Swanky Doodle—Keith Laumer Tribute Build

Fuselage Sides and Elevator

Fuselage sides are constructed with

3/16” sq sticks. Horizontal stabilizer

shown with elevator for R/C control.

Stringers had to be wet and coaxed to

make the lower fuselage bend.

R/C Aircraft Insight From Low Altitude

John W. Blossick Tail Slide Haven johnb@tslidehaven.com August 2020

Fuselage Front

Bulkhead for aft cabin was added for

strength. Original plan didn’t have the

bulkhead. Hole is to save weight and it

looks kind of cool. Interior was painted

to match covering. Cabin struts are

3/16 ply.

Fuselage Bottom

A bottom hatch is needed for battery

and servo access. The wing platform

makes top access impossible. Nose

gear compartment will be permanently

sealed..

Fuselage

3/16” sq stringers were used for

fuselage and Sullivan 2-56 Nylon Semi

flexible Gold-N-Rods are routed and

used for control.

Top Right Wing

D type wing with polyhedral tips and rib

cap strips. Center reinforcement spar

and sheeting holds both wing halves

together.

Empennage

3/16 balsa was used for construction.

Rudder and elevator were cut out for

control. Holes were drilled to save

weight.

Rudder and Pushrod Exit

I decided to extend the rudder to the

bottom of the fuselage. It made

control hookup much easier and

should be plenty big enough.

Nose Wheel Steering

Nose gear was fabricated from 1/8 “

wire and a brass control arm

soldered to the gear for control.

Bottom Right Wing

Sheeting for the wing bottom was

not required according to the

airplane plan.

From Ketih Laumer’s build article:

“How would you like to see a sleek realistic

model with a swept-rudder, low dihedral

wing and brilliant paint job parked on the

runway with the motor howling? Released, it

scoots forward for a 15 to 20 feet run before

lifting in a screaming climb, a tight-banked

acceleration that stresses the wing almost to

the folding point; then as the power cuts, a

perfect follow-through, from any attitude, without a stall, to a fast flat glide into a no-

bounce landing on grass or pavement!”

“If that’s your idea of sport flying let’s get started building Swanky Doodle.”+-+ Okay! I’m in! I’m ready to build one! Ever since writing the Classic Corner article about Keith Laumer, I wanted to build a tribute airplane using one of Keith’s designs. I finally chose the Swanky Doodle. The original airplane plan has a 34”wing span. I wanted a larger aircraft so I scaled it up 141%, which now gives the Swanky a 46” wingspan and a considerably larger fuselage. Also, some of the wood sizes were altered or changed to withstand the stress of the larger airframe. Virtually all of Keith’s free flight designs can be converted to R/C. Each one presents different engineering problems when outfitting with electrical power and R/C—but that’s part of the fun! I’m assuming those wishing to tackle a project like this will be an experienced builder so a step by step won’t be necessary. Wing construction is a flat bottomed polyhedral D tube and the fuselage is simple stick construction. Lets go!