20″ wingspan
Class: Scale Flying Model, 1:22
Skill Level: Easy / Easy
The Aeronca 1939 Chief is a 1:22 scale, flying model. This pre-1942 design is eligible for Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) contests.
Built by the Aeronautical Corporation of America (AERONCA), the Chief was the last side-by-side airplane sold by the company prior to World War II. Aeronca created the first commercially successful light airplane, the Aeronca C-2/C-3 series. So basic was its design, that the pilot sat on a bare plywood board; it was known as “the flying bathtub”. Aeronca went on to build more cabin airplanes, and the 1939 Chief was a far more comfortable design with increased range and a cushioned bench seat for the pilot and passenger. The airplane used a variety of power plants, the most common of which was the ubiquitous Continental C-65. Thanks to H.G. Frautschy for correcting this historic background.
This free flight rubber powered kit contains a full-size rolled plan, laser cut balsa parts and hand-picked balsa strip wood, FAI rubber motor, E-B propeller, EBM thrust bearing, clear plastic and windshield template, wheels, wire, TissueCal™ and LaserCal™ registration markings, and Easy Built Lite tissue in red and white. To build this model you will need a building board, hobby knife, fine sandpaper, and glue.
“Your contribution, of the Aeronca Chief plans and lazer cut sheet wood, to the 2010 Muncie FAC contest was well received. The attachment is my version. It weighs 20 grams, as you see it, without rubber and is slightly nose heavy. Gliding/trimming will have to wait until the temperature gets above 25 degrees and the snow melts. With a little luck it’ll be an entrant in the “one design” event at Muncie this year. Your lazer cut balsa parts were accurate and certainly made the construction faster. Hope to see you there with your Chief. Again, many thanks for your generosity. Keep whittling,” Claude Powell
Below Dave Hable flies his Aeronca Chief, Stinson Voyager, Taylorcraft, and Imp
“I thought you might get a kick out of seeing my version of your Airknocker kit. The model finished up at 11 grams so it ought to be Hung bait.” – Rich Weber
“Ann here is the 20″Aeronca Chief. It came in light at 15 grams without the motor. The front end of the fuselage was the only difficult part of building the plane as it curves in sharply. Using ammonia and taking my time over a couple of days gradually pulling it in worked just fine. Hoping for good weather to fly it soon.
I use the ammonia to soften the wood and allow it to bend. There are some pretty sharp compound curves in the fuselage of the Chief. The kit at first looks easy but it is not. I basically built most of the fuselage up to the instrument panel then anchored to my building board using right triangles to hold it in place. I then used a Q-Tip soaked in ammonia to wet the front longerons and an additional set of right triangles to squeeze it in a bit. I let it sit over night then repeated again each time getting it closer to the shape I needed. Took 3 days to do it. Pretty common practice with these little models from what I know.” – John A Majane III
Note: These comments refer to the printed wood kit. This kit now has laser cut parts.
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