Docile, yet pattern-capable, aircraft has Golden Age-era looks
Fred Reese’s design for the Swallow came about in an effort to utilize .40 four-cycle engines. A club member came to the field with a 4.5-pound, modified Midwest Taylorcraft that used an O.S. FS-40 engine. Its performance was outstanding, and it opened up the club members’ eyes to the engine’s potential.
It was decided that in order to fly the way that they wanted, a model needed to weigh less than 3.5 pounds, have a wing area of more than 500 square inches, and be competitive in the International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) Sportsman category.
Fred redrew and updated plans that he had drawn a few years before, and incorporated other major flying characteristics such as good inside and outside looping ability and neutral knife-edge flight. “I was designing a balanced Pattern model—and a cute little airplane at the same time,” he stated. “What evolved is the nicest-flying machine I have ever had. It’s not perfect, but it’s very good.”
There were not any special building techniques used in the Swallow’s construction. Instead of extremely lightweight wood, most of the wood used was medium weight, with less used overall. The structure was engineered to be strong, so it did not need larger wood sizes or additional reinforcement.
The fuselage was built first, with the two sides over the plans and covered with waxed paper. Fred used ³⁄₁₆-inch square spruce for the longerons and balsa for the uprights, crosspieces, and diagonals.
He glued F-1, F-2, F-2A, and F-3 to one side of the fuselage, then added the other side of the fuselage. The tail was pulled together and rear crosspieces were added, and the cockpit floor, F-4, and F-5 were glued in. Instead of light balsa stringers, spruce stringers were used, and a wedge of ³⁄₁₆-inch balsa between the bottom longerons at the tail was used for a tail wheel bracket.
Before going any further with the fuselage, Fred recommended starting on the wing. Two sheets of ¹⁄₁₆ x 3 x 36-inch balsa were rubber cemented together, along with photocopied paper rib patterns, to the wood. The actual ribs were cut out slightly larger with a Dremel or X-Acto knife and sanded to shape. The wing was built flat over the waxed-paper-covered plans.
Ribs W-1, W-5, and W-10 were glued to the bottom wing spar. The trailing edge and aileron spars were pinned and glued into place, and the remaining ribs added.
After the ailerons were cut away and the capstrips were added, the wing panel was sanded to its final shape, and the aileron linkage was installed. The pushrods extended ¹⁄₂ inch past W-1. The two pushrod ends and a link to the aileron servo would later be joined with a piece of brass tube and solder.
Fiberglass cloth cut 3 inches wide and K&B finishing resin reinforced the wing center joint. The wing was fitted into the fuselage and the leading edge was drilled for a ¹⁄₄-inch dowel. The tail surfaces were built over the plans using medium balsa.
All of the Swallow’s parts were covered separately, with covering between the glue joints trimmed. The rudder and stabilizer were glued to the fuselage and all of the control surfaces were hinged.
Fred used red EconoKote covering and white MonoKote trim sheets for the numbers and trim. He used a dummy cylinder to make the engine into a twin, and the cylinders were painted with AeroGloss silver.
Fred stated that there were no surprises with the way the Swallow flew. “Just point it down the runway, push the throttle to the stop, push in some right rudder and a little up-elevator, and the airplane will be flying almost instantly.” He hoped that many of the readers would build the aircraft or apply some of the building techniques to their next projects. “Everyone should have an airplane that flies like this one.”
The Swallow was featured in the October 1986 issue of Model Aviation as AMA Plans Service number 528. It is available for $19, plus shipping and handling. AMA members can access the MA Digital Library on the magazine’s website to read more about the Swallow and its construction. Go to www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx to order.
