AMA Plans Service Showcase
4-60
An all-around RC sportster for four-stroke .60 engines
Occasionally an exceptionally good design emerges—one that is easy to build and fly and seems to offer something for everyone. That is the case with D.B. Mathews' series of four-stroke–powered models that were featured in Model Aviation in the 1980s. D.B.'s 4-40 design was so popular that he reprised the aesthetics and construction techniques in a slightly larger version and produced the 4-60 that is featured here. Rugged but light, this tail-dragger design could serve as an RC trainer and then take the new pilot through rudimentary and even advanced aerobatics.
The 4-60's unique wing design features a four-spruce-spar construction with shear webs, yielding a beautiful, extremely strong open framework. The chosen airfoil provides the flight advantages of a symmetrical section but with the convenience and ease of construction of a flat-bottom design.
Ace R/C produced kits for D.B. Mathews' 4-40, 4-60, and 4-120 monoplanes, as well as three biplane variants. Although those kits are no longer available, they were popular while in production.
The 4-60 was featured in the January 1986 issue of Model Aviation and is available as plans set 499E. The plans come complete with a bill of materials.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
