Hi guys,

Up for sale is my de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk electric RC aircraft, scratch-built from Ivan Pettigrew plans.


Specifications

• Scale: ~1/5
• Wingspan: 75" (1900mm)
• Length: 55" (1400mm)
• Wing Area: 820 sq. in.
• All-Up-Weight (AUW): 79 oz
• Wing loading: 14 oz/sq. ft

Included

• Motor: BP Hobbies U3520-6 840kv brushless
• Batteries: 3S2P 2200mAh Lipo (2 packs included - but they are somewhat old) - also, separate Rx pack (4AAA 720mAh, also included)
• ESC: BP Hobbies 45A ESC
• Prop: APC 13x16.5 electric
• Controls: Rudder/Elevator/Ailerons/Throttle/Lights (4ch req'd, 5th channel optional)
• Lights: Wingtip lights, landing light, tail-light (lights controlled from transmitter)
• Misc: 2 spare props included (painted but not balanced), half-roll of aluminum Monokote
• Receiver: Not Included

Details

Model Details: This model was scratch-built from Ivan Pettigrew Plans over the course of 18 months. It was completed in the summer of 2009. It has a one-piece wing that detaches for transport. It is covered in aluminum Monokote and is an accurate reproduction of an Oxford University Air Squadron (UAS) training craft. Even though it was completed three years ago, the model has only been flown on a handful of occasions with less than one hour of air time in total. It has never been crashed or suffered any damage that required repair - in other words, it is still as good as new. There is nothing wrong with the flight characteristics but it is a rather large model which is why I don't take it out very often. It really needs to be flown at a club field. At this point I also no longer have the space to keep storing it, so I need to pass it on to someone else who will hopefully derive some enjoyment from it.

Characteristics:
Taxi - The tailwheel is steerable (it is internally coupled with the rudder servo) so at low speeds it is quite easy to steer on the ground. The main wheels are 3 inches in diameter so it has no problem taxiing or taking off from reasonable grass surfaces (soccer fields, typical club airstrips, and the like). The main gear is removable 3/32" piano wire so the alignment can be tweaked if necessary.

Takeoff - On the takeoff roll the tailwheel will come up almost instantly so at that point you must be proficient on the rudder to keep the plane tracking straight down the runway.

Flying - In flight the aircraft is very smooth with plenty of power even on 3S Lipo (however the included motor and ESC will easily handle 4S if you want greater speed). It is an excellent aircraft for performing large, scale aerobatic maneuvers, rolls that take up the whole sky, etc... Stalls are very mild due to washout built into the wings. I have not tried to flat spin this model.

One note of caution: This design will not fly on rudder only. If the pilot forgets to hook up the ailerons and takes off with them disconnected, it will likely end up in short lived knife edge flight, no matter how much opposite rudder is used (this word of caution comes from the designer, I have not actually tried it myself!) But be sure to double check the ailerons before taking off, as you always should anyway. One good thing about this particular model is that each aileron has its own servo, so in the event one fails the other should still be more than adequate for flight.

Landing - The streamlined profile and long, tapered wings give this model an impressive glide ratio. This can sometimes make it a challenge to get the thing back down to planet Earth, as it really wants to glide for a considerable distance on landing. Note also the very low wing loading for a model of this size (14 oz/sq. foot for a 1/5 scale aircraft). However the actual landing is a non-event, the main gear is wide enough as to be very stable and there is enough weight behind the wheels that nose-overs are uncommon. The biggest issue will be setting it down too hard, having it bounce and then continue to fly for another ten yards...

Pilot/Builder Details: I have been building model aircraft for 20 years. This model was my second from Ivan's Plans, the first being an even larger "Short Solent" flying boat. You can browse some of of my other threads to gauge for yourself the quality of my work (although I did not create a build thread for this Chipmunk there are many photos of my build process which you can see in the "Build Photos" section below).

Build Photos

There are many photos of the build process in my photo album - See Here. If you are curious to learn more about Ivan Pettigrew designs, see this enormous thread of information.

Delivery

I am located in Corvallis, Oregon. This model is too large to ship. I am happy to deliver to most of the major cities in the Willamette Valley. Further than that and we would need to make some kind of arrangement.

Price

I am asking $600 $500 or best offer. If you don't like that price, make me an offer! You won't offend me.

Contact

You can call Luke Middleton at (541) 908-0151 or send me an email/PM through RCGroups.

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Hey guys - I understand the asking price is a bit high. But keep in mind it is only a suggestion, and the plane will be sold one way or another.

If you think you'd be interested, throw me an offer (you can do it through PM if you prefer) and I will seriously consider it.

Thanks,


Luke

Price lowered to $500 OBO.

I'm warning you, the price is going to keep going down until this thing is out of my house!