1909 Sig Demoiselle RC Airplane Kits
A superb, fun to build semi-scale RC airplane kit for indoor flying!
Santos Dumont
The Demoiselle (or "young lady") was the world's first ultralight aircraft. Designed and first flown in France in 1907 by the famous Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos Dumont, the tiny Demoiselle aircraft weighed only 315 lbs, and was powered by a 20 horsepower motor.
Demoiselle in flight
The design of the Demoiselle was unique, using bamboo rods and silk to achieve its light weight. While these construction methods were quite unusual, the success of the Demoiselle had an impact on many aircraft designers throughout Europe in those early years of flight. Take a view at the RC plane plans Blackburn 1912 Model D monoplane, designed and constructed just five years after the Demoiselle.
1912 Blackburn RC plane from CAD plans
The 1912 RC airplane plans Blackburn Type D monoplane was designed in the same time period as the Demoiselle, and shows similar flight characteristics. Buy a set of CAD construction RC model plane plans for a great flying RC model of the Blackburn plans with FREE SHIPPING!
Quicksilver ultralight in flight
Today's popular ultralight aircraft can trace their ancestry directly back to the visionary work of Santos Dumont over a century ago.
The Sig Demoiselle RC Airplane Kits
Sig Demoiselle plane front view
The Sig Manufacturing Company makes a superb RC model airplanes kits of the Demoiselle, which can be constructed for indoor radio control flight. The Sig Demoiselle RC airplane kits contains detailed plans, assembly instructions and laser cut balsa, plywood and bamboo parts.
Top view of Sig Demoiselle RC airplane kits, the ultimate park flyer
In addition, the RC airplane kits includes specialized covering material, simulated rigging, pull-pull control lines, wheels and hardware. Sig also lists additional items to complete the aircraft, most of them available on the Sig website, to include an electric motor, electronic speed control, rechargeable flight batteries and glue. The Spektrum radio is ideal for this airplane. You will see other well built Demoiselles at the E-Fest airplane show.
Video of Sig Demoiselle showing unique control surface arrangement followed by the Demoiselle in flight
Construction of the Sig Demoiselle RC Airplane Kits
Demoiselle fuselage being built over plans
Sig provides a complete and detailed series of plans, laser cut parts and a construction manual for the Demoiselle RC airplane kits. The Demoiselle radio control model airplanes kits is intended for intermediate skill level builders and flyers, and should not be considered as one's first RC airplane kits. That being said, the kit building instructions provide a complete overview of the very unique construction methods required for this one of a kind scale RC airplane. Some details of the Demoiselle RC model airplane building process follow.
The open bay, triangular fuselage (bamboo rods in the original aircraft for strength and light weight) is constructed in the scale RC airplane mainly by 1/8" square balsa and thin plywood reinforcement. Note the fuselage is built directly on the RC airplane kits plans.
Demoiselle wing uses leading and trailing edge balsa dowels for light weight and strength
The RC airplane kits Demoiselles's wings are designed with a system of 1/4" balsa dowels for the leading and trailing edges, with 1/8" balsa ribs forming the airfoil. The balsa dowels plug into lightweight aluminum tubes in the fuselage to allow removal of the wings for ease of transport. The wing is built directly over the model's full size RC airplane kits plans.
Completed Demoiselle RC airplane kits fuselage and wing frames
The completed balsa and plywood fuselage and wing frames of the Demoiselle are functional, strong and very light. In short, perfect design and construction for this unique model of a unique airplane, well ahead of its time when first flown at the dawn of the 20th century.
Continue to page 2 of Demoiselle construction and flight information
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