1919 AVRO 539b Plans release.

1919 AVRO 539b Plans release

I built this aeroplane in September of 2013, and if you follow the build article and flight videos thread you’ll see it has seen some modification and fine-tuning over the last 12 months.

It’s a firm favourite of mine, and I’m still flying it regularly, as you can see from the odd mud smears and paint abrasion.

I’ve recently given it an overhaul, bonding the edges of the board with hot glue using Josh’s slotted off-cut technique, reinforcing loose skewer holes using my own “Repair a damaged skewer-mount hole.” technique and I repaired some prop-damage to the nose. I also shortened the power pod to see if that would allow me to lose a little nose ballast.

A touch of paint and it’s now ready for next season.

One of the first comments I got after I published the build article was a request for plans. The build had no real plans and was laid out directly onto the foam board, using blown-up versions of the 3-view I found on the internet for reference. The good news is I’ve finally drawn-up the plans- there’s a link at the bottom of the article. This is a follow-on from my success with the Polikarpov Po-2, which was built from the plans I created and used the refined and simplified cabane system I developed for foam board models.

If you want to build this aeroplane much of the detail is the same as in the original build article; wing folding, interplane struts, fuselage assembly, etc. but you’ll need to reference the Po-2 article for how to fit the new cabane assembly.

Though this will probably introduce a new set of techniques, it won’t be a particularly hard build for someone familiar with other Flite Test builds like the Spitfire or Storch, but it’s not a good choice if you’re still new to the hobby.

In terms of flight characteristics, once it’s trimmed-out it’s steady enough in the air, but it’s not a beginner’s aeroplane, especially if you want to fly slower. You’ll need to master rudder turns and be able to keep your wings flat for that. Its short length makes it particularly responsive to the elevator and you need to start with modest throws. My maiden was quite exciting, with the plane climbing aggressively due to excessive throttle, fortunately it responded quickly to the elevator and after scaring myself silly with overcompensating up and down a few times I got it under control. First thing I did when I got it down was to reduce my elevator throws. During the recent overhaul I added more down-thrust to my plane. I’ve included the detail for that in the plans, and this should help make the plane more predictable over a wider speed envelope.

So here’s the plans;

1919AVRO539b

UPDATE 28/03/2015 - I've been collecting and updating all my articles, planes and plans on my own website on this page; RCplanes It's still a work in progress, but there's a few extras and beta-stage projects that don't appear here yet.

Cheers, alibopo.