Fletcher FU 24-950 (oz9551)

About this Plan

Fletcher FU 24-950. Scale model for radio control.

Quote: "The Fletcher Fu 24 was designed by John Thorp, of the Fletcher Aviation Corp. of California, and was developed to meet the requirements of the New Zealand agricultural industry. The first Fletcher arrived in NZ in 1954, and this aircraft is still in operation today, after many years of accident free service. In 1965, all manufacturing rights were purchased by Air Parts (NZ) Ltd. and production has continued ever since, subsequently by NZ Aerospace Inds, and now by The Pacific Aerospace Corp.

The Fletcher is a low wing monoplane of all metal, semi-monocoque construction, built on the stressed skin principle. Original power was a 225 HP Continental but the Lycoming 10-720 400 HP is now standard on the Fu-24-950. Wingspan is 42 feet; length 31 feet, 10 inches; height 9 feet, 4 inches; and wing area, 294 square feet. Maximum payload is 2320 pounds. The Fletcher is the predominant type in use by aerial application companies in New Zealand, and currently outnumbers all other types combined. Fletchers have also been exported to such countries as Australia and Pakistan. Its exceptionally good flying qualities and short strip handling ability contribute greatly to its outstanding success as an agricultural aircraft.

The model. After getting past the basic learning stage of flying a four channel R/C trainer type, my thoughts soon turned to building a scale model. The Fletcher Fu-24 came to mind, which I recognized as being a very suitable subject with its big wing to keep the wing loading down for easy flying. The flight characteristics proved to be outstanding, and it looks just like the real thing in the air.

Working from 3-views in Australian Modeller magazine, a scale of 1-1/2 inch = 1 foot (1/8 scale) was decided on to suit my OS .40. This yielded quite a large 63 inch span model, with plenty of wing area. I duplicated the rigging angles of the full-size with right thrust plus lots of down thrust and two degrees positive wing incidence. This worked perfectly.

I had quite a few firsts when building this model, including first time at molding in fiberglass, my first molded canopy, and my first attempt at putting a really good finish on a model. All were very successful... After removing the lead from the nose the model flew perfectly. The only other change necessary being a slight alteration to the aileron trim.

This model was damaged beyond repair on its 28th flight when radio contact was lost with it - possibly interference. Of course the radio functioned perfectly afterwards. A second model was soon started, using the undamaged tail surfaces from the first one. This is the one in the photographs, and is now five years old and still flying perfectly. Just recently I built a hopper into it so I can spray with it, using talcum powder for the dust. This is detailed on the plans and is well worth the little added effort.

Construction. This is a model for the experienced builder..."

Fletcher FU-24, Flying Models, July 1983.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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