Chuck Mustang

Chuck or Elastic Band launch. Ideal back garden fun fly. Original plans were for a foam board version but I don't have any foam board but some 1/8th sheet balsa. So the latter I will utilise.

Glued two sheets together to make wider sheets. Then using my wing template I carefully cut out the wing. Sanded to template outline. Then created another wing cutout. These will be glued together to make up 1/4 thick wing. Yes I am going to profile it. The fuselage was cut out using the same method as the wing and will be doubled up. The fuselage profiles and wings were glued together with Aliphatic resin, then placed on a smooth rigid surface and then compressed down using heavy batteries.

Tomorrow if DIY does not interfere I will cut out a stabiliser and start profiling the wing. Hopefully by evening have a kit of parts ready for gluing and resembling a Mustang.

Good progress Phil - At 22 in wing span you will probably find the garden space too limiting.
If you search "Catapult Glider Trimming " a few good videos come up, mainly American.

Colin.

Interesting build Phil, takes me back to the early days of control line flying when you could get kits for "whip" control models, the construction was similar to your Mustang. I had a Typhoon for whip control, it "flew" on a length of button thread tied to a thin garden cane. The Tiffy was flown in the road, the only thing limiting the line length was the proximity of front garden walls, apart from grinding off the bottom of the model on the road, it was a lot of fun. My final whip controlled model was based on a KK F9-F designed for Jetex power, slightly different from the Typhoon, the F9-F was controlled with two lengths of button thread and a conventional bellcrank and pushrod for a tiny trim tab/elevator on one half of the tail plane. Same type of construction, just sanded and doped profiles and a few lines drawn on with the (then) newly invented ballpen called "Biro", to represent control surfaces etc. Couldn't do it now, thinking about it makes me feel dizzy.

I vaguely remember some model planes I bought with Saturday morning pocket money (earned may I add by doin' early morn paper round down High Howe Lane, Shapland Ave, etc.). Making minute "adjustments" to the stabiliser for level flight trim, I think by bending it slightly, the model was attached to a piece of long string. Nose weight was round fishing weights prised open and squeezed on to the nose or wherever for ballast.

You now start flight by swinging it round and round yourself gradually letting the string play out. Of course anyone knows that as the string plays out you have to go faster and faster to keep the plane flying. When finally it was unable to fly and stalled into the ground, I or my mates would momentarily teeter upright before also crashing to the ground, the world seeming to whirl around above in a haze. Oh what fun! Later I added a handle (a piece of bamboo cane) to the string as a few times I was unable to grip the string and the flying object would shoot off at a tangent in an uncontrolled death spiral.

A complete kit of parts now made. The doubling up gluing of the fuselage sides and wing sheets is done and set. Profiled the wing edges and then a dry fit check of the wing in the fuselage slot. Fits really nice and fuselage virtually square, maybe just a bit of fettling. Dry fit check the horizontal stabiliser in the fuselage slot. All good! Now did some partial sanding and profiling of the fuselage edges mainly aft of the cockpit area, the forward end left alone for now. Aligned wing and glued it in with thin CA. Now I can align the stabiliser too using the wing tips as a reference point. Glued in with CA.

Now on to the front. Cutout a slot for the 15 gms ballast first. Those extra pieces of nose (I will call them the cowling) will be glued on either side to retain the ballast and add extra strength to front end. These cowling pieces were feathered at the back edge for effect. A kebab stick was inserted on the underside between the ballast and the leading edge of the wing for the launching elastic. Prior to gluing the cowling I used pins to hold the cowling on and took it outside on the grass for an initial chuck. Wings stayed level but I think it may need some trim tabs on the stabiliser. Although as it is a warbird it might want more speed, ie; elastic band launch into a decent breeze. Wondering what I can use to seal the balsa if needed at all.

dihedral?

Mike Seale wrote: dihedral?

inclination of an aircraft's wing from the horizontal, especially upwards away from the fuselage

2 degs or thereabouts Omitted in the earlier text. If the grass dries out by later this Friday afternoon I will give it another test hand launch.

Glad it's got some. Let's hope that's enough?

Little Mustang now completed. Blinding Sun, light breeze, Oh Well give it another go. Video snapshots not too brilliant - she is not good with tech. Ouch! :lol:

Just a gentle throw before camera was running and it covered the length of the grass easily, wings level. Camera running and yes it does need some sort of trim tab on the stabiliser for down trim, climbs too steep Any ideas? I had thought of some bendy plastic.

Shame that model flying has descended to this elementary level.......

You really need to get out more Phil!