Navion

[Rick Bollinger]

Has anyone done the Dare Navion kit 306? I have had this in the attic for years. It looks like a quick build, laser cut with good wood. Was thinking about doing this before I try my first full fuse build.

[Bootlegger]

  Go for it, and show us some pictures.  What engine goes on it?
Didn't Sterling Models also put out a Navion kit??, Seems that I had on in a land long long ago!!!!!!!

[Avaiojet]

Berkeley made the kit.

Charles

[john e. holliday]

Yes Sterling made the profile Navion kit.   I have always wanted one just for the looks of it.   A semi scale profile. 

[Dennis Leonhardi]

The Dare Navion is a remake of the old (and rare) Sterling Navion, with construction slightly modified as per plans by Bill Schmidt (who also provides them for the Sterling Mustang and Yak-9).  The Dare kit is really excellent, as are Bill's plans.

However, the basic design is flawed for anything more than limited sport flying.  Imagine a Ringmaster with 2 bricks strapped to the front end, and you have a picture ... Too much nose, too little tail, and a thin wing (same wing as the F-94C Starfire - they came out at the same time).

The Starfire shared the flying characteristics, so when mine met its demise but with a perfectly good wing, I whipped up something with better flying characteristics and painted it in a kinda-RAF scheme.

If you're not looking to win the Nats, the Dare kit should be a fun build.  Schmidt illustrates both the original and wing-mounted landing gear; I suggest the wing mounting, as the ground handing is about 43,294% better and it looks much cooler.  I did the same with several other Sterling kits back in the day.

I had my own reasons for loving the Navion.  I grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota and did some baby-sitting for the Terry Cashman family back in the '50s.  Really nice people; Terry owned a Navion and set what was then a record for a private plane by flying non-stop from Owatonna to Texas.  And it was built by North American and acquired some of that Mustang look.

Have fun - and if you decide not to build it, send it to me!

Dennis
 

[Richard Koehler]

I still have my NAVION built from a Sterling kit, and still fly it.  I agree it is not a very good flyer at least with a FOX-35.

[phil c]

The Sterling Navion was one of the few kits I've built.  Did it in highschool or 8th grade.  It flew OK.  I crashed it learning to stunt.  Rebuilt the wing into a profile reminiscent of the Ambroid Scrapper, which flew better.  It finally disappeared when I moved out of home.

[Mike Keville]

Berkeley made the kit.

Charles

The Berkeley kit was a 68" span RC design.

[larry borden]

I had one of the Sterling kits, way back when and enjoyed flying it. For old times sake, built the Dare version and it was a fun flyer.

[Dalton Hammett]

I built one of the Dare kits seven or eight years age.  At the time it was a pretty good flyer.  I couldn't do the pattern then anyway but the plane did turn quickly and I would compary it to one of the CG Goodyear profiles with a .35.   I used a Torp. .32 in mine and enjoyed it several years until one day up in NY...............

Dalton H.

[Mike Lauerman]

The Berkeley kit was a 68" span RC design.

My brother in law offered me a Berkeley Navion in '78. I gladly accepted it, sight unseen...(thought he was talking about the Sterling kit!)
What a surprise when he brought it over! The canopy was big enough to get my head into, which I did. There's a picture around here somewhere...