The Story behind my Waco Taperwing
Well, I have been not only a full scale pilot, but an RC pilot for a long time, and if there is anything I have learned about other aviation enthusiasts, is that we ALL have a favorite type of airplane! (or two, or three, etc, LOL) For some it is a war bird………others, jets, and still others love the aerobatic or antiques or classics…….well, you get the picture. Me? Well, the P-51 has always topped the list. I have had 4-5 models of the Mustang, some flew well……..others had a very short life. No matter what projects are in my head……a P-51 isn’t too far down the list.

However, My Dad and I also had a penitent for the classics. Stearman, Stinson, Howard, Navion, Cubs, Taylorcrafts, etc. We loved the older planes. Back in the 70’s and early 80’s my Dad and I would usually plan a yearly trip to Oshkosh, WI for the annual EAA convention and spend a day or two ogling the home builts, war birds, and of course, the classics. One of these classic bi planes was a certain Waco Taper wing flown by Bob Lyjack, “The Flying Professor”. He would perform every day in the air show and we would watch in awe as he gracefully wrestled that big, beautiful red and white Waco around the sky! One could not lose sight of this aircraft as the thick trail of smoke always lead to that big growl of its radial engine. Take all the other planes if you want………..but Dad and I would always love that Waco!

As Dad and I would wander the grounds at Oshkosh, we would peruse the home built aircraft with an eye to which one he would want to build. (As long as I could remember, he dreamed of building his own full scale aircraft, a dream which would never come to be.) But as modelers, we would also have an eye out for aircraft that we would love to turn into an RC model! We had many differences in opinions on the airplane choices, but always agreed on that Waco! Sadly, for whatever reason, the Waco Taperwing was just not a frequent subject for model enthusiasts or companies to kit. If someone were to build one, it was going to be from their own plans. So, some time in high school, I took the 3 view drawings of that Waco to school with me and one day put it on the opaque projector (Google it if you don’t know what that is!) and drew up some plans for us. It was around a .60 size that we thought a K&B .61 or Supertiger .60 would serve well up front. After I went to college, Dad even started to build from my plans. He had the fuselage, landing gear, tail feathers and one wing mostly done before being side tracked. Eventually he lost interest and time as I was not around to be his flying buddy and the build completely stopped. He would eventually stop modeling altogether due to macular degeneration, but he always would try to see me fly when he and Mom make it to the field. Those nearly completed parts stayed in our home shop for years until I acquired them to keep in my own home.

As I started my family, my modeling slowed and stopped for many years, just as it does for many young dads as they raise their families and establish their careers. However, I acquired the structures he had started with the intention of finishing them “one day”. Sadly, “one day” never came and after multiple household moves, those pieces of the Waco became too damaged to salvage, and I reluctantly disposed of them. I just never had the heart to tell Dad that I had scraped his plane. I told myself at that time that if I EVER came across real model plans or a kit of the Waco Taperwing, I would buy them on the spot and build it to complete Dad’s project.

As the years past, I kept looking for those plans or a kit, but alas, as mentioned, the Waco Taper wing is a very rarely modeled plane. While I always had an eye out, I held the realization that this was one plane that just was not meant to be for us.

Then, one day as I was bouncing around E-Bay, I happened across an ad for just such a thing……..the plans for a Waco Taper wing that were produced and published in “Flying Models” magazine! I could not believe my eyes! The Holy Grail had been found and it only cost $19.95 plus shipping! I couldn’t pull the trigger on the purchase fast enough! At last I had our dream airplane in hand, and when I showed my Dad he could hardly believe I had found some actual building plans!

Several more years passed before I started the actual build. During this time I would pour over the plans and started to amass the components I would need. This was to be a big plane….95 inch wingspan on top, and in my estimation a 50 cc gas engine would be the power source. I purchased a twin cylinder 55 cc engine, servos, and almost all the bits needed to complete, well before gluing the first sticks. I also had to acquire a BUNCH of balsa wood, as this was going to be the biggest project of my modeling life!

