Here
are a number of items available through modelflight, most of which
have kindly been given by readers for free distribution to those who care
to ask for them! Further contributions will always be welcome.
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Available
from Plan files from modelflight!
Control
line model plans from Eric Stephen
Electrotor.
Eric's own design power-down-the-lines control line autogyro. Peter says,
"About one circuit is needed to build up rotor speed from stationary.
Gentle handling is not far removed from fixed wing but give it full up
and the model slows down dramatically and sits nose high but doesn't really
climb. A dab of down and it speeds up again reaching a fair rate of knots
within less than one circuit. It is not possible to land vertically indoors
due to lack of prevailing breeze but with careful use of primitive switching
throttle, steep descents are easy and fun."
The plan is available in .dxf, .dwg and .pdf format. Email Reg, state which format you would like and it's yours!
CL117E
Stealth Fighter. The power-down-the-lines Stealth Fighter is actually
based on an Australian design called Stealth Platter, for 049 engines.
Eric scaled it to give suitable wing area, changed the construction to
balsa and added a profile fuselage. The Stealth Fighter requires careful
ground handling due to the narrow undercart and tendency to tip over because
of the weight of lines. However it hurtles along once airborne.
Available in .dxf, .dwg and .pdf file formats. Email Reg, state which format you would like and it will be sent by return.
Notes re the plans. The .pdf files print fine on A2. People with printers smaller than A2 will have to use the "tile" option when printing. Alternatively they could print smaller then scale up on a photocopier. I added a scale to the master copies of the drawings as a reference.
.dwg and .dxf files. These are saved as AutoCad ACAD2000 files and should be compatible with most people's drawing programmes except some very old ones. Note that each file contains a block called "READMEAT00-A". The file name will mean something to anyone half competent at CAD and contains pen width details for plotting. In CAD the line colour is normally used to represent a pen width for plotting.
Eric is happy to answer any queries you might have about the plans and will also print fullsize copies of the drawings and post them to you for the nominal cost of £1.50 each incl. UK postage. International postage would have to be calculated for each destination but would only be at cost. Contact Eric at electrotor@tiscali.co.uk
Eric
also has details for handles and power sources which have never found
their way onto a proper drawing and which he is willing to share with
anyone - just ask him!
Unique Peter Rake EIII
Specially
commissioned from Peter Rake as a show give-away, Manzano Laser Works
have also kindly made the plan of this delightful little EIII electric
available to modelflight readers! This cute little model is intended
for LPS power. It is 24" span and is covered in Litespan, but, tissue
or Solite would be just as applicable. The prototype flew with the "long
can" version of the LPS drive and has more than enough power. Ready-to-fly
weight is 5 oz with the 2s300 LiPo loaded up in the nose. The plane is
fine for outdoor flying and can handle light breezes; a few weight-saving
modifications would also make it fine for indoor flying.
The
plan is available as a .pdf file (Adobe Acrobat Reader required,
obtainable free from Adobe
if you haven't already got it), available by return from your email request.
Just email Reg and it will be
on its way!
Paul Cook original designs and available free only from modelflight
This
is Paul Alexander Cook's lively little electric plane - fast, aerobatic
and fun, specifically designed to use ultra-slim lithium polymer cells,
and fully reviewed on modelflight July 2003.
In similar fashion to his 'Twiglet', Paul's 'Topic' is once again a small flying wing but this time spanning only 20" (508mm) and much more aerobatic. With virtually zero setting-up time you can literally plug and play, making it ideal for cold hands or a quick lunch time fly.
'Topic' uses standard off-the-shelf micro radio gear and a cheap 15 Watt GWS motor, all of which should not make a huge dent in the wallet. It is also suitable for an electric ducted fan motor, as pictured. Paul used lithium polymer batteries to obtain maximum performance/duration. Alternatively you could use a 7 to 8-cell nicad/NiMH pack for power, though at a cost of reduced duration. See the full review of this little beauty on modelflight April 2004.
'Twiglet' and 'Topic' plans are available in .dwg and .dxf format, which you should be able to import into most drawing packages, as well as tiled .pdf format which you can view in Adobe (Acrobat) Reader ® version 4 or higher, print out the pages, trim and stick the plan together.
Send me (Reg) an email stating which model and type file you require and I will respond by return - you are, of course, welcome to them all!
If
you do not already have it, the latest version of Adobe (Acrobat) Reader
® is available FREE from Adobe.
Special thanks to Tom Girling for producing the .pdf files of Paul's original designs.
Printed versions of these plans along with plans of his other micro/small electric R/C models designs are available for sale direct from Paul. Send him an email and he will send you an interesting illustrated list of his FlightLine models.
Mal Pring designs, originally appearing in Australia's
Radio Control Model News
These
plans are .jpeg files which you can print out directly. They are
large files and may take some time to download. Just click on the thumbnail
image or plan name below to view the plan; you can then right click
on any part of the plan image and save the file on your own PC to
print it out. If you send each file directly to your printer, it should
print the plan in a reduced size to fit an A4 sheet. You will then need
to get your print photocopied up to full size, using the centimetre scale
that appears on each plan to determine the degree of enlargement necessary.
Due to the way these plan files have been produced the outlines appear
thicker than they should be when scaled up, but unfortunately this cannot
be avoided. However, this can be overcome by the use of Stefano Duranti's
IsiPlot software which is specially designed for the scaling and printing
of .dxf and raster files like .jpegs. Click this
link to read all about IsiPlot. .
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INSTRUCTIONS
for Pockit Rockit are also available as a Word file - just email
Reg and request it!
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Free-flight peanut size Cub
Mike Havard has kindly donated a .dxf plan file of his delightful little 13-inch wingspan free flight Cub. It is a non-scale, peanut size model which he designed as a CAD learning exercise and as a simple introduction to indoor flying (don't be deceived by Mike's picture!). It is simple to build and will fly well enough even if constructed from 1/16th balsa, provided it is not too heavy. You can obtain the plan file by simply sending Reg an email requesting it - Mike says to print it out such that the wingspan is 13 inches. |
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C of G calculator
NOTE: One or two folk have had difficulty in running this program and queried whether or not it would run under Windows XP. The answer is definitely YES, but it appears some filter software (e.g., Zonealarm) may incorrectly tell you that the file is corrupted in some way. If you get that message, you may have to uninstall the offending software in order to run the C o G calculator. |
Kevin
Wild's
Centre of Gravity calculator is in the form of a little DOS-type
program into which you input key dimensions of the model, as shown
by the red lines on this small drawing. Having done so, the program
produces a further drawing showing the positioning of three possible
C o G positions - a safe forward one, a rearward one (but still
safe) and one for high aspect ratio wings - and a table of useful
data. The program will load and run from within Windows perfectly
safely. If anyone wants a copy, please 
Chuck's lucky dip!
Chuck Wallace has kindly donated a whole heap of miscellaneous plans in various formats, with only the file name to give any clue as to what type of plane they might be - and even then you can't be sure! Some are control line, others are foam or balsa, but Chuck reckons they are all good stuff and worth having.
Here's a list of the titles of the plans which I will be happy to forward to anyone who might care to ask for them. I have grouped the files into Packs of up to 1 MB; all the files are Zip files and all are guaranteed virus free! I cannot tell you anything more about the plans - just send for some and see what you get!
Chuck's Plan Pack 1 - .20 size floats, .40 size floats, A10, Acro, Agwagon, Albatross, Bigbro, Flyabout.
Chuck's Plan Pack 2 - P47, Tigersport, Ult 40, Xfoil, Xp55.
Chuck's Plan Pack 3 - Extra 300S, Hawker Giant, Martha, Qualt 200L.
Email Reg and name your Pack number and your choice will be on its way - have 'em all if you want them!
CAD program
CADView is a
free downloadable program from Evolution Computing, makers of professional
CAD programs. They offer this free program for viewing and printing
CAD drawings created in their FastCAD and EasyCAD programs and it also
loads and views AutoCAD-compatible 2D DWG and DXF drawing files, which
includes the .dxf and .dwg files offered on this page. The program has
facilities for scaling such drawings and also the ability to tile plan
files so that they can be printed out on A4 paper for pasting up as a
complete plan. I found understanding the printing options rather tricky,
but trial and error will almost certainly win the day!
Licensing restrictions prevent me from re-distributing CADView myself, but if you go the Evolution Computing website and register yourself as a private user, you will be able to obtain the program. Get it at
Panel instruments file sets
Set
1. This is a set of three separate zip files each containing a selection
of panel instruments and complete panels donated by Norm Kirton
and Ken Spears. The individual instrument images are large enough
to be sized as you see fit to print out for the construction of your own
panel. Also included with the set is an article by Norm Kirton on a simple
method of making a printed instrument panel using Microsoft Word.
Set
2.
An additional set of 45 black and white panel instruments donated
by Fred Steer. These images were all scanned from a Smiths Instrument
advert of about 1950 or so - so they should be perfect for WW2 fighters/bombers
and quite a few of the civil aircraft of the period.
Just email Reg and ask for the instruments file set/s of your choice and it/they will be sent by return!
Visit e-Panel Builder for a terrific site for instruments and an on-line program to build your panel, plus links to other instrument sources. You do not have to subscribe to be able to use this program for building panels for model use. See the April 2006 issue for a tutorial on using the program.
MORE CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME!