It does "haul" with a hot Black Widow or Norvel .061 and 4X5 or 3X6 prop, but the Brodak .061 turned out to be relatively mild. You might think it would make a better trainer with a mild engine, but most of the training flights were done with the Norvel on 15% fuel and a 2-pitch prop (2-5 or 2-6). That slowed it down to a manageable speed, but maintained good line tension.
The remote tank (about 3/4 oz.) gives a 3.5 to 4 minute flight time. Lines are usually 38 feet X .012 inch cable. The .008 lines are too delicate for training. Dacron is probably best because it's cheap, doesn't kink and is easily replaced. An instructor would take 2 or 3 students to the center of the circle and each would get 5 to 10 laps of stick time before getting dizzy.
I'm a Brodak dealer and sold over a 100 of these kits, mostly on Ebay, but also about a dozen locally. I tried to do a nicer then normal job on mine so I could use it as a sales tool. Usually they are nailed together in an hour or 2, fuel proofed (sort of) with Lustrekote spray paint and flown the same day!
I added plywood hard points to mine where the wing and tail bolt on. The fin and rudder were initially held on with 3M clear vinyl tape, but later I glued them. The elevator is hinged via the wire and tubing method and must be removed to slide the stabilizer out. In the front I inlaid 3/16" basswood where the motor mount goes and added 1/64" plywood doublers. I also added a wire skid with a loop for stooge launching.
When I built the Basic Trainer I was getting into take-apart models and figured 1/2A would be a good place to start. EWP
Topic: Brodak Basic .049 T/A (Read 1564 times)