AMA Plans Service Showcase - 2010/10

October 2010 125
LES LONG designed and built the Longster
Wimpy in 1935. This low-wing, home-built
aircraft was unusual for the time, and the
design was copied and modified going
forward.
Dereck Woodward fell in love with the
airplane and plugged it into CAD to create a
sport-flying, electric-powered version. His
design consists of typical balsaand-
plywood construction, with
stringers and formers making
the fuselage. For simplicity, the
wing ribs are the same as on the
full-scale version except for the
wingtip rib, and only the centersection
is sheeted.
A Graupner Speed 600
motor paired with an eight-cell
battery pack powered Dereck’s
model. An upgrade to a
brushless motor and Li-Poly
battery would not only provide
more power, but would also
decrease the Wimpy’s flying
weight.
This completed model has a
wingspan of 59 inches and a
flying weight of 52 ounces.
Controls are rudder, elevator,
ailerons, and throttle.
Dereck noted that the
airplane had lively performance
AMA Plans Service Showcase
Longster Wimpy
A 1930s design electrified
at only 50 watts per pound and that it
exhibited sport-flight characteristics with
axial rolls and slightly off-round rolls. He
also mentioned that a stall was difficult to
provoke and that the model never dropped a
wing.
The Longster Wimpy was featured in a
construction article in the August 1999 MA.
AMA members can access the magazine
digital archives on the Academy’s Web site
to read more about it.
This design is AMA Plans Service listing
878 and is available for $21 plus shipping
and handling. See page 167 or go to
www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx for
ordering information. MA
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