Kingcobra
FAC WWII Mass Launch warbird
The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was developed to improve upon the earlier P-39 Airacobra. The P-63 ultimately went into service with the Soviet Air Force during World War II and is often overlooked as a warbird model.
Mark Fineman designed this 22-inch-span version of the Kingcobra for the Flying Aces Club (FAC) WWII Mass Launch event; therefore, its retractable gear can be modeled in the "up" position.
The construction of this P-63 is similar to that of an Earl Stahl or Comet kit. The fuselage is built using the half-shell method, and the wings use a standard spar-and-rib design. The curved wingtips and rudder tip are made using laminations.
- Covering: dark green and gray Japanese tissue.
- Control surfaces and landing gear were simulated using a Sharpie fine-tip marker.
Finished model weight was 1 1/8 ounces (minus rubber). Power train used a 7-inch propeller with two loops of 3/32-inch FAI Tan rubber, each loop measuring approximately 24 inches in length.
Mark noted that his Kingcobra was extremely stable in both power and glide phases of flight and consistently posted performance times that exceeded one minute; two-minute flights were common.
This P-63 was featured in a construction article published in the August 2004 issue of Model Aviation (MA). It is AMA Plans Service listing 964 and is available for $10 plus shipping and handling. See page 191 of that issue or go to www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx for ordering information.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