Finally, the first pieces were cut and glued together on January 1, 2018. Over the next 2 winters I would complete 80% of the build. I had to take a winter off in 2020 as my wife and I were getting ready to relocate to a different state, so all my models and supplies needed to be packed for that move. Finally, this past spring I pulled the Waco out of the boxes and started to assess what needed to be finished and figure out a schedule to work on it.
We had moved from Northern Illinois where summers are flying season, and winters are COLD! Building models was meant to be in the winter! That’s how it always had been for us. However, we landed in southern Missouri where winters are mild and flyable, but summers are HOT, HUMID, and UNBEARABLE for me! So……I took advantage of that and spent the latter part of this summer working on the Waco. Final sanding and fittings, covering, prime and paint, all were finished up in July and August. Final assembly started in early September, with my goal being to fly it yet this year.
I made great progress in and found that my goal was easily in reach.hat goal finally came to fruition on Finally on September 23, 2021, with my wife as photographer and helper tagging along, we took the Waco to the field for its the maiden flight.

Ok, let me stop right there! You see, not all was well with this project. You see, as the final assembly progressed, I started to realize that my Waco seemed very “heavy”. I was really surprised, and as I weighed out components and added up the numbers……I realized that I had not built a beautiful classic airplane…….but rather a brick that LOOKED like an airplane! There were no specifications on the plans…….and also no building instructions, so I had nothing to compare my models weight to other than similar models offered by some of the current manufactures. Long story short……I estimate that my Waco tips the scales at 33#, a good 10-12 pounds more than similar air frames! I was devastated, and spent much time trying to figure out where I went wrong to get this thing so far overweight! I built per the plans with only a few modifications, and used specified materials. I just cannot figure out where I went wrong.

If one has modeled long enough, one knows that a tail heavy airplane is a plane with a death sentence. Well……next in line is a grossly overweight plane, and this thing was in the “Pig” category! I was thinking that while it may have enough power to fly, it won’t have too much reserve power, and possibly just not enough to get it off the ground. And, it will likely handle like a pig, require much higher air speeds for takeoffs and landings, stress the air frame and landing gear, and just not be very fun to fly.

I had run the engine at home, and felt there was enough power and thrust, but again feared how the plane would perform once I got it to the field and into the air. I had come this far………almost 10 years since I found the plans………and 3 ˝ since the build began that I just could not turn back now. Win or lose, fly or crash or not make it into the air……I had to give it a try.

So back to the field…………………. September 23, 2021 was a beautiful warm southern Missouri early fall day with light winds and mid 70 degree temps. My wife and I were the only ones at the field, which was fine by me as too many witnesses to a crash can be embarrassing! (but it does make clean up easier)
With assembly complete, and gas in the tank, the range check came next and was A-OK. Securely staked and held by Joan, I worked on getting the newer engine running. I still have not got the exact procedure down yet for this engine, so it did take a few minutes and some choice words to coax the engine to life. Finally it cooperated, and with run up complete I took it to the runway to see how it would taxi. All seemed well on the two passes on the ground, so the only thing left was to give it a go and fly it.

Power up …….. Rolling straight…….slowly, gracefully, it lifts off and starts to climb! It is in the AIR….and I am thinking to myself that it is finally happening! The collective dream of my Dad and I is finally in the air where it belongs. No matter the outcome of the flight, it is flying and in my book, that is a SUCCESS! It did take a lot of down trim……and right rudder. Seems the built in settings I had used were not enough of either, but I was able to trim out to level and straight flight, so they must not have been too bad.

