Check Out the First Flight of a 1/4 Scale JU-188

This huge 18ft wingspan RC bomber recently embarked on its nervewracking maiden flight.

If you love giant scale airplanes, chances are you may have come across this massive Junkers JU-188 project before. After seven years of planning, construction, and finishing, the aircraft took off for the first time. With a slightly hairy takeoff and a flight full of ups and downs, it makes for mandatory viewing. Check out the first flight here:

More info about the model

The mastermind behind this project is Franz Obenauf. He built and owns the model. 

Wings

With almost every rivet and detail complete, this warbird has a wingspan of 5.5 meters (18ft). For comparison, this is almost half the wingspan of a full-scale Supermarine Spitfire. 

Engines

The aircraft uses two Moki 250cc engines. These motors can usually be found on large single-engined warbirds. They certainly sound the part whilst delivering plenty of oomph! The propellers 30.7" triblades. 

The elevator span alone is greater than most scale warbirds at 195 cm (76.8"').

At the front of the nose, the height of the fuselage from the ground is over a meter at 105 cm (41"). The fuselage length is 383 cm (12½ ft).

For a model of this size and weight (at over 80kg), special attention must be given to the landing gear. The main two wheels have to support the entire aircraft whilst on the ground and take a hit when landing. For this, the model has special suspension controls and drum breaks. The wheel diameter are 29 cm (11.4").

Here's another video for you to watch that really shows off the size of this beast of a model airplane. 

Here's a video about two more giant Junkers planes that appeared at Flite Fest South last year. These took just 30 days to build showing that you can create a large DIY airplane with simple hardware materials in a short amount of time. Check it out!

Article by James Whomsley

Editor of FliteTest.com

Contact: james@flitetest.com

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/projectairaviation