Don Dewey's Royal Coachman Build.
Posted: 12 Aug 2021, 14:34
I am doing a build log on RCG, Vintage Builders section, thought I would share the build here as well.
I've got the materials for the “Royal Coachman”, it is a simple and, in my eyes, a cute little 2/3 channel trainer for 09 to 15 power, designed by Don Dewey, the plans were published in RCM magazine 1965 and the kit manufacturer “Sterling “kitted the model a few years later in 1968.
This is the 1965 plans published in American RCM magazine. Both the
1965 RCM plans and the Sterling kit plans are available from Outerzone.
https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=1302
https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=9845
I first came across the Coachman when I joined my first model aero club back in 1971, fellow club members Col and his son had built one each and flew their Coachman’s every Sunday for years. I fondly remember Col’s model being chased by a very small nesting bird, the wagtail chased the Coachman through loops, rolls, and low passes down the runway all to the amusement the other club members. A Coachman built by another club member, Ted, scaled up his version from it’s 41” to 56”, fitted it with ailerons and powered it with an OS40, still a great flyer in its larger size.
Never got around to building a Coachman, till now.
Most of the wood, the OS15 and the steerable nose leg. To The Build.
With the plans downloaded from Outerzone, and a quick trip to Officeworks for printing, $5.40 for two full size copies of the plans (one to build over, the other to use for templates). Some changes will be made in my build, the right and down offsets of the engine will be built into the airframe, a steerable nose leg instead of the fixed leg, the wings will have the lower spar moved forward under the upper spar, a sheeted D box to the spars and cap strips from the spars to the trailing edge, I’m doing this to save a little money, and a little weight, plus, I don’t see any need to fully sheet the wing.
A kit of parts for the fuselage is first cab off the rank (next post), I’ve worked out that 3mm or 1/8” added to the front of the left fuselage side gives 2 degrees right thrust and moving the bottom of the firewall back 4mm on both sides gives 3 degrees down thrust.
I've got the materials for the “Royal Coachman”, it is a simple and, in my eyes, a cute little 2/3 channel trainer for 09 to 15 power, designed by Don Dewey, the plans were published in RCM magazine 1965 and the kit manufacturer “Sterling “kitted the model a few years later in 1968.
This is the 1965 plans published in American RCM magazine. Both the
1965 RCM plans and the Sterling kit plans are available from Outerzone.
https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=1302
https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=9845
I first came across the Coachman when I joined my first model aero club back in 1971, fellow club members Col and his son had built one each and flew their Coachman’s every Sunday for years. I fondly remember Col’s model being chased by a very small nesting bird, the wagtail chased the Coachman through loops, rolls, and low passes down the runway all to the amusement the other club members. A Coachman built by another club member, Ted, scaled up his version from it’s 41” to 56”, fitted it with ailerons and powered it with an OS40, still a great flyer in its larger size.
Never got around to building a Coachman, till now.
Most of the wood, the OS15 and the steerable nose leg. To The Build.
With the plans downloaded from Outerzone, and a quick trip to Officeworks for printing, $5.40 for two full size copies of the plans (one to build over, the other to use for templates). Some changes will be made in my build, the right and down offsets of the engine will be built into the airframe, a steerable nose leg instead of the fixed leg, the wings will have the lower spar moved forward under the upper spar, a sheeted D box to the spars and cap strips from the spars to the trailing edge, I’m doing this to save a little money, and a little weight, plus, I don’t see any need to fully sheet the wing.
A kit of parts for the fuselage is first cab off the rank (next post), I’ve worked out that 3mm or 1/8” added to the front of the left fuselage side gives 2 degrees right thrust and moving the bottom of the firewall back 4mm on both sides gives 3 degrees down thrust.