A TALE OF TWO HALVES...

The Schoolyard Special and the Hornet

It’s common knowledge that two halves make a whole. Right? But in this case,

two half’s make two wholes! That’s right. Two 1/2 A’s make two whole airplanes.

So why are these airplanes classified as 1/2A’s? For competition purposes, it’s

the engine size that gives them their classification. The engine size for the1/2A

class of aircraft would be .000-.0504—which is perfect for a COX .049 engine.

The bigger brother, Class A aircraft and their engines, are larger and have an

engine size .0505-.2000 cubic inches. Class B thru D aircraft would have

progressively larger engines and airframes—all the way up to .670 cubic inches.

Both aircraft here have a wingspan of about 36 inches. Since they don’t require

much wood to build, the cost is very low. The Hornet has no landing gear or tires

so it’s the least expensive of the two. Besides liking them, I also took building

them as a personal challenge. I had never built 1/2A aircraft before and I wanted

to build them fast! Once the parts are cut out, either one can be framed up and

ready for final sanding in a weekend. Covering however, depending on your

design scheme, well, it could take some time. These certainly did. I had to do far

more cutting and eyeballing than anticipated!

Both have been modified to accept electric power by incorporating removable hatches in the front of the fuselage for easy battery access. Despite both aircraft being small, they’re very different. Although not a trainer, the Schoolyard Special lends itself to a more relaxed style of flying. The Hornet, on the other hand, depending on the power system installed could be outfitted for pure insanity! At any rate, either one of these aircraft pack tons of fun in small, inexpensive, packages. Below are some notes that may inspire you to give either one a go. I can virtually guarantee you won’t see either one at your flying site!

Wing

The wing used was a built up version of

the Ace foam wing. Built in two halves,

shear webs and fiberglassing the center

section make the wing very strong.

Click here for the wing plan.

R/C Aircraft Insight From Low Altitude

John W. Blossick Tail Slide Haven johnb@tslidehaven.com August 2019

Find The Best R/C Engine Deals

Front Fuselage

Simple box construction is used for the

fuselage. Hatch is removed showing

easy battery access. 440 blind nuts and

hex head bolts hold gear in place. All

fasteners for both projects are from

RTL.

Rear Fuselage

Rear bulkhead showing access hole for

push rods.

Wheel Pants/Spats

The wheel pants were constructed

using my favorite Styrofoam, epoxy-

glass method. Tires used were Dubro 1

1/2 inch mini lite wheels.

Empennage

Tail section is constructed from 3/32

balsa sheet. Wire tail skid. Ultracote is

used for surface hinges on the rudder

and elevator. Make sure you use hard

3/32 balsa. A nose over will crack the

soft stuff.

The Schoolyard Special

Top View

The model was covered using

Ultracote and Ultracote orange trim.

Total weight minus the motor, servos

and battery is a scant 12 ounces.

Hornet Wing

Wing contains a full length/depth spar and

built egg crate style. Wing has no dihedral

so spar joiners were unnecessary.

Hornet

Ailerons

Full length ailerons are constructed from

3/16 x 1/2 inch aileron stock. Sig EZ

hinges were used for attachment.

Fuselage Interior

Bulkhead B shows hole drilled for

battery/servo wires. There’s ample

room for standard sized servos.

Empennage

The Hornet plan doesn’t show a movable

rudder. One could be added if desired.

Keeping it simple, I decided not to.

Hornet Front

A 11/2 inch spinner will nicely finish off the

nose and give the airplane a more

streamlined look. The Hornet fuselage

required considerably more sanding than

the Schoolyard Special.

Top View

Total Hornet weight as pictured is 8

ounces. It’s covered with mostly leftover

Monokote and Ultracote was used for the

yellow trim.

Schoolyard Special

HORNET

Schoolyard Special Power UP 450 Slowfly 950KV Sky Power 20 AMP ESC 3 Cell Lipo 1300- 2200 Mah APC 8x6 Slow Fly

Power Requirements for Electric Conversion

Hornet Power UP 450 Speed 1500 KV Sky Power 30 Amp ESC 3 Cell Lipo 1300 Mah APC 7x6E or 8x8E Speed

Closing Note:

I would like to mention Heads Up Hobby Shop provided me with excellent customer service in outfitting these airplanes for electric power. After sending them pictures, they recommended all the items I would need for both projects. They offered helpful advice, had the products in stock, and always rapidly replied to my e mails. Heads Up had become my first choice in just about anything electric. Unfortunately, they will be closing shop at the end of August 2019. Jeff Anderson, the owner of Heads Up will be retiring this year. While us at Tail Slide Haven are sad to see him go, we would like to offer him our best wishes in the upcoming years and to have an enjoyable and relaxing retirement. Thanks for the fun and great service!