AMA Plans Service Showcase
Playmate
Golden Age charm that is quick to build
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, which 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 well-thought-out aerodynamics to achieve the goal.
By using the proper airfoils and the right amount of dihedral, Dave produced a design that is stable yet impressively agile and easy to build. Originally designed to accept a .15- to .25-size glow engine, the 50-inch wingspan model can also be converted easily 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.)
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
