Das Ugly Stik

Transcription

Das Ugly Stik - Original Publications

Addendum 4
Das Ugly Stik - Original Publications
GRID LEAKS magazine, Jensen kit plans, RCM magazine
Many modelers had the kit of Das Ugly Stik made by Jim Jensen. That mainly
determined the image that people had of the Stik. Though several modelers
built the Stik after the original plan published 1966 in GRID LEAKS magazine,
obviously far more noticed and appreciated the kit that was available for a
long time, and the Jensen plans re-published 1985 with instructions.
This must be the cover of the Jensen
kit. It shows the model in the most
popular paint scheme being suggestive
of a German WWI airplane. This goes
back to Phil Kraft’s published plans,
but the fancy “decorations” - engine
cowl, pilot and gun - are omitted.
Maybe the second paint scheme
following American WWII trainer
airplanes is adequate to a trainer and
sport model, but obviously it never
became popular. Moreover, using an
ancient-style font – aptly named
Gothic – for the model’s name on kit
and plans, the first paint scheme
became the livery of Das Ugly Stik.
Besides omitting the decorations,
Jensen worked in the customary three
degrees of dihedral. While Phil Kraft’s
original version without dihedral was
easier to build, maybe Jensen felt the
model looks better with dihedral. The
“Fokker-type” wing planform may let
the straight wing look as if it had some anhedral. Though several modelers
still preferred the straight wing, the licensed kit versions all had dihedral (the
Graupner Middle Stick, for instance).
But let’s have a look at Phil Kraft’s 1966 article to see his original intentions
and appreciate his achievement.
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40th-anniversary edition for REFLEX XTR
Das Ugly Stik
Phil Kraft’s original publication in GRID LEAKS
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This is the original article, as provided by Eric Wildermuth. The creases of the
magazine cover, the brown color of the other pages, and the traces of usage
on the plan below give an impression of authenticity. I left these things as
they are. I also refrained from typing the text and only showing the pictures.
Otherwise you, dear reader, might think I’m telling tall stories after you read
the text. Phil Kraft himself tells the story of Das Ugly Stik as if it were
nothing unusual. But if you manage to read the text in the scanned images
above (some enlargement may help), you – as I myself - might find some
things remarkable.
I was amazed how clever Phil Kraft was. The straight wing with flat-bottom
ribs and also the fuselage are designed for very quick build without a jig. Phil
Kraft aimed at ultimate simplicity and just therefore got a good flying model.
It's yet unbelievable how fast he made the plan and built the model. He was
40 years old then and must have been a very dynamic man. Despite his
efficiency, he even cared about some decoration. It's amazing that he not
only drew and built the cowling, pilot and gun, but also a moustache and a
scarf for the pilot and the sight of the gun. (Or was it George Walker who
after all drew the plan below, built the model shown in the pictures and
poses with it on the magazine title?)
The plan published in 1966 GRID LEAKS magazine. Obviously, this one has been used.
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Jim Jensen's plans for the first kit
There wasn’t really much to improve. The differences between the Jensen
version and the original are small and may be a matter of taste.
The Jensen version adopts the overall appearance of the model as well as the
construction. The scalloped ailerons and elevator were retained as important
for the WWI fighter look, the “German” paint scheme was emphasized. And a
new, “American” trainer paint scheme was added.
The most important modification was adding dihedral to the wing. Perhaps
this was done only to improve the looks of the model by avoiding the
impression of anhedral (“lame” wings), but we don’t know for sure.
Wing sheet of the Jensen plans. The instructions on the left margin were cropped.
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The pure “frills” were omitted, though, namely the pilot and gun. The engine
cowl improved the looks of the model, but maybe it was regarded as not only
unnecessary but also impeding access to the engine. Anyway, it was omitted
as well.
The landing gear was left unchanged except that the hardwood tailskid tip
was replaced by a piece of piano wire.
A more obvious modification has been done to the bulkheads. In the original
plan, there are rectangular cutouts. In the Jensen plan, there are oblique
rounded cutouts and these are in different places. They are provided for
rudder and elevator linkages.
Fuselage sheet of the Jensen plans.
Actually, subtle modifications were done to the control linkages. While the
elevator linkage is cranked and comes off the fuselage top in the original
version, it is straight and comes off the fuselage side in the Jensen version.
The aileron linkages have 60 degrees bellcranks instead of the original 90
degrees bellcranks.
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Whereas the elevator linkage modification seems to be a mere mechanical
simplification or improvement (better rigidity), the bellcrank modification
might match the wing dihedral. The latter gives some directional stability,
the former some aileron differential eliminating adverse yaw. Both are at the
cost of less roll rate and apply only to flying upright and not inverted, but
that’s just why this combination is very common for trainer models. By the
way, even pattern competition models of the early 1960s had some dihedral
and “semi-symmetrical” (cambered) airfoils.
So perhaps the Jensen version could be meant as an even easier to fly
trainer than the original version, while Phil Kraft as a brilliant pilot considered
this to be even extremely easy-to-fly.
The later RCM build article with plans
The article in the Radio Control Modeler (RCM) magazine must have been in
the May and June 1985 issues. That is exactly 19 years after the Grid Leaks
article. That “has survived for 10 years” on the first page of the article (see
following page) is a mystery to me. Anyway, after giving credit to Phil Kraft
