2017 Falan Filan

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Robert Schlickewitz

in Series 2000 – Sheet Wing, Profile Fuselage Rubber-Powered Models

Span 33 cm / 13 in and 39 cm / 15 1/3 in

Weight 12 g / 0.4 oz and 19 g / 2/3 oz

The concept:

one basic layout – two models
small and light built
good flight characteristics
low-wing monoplane
distinctive design
easy to build
few parts

Name: Falan Filan is colloquial Turkish for thus and thus in English.

Building the rubber powered balsa profile-fuselage models Falan (and) Filan:

Materials:

Fuselage: B 3; round nose parts: B 3 or 5; triangled nose parts: B 5; rubber hook: piano wire 1.2 or 1.5 mm diameter; wings (all): B 1; wing supports: B strips 3 x 3; horizontal stabilizer: B 1; fin: B 1; linen band width 10-12 mm / ½ in; ballast: small piece of scrap metal or lead; one commercial airscrew 4 in diameter and thin rubber bands for Falan (short wing) and 6 in diameter prop and black or red rubber for Filan.

Assembly:

Cut out balsa parts in accordance to plan. Sand well. Transfer outlines of cabin ec. from paper to wood with pen.

Wing Falan:

Wing consists of a right and a left wing half. Fix right wing half on building board with needles. Underlay left wing half tip in accordance to required dihedral. Join both halves and cover wing center area with linen band. Let dry. If wing has the tendency to rest only on one side then it is too heavy on this side. To compensate the imbalance disperse a small amount of white wood glue on the opposite wing half’s underside tip area and let dry. Do it if necessary twice until balance is obtained.

Wing Filan:

Wing consists of a center section and two outer sections. Fix center section on building board with needles. Underlay left wing outer section’s tip in accordance to required dihedral. Join both parts and cover wing joining area with linen band. Let dry.

Repeat procedure with right outer section. Let dry.

Fuselage:

Bend as shown on plan piano wire into given hook shape. Carve out with knife and round file seat for rubber hook on left or right side of fuselage. Cement hook in place and cover hook area with a piece of linen. Let dry. Cement fin on fuselage using needles to hold in place. Always visual check twice that symmetry is obtained.

Cement B 3 or B 5 round nose parts one on the other as shown on plan and let dry. Sand well than treat this part with balsa putty. When dry sand again. May be this procedure has to be repeated. When the nose part is smooth you can start to carve out opening which will hold prop-bearing. Start from behind and do it not in a hurry. A little electric drill machine can be useful.

Cement nose on fuselage according to photos. When dry add triangle nose parts, two on each side.

Empennage:

Cement horizontal stabilizer into given slot using needles to hold in place. Visual check symmetry from all sides. Let dry.

Final Assembly:

Put fuselage on a so called “third hand” upside down. Cement wing on fuselage and on wing supports using needles to hold in place. Doublecheck visually symmetry. Let dry.

Use a piece of lead or scrap metal to balance model if necessary. My model was balanced correctly without any ballast.

Remember correct center of gravity (CG) is essential for successful flights.

Observations: Falan (short wing) won’t fly well on a 6 in prop. As torque is to powerful model will continuously roll around its longitudinal axis which looks some sort of unauthentic. Using a 4 in prop and a few thin rubber threads however will make Falan do quiet well in the air.

Filan (long wing) feels itself best with a 6 in airscrew and one strand of fat (1/4 in) black or red rubber. As model is very light it climbs like a rocket until power is exhausted, than glides back circling.