News:



  • March 28, 2024, 06:01:47 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Author Topic: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?  (Read 6846 times)

Offline Skip Chernoff

  • 21 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1445
Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« on: September 23, 2016, 08:13:39 PM »
A few months ago Ken Cook was nice enough to give me an old Sterling Skylark he was rebuilding. The woodwork and repairs were very nicely done. I installed a Tower 40 that Dennis Moritz was kind enough to donate to the project. I've Monokoted the wings,flaps and elevators. The rest of the bare fuselage was covered in nitrate dope. I'm going to put on a few more coats of Butyrate clear,then paint it with Rustoleum and wait a few weeks before flying it. I estimate the all up weight to be about 45 oz. Having never flown one of these "Skylarks" what can I expect? Thanks ,PhillySkip

Offline john e. holliday

  • 24 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 22752
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2016, 06:20:31 PM »
I've had two of the Skylarks during my time of playing with these things.  The first one was built using instructions of building wing in two sections.  Never again.   The second one was built for VSC, but never made it that far.   It would do the pattern but needed more trimming before someone offered me more money than I had in it.   If set up right they can be very competitive in the right hands.   Having talked to Ed, the designer he was not happy with what Sterling did to his design.
John E. "DOC" Holliday
10421 West 56th Terrace
Shawnee, KANSAS  66203
AMA 23530  Have fun as I have and I am still breaking a record.

Offline Chris McMillin

  • 22 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1899
  • AMA 32529
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2016, 12:22:13 PM »
Skip,
I flew a buddy's and helped him trim it out, box stock from the kit with a Fox 40. Flew like a good stunter should, very honest and easy to fly well. I built one from plans with a Tigre 46 which was slightly larger than the Sterling kit and spent the same amount of time making it a trimmed out model as my buddy's. No huge difference. You should like it, it's a nice flying model with a good wing and moments.
Chris...

Offline Skip Chernoff

  • 21 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1445
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2016, 03:34:02 PM »
Thanks all for your replies. When I do get to fly it Ill report back.I did read that the Sterling version was a bit smaller than the original. I do think it is a nice looking plane.....not an Ares ,but hey!!!!!

Offline Chris McMillin

  • 22 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1899
  • AMA 32529
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2016, 07:59:56 PM »
You must be thinking of the iconic R/C Carl Goldberg Skylark. It looks like a Falcon 56 with a low wing.
We're speaking of the Ed Southwick stunter as kitted by Sterling.
Chris...

Offline Dave_Trible

  • 24 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 6132
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2016, 07:49:12 AM »
I've built my second one this year.  The first I built as a teen straight from a kit.  It looked great was too heavy.  This new one I also built from a kit but I extended the span back to the designer's original 56" and replaced the heaviest kit wood with something lighter.  I then let the finish get away from me so had to strip and refinish.  I have only a couple test flights on it but think it will fly quite well.  It has a McCoy series 21 .40 and weighs 48 ounces.
AMA 20934
FAA Certificate FA3ATY4T94

Offline Skip Chernoff

  • 21 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1445
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #6 on: October 14, 2016, 08:36:00 PM »
Mine is almost finished,need to paint the fuse and tail. I'm going to use Rustoleum so I'll have to let it sit for sometime to make sure it's fuel proof. I've used Rustoleum before and it worked out well but you must be patient!
I found out just the other day that my plane when originally built was flown by a few club members and they said it flew well.Remember this is a rebuild of an old plane,not a new build. I'll post pics when complete.....PhillySkip

Offline Skip Chernoff

  • 21 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1445
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2016, 08:23:30 PM »
Any idea what year the Sterling Skylark kit was introduced?

Offline Chris McMillin

  • 22 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1899
  • AMA 32529
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #8 on: October 24, 2016, 09:17:24 PM »
Mid 60's, I remember seeing one in 1965 to 66 in Chicago when I was a very small boy and we moved to California in November of 1966 and I saw more then but usually it was Ed Southwick's own models. The kits had an open fin covered with silk, Ed's had solid fins.
Chris...

Offline Skip Chernoff

  • 21 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1445
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2016, 07:39:20 AM »
Yesterday I flew the Skylark. I was  pleasantly surprised. The plane was very responsive. Not know how long my engine run would be on 4 oz of fuel I didn't try to do the entire pattern ,but got thru the basic stuff. The plane seemed to groove very well. Inside and outside loops were lovely,same for the squares. The triangles had nice sharp corners. Inverted flight was a cinch with little or no correction once level and upside down. Horizontal 8s were nice as well. Reverse wingover had nice sharp bottoms with little bobble. That was all of the stunts I tried not knowing the fuel situation. I had the run on a stop watch and she ran 5:32 seconds. I probably could have gotten in all of the stunts,but why push it. Next time out I'm going to have a 5 ounce tank,and am going to install a ST NVA. The Tower 40 on a 10.5x4.5 prop had plenty of power with an explosive burst when going from 4 cycle to 2 cycle. All in all the Skylark has all of the earmarks of a competitive Classic Stunter....PhillySkip

Offline dale gleason

  • 23 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 842
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2017, 09:04:48 AM »
Here's my "Skylark" from an old Ken Smith kit. I thought "Skylarks" were basically T-Birds at first...they are not. Mine has an ST-51 with the square head. It is a great flying plane.

dg


My apologies for the small size picture.

Offline Skip Chernoff

  • 21 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1445
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2017, 05:51:49 AM »
Looks great ! I bet it pulls with that 51!

Offline Paul Smith

  • 24 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 5793
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2017, 08:37:35 AM »
Any idea what year the Sterling Skylark kit was introduced?

I remember when it came out, but not the exact date.  The kit was over-priced compared to better kits from Top Flite, Jetco, and Midwest. 
With the exception of the Ringmaster, Sterling kits were no very well liked.
I guess scratch-built Skylarks were OK, but I never saw kit build that satisfied the builder.
I saw a lot of satisfied Nobler & Shark 45 builders.
Paul Smith

Offline Phil Spillman

  • 2017
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 803
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #13 on: March 15, 2017, 07:32:12 PM »
Hi Skip, Many thanks for stopping by to say hello at Lebanon last Saturday! Great to meet you. Will you be going to Brodak's this year and if so in which skill group do you fly? I'd like to watch the Skylark do it's thing out there! By the way if the Tower proves to be just a bit lacking on the power by all means try an LA .46 it has the same bolt hole configuration as the Tower with a tad bit more gojo. The LA may be just a bit lighter as well. To be on the consistent safe side I opt for at least a 4.5 to 5 oz. tank especially as the weather turns Phila. gummy! Some flying friends down here in Williamsburg, VA are using the 6 oz. Sullivan clunk tank and drawing out some excess fuel as needed. These are set up with double clunks, one for fuel feed and one for uni-vent!

Good luck to you!

Phil Spillman
Phil Spillman

Offline Skip Chernoff

  • 21 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 1445
Re: Anybody Flying a Sterling Skylark?
« Reply #14 on: March 15, 2017, 08:13:17 PM »
Phil nice meeting you as well .Had a blast at the swap meet and didn't spend too much. I fly in intermediate If I do well this flying season I'll move up to advanced. The Skylark flies fine with a Tower .40. However I did have to go down to a 6.5 mm venturi to make it thru the complete pattern. I also discovered last week that see flies better on an 11x6 running a very nice break,but on the rich side. Phil I've got lots of planes to fly and have been building like a madman! See you at Brodak's. PhillySkip


Advertise Here
Tags:
 


Advertise Here