Electric CL Skyraider
Full stunt performance in a sheet-foam profile design
CL models have taken full advantage of lightweight electric power systems in recent years. Dick Sarpolus created this foam profile with the goal of a "Stuntable" electric-powered design to be flown from 35-foot lines. Other goals included good flight and aerobatic performance with no noise and no mess.
Depron construction makes the airframe simple to build. The wing spar and front of the fuselage are reinforced with 1/4-inch spruce. Carbon-fiber tubing can also be used in the wing for additional strength. Dick used five-minute epoxy throughout construction. He omitted the landing gear because this Skyraider was intended to be flown from grass.
The power system was a Feigao motor mated to a GWS gearbox. This setup provided about 88 watts on a three-cell, 1250 mAh Li-Poly (LiPo) battery, drawing roughly 8 amps. Pilots are not limited to that combination; the motor mount can be modified to accommodate an outrunner.
Dick reported that the Skyraider was fun to fly and met his design goals: it was clean, quiet, and capable of most Stunt (CL Precision Aerobatics) maneuvers. It even handled a light breeze and stayed out on the lines for entire flights.
Specifications
- Wingspan: 31 inches
- Wing area: 225 square inches
- Flying weight: 10.5 ounces
- Typical power: Feigao motor with GWS gearbox (about 88 W)
- Battery: 3-cell (3S) 1250 mAh LiPo (approx. 8 A draw)
- Construction: Depron sheet-foam, 1/4-inch spruce reinforcement, optional carbon-fiber tubing
Plans and ordering
The Electric CL Skyraider was featured in a construction article in the September 2005 Model Aviation. It is listed in the AMA Plans Service as listing 980B and is available for $10 plus shipping and handling. See page 167 of the issue or order at www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
