AMA Plans Service Showcase-2013/02

Fond memories of Joe Wagner’s original FF design bring inspirationJoe Wagner’s original Dakota was designed in 1950 and intended for 1/2A power. Randy Wrisley remembered as a child helping his father crank the inverted Atwood .049 that powered it. As an adult, Randy built an RC version of Clarence Haught’s 25%-enlarged Dakota, converting back to the original inverted engine mount he remembered so well. He decided to build a Giant Scale version, 21/2 times larger than what Joe originally designed, and call it Dakota Grande. Weighing 73/4 pounds dry, the aircraft had a 71/2-square-foot wing area and was “overpowered,” according to Randy, by a Fox Eagle .60. The fuselage was made from light plywood, while the wings and tail were of conventional construction from balsa, spruce, and plywood. Randy stayed with an inverted engine to preserve the character of the airplane’s nose. Twenty main ribs were cut from a template; six center-section ribs, four tip ribs, and 24 false ribs were also cut. Ailerons were built for the top wings only, so the aircraft would bank in a scalelike manner. The landing gear was 3/16 plywood, the legs were 3/16-inch music wire, and the tail wheel gear was 3/32-inch music wire. Randy didn’t epoxy the wings’ hold-down dowels until after he covered them, and he installed the windows and windshield after he no longer needed to reach through the holes. A Williams Brothers Model Products 3-inch pilot added realism to the Dakota Grande. As for fl ying, Randy said that no words could describe the feeling of a test fl ight of such magnitude with the Dakota Grande, and that the fl y-by was its forte. “If your idea of fun is fl ying around at 1/3 throttle, making low fl y-bys down the runway, and wheel landings at sunset, this is your airplane.” Dakota Grande was featured in the November 1981 MA as AMA Plans Service listing 351 and is available for $19 plus shipping and handling. AMA members can access the magazine’s digital library on the MA website to read more about it. See page 153 or go to www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx for ordering information. 105Model Aviation FEBRUARY 2013www.ModelAviation.comelectricsAMA PLANS SERVICE SHOWCASETo order the featured plans, see page 153, or visit www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx.