Model Airplane News in the October 1975 issue. A lot of experimenting and testing has been done in order to improve the design, not to mention the one hundred or so flights that I've flown at contests both locally and on the international level. It would be difficult to estimate the exact number of total flights, but judging from the number of empty gallon cans that I have had to get rid of over the years, I would say a thousand or more.

The basic design remains the same. The Saturn is an excellent performer, but refinements to it have made an already top performer even better.

There have been many requests for the changes I've made, so I felt that the time was right to make a new drawing incorporating them all and, with the cooperation of Model Airplane News, have it published in order to share with as many people as possible some of the experiences and expertise I've gained over the years from flying pattern competitions. The following is a closer look at the Saturn SE.

Let's start with the wing. The aileron has been changed in size for several reasons. First, I wanted to use 1/4 in od aluminum tubing for the torque rod. Because the original aileron measured only 1 inch in width, the wing thickness at this point was not enough to accommodate the larger diameter torque rod; the obvious thing to do was to increase the aileron width to 1-3/8 and also make it a little shorter to maintain approximately the same aerodynamic area. Since the portion of the aileron closest to the fuselage is rather ineffective, the use of a shorter and wider aileron, which is also easier to make and keep straight, made the whole thing a good idea all around. I would like to strongly recommend that a torque rod such as the one I have illustrated on the plans be used rather than piano wire. The 1/4 in tubing is much stiffer and therefore helps prevent the possibility of one of the pattern airplane's worst enemies, namely aileron flutter.

In order to save weight, cutouts were made on the wing as per the plans. This should save 4-5 ounces on the weight of the wing, providing 1/64 plywood is used for covering. If 1/16 balsa sheeting is chosen for the wing, don't forget to make the templates smaller top and bottom in order for the wing to come out the right size..."

Saturn SE, MAN, October 1980.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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