However…after the first jubilation of flight came a painful realization. My earlier fears about the Waco and it’s weight were coming true, as this plane was flying like the overweight dog it was. Slightly under powered, it flew just like I had feared. Thankfully it was in balance and stable, but still, not flying very nicely. As I calmed down from the initial nerve explosion, I made several passes and gentle turns and patterns around the field. After some more trimming, I finally got it flying as well as could be expected. I took it up high to try some stalls, and was pleasantly surprised that it broke straight ahead, not seeming to want to snap into a spin after each stall. At least I had built it straight! I did some lower passes to let Joan try to snap some pictures, and get a video, and then it was time to try the landing.

The Waco handled well on the approach, but being a bit concerned on the first try, I brought it in a bit too fast. While I should have gone around a few times to get a better feel for the approach, I had plenty of runway, and let it come down on the first try. It did bounce slightly, but I didn’t think it was too bad for the first try. However, sadly, as I taxied up, I realized that one of the landing gear supports had been bent, and that this would be the only flight on this day.
If you are a modeler and reading this, I don’t need to explain the feelings of relief, excitement, and joy at the end of the first flight of a brand new model. Especially one where you spent a great deal of time and effort, not to mention money, to complete and see fly for the first time. This joy was short lived on this day for me as the realization of this particular model and it’s associated problems. The post mortem at home revealed that indeed one of the landing gear supports had failed, likely due to the use of soft all threaded rod instead of a more durable rod. But, since it bent, it saved some damage from the attach point at the fuselage. The full scale Waco Taperwing utilizes an oleo strut set up……one which I could not duplicate, but realize now would have come in very handy…..especially on this heavier than normal plane. Not much else was wrong…….but I will need to do some re engineering of the gear struts before trying again. At this point, I want to at least try to fly it again, for no other reason than to get some more photos, and see if I can keep it from getting destroyed. If I can get a few more flights, I will consider it a success, and then find a place to display it. Maybe a local modeler with a shop and high ceilings would want to display it….or maybe even in my garage. Who knows. I don’t know how many models of all shapes and sizes I have built and flown in my life. A LOT! From small rubber powered free flight to this 50 cc behemoth to 4 meter sailplanes…….and everything in between, I have had a long and happy modeling life. This certainly is not the first model that I built that was less than successful, shoot, some didn’t even fly at all! But this is certainly the largest project I have undertaken, and it hurts to know that it will not be the show case in my fleet at the field. But, while disappointed, I can at least say that I completed a dream. While I am not an overly religious person, I do hope that my Dad was able to watch it fly from his recliner, sitting next to Mom in Heaven. Thanks for the dreams Dad.

There is a glimmer of hope on this project it seems however. I always make copies of any plan I build, just in case there are problems with the parts, or I need to make additional pieces. Well, I always felt in the back of my mind that this project was way too big......and that I should have scaled it back from the start. Well.....It just so happens that when I made the original copies, I also had them printed at 1/3 size! So I now plan on building the Waco again some day, but the next one will be around a 36 inch wing span. More than manageable.........and far less expensive! I have always said......."I'd rather be Lucky than Good!" lol
Thanks for reading!

D

Hi Daryl,

How about posting some of the vital stats for us readers?
Is this nice looking model 1/4 scale?
What is the wing area?
Have you calculated the WCL (Wing Cube Loading)?
Is (33#) designating 33 pounds?
If so, that equates to around 15 kg, which does not seem excessive to me...............but we don't yet know the above.

Ultimately, if you consider it flies too heavy, then that is that; it is subjective.
Condolences.

I was given my first proper powered model to learn to take off and land. I was formerly, a slope glider flying almost exclusively.
When fitted out with motor and battery, the WCL was off the scale.
Curiously, I got to like flying it, despite the adverse comments of some of my flying buddies.

Jim.