and reproducing the text of the Grid Leaks article (which is short enough),
except the paragraphs about construction, the “RCM staff” writes:
» … We are presenting the version of the Ugly Stik that was originally kitted by
Jim Jensen. We have incorporated a few updates such as using a plastic engine
mount and a modern radio system. … Also, in response to numerous reader
requests, we are presenting a most comprehensive set of building instructions
and photos. … «
So obviously they responded to requests of readers who still wanted to build
the very popular Jensen version, despite the emergence of numerous Stik
“offsprings” until then. They not only reproduced the plan but also updated it
in the sense of using modern equipment, and they added illustrated building
instructions for the model builders of the 1980s who demanded such while
the 1960s builders had to go by with the short instructions on the Jensen
plans.
Accordingly, the plans' title box is modified. While the Jensen plans said
“Designed by Phil Kraft – Plans by George A. Walker” the RCM plans say
“Designed by Phil Kraft – Plans by Bob Wallace”, and they use yet another
font for the model's name.
Just compare the RCM plans on the following pages to the Jensen plans
above to see yourself what has been modified.
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Remembering the Origin
Eric Wildermuth not only had
the original article and plan he
used to build several Stiks, he
also found an old Ace R/C ad
remembering the derivation of
the Ugly Stik from a Square
Stik, as Phil Kraft told in his
article.
In this post in the Ugly Stik thread at RC Universe someone told that Phil
Kraft originally named the model Box-Fli. Only later he followed a friend's
suggestion, modified the model to look like a Fokker Eindecker, and aptly
renamed it Square Stik and finally Das Ugly Stik. The post sounds credible
and the name would fit in the line of names Phil Kraft gave his designs. So
even though there's no real evidence I would believe it.
By the way, the Grid Leaks article tells » The plans were finished on a Sunday
afternoon some two years ago. « Regardless of the original name, that means
the design is actually from 1964. Presumably, George Walker drew the Grid
Leaks plans and built the model shown in the Grid Leaks article and on the
issue's title page only in early 1966, and drew the Jensen plans even later.
The post mentioned above also tells that » During the development of the KP-4
Proportional system Mr Kraft would close the shop and the whole crew would
drive (about 3 blocks) to Whittier Narrows to watch him fly. This was in 1964. «
The poster was a crew member since August 1964 as he told in another post.
The Radio Control Hall of Fame has a comprehensive Kraft story which tells
that Kraft moved production from his garage to a leased plant in 2519 Lee
Avenue, South El Monte, probably in 1962 or 1963 since he started production in 1962 and ran his first ad with the new address in October 1963. There
were ads with this address until 1965, and probably in 1965 the production
moved again to 2466 Seaman Avenue, South El Monte, Ca.
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Anyway, that matches what the poster tells. In his other post he says » After
Don Mathes left, the company began shipping KP-4 proportional radios and
moved to a larger building. « The Radio Control Hall of Fame tells that Kraft
intended to launch his first proportional system, which was curiously called
KP-4 by ACE, in April 1964. The ads disappeared in the summer due to still
unresolved problems. At the very end of 1964 the “real”, final KP-4 was announced and production started in June 1965.
That means at least in 1964 and maybe even in early 1965 Phil Kraft was
experiencing all technical problems of the new system in his test flights at
the Whittier Narrows model flying field while the operations were still in Lee
Avenue.
Finally, in early 1969 they moved again to a much larger factory in 450 W
California Avenue, Vista, but in the important years from the development of
the break-through KP-4 to the great Worlds and Nats wins Phil Kraft flew at
Whittier Narrows. The model flying field as well as all three factory buildings
obviously still exist so you may see them at Google Maps and Street View.
The photos of Das Ugly Stik, and of Kwik-Fli and Bar-Fli as well, which have
been published in magazines, probably all have been shot at the Whittier
Narrows model flying field and later also in front of the Seaman Avenue
factory.
You may imagine how it was back then with the “pure” Box-Fli with straight
(un-scalloped) ailerons and elevator, square wing and stab tips, square vertical tail and no frills. It was meant as an expendable model, just a testbed...
Bits and Pieces
The following drawing shows the typical R/C installation in the Ugly Stik. It is
from a time when the servos already had rotary actuators and the Ugly Stik
was very popular. Just an interesting aside...
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Sources
Eric D. Wildermuth from Brisbane, Australia, kindly provided the scanned
images of his copy of the Grid Leaks magazine and valuable information from
his rich experience building and flying several Ugly Stiks. Later he even
found the advertisement mentioning Ugly Stik's derivation from a "Square"
Stik. Thank you very much!
Some members of the Vintage R/C Society scanned all old Grid Leaks issues
and put them on the Web. See here for volume 7 number 3 to find the Ugly
Stik article with plan. It was also shown without plan in an Ugly Stik thread
on RC Universe. The plan as scanned PDF is on www.outerzone.co.uk.
The Jensen kit’s cover and plans were borrowed from one of “Uncle Willie’s”
now extinct websites (see here now). The building instructions on the left
margin of the wing plan are lost, but you may find them in the complete
(tiled) plan in this post in the Ugly Stik thread at RC Universe. The Jensen
plans as scanned PDF are on www.outerzone.co.uk.
The 1985 RCM article is available without plans in a Blog. The RCM plans as
scanned PDF are on www.outerzone.co.uk.
The R/C installation plan was shown in a thread on RC Groups.
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Das Ugly Stik - Original Publications

Transcription

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