First Appeared in: RCM&E February 2009 Issue Name: Zulu E Model type: Civil style sportster Designed by: Lindsay Todd Wingspan: 48” (1219mm) Fuselage length: 36.6” (930mm) Wing area: 2.9sq. ft. (0.3sq. m) All-up weight: 3 lb (1.4kg) Wing loading: 16.5oz / sq. ft. (5kg / sq. m) Functions (servos): Ailerons (1); elevator (1); rudder (1); throttle (via ESC) Deflections: Ailerons ±0.6” (15mm); elevator ±0.6 (15mm); rudder ±1.4 (35mm) Motor/prop used: E-flite Park 480 / APC 10 x 4.7 ESC used: Tornado 40A Battery used: 3-cell 2100m Ah Li-Po Zulu EWhen penning Zulu E my self-imposed design brief was to produce an electric powered, traditionally built sports model that had the character of a scale light aircraft, trainer-like handling & the strength to cope with everyday flying from a grass strip. The finished article incorporates inspiration from all sorts of full-size aircraft, particularly home-builts. When bouncing the design around in my mind I also had to consider the power system, using the 100W/lb rule of thumb. Moreover, I didn’t want things to get too expensive, so I decided to base the system around a 3-cell 2000m Ah Li-Po. With a target flight duration of 7
- 10 minutes & the complete model hopefully weighing under 3 lb (1.4kg), I calculated that an E-flite Park 480 motor / APC 10 x 4.7” prop combination would be ideal, supplied via a Tornado 40A ESC.
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First Appeared in: RCM&E April 2009 Issue Name: Propellosaurus Model type: Electric-powered pterosaur Designed by: Cyril Carr Wingspan: 39” (991mm) Body length: 41” (1041mm) Wing area: 2.7sq. ft (0.25sq. m) approx. All-up weight: 14oz (0.4kg) Wing loading: 5.2oz / sq. ft. (1.6kg / sq. m) Functions (servos): Elevator (1); rudder (1); throttle (ESC) Deflections: Elevator ±0.6” (15mm) at rear of skin Rudder ±0.8” (20mm) at rearmost point C of G: 2.75” (70mm) behind the joint between body & neck Rec’d powertrain: 1500k V brushless outrunner (50
- 80W), 15A brushless ESC, 3s 1p 350 – 700m Ah Li-Po Materials required: Three sheets of 6mm Depron (1m x 0.8m); 50mm pink foam; UHU Por; carbon fibre rod Pterosaurs (wing reptiles) were close relatives of the dinosaurs & existed over the Mesozoic era, which covers the Triassic, Jurassic & Cretaceous periods, i.e. between 245 & 65 million years ago. Presumably they suffered the same fate as the dinosaurs, with the arrival of a major climatic change. The earliest discoveries of fossil remains date back to 1784 but it wasn’t until the 19th century that the reptilian nature of the creature was established. The skeletal structure showed that the 4th finger was very elongated & supported a wing, & as a result they were called Pterodactylus (wingfinger). Further study has confi rmed that they were remarkable reptiles with large brains & very effective lungs & circulatory systems, making them highly specialised flying creatures. They were able to flap & soar in the turbulent skies of ancient times & would have been quite a terrifying sight. Many varieties have been found, with sizes ranging from the wingspan of a sparrow to Quetzalcoatlus at 50’ (15.2m). Their skulls & teeth evolved to specialise on the type of food that was available, ranging from fi sh to carrion. Many of them had projections from the skull that may have functioned as an aerodynamic balance for the head, or for steering, or possibly making noise. Apparently winged reptiles were very efficient flyers, a characteristic that seems to have been transferred to the model.
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First Appeared in: RCM&E May 2009 Issue Name: Stunt Monkey Modeltype: 3D electric Designed by: Julian Beckett Wingspan: 35” (889mm) Wing area: 2.18sq. ft. (0.2 sq. m) All-up weight: 5.2oz (148g) Wing loading: 2.5oz / sq. ft. Functions (servos): Ailerons (1); elevator (1); rudder (1); throttle (via ESC). Rec’d powertrain: AXI 2204/54; 8
- 10 amp ESC; 8 x 3.8” prop; 400
- 600m Ah 2s Li-Po Stunk Monkey Our first indoor meeting of the season was an annoyingly quiet one for me this year, as a rummage through the pile of tatty foamies in my workshop yielded not a single toy in fl ying condition. It was no use
- I’d have to build a new ‘un, but what? The criteria had to be fairly simple. A model of 30
- 35” (760
- 890mm) span, powered by a 2s Li-Po of around 400m Ah & a brushless outrunner. Three 5g servos on aileron, elevator & rudder, carbon bracing & pushrods, & weighing in the region of 5oz (140g). Not exactly rocket science in leccy model terms these days, but still very relevant for anyone who enjoys indoor aerobatic aircraft. Nothing really took my fancy commercially, with a long list of ‘been there, done that’ airframes, leaving me with little option but to put pen to paper. After a few pleasant evenings sketching ideas out on sheets of A4, I transferred the design via my scanner to Adobe Illustrator where I could scale it up or down, stretch it, squash it & fi nally redraw it accurately, incorporating the slots & tabs that would be needed to glue it all together. In this regard I have to take my hat off to the work of Tim Hart at the Foamy Factory, as I could fi nd no better way of jointing the fuselage than his slot-&-tab method. Up close & personal. Positioning for the hand catch. Absolutely de rigueur for indoor one-upmanship. Mind that prop though, it gives a healthy nip!