Hi Jim
Let me find my numbers on the wing area and wing loading. I have them in the shop and will pull them out tomorrow. As for size, it is 1/4 scale. Since the plans had no other data with them, i am not sure of what the designer had in mind for flying weight. I could only compare it to similar models of size and scale. The Phoenix models waco was the closest at 28 pounds. That was encouraging at first, but the Pits S2b offered by Horizon Hobbies comes in at only 20 pounds give or take. Regardless of whether it is actually heavy or not, I still. Need to come up with a solution for the gear supports. I am going to swing by my local hobby shop to see if a truck or car shock would be the right size. I might get lucky and find a match.
Thanks for your interest!!!

Darryl

Ok, thanks.

Jim,
I am glad you mentioned wanting more details as it made me go back to my calculations and rethink things.
First.......the data My Waco has a 95inch wingspan, and an area of approximately 2115 square inches. I know you mentioned metric measures, so I will let you convert the way you see fit.
The weight is right at 33 pounds. I had figured wing loading before, but I believe I made a couple minor errors in that calculation, and have rectified my math.
My calculations show that the wing loading is 35.9 oz/sq foot with a WCL of 9.4
As I went thru some comparisons, those numbers are not really all that bad.
I didn't have much to compare with other than a Wild Hare Sukhoi I had owned some years ago. It was just over 18 pounds, so a real floater. Currently the two best comparisons are the Horizon Pitts S2-B, and the Phoenix models Waco 50-60 cc.
The Pitts has a wing loading of 31 oz/sq foot and a WCL of 9.2
The Waco has a 26.5 oz/square foot loading and a 6.3 WCL.
The Phoenix Waco has a higher wing area, thus making it a better wing loading, and I would suspect it flys accordingly.......very light and floaty for a plane that size. I would imagine it would be similar to the 1/3 scale Waco I fly for a friend.....it is very light and lands at a walking pace!
The Pitts still would be lighter overall, and I believe would fit my expectations better, but that project is not likely right now.

So, I am looking forward to flying my Waco again. I believe that I can get used to its performance, and as the engine breaks in, it should provide a bit more power as well to help the flight characteristics. I still will need to address the landing gear issues, as at the current weight, will continue to cause problems unless I address how they are attached to the fuselage. Just more modeling fun and experimentation!

Darryl

That's good Darryl and it confirms what I first thought.
At a WCL of 9.4, that puts it right in the middle of the aerobatic aircraft suggested range here:

http://www.ef-uk.net/data/wcl.htm

And also that from what I am reading, this is not an overly heavy model at all.
Run the engine in, fly it again conservatively. Become accustomed to taking off and landing with it.
And please post again after.
Given a guess, I figure you will not only become ok with it, but will like it eventually.

Which "Waco" are you referring to here?

Originally Posted by Darryl Miller

........................
The Waco has a 26.5 oz/square foot loading and a 6.3 WCL.
...................................

Thanks for the information and good luck with it. It's a very nice model.

Jim.

It’s the Waco sold by Tower hobbies, and others, but distributed by Phoenix Models.
http://phoenixmodel.com/Product.aspx?ProductId=639

Yes, that’s my plan for now, fix, fly, hopefully repeat! Lol
If I can find a local source for brass tubing, I will try to make my own oleo struts. Shouldn’t be that hard as long as I can get the right springs and all.

Just one more part of the challenge.

D

Originally Posted by Darryl Miller

..............................
If I can find a local source for brass tubing, I will try to make my own oleo struts. Shouldn’t be that hard as long as I can get the right springs and all.
...............................
D

I have seen some very effective spring struts made from TV antenna aluminium tube.
Too light for your model, but the principle could be scaled up.
Brass is heavy.

I'd just like to chime in here and also note that it could be handy to look at power loading in addition to wing loading and WCL.

The "doggish" performance you note from first flight might actually just be a lower power loading than you are used to - and likely closer to a more scale power loading.

Originally Posted by undetekted

i'd just like to chime in here and also note that it could be handy to look at power loading in addition to wing loading and wcl.

The "doggish" performance you note from first flight might actually just be a lower power loading than you are used to - and likely closer to a more scale power loading.

+1!

