AMA Plans Service Showcase - 2008/08

August 2008 149
THIS DESIGN IS not only easy to build
and fly, but it also captures the feel of an era
in aviation history that was both exciting and
poignant.
There were many small airplane
companies in the late 1920s and early 1930s,
and they produced a wide variety of unusual
and innovative aircraft. However, most of
those companies were short-lived, and the
wonderful airplanes they built soon faded
into history as mere footnotes to a new
industry. Such was the case with the Szekely
Flying Dutchman.
The low-wing, single-seat aircraft was
powered by a three-cylinder engine and
featured a cantilever wing with no dihedral.
It had an advertised price of $2,200 in 1929!
Production of this airplane fell victim to the
stock market crash; at least three are known
to have been produced.
The Flying Dutchman has all the required
attributes of a great-flying RC Scale model,
and this one by Phillip Kent is a beauty. It
spans 79 inches and requires a .60-.75 fourstroke
engine and a four-channel radio
system. The constant-chord, straight wing is
simple to build, as is the flat-sided fuselage.
Recapture the birth of sport aviation with
your own Golden Era model. Don’t forget to
wear a silk scarf while flying it!
The construction article was published
in the September 2000 MA. Plans are
available through the AMA Plans Service;
they are set 895, for $42. See page 199 for
ordering details. MA
AMA Plans Service Showcase
A footnote in
aviation history
yields a perfect first
RC Scale project