Flying for Fun
D.B. Mathews
Wow! My July 1997 column featured the Piper Skycycle as a potential scale model, and in the nearly 20 years that I've been writing columns for Model Aviation, no other subject has generated so many letters and photos. The response proves, as I had suspected, that the Skycycle is an exciting scale subject.
By coincidence, the July issue of Scale R/C Modeler also contained a piece on the Skycycle. The article featured some of the old material to be found in Air Trails and Air Progress, since the publisher acquired the rights when Potomac Publications failed several years ago.
My speculation about a lack of suitable radio control (RC) construction drawings and the rarity of Skycycle models has been proven erroneous, as this month's photos show.
Carrier Deck Skycycle
Bill Cohen (Cathedral City, CA) sent pictures of a Capitol Models control-line (CL) Skycycle that he built and flew while serving on the USS Leyte CV-32 immediately after WWII (1946 or 1947). Bill said that when in port, modelers on board the ship were allowed to fly CL models off the cleared forward area of the flight deck. He mentioned that there was a small hobby shop on board, and that although only a few sailors flew models, they attracted a good-sized audience.
"If you think crashing on a dirt field, or even asphalt, is bad, you should see what a hardwood teak flight deck does to an engine," he said.
Small 1/3-Scale?
Since the prototype Skycycle spanned a tiny 20 feet, quarter-scale models (three inches to the foot) would be 60 inches. Although this is technically large enough for IMAA (International Miniature Aircraft Association) events, such a model is smallish when compared to the usual quarter-scale subjects.
Warren Spurgeon (Stockton, CA), on the other hand, built a 1/3-scale Skycycle that spans a nearly ideal 80 inches. His model is powered with a Zenoah G-38, covered in Super Coverite and K&B Super Poxy, and he found that it needed four pounds of lead in the nose to balance. The completed model weighs 24 pounds, yet it flies with smoothness and stability. Warren said that it does perfect 360° rolling turns and lands very well.
He flew the Skycycle for 16 flights, then sold it to a friend in Oregon. He does have the drawings, but no source for the cowl or canopy.
Warren built a Comet Skycycle kit (mentioned in the July column) in 1946 and has had a soft spot for the design ever since. This time he drew up his own plans, carved a mold for the canopy, and had it formed in butyrate clear vinyl by a local firm. The cowl was made of fiberglass from a wood plug; construction was all plywood-and-balsa with strip planking, which was glassed. The dummy engine was built up of 1/16" plywood sections, and the wing was conventional in that it used a D-tube leading edge and geodetic ribs aft of the spar, per the full-scale prototype.
Long-Lost Plans
I recalled a set of 1/4-scale Skycycle construction drawings by Robert Switzer from 30 years ago, but since I hadn't seen ads for them in years, I presumed the set was no longer available. The same was true of a set sold a few years ago by Sid Morgan before his death. But I've been corrected: the Morgan and Switzer plans were the same, and they are available from Fred Novack, Sid's nephew, as Vintage R/C Plans. He can supply vacuum-formed cowls and canopies.
Bob Connors (Dover, MA) sent photos of his Skycycle that was built from those plans. He said that the part patterns fit nicely, many scale details were shown, and most importantly, the model flew well. Construction was built-up wood and plywood, not a glass fuselage. Techniques were well within the skill level of the more experienced plans builder. Bob originally powered his 1/4-scale version with a Saito 90 twin, but that proved to be too much power, so he changed to an O.S. .70 Surpass with a dummy set of cylinders—a perfect combination.
I received photos of several other 1/4-scale Skycycles, but one of the more spectacular renditions was from Bob McDaniel (Bowie, MD). Built nearly 20 years ago, this model was powered by a SuperTigre 60, finished with K&B Super Poxy, and weighed eight pounds. Engine cylinders were scale and were made of medicine bottles and scraps of wood. This outstanding project is on display in the Piper Aviation Museum at Lock Haven, PA, alongside the collection of Skycycle photos and memorabilia.
New Full-Scale Version
During a conversation with George Yeager (New Brighton, PA) at the 1996 Gathering of Eagles, he mentioned his involvement in the development of a full-scale reproduction Skycycle. It was being readied by Ernie Carlson as a homebuilder kit, just across the state line in East Palestine, OH.
First flown on December 8, 1995, the aircraft was allocated the original Piper registration NX47Y. The preferred engine at Piper back in 1945 was the Lycoming O-145B, and that is the power plant in the Carlson version; it can also be powered with the Continental 65, a VW conversion, or a Rotax 912. Materials kits for home-builders are available at approximately $14,000.
The Carlson Skycycle's first flight was from the private airport where the reproduction Travel Air Mystery aircraft (of which we had photos) crashed several years ago. No tragedies occurred this time.
Pardon Me
Even a cursory photo comparison of the Carlson Skycycle to the three model versions reveals changes. The canopy of the "reproduction" is two pieces and markedly different in shape. Since the fuselage is of steel tube, rather than the original Corsair drop tank, the wing is not carried through the fuselage but attached to its bottom. This, in turn, changes the shape and contour of the wing fillets.
It is a stretch to refer to the Carlson version as a reproduction. A scale model with so many deviations from the prototype would be severely downgraded by any judge. To be accurate, the Carlson Skycycle is a modernized version of the Piper aircraft. However, that is not to say that it wouldn't make a marvelous scale subject on its own merits. This one is a delightful source for another out-of-the-rut scale model.
Drawings and Photos
While a large list of three-views is available from various sources, few (if any) photos of the original Skycycle seem to be available. However, Bob Banka has a 20-photo set (#5807) of the Carlson home-built model, and Robin's View Productions has a 30-minute video of the Carlson Skycycle, including flight shots. Robin's View also has an 8-minute tape of the 11th Annual "Sentimental Journey," held at Lock Haven, which includes footage of the Carlson version and many wonderful authentic antique Piper aircraft.
Best For Last
As this is being written in late June, a glass-fuselage form, foam wing, 1/3-scale Skycycle kit is being considered for production by one of the most respected names in warbird kits. The prototype has been thoroughly tested, flies very well on a twin four-stroke, is well-behaved yet wildly acrobatic, and looks wonderful. I've been sworn not to reveal the identity of this person; however, should you have an interest in a 1/3-scale (80-inch) kit of this stimulating project, send letters to me and I will forward them. A second flood of letters will likely influence his final decision. I would jump at such a kit.
Addresses for commercial suppliers mentioned in text
- Vintage R/C Plans
5105 Pine Hill Circle Howell, MI 48843
- Bob Banka's Scale Model Research
3114 Yukon Ave. Costa Mesa, CA 92626
- Robin's View Productions, L.L.C.
Box 68 Stockertown, PA 18083
- Carlson Skycycle
Box 88 East Palestine, OH 44413-0088
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
