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I have had some requests for recommendations on what would be a good 1/2A NOS design for a new power flier with little building experience. I would suggest a 1/2A T Bird as being easy to build and fly but it is weak structurally. Without some experience it might prove difficult to properly reinforce the wing and fuselage. A design that can be built using only balsa per the plans would certainly be best. Recommended designs and sizes for both Category I and III would be appreciated.
My two favorite NOS designs are the Zeek and the Amazoom – neither too good for a new flier.
Thanks,
Bob Mattes
You’re not gonna believe what I’m about to write!
1/2A Spacer. With caveats.
first off, its certainly easy to build. There is a kit available. All balsa will work. It can be competitive. No need to key the stab,’cause the fin is where it should be-on the fuselage.That said, it needs to be trimmed different than originally flown.
Fly it RT/RT. Move the cg forward one inch. Add left and downthrust-2 degrees of each. Launch it real steep.Other choice might be the HotHead but I don’t know how strong the fuselage is.
I still plan to build a BattleAxe, which looks easy enough. The only one that I ever saw fly it was Dick Ivers. It looked good to my eye.Would the Ramrod 250 fit the bill?
Kits and/or plans are available.
JohnRamRod is probably a bit harder to build. Probably easier to trim, except for having the fin in a bad place.
After thinking about this a little, the T-Bird is the best for a newcomer to build and fly.
The wing and stab are OK. Just need to make a couple changes to the fuselage. Instead of 1/16 for the fuse sides, use a strong 3/32 sheet. Then apply some 1/2 oz fiberglass cloth around the fuse near the back of the pylon. It should hold up, and it will fly great. Put a Cox Medalion on it.
I built a modified T-Bird, called it the Max-Bird, and flew the heck out of it for 6 years prior to losing it for the winter in Denver. Got the fuse and stab back, along with the Walston, and the engine seems fine. At the 2004 NATS, flew it in 5 events and took 5th in F1J.
I have another option.
GEEF
The kit from BMJR will build easily. The only drawback is the UC airfoil.
With some guidance, a beginner should be able to cover it,though.My choice would be the Ramrod 250 than the 1/2A Spacer. Set up the Spacer per dans post and let it fly.
Scott
My first choice would be a SWAT scaled to about 240 squares. Mine is powered by a Cox Black Widow with a spring starter. The wing and stab cords are the same, I can’t remember if the airfoils are the same although they are pretty close. The fuselage is a simple box. I fly with a 5.7×3 APC prop with no side or down thrust and about 3/32 washin in the right main panel. The plan shows both straight and geodetic ribs. I built mine with straight ribs — it’s dead easy and has shown no inclination to warp. It’s about as viceless as an airplane can be!
I have also built a couple of 1/2 A T-birds and one 1/2 A Ramrod over the years. They are both excellent airplanes but have a couple of issues, that others have already mentioned, for a beginner. As well, the Ramrod needs a strong engine.Thanks for the recommendations. I steered the newbie to this forum and gave a vote to the Spacer. I built one a long time ago and it flew very easily in a Rt/Rt pattern. Lost it on a flight one day when we were doing target time flights of one minute. Put about 1/2 pound of clay under the cg and lost it in a thermal on the first test flight. Thermals can be evil.
My vote would be for the “GEEF” 250 by Dan Sobola. They tend to fly right of the board…
George
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