F3A Aerobatic Model CONDOR

The first prototypes of the Condor were built in mid-1973. My goal was to design a model that, thanks to its aerodynamic shape, could effortlessly perform all the maneuvers in the aerobatic program using standard engine power, thereby keeping flight noise within tolerable limits. These considerations led to the design of the Condor’s current fuselage. This fuselage is very slender and thus has very little unnecessary drag. Based on testing, the lateral area of the fuselage was distributed so that the largest area is located as close as possible to the center of gravity and tapers toward the tail unit. In addition to the clean aerodynamic shape, this provided significant advantages during knife-edge flight and, above all, made the model very insensitive to crosswinds.

To prevent the Condor from becoming too fast due to its small fuselage cross-section, I chose a relatively thick airfoil (18.8%) for the wing. In addition to excellent low-speed flight characteristics, this produced the expected speed-stabilizing effect. For example, during a loop, the speed does not increase significantly during the second half of the maneuver, even when flown at full throttle.

The sweep, wing shape, and clipped wingtips have not changed significantly since the Condor’s prototypes. After numerous tests, a polyester fuselage was built in early 1974, with its halves glued together in a bolted mold. The cowl is a single piece with the fuselage, and the aluminum engine mount is subsequently glued into the fuselage. Since the motor mount and motor recess are already milled into the fuselage nose, the motor only needs to be aligned with the fuselage nose when installing the mount, ensuring that the mount is installed in the correct position within the fuselage.

The wing consists of a lightweight Styrofoam core covered with 1.5 mm thick balsa wood skin. The exact sweep and V-shape are already incorporated into the wing halves, so no further work is required here. The wing is available for either retractable or fixed landing gear. The tail section is also included in the kit, fully covered. The polyester fuselage, coated with a specially toughened Cel-Cote, is available in blue, white, and orange. The kit also includes the plan, motor mount, and aerobatic fuel tank.

Price:

Complete kit for retractable landing gear: 312.
— Complete kit without retractable landing gear: 305.—

The author will be happy to provide further information. Please contact:

René Schumacher, 3902 Glis/VS
, Tel. 028/3 25 50