Cardboard can Fly!

[John Carrodus]

Several years ago I decided to build a Max S30 powered model from honeycomb 15mm thick cardboard packing sheets for whiteware. There is a high and low grade. The higher grade is flatter , smoother and stronger. The tail bits were glued scraps of balsa. Engine mounts were hardwood mounted between ply doublers. It wasn't pretty but fly very well, like a well mannered Jersey Cow and handled a reasonable amount of wind. It taught many to fly and was once looped and inverted by one punter. Eventually it wing overed into a fatal swan song dive. Later dispatched in a funeral pyre, Blubberchook 1 was now a memory. Blubberchook2 is 99% there, bar controls and preflight wing weight and static trimming. The large bellcrank gives slow input but plenty of it. The clunk plastic uniflow is small for short training flights.The wheels are my homemade jobs thin and light plus low brag , large diameter for grass. Short stubby Brewster legs to save weight and drag.The exhaust is modified from a broken muffler and does not overheat being told it would.
Our esteemed PM, Flight Cpt Jacinda Adern is at the controls and is fixated in looking backwards as the passengers bail out. About 50 Ft lines. Finish is clear dope, primer filler, felt tip pen work 4 coats clear.

[PerttiMe]

Sure it can fly.
I suspect it might go floppy in humid environments, though.

[Dan McEntee]

   There have been many model designs published in the magazines over the years that were built from corrugated cardboard. Everything from simple platter type trainers to sport scale models. I just can't think of the gentleman's name that was responsible for most of them. I think he was from the southwest area and quite well known. My brain is just too fuzzy this morning!
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Ken Culbertson]

Love the plane.  Perfect basic trainer.  How heavy?  Finish is quite nice.  How did you seal the cardboard?  I tried a cardboard 1/2A when I was a kid and it soaked up dope and never seemed to fill.

What really struck me though was your pilot.  I love expressive pilot figures.  Here's mine. 

Ken

[John Carrodus]

Thanks Ken, I love your pilot too. I enjoy this little bit of piddletake humour in our work. The finish is about all itll take without pilling on even more weight. The stuff comes with some kind of hard compressed, semi polished layer on the outside so isn't too bad after one coat of dope. The other stuff is much rougher and weak. Sh'es a porker at 60oz gross takeoff!

Hi Dan, yes I've seen that guy a few years ago now with a great line up of very very nice cardboard semiscale models. My main aim was to prove something reasonably cheap and robust could be worthwhile as a viable trainer. Honestly, Blubberchook 1 took one hell of a hammering and countless missions - even as a target drone tug at one stage...before it's demise.

PerttiMe- she doen't really go soggy as she is well sealed ( Auckland gets very high summer humidity) The material comes with some kind of finish , I suspect some cunning sealing/ finishing process. If parked in blazing hot sun for a while she developes a slight dihedryl which does not mess up the fliying qualities. I usually negate by parking upside down- white underwing reflects more heat.

Edges of wings and fuse are sealed with balsa .

[L0U CRANE]

Chnick Felton was the master for CL cardboard 'scale' models. Published perhaps a dozen, possibly more, many in Flying Models, at least some in Model Aviation?

They were not, flat, single thickness wings. Most had the upper surface, only, curved to form a flat bottom airfoil.

Good info on how to crease the bottom of the upper skin to shape, use ribs to form and stengthen it. Fuselages and tails were also of corrrugated cardboard, edged with balsa. Engine and bellcrank mounts were braced and supported with balsa, ply and hardwood as appropriate. Info on finishing exteror, etc.

Most were fairly large, and quite heavy - he used enough power to fly well for scale, i.e., no sharp maneuvering, or inside AND outside figures, etc.

There were similarly constructed  RC designs at the time, some with a limited ability for outside 'g'.

Not my favorite way for models to look, but much of the structural materials were certainly of reasonable price!

[John McFayden]

Careful guys.
Anytime someone finds that something is useful for control line, the world stops making it. 
Imagine a world without cardboard 

[john e. holliday]

I like it.  It looks real and does it's job I guess.  Getting people to flying.  What would help I think is throttle control with the J-Roberts system.  They get dizzy then throttle back and land.   Or go slower than engine is set for.  The late George Leib told me he had more people trying control line using throttle and then went to standard two line control.

[Dan McEntee]

Chnick Felton was the master for CL cardboard 'scale' models. Published perhaps a dozen, possibly more, many in Flying Models, at least some in Model Aviation?

   Chuck Felton is the gentleman I was referring to. Thanks Lou!!
   Type at  you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Dennis Moritz]

Years back. (60 plus) When I was a kid, someone published a plane made from cardboard with a bamboo fuselage. It could loop.

[PerttiMe]

The Chuck Felton website is still live:
http://www.feltondesignanddata.com/