Dave Robelen produces fun airplane
designs that are aesthetically pleasing,
practical, and functional. Elsewhere in this
issue is a construction feature for a new design
by Dave: the Perky Grande. We decided to
celebrate his new model’s debut with a look
back at his Playmate design that was
published in the April 1986 MA.
In designing the Playmate Dave wanted to
produce a low-wing sport design that had the
looks of a homebuilt-type airplane but could
be flown successfully with three-channel radio
gear and no ailerons. That was a tall order, but
Dave’s resulting design utilized some wellthought-
out aerodynamics to achieve the goal.
By using the proper airfoils and the proper
amount of dihedral, Dave was able to turn out
a design that was stable yet impressively agile
and easy to build. Originally designed to
accept a .15- to .25-size glow engine, the 50-
inch-wingspan model is yet another design
that could easily be converted to electric
power.
Do you want a Playmate of your own?
Order plans 506C from the AMA Plans
Service. (See the advertisement on page
191.) MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/04
Page Numbers: 108
