Marionette (oz9640)

About this Plan

Marionette. Radio control sport biplane model, for .61 power.

Quote: "BIPLANES always remind me of the pioneering days of flight, when men took to the air in frail contraptions of wood, wire and cloth. I wanted to experience what I could of those days, by building and flying a R/C model of a similar machine. However, as our club field is all grass, and my flying and landings are not always of the highest standard, I decided something more robust, but still retaining a 1930s atmosphere, was required. Marionette was born of the need to look like something made from sticks and string, yet having the ability to survive plenty of punishment.

I searched through my copies of RCME for ideas and found Don Stothers 'Clown' to be close to my ideal, particularly in the strength of the fuselage, but the quoted performance seemed rather too lively for my taste. So I took Don's design for the front of the fuselage and added my own thoughts for the rest - open structure to the rear of the cockpit, a long tail moment and much greater wing span, with plenty of area to give a good slow-flying ability and low landing speed. The result was a model which has exceeded all my expectations. It performs very well at 'scale' speeds, is very stable, yet when the throttle is opened up will manage a fair selection of acrobatic manoeuvres.

It is great fun to fly and always impresses the crowds at displays. Last but not least it is really rugged, having flown most weekends for nearly two years without suffering more than the occasional kink in the undercarriage. Construction: I make no claims to originality in the methods of construction, which are very conventional. Adequate strength has been designed into all the components, so do not be tempted to 'beef it up in any way. The recommended sequence of construction is detailed on the plan for those parts which require it, so I will only add a few points of interest..."

Marionette, RCM&E, April 1978.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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