Yes, I would agree……..brushless motors and over powered gas airplanes have spoiled me in that regard! As I was thinking about the maiden in retrospect , It reminded me of flying one of the many glow planes I had in the past. In fact it was better……as I can remembered l o n g takeoff runs and slow climbs……and screaming smelly engines! Lol
Yes, the time since the Waco maiden has allowed me to step back from the edge and look at things from a better angle. It’s not a dead project yet!

D

I enjoyed the story of your Waco greatly. The story is one of human interest and revealing about you and family and thus touching because of reminders of our own stories. Thanks so much for sharing.

My conclusion is also that much of your concern relates to overall modeling that is not typically scale.

For grins... I'll add a short story. A few years ago in search for the next build, the decision was made to up size a model built in the late '70s, an OK Models design kitted by Pilot Models of Japan, a Das Box Fly Bipe. It has been a fun flier in a .25 size powered by a Saito .30. It was doubled in size to 90 inches, just slightly smaller than your Waco so I've a sense of how big your plane is. Both wings are the same so it has something like 2600 inches.

A friend had an OS 40GT (40cc four stroke) that he was unhappy with and would give to the project. The plane weighed 20 lbs and its maiden was interesting indeed, going airborne without problem but with the shallowest climb rate ever experienced. Testing the engine thrust revealed 8 lbs was flying the 20 lb plane. It was no wonder the PO of the engine was unhappy with it. With some effort, the engine problems were sorted out raising the thrust to 16.5 lbs and providing the power needed to enjoy the plane.

It is big and slow but under 18 oz sq/ft loading so flies on the wings. You will simply need to remember to fly yours according to its loading.

Your Waco is a beauty.... great build effort.

Thanks for the replies guys….. between all of your responses and some scotch, I talked myself back from the ledge, and proceeded with tweaking this thing and get it flying right.

So, a progress report…….To recap, the first flight left me a bit disappointed with landing gear support strut damage and the feeling that I had built a dud. After some thought and soul searching, I figured I might as well repair and fly and just see what happens. I mean, I proved it”can” fly, so there is no pressure going forward…..and with some luck and patience, I might just figure this out. I reinforced the inside of the fuselage where they attach, and after some experiments, made my own shock absorber struts for the main gear. Not really “oleo” struts, but functional just the same.
So I took it out again today, and am ecstatic to report two very successful flights! The biggest thing I really changed were my expectations. I already established that it flies…..now I just needed to get used to the “ way” it flies. Which is….very “scale like”. The power is adequate…..would I like more….absolutely. Can I live with this, for sure! It really has the same power feel as a glow powered trainer…….long take off roll, and enough to get the job done. Aerobatics remind me of full scale, where planning is involved for maneuvers. Have you ever been to an air show and here the announcer says, “ he’s trading altitude for airspeed “ as the pilot dives into the maneuvers? Well, that’s the way this Waco will be for me, and I couldn’t be happier right now! I need to try a different prop as well….I only had a 22-10, well in the recommended range, but the instructions say 22-8 preferred. So, hopefully that will give a few mor rpms….we will see. It’s supposed to be hot and windy for the next few days, filled by rain…..hopefully later next week I will have a different propellor and try it again.

D

Originally Posted by Darryl Miller

I ........ made my own shock absorber struts for the main gear. Not really “oleo” struts, but functional just the same.
.........................

I for one, would be most interested in any details you might like to share.

So I took it out again today, and am ecstatic to report two very successful flights! ................

Congratulations!

I only had a 22-10, well in the recommended range, but the instructions say 22-8 preferred. .................
...........

The smaller pitch propeller will make a significant difference, especially in a slow flying aircraft like this.
It also might be a good idea to put a tacho on the motor/prop when it is running and check that it is up to specification and tune etc.

Jim.

Right on... a 10 pitch prop on a slow flyer is not efficient. Kinda like a power boat unable to pull skiers out of the water.