Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-16
Easy Ancraf
Construction.
BY TERENCE VINCENT.

United States Director for Miniature ATcKAxt
Flyers.
1--WE pieces Of wood are needed from which
to make q simple flying machine. They
may be arranged In various ways to achieve
various flights and each is different from the
others
First, the motor base Is selected from bass
wood, white pine, cedar, spruce or redwood,
then shaped to "a inch square by IS inches
long. If balsa wood is used, the motor stick
should be 5-16 inch square or possibly u inch
square.
The propeller block is from similar wood-in
each case the nghtest, straight-grained wood
available is best-and shaped exactly right, so
that the rectangle is always one and half as
wide as it is thick and about third of the
length of the motor base. very good size
is hx34x5 inches, though the propeller may be
longer.
Three identical pieces serve as wings and
are shaped from any light straight-grained
wood, preferably balsa wood. Each of these
three strips is as long the propeller. by about
an inch or an inch and half wide by Lie
inch thick, or possibly down to 1-32 inch thick.
How to prepare the wood, after it is cut to
the exact size wanted and the surfaces are all
sandpapered nicely. is indeed an interesting
field for experiment.
The usual way Is to coat each piece with
banana oil and let it dry thoroughly The lat
pieces of wood, which are to be the sustaining
surfaces, when wet with the banana oil should
be placed at once separately where each will
dry In the same curve-that is, so the wing
tips will be half inch or an inch above the
midportion OF the wings center section with
both edges parallel. This may be done by
allowing the wing tips to rest on two elevations.
such as parallel blocks Of wood about an inch
high, with a file or heavier weight bearing
down on the wings. This viii give each Sec
ton the same "dihedral."
in
elevator is that curve or v shape upward from
the center that permits the airplane to MAIN
tain Its lateral stability (ts side-to-side ball
ance) more easily.
When the banana oil Is thoroughly dry each
surface may be gently sandpapered and again
when dry sandpaper gently as before. This
process may be repeated as many as seven
times, with final rubbing with silk to give it
glossy, rich finish.
If you want this skycraft to fly very soon
after it is started, then here is another way
more rapid than this one.
We might call this other method water
waving, since it consists simply of dampenug
the wings, placing them in the desired diheGral
form and letting them dry. This method
gets flights just about as good as those that
are banana oiled, though the appearance in
not as good. The propeller and the motor stick
are not treated with water nor is there any
Wings that have been banana oiled can be
carved into many attractive shapes more easily
than natural wood
While travelling in Pennsylvania lecturing to
different group of boys and girls every day
last Summer, I stopped one night in the
rather picturesque City of Canton. Arriving
about l O'Clock in the morning went to my
MOTEL room and found there huge moth flut-
tering about the electric light. 1t was brown.
with some light markings on the lovely wings.
Next morning when awakened, there it was
on the ceiling near the light fixture. The more
1 looked at it. the more fyable it appeared
Presently fed" it some nitrocellulose
cement used in my airplane construction work,
and the moth went to sleep forever. Then I
dyed some balsa wood sheets the same color
OF brown as the moth, dried the pieces, banana
oiled them literally and several times, giving
each good dihedral curve, then carved the
wing tips in about the same shape as the moths
wing tips.
Neeoless TO say that airplane few mighty
wen. The boys and girls. when they hesrd
Inls story, named it my moth airplane. 1t new
much like a moth, too