112 MODEL AVIATION
YOU WON’T need a lot of fancy tools to
build this charming model. When Fred
Reese dreamed up this little beauty more
than 15 years ago, he wanted something
small that would build quickly. From a
table napkin he had been doodling on, an
outline drawing revealed an airplane that
had everything he wanted.
The aircraft was designed around a
Cox .020 glow engine and had a 10-ounce
goal weight. Plenty of dihedral was built
into the wing so that the rudder control
would more than adequately steer the
model.
It wasn’t until Fred finished the
aircraft with his favorite color of
MonoKote that he dubbed the new design
“Buttercup.”
Fred especially liked the way the
Buttercup flew. Back then he was flying
only two channels, so when the engine
screamed it would loop
from level flight and even
do a decent barrel roll.
The model was good for
small fields, as long as
there was a parking lot or
baseball diamond on
which it could land.
If you are
contemplating your first
building project, the
Buttercup would be a
great choice! The article
and plans for this design
were published in the
June 1985 MA, and fullsize
plans are available
from the AMA Plans
Service. (See the
advertisement on page
88.)
You can find the
construction article for the
Buttercup (or any other
favorite MA design) by
searching AMA’s Digital
Archives, which is a
Members Only feature of
the AMA Web site at
www.modelaircraft.org. A
complete bill of materials
is included with this set of
plans. MA
AMA Plans Service Showcase
An adorable sport
model that you almost
want to build big
enough to sit inside Buttercup
09sig4.QXD 7/26/06 9:17 AM Page 112
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/09
Page Numbers: 112