Fugitive (oz9679)

About this Plan

Fugitive. Radio control pattern plane, for .60 power. This design utilizes a jig-built plywood fuselage, with a foam wing.

Quote: "How about trying something different in building techniques and save money at the same time? The Fugitive will do just that. A .60 powered acrobatic design, the Fugitive features a wrapped plywood fuselage. This is a simple and quick jig type construction, insuring accuracy and building ease. This construction is lightweight, extremely strong and very economical.

A good aerobatic airframe must excel in many areas. They must be easy to fly, groove without pitch or roll corrections, and perform well in all types of weathe.r and winds. They must be responsive to controls without being sensitive, and land slowly without any tip stall characteristics. The Fugitive does all of these second to none. Many competition designs weigh from 9 to 10 pounds, thus requiring extremely high powered engines and exotic fuels to pull them through the power maneuvers in the Class D pattern. The Fugitive weighs in at 7-1/4 to 7-3/4 pounds.

In October 1968, RCM published an article (Cunningham on R/C) using 1/32in ply wood for fabricating a fuselage. I applied this technique to one of my own designs with good results; yet the construction technique left much to be desired. After several years and five different aircraft designs, I have most of the construction problems solved. By using my method (a male type building jig) you can build a perfectly aligned fuselage with very little cost, time, or effort.

Don't let the idea of Building a jig scare or discourage you. This jig can be constructed quickly and easily from most any material you have in your shop, 3/4in pine, which is easy to work with and very economical. If you have access to a table saw, this jig can be built in an hour. It can also be used to build a number of fuselages easily modified for different designs. Adjustable bulkhead stations, and clamp arrangements to hold the bulkheads in place, may be incorporated into the jig, but the one I describe is easy to build and use.

If you have decided to give the Fugitive a try, you will not only be satisfied with its flying characteristics, but you may become hooked on plywood as a building product, too. Your flying buddies will think it's fiberglass or plastic but never will they believe it's plywood!

So much for the selling job, now let's proceed with the construction..."

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