1/3-Scale Benny Howard Pete
Photos provided by David P. Andersen | website: www.mnbigbirds.com
A CONSTRUCTION ARTICLE about David P. Andersen’s (Minneapolis) Howard Pete design was published in RC Modeler magazine more than 24 years ago. Since then, his Pete has made hundreds of flights with no crashes—not even a nose-over. During his 20 years of flying the Pete, David has worn out two engines and one elevator servo.
The plans included a nonscale tailwheel option for its steerable tailskid for better taxiing on hard-surface runways. David also added optional nonscale split flaps for steep approaches to landing on small fields. It is rugged and simple—a traditional balsa structure plus music-wire landing gear.
“It was fast and it could haul a lot of whiskey,” Benny Howard said of one of his early airplane designs. His full-scale Pete was a Pylon racer. It was underpowered and not as fast as other racers, but its big tail and light wing loading permitted it to make high-G vertical wing turns very close to the pylon. This advantage caused it to win everything in its class.
A reporter in 1930 called the Pete “a ballerina among heavyweights.” In model form, these features allow full control plus unusual stability. Solid control in a cross-wind is a big advantage in contests. The all-white color scheme is very visible, except on an overcast day.
David’s Pete placed in local Scale contests. Gene Lafond’s Pete competed at Top Gun. John Buckley flew his Pete at the 2015 National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA) Scale Classic in Lexington, Kentucky.
British modeler John Carpenter’s Pete flew in Switzerland for the 2018 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale F4 World Championships for Scale Model Aircraft. It was Model of the Month on RCScaleBuilder.com in February 2021. In 2022, it flew at the F4 World Championships in Norway.
“The plane just keeps on going,” said John. A flight video of the aircraft can be seen on YouTube at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e6l2FOltQGM&t=28s.
Plans are available free of charge for download on the Scale Flyers of Minnesota website at www.mnbigbirds.com. Printed plans are available from Nick Ziroli Plans at www.ziroli giantscale-plans.com. The Pete does not have custom parts.
Roy Maynard’s photo of David holding the Pete’s nose up to test the carburetor setting became the cover photo of David’s book, At The Field: Offbeat Stories About R/C Model Airplanes And The People Who Fly Them. The book is available as a free download on the Scale Flyers of Minnesota website. Paperback copies are available from Amazon and Nick Ziroli Plans.