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First Appeared in: RCM&E June Issue Name: Beretta Model type: EDF park jet Designed by: Dave Royds Wingspan: 40” (1016mm) Fuselage length: 41” (1041mm) Wing area: 2.1sq. ft. All-up weight: 35
- 45oz (1
- 1.3kg) Wing loading: 16.5
- 21.5oz / sq. ft. (5
- 6.6kg / sq. m) Functions (servos): Ailerons (2); elevator (1); rudder (1); throttle (via ESC) Rec’d powertrain: 70mm We Mo Tec 480 Minifan; HET 2W- 20 motor; 60A ESC; 3s 2500
- 3300m Ah Li-Po (20C min) Beretta EDF Park Jet Advances in brushless motor & Li-Po battery technology have made a huge impact to the popularity of Electric Ducted Fan models. With batteries now capable of providing massive amounts of power for their diminutive size, & motors spinning faster than ever thought imaginable, there’s been no better time to enter the world of the electric jet. Although not aimed at the outright novice, Beretta’s low wing loading offers a wide & safe speed range that’s ideal for sport fl ying. Moreover, the more experienced fl yer can use a hotter powertrain, which will provide unlimited vertical acceleration & ‘seat of the pants’ performance. Constructed from tough EPP foam & utilising full span carbon wing tubes, Beretta should prove a little more robust than your average foamy, whilst its removable wings make it compact enough to fi t inside the smallest family hatchback... a true pocket rocket! Bags of wing area & large control surfaces make this model a real delight to fly. My simple take-off dolly is fabricated from 20mm plastic water pipe & leftover undercarriage assemblies. While a little larger than the average park jet, Beretta dismantles to fi t in a small hatchback.




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First Appeared in: RCM&E July 2009 Issue Name: Roamer Model type: Vintage R/CDesigned by: Cal Smith / Peter Miller Wingspan: 62” Fuselage length: 45.5” Wing area: 666 sq. in. All-up weight: 5 lbs Wing loading: 17oz / sq. ft. Functions (servos): Rudder (2); elevator (1); throttle (1);optional nose wheel steering (1) Rec’d engine. 25 two-stroke;. 30 four-stroke Roamer Peter Miller Rejuvenates One Of Cal Smith’s Classic Designs To Create A Model That’s Perfect For Long Summer Evenings... Better Get Building! Hot Metal You can make ballast blocks by pouring molten lead into moulds carved into blocks of wood. The moulds need to be tapered so you can get the lead out again, but more importantly the wood should be as dry as possible: damp wood will make the lead spit back, & hot lead will cause serious burns. Be warned, then, & protect yourself with thick leather gloves & safety goggles at the very least. If you have any doubts about casting lead weights, you can make up blocks by cutting sheet lead into small pieces & gluing them together. If you need some lead sheet, try scrounging it from your friendly local roofi ng contractor. ...

