Insights on Magazine Model Airplane Plan Publication
Page 2 of 2 - Use your computer to draw magazine CAD plane plans
Model airplane plan publication page 1 2
Yard Ace
In 2005, I started to become interested in indoor RC model airplane flight. The ParkZone line of micro ready to fly indoor RC model aircraft were just coming out, and there was a lot of activity with indoor electric model flight in general. I sketched out a model airplane design with 1/8” square balsa construction, a high wing, and lots of straight lines for ease of construction which I called the Yard Ace. This simple magazine model airplane design drew up quickly in TurboCAD, and I was soon ready for the first flight.
Yard Ace in Sept 2008 Q&EFI magazine
In retrospect, the wingspan of the Yard Ace prototype was far too short for the weight of the finished model. The Yard Ace prototype flew, but the small wing area required too high an airspeed. Again, all part of the process of refining your own RC airplane design. In TurboCAD, I easily increased the Yard Ace wingspan and strengthened the fuselage struts supporting the wing. The second version of the Yard Ace built quickly and flew much better. As the name indicates, the Yard Ace can be flown outdoors under calm wind conditions, and indoors in larger flight venues. The Yard Ace was my first indoor RC magazine model airplane plan, and was published in the September 2008 issue of Quiet and Electric Flight International magazine.
Free Chickadee plan available here
Chickadee
I was inspired with my build of Sig’s RC kit of the 1909 Demoiselle aircraft. The Sig Demoiselle had a unique method of building the wings by using 1/8” balsa dowel spars for the wing leading and trailing edges. The huge wing area, combined with light weight, made for a very pleasing indoor electric model airplane. Using the Demoiselle’s areas and moments I sketched out the basic outline of the Chickadee for a magazine model airplane plan. The Chickadee was so simple in concept that I used TurboCAD to draw just the outline of the model. I “filled in” this model airplane outline with structure as I built the prototype, adapting and modifying as I went along. As you can see, the Chickadee is not a complicated aircraft. You can build your own plane with this plan.
Front view of Chickadee RC airplane
However, when I went for the first test flight, the Chickadee refused to take off. I had plenty of power from the electric motor, but just no lift off. I reexamined the set up of the Demoiselle, and noticed the large amount of positive wing incidence. In other words, the Demoiselle’s wing was tilted up at about a 5 degree angle when the fuselage was level. This was the answer to the Chickadee's failure to lift off. A large amount of positive wing incidence is needed with these lightweight, slow flying models to generate the necessary amount of lift for flight. With a regular RC airplane, this large amount of incidence would lead to ballooning flight when speed is increased. With the Chickadee (as with the Demoiselle), the airspeed is kept within a narrow range of slow flight. Once the Chickadee prototype flew well with the increase in wing incidence, I simply updated the finished magazine model airplane CAD plan with all the build detail and comment required to construct the model. A FREE model airplane plan of the Chickadee (with purchase of the Blackburn plan) is available here.
1912 Blackburn Type D Monoplane
Oct 2010 Q&EFI cover with Blackburn pull-out plan
The 1912 Blackburn Type D monoplane is an historic aircraft with pleasing lines. The Blackburn has just the right areas and moments for an indoor RC model airplane. I took the same wing span (and of course incidence) from the Chickadee, and simply “overlaid” the Chickadee’s outline onto the initial TurboCAD drawing of the Blackburn. The main change was the lowering of the Chickadee’s wing to the shoulder mount used by the Blackburn. TurboCAD made this an exceptionally easy process. Through the internet, I obtained a series of pictures of the full size Blackburn, and used TurboCAD to draw the fuselage and tail surfaces outline. I ensured the fuselage was wide enough for my flight battery and motor, as well as the servos. I used the same 1/8” balsa stick construction for the tail surfaces as for the Yard Ace.
Opening page of Blackburn plan article in Oct 2010 Q&EFI magazine
Due to the test flight work with the Chickadee, the Blackburn finished within one ounce of the planned weight, and literally “flew off the drawing board” on its first flight. Large control surfaces and light weight make for positive flight and a pleasing indoor RC model airplane. See the video here. The Blackburn magazine model airplane plan was published in the October 2010 issue of Quiet and Electric Flight International magazine.
Model airplane plan publication page 1 2
Magazine Model Airplane Plan