Antique Model Airplanes Make Ideal RC Models
Look to the pioneers of flight for candidate scale RC aircraft
There are a wide variety of aircraft types that can be successfully modeled as RC aircraft. In general, the models of full scale aircraft have similar flight characteristics. Jets tend to fly fast and flying models of acrobatic planes are nimble.
The graceful Antoinette has a narrow fuselage
The same concept holds true for aviation history's antique model airplanes. The aircraft which flew in the first decade after the Wright brothers took to the air at Kitty Hawk in 1903 were made of materials and construction methods which closely follow how we make RC model aircraft today. The wood, wire and fabric coverings present in the early days of flight match almost exactly how we make our balsa and tissue covered RC flyers today. The Experimental Aircraft Association does a superb job of recognizing and restoring historic aircraft, and can provide great inspiration for RC model plane projects.
Rotary engines powered many early aircraft
The primitive engines that powered antique aircraft were woefully underpowered. This meant the full scale aircraft of the day had to have generous wing areas and very light weight structures to successfully get off the ground.
Antique aircraft optimized for slow flight
These attributes - common building materials, favorable wing areas and distinctive open structures lend themselves ideally to producing interesting scale RC aircraft. As discussed earlier, we should expect a CAD radio control model aircraft plan patterned after these early fliers to have similar flight characteristics.
In fact, this is just what occurs. Antique model airplane have a wide variety of designs from which to choose, offer pleasing lines, and are perfectly suited for indoor flight due to the slow flight characteristics that they inherited from their full-scale counterparts. Add in the ability to use the full scale aircraft’s construction methods to a large extent in your model, and you have a path towards a series of exciting and easy to fly indoor model aircraft.
Should you decide to draw up a set of plans for an antique model airplane, the internet offers a great opportunity for research. I use Google image search to begin, and quickly view a wide variety of aircraft types and designs. Once you select the aircraft that best meets your design needs, further refined research can offer much of the detail needed for a scale model.
The Bleriot is a popular subject for RC models, but has a short nose moment
As you select your antique model aircraft subject, keep in mind a few basics that must be followed for any successful RC model. The nose moment should be long enough to properly locate the center of gravity. Some early aircraft have little to no nose moment (distance from the wing’s leading edge to the motor), as the rotary engines were quite heavy for the light weight airframe and could be located near the wing and balance at the proper center of gravity.
Early Bleriot airplane in flight
Matching aircraft size to radio equipment
Ensure the fuselage of your planned model is wide enough for your radio equipment. An antique flyer such as the Antoinette has a very narrow fuselage section, which could present challenges on locating the receiver, battery and servos. Once the nose moment and fuselage dimension requirements of your candidate aircraft are met, other design features (such as wing area, tail length or tail size) can be adjusted as required to provide good model flight characteristics.
A model airplane of an antique flyer will have slow and gentle flight characteristics. It is advisable to have large control surfaces with adequate throw to safely maneuver the model in all phases of flight. With the characteristic slow airspeeds common for aircraft of this period, it is just about impossible to over-control your new model. You will find that it is easy to use just the right amount of control for various phases of flight as you can literally see the model’s reaction to the control input.
Demoiselle RC model airplane
Wing warping and ailerons
Another antique model airplane design feature that can be readily replicated is a lack of ailerons. The first aircraft designers experimented with a wide variety of control features, with wing warping used on many aircraft for roll control. For simple indoor RC aircraft you will find that three channels of control (rudder, elevator and throttle) will work just fine in these cases with no need to incorporate ailerons or a complex wing warping scheme. These aircraft had large wings to produce lift at low airspeeds and to delay aeronautical stall onset.
The Sig Demoiselle is a popular example of an historic airplane with lots of character successfully replicated for indoor RC electric flight. The kit requires some experience to build, but comes with a very complete photo illustrated construction manual.
Plans for the 1912 Blackburn monoplane can be purchased here. Using common building materials and methods, the Blackburn flies on three channels and makes for an easy to build RC model that handles exceptionally well.