First Appeared in: RCM&E November 2009 Issue Name: Colomban Luciole Model type: Scale home-built Designed by: Peter Miller Wingspan: 60” Fuselage length: 431/4” Wing area: 348 sq. in. All-up weight: 64oz Wing loading: 261/2oz / sq. ft. Functions (servos): Rudder (1); elevator (1); throttle (1); aileron (2); flap (2) Rec’d engine. 18
-. 21 two-stroke, or possibly a good. 15 for flying in light winds. FAST & FRUGALThe first thing that strikes you about the Luciole is the very high aspect ratio of the wing: with a span of 221/2ft but a chord of just 26in, the wing looks like a ruler. Most of the trailing edge is taken up with very large fl aps, but the wingspan means that the small ailerons out at the tips have plenty of leverage! Between them, the flaps & ailerons take up almost a third of the chord, but the tail does better still since it has all-fl ying surfaces. The construction of the MC30 would look very familiar to most model aircraft builders, with spars, foam ribs, leading edge sheeting, cap strips & a fuselage with ply sides, a ply bottom & a stringered turtle deck. However, the lightness of this construction, when coupled with the Briggs & Stratton 650cc OHV V-twin engine, allows the Luciole to cruise at 105mph while sipping just five litres of fuel every hour. With an endurance of five hours you can do some serious travelling in this aircraft. Richard suggested that I build a model of the Luciole but I took one look at the three views & said, “ No thanks!” That wing just didn’t look suitable for the size of model that I’d build. A couple of evenings later, however, I made a few calculations & realised that it would be possible. Article in November 2009 RCM&E
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First Appeared in: RCM&E December 2009 Issue Name: Ultimate 20-300 Model type: 3D / sport aerobat Designed by: Dave Royds Wingspan: 39” (991mm) Fuselage length: 47” (1194mm) Wing area: 4.3sq. ft. (0.4 sq. m) All-up weight: 35
- 50oz (1
- 1.4kg) Wing loading: 8
- 11oz / sq. ft. (2.4
- 3.3kg / sq. m) Functions (servos): Rudder (1); elevator (1); aileron (2); throttle (via ESC); Rec’d motor: Hacker A30-16M / Tornado 4240 Not content with the performance of his full-size Pitts Special, Canadian Aerobatic Champion Gordon Price decided to modify it like no other. Such was the interest for his bespoke Pitts components, Gordon went into production & the Ultimate Aircraft Company was born. As his product line expanded the next logical step was to produce a complete airframe, & his diminutive 10-100 bipe hit the market. Following the success of the little home-built, Gordon returned his sights to the aerobatic scene & produced a series of high performance aircraft, culminating in the fl agship 300hp, Lycomingpowered muscle bipe
- the Ultimate. Despite the Ultimate gaining in popularity & the order book fi lling up, the company hit diffi culties, forcing its doors to be closed less than a decade after it all began.WILD BLUE Although the day of the maiden dawned with a beautiful blue sky, previous days of torrential rain had turned the runway into a mud bath. Not wanting the risk a nose-over so early in the day, I decided to bite the bullet & go for a h&-launch. Gripping the top wing & with a gentle underarm push, the Ultimate eased skyward. After a few test circuits to adjust the trims, it was time to see what she could do. Throttling up into wind & pulling back on the elevator soon had the Ultimate climbing vertically
- gaining a little height & kicking the rudder & elevator over produces a very scale spin; adding a little opposite aileron levels the wings & reduces the rate of descent as she pulls into a controlled, fl at spin. Releasing the sticks & dipping the nose pulls her straight out without any over-rotation or control surface stall. Very nice. Although not designed as an out-&-out 3D machine, she’ll still handle the basic staple manoeuvres with relative ease. Prop-hanging & torque rolling requires very little in the way of corrective input, whilst walls, harriers & elevators are effortless with minimal signs of wing-rock. Knife-edge & hesitation rolls require a few degrees of top rudder to keep the nose up at low speed, but as speed increases the large side area of the fuselage keeps it tracking on the straight & level. Slow speed manners are quite exemplary; inducing a stall merely slows her to a crawl followed by a gradual, controlled descent, needing only a blip of the throttle to return to fl ying speed. Subsequent to the initial fl ights with the Hacker 16M, substituting the motor for the Tornado 4240 defi nitely upped the Ultimate’s aerobatic performance; while she’s never going to be rocket ship, the difference in acceleration & vertical punch-out were defi nitely noticeable. Article in December 2010 RCM&E





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Designer: Mal Shepherd Name: Red Ned Model type: Motor glider Wingspan: 110.5" Fuselage length: 52.75" Wing area: 4 lbs 4oz Wing Loading: 11.5oz / sq ft Functions: (Servos): Aileron (2); throttle (1) rudder (1), throttle (1) Rec'd engine. 25 cu. in two stroke Featured in the May 2010 Issue of RCM&E. A 110.5” SPAN MOTOR GLIDER FOR. 25 cu. in ENGINES ...

Name: Harmony Model Type: Sports Aerobatic Designed By: Peter Miller Wingspan: 42" Fuselage Length: 35" Wing Area: 330 sq. in. All Up-Weight: 46oz Wing Loading: 20oz / sq. ft. Functions Servos: Aileron (1), Elevator (1), Rudder (1), Throttle (1) Rec'd engine. 20-.25 cu.in two-stroke A few flights later, the engineseemed to be gaining some power, whereupon I was really able todemonstrate what a handy littlemodel th is is, fly ing inverted, performing some passable squareloops & tidy vertical flick rolls. Andin the depths of winter, of course, thefact that the Harmony is a little modelis a real advantage, as I can fit herinto even my tiny car in one piece! Iheartily suggest you build your own Harmony, & if you fit a. 25 you 'llhave an aerobat that looks terrific andis capable of doing the book. Article in June 2010 RCM&E ...

Name: Rivets Model type: Semi-scale racer Designed by: Tim Hooper Wingspan: 36" Fuselage length: 34" Wing area: 238 sq. in. All-up weight: 290z Wing loading: 180z / sq. ft. Functions (servos): Aileron (1); elevato r (1); rudder (1); throttle (via ESC) Powertrain: Typhoon 15/10; APC-E 8 x 6" prop; 3s 1800m Ah Li-Po Article in July 2010 RCM&E ...