Scooty (oz9494)

About this Plan

Scooty. Aerobatic slope soarer model, for 2 channel radio.

Quote: "I'd like to begin by giving some background on the Scooty and its creation, so that you might better understand this design and its versatility. The glider was conceived to meet the needs of the intermediate R/C sailplaner. More specifically, it was to be a progression glider for a very close friend of mine who wanted to move up from a rudder and elevator ship to an aileron and elevator one. Lewis Dehan, the fellow for whom I was designing, was addicted to slope flying. And we wanted a machine to fill a big gap - we wanted a glider that would sustain altitude in light air, be fairly docile to handle, and have a wide speed range so as not to get blown off the hill when the lift started getting good and yet be able to slow down for landings that wouldn't tax the pilot's nerves. Well, as I think back on it, that was a big order to fill.
First, I wanted a light wing loading but not too light, about 10 to 12 ounces per square foot. I felt that the wing loading was important because of the very nature of heavily loaded ships. Gliders that carry heavy wing loadings have to cruise fairly fast and that in itself can be unsettling to an intermediate flier. Moreover, they inevitably have much more inertia - which is neat for carrying through maneuvers but can also make a nice neat pile of scrap on impact with the ground. So it was felt that in order to keep the cruise and stall speeds within an acceptable level, the wing loading must be rather light for a slope ship.
Throughout the design I was, of course, concerned with the appeal of the glider. Above all, however, I wanted a fuselage with low profile drag, and that dictated that it must be narrow and svelte. As for the wing, a reasonable aspect ratio and an airfoil that developed good CL without a large negative pitching moment, a low drag bucket and a modest profile would, I hoped, give the Scooty the ability to stay up in light air. By minimizing drag, the penetration would also be there when it was needed. I picked the Eppler 180 airfoil for the wing..."

Scooty, MAN, October 1981.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction