the Clark Clan - Planes

Now, for something completely different, I have decided to build a low wing sports plane! It was designed by Mark Rittinger as a free plan and caught my eye the first time I saw it. It’s sleek, clean lines look great and from the many reviews I’ve read on the ezone, it has the performance to match it!

It looks to be a fairly straightforward build and uses some new techniques that I haven’t tried yet – such as fully sheeted balsa wings & fuselage and aileron control. It also uses low cost standard gear – most of which I already had lying around - so it shouldn’t be overly expensive ether!

The Specs are as follows…
• Wingspan: 29 in.
• Wing Area: 156 in.
• Wing loading: 14-15 oz./sq. ft.
• Weight: 15.5 oz.
• Motor: 6V Speed 400
• Battery: 7 600AE cells
• Radio: 2-3 channels

The following photos show the build sequence and current progress for this model...

	All the balsa parts cut
	Starting to build the fuselage up
	Fuselage coming together
	...with decking - before carving!
	Half a wing panel with ribs and aileron housing installed
	The two halves joined.
	From the side showing the 1" dihedral under each wing
	A closer shot of the control linkages.
	With the fuselage sitting on the open wing.
	Top sheet of the wing applied, the ailerons cut out and the fusealge decking sanded down.
	With the lower decking applied and the wing fixed.
	From below showing the scoop.
	The servos installed in the wing.
	At this point I tried an ill fated test flight and after 15 seconds of uncontrolled flight, a bad stall and powered dive - broken by the ground - this was the end result...
	And another shot of the damamge...
	After repairs and painting.
	...and another one.

Now it's ready for the finishing touches and a maiden flight!

Last Updated: 4th Dec, 2006