Licorice Stick (oz9386)

About this Plan

Licorice Stick. Nationals winning open rubber model.

Quote: "THIS MODEL is the latest in a line going back over 10 years. Its forerunners have won many competitions, usually in circumstances where all the models in the fly-off have been timed to the ground within sight of the timekeepers.

The model I used at the Nats was built two years ago, and was intended to have an off-set wing, similar to my indoor models and Wakefields, but I could not get it to turn properly on the glide, so a week before the event I put some extra centre rib stiffening in the wing, and moved the wing to a central position. It now turned easily on the glide. I also (out of idle curiosity) tried for fit an old nose block and propeller from a previous model at least 10 years old, and amazingly it fitted perfectly, so off to Chobham to try it. It was immediately apparent that this model was something special, gliding as well as my earlier models, but the climb was something else! The prop turned so slowly, yet it climbed almost inexorably, and to heights on half-turns that was greater than some models on full turns.

In the National's 37-man fly-off, held at 8.30pm, the conditions were ideal; practically no drift and as near still air as one can get. All models were timed for their true duration; all flew in the same air space, and landed just a few hundred yards from the launch point.

Having done so much indoor work in the last 3-4 years, I found it hard work to wind such a large rubber motor, and by the time I was ready to launch, many of the models were already well up, with props folded in the glide, all swarming overhead like a cloud of gnats! Licorice Stick steadily climbed well past all other models and when the prop folded two minutes later, was nearly half as high again as its rivals; it landed for a flight of 9:09, a minute and a half ahead of its nearest rival..."

Licorice Stick, Aeromodeller, November 1974.

Update 22/01/2018: Replaced this plan with a clearer copy, thanks to DBHL, theshadow.

Scan from DBHL, cleanup by theshadow.

ref DBHL-6801.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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