Littlest Stick
Wingspan: 18 inches
Engine: Cox td 010
Type: sports
Description
This is a delightful little model designed in about 1965 by none other than Fred Reese. Based on the brilliant ugly stick design that is still around to this day.
Intended for the old single channel escapement radio system, I have kept to the original design, but have installed a modern radio with a single 10 gramme servo on rudder only.
This is controlled by a GWS Pico receiver, and a tiny 50 mah battery pack. The model is light and glides quite well for its size. On landing it tends to bounce a lot on the tricycle undercarriage, especially if I am flying on tarmac, but that just seems to be part of its charm.
How to fly a single channel model!Well, you start the engine and launch the model into the air. Progress forward without gaining thousands of feet altitude can be made by rolling the model, coming out of the roll then rolling again. Loosing height is easier and can be achieved by spiralling the model in tight or not so tight turns, depending on how much height you want to loose and how fast you want to loose it.
The catch with all these manoeuvres is that it increases the models speed through the air, and when you come out of any turn or spiral the model immediately starts to climb again, or loop if it is going fast enough. However, this can be stopped by half-turning the model as it starts to climb and then gently easing off the amount of deflection on the rudder until the model is flying at normal speed.
Basically, as in the old days of single channel flying, you waggle the rudder a great deal, but then on a rudder only model there is nothing else to waggle, if you see what I mean.
I downloaded the plan from Dave Fritzke's website that can be found here.
 |
| 20,000rpm plus, a powerhouse in miniature |
Engine
The old Cox engines are absolute gems, and this is one of the best. The cox td 010 runs on 25% nitro fuel that has a high castor oil content, and with only a whiff of the stuff will happily turn a 3 1/2 inch prop at 20 to 25, 000 rpm for about two and a half minutes. Fabulous ear-splitting sound, easy starting, cheap to run despite the high nitro content, what more could one ask?
Score: 10 out of 10
 |
| Littlest stick with a OS90 powered big stick |
Most exciting moment
None yet, but it is such a small model, flying so quickly, that it is only a matter time before something happens.
home