HS-Spad XIII - A Free-Flight Model Airplane

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Famed Fighter of the World War!Rickenbacker! Fonck! Guynemer! Luke! These are but four of the many WorldWar aces who rode to triumph in the cockpit ofa Spad. And it was partly tothese ships that the pilots owed their fame, for these sturdy little "bipes" wouldstay in the fight as long as a scrap of tracer-scorched fabric would stick to their

frames. And now, readers, Henry Struck gives you his model: "ship of theheroes." So get out your balsa and ----

Build the Spad XIIITrail Blazers of the Air No. 8

By Henry Struck

Above: Ready for the Dawn Patrol!You can almost sense the tenseness inthe chill morning air as the ship awaitsthe ackemmas twist of her prop. But

here again the ship shown is only ourmodel. To the right and left are other

pictures proving how truly realistic amodel plane can be. Its attention todetail that does it, youknow. And youllfind a careful study of these pictures willbe of great help in building your ownmodel SpadXIII.

TWO QUALITIES wereresponsible for the outstandingsuccess of the Spad as a pursuit

ship during the World War. For fewother ships at the time could dive asfast as the Spad or absorb as muchpunishment and still be able to flyhome.

So it is little wonder that the Spadbecame the favorite sky-horse of

American and French flyers. Andthe combination of these dependablelittle planes and daring pilots helpedmake the exact type of action thatfiction writers love. Accordingly,almost every story hero of the "war inthe air" jockeys a Spad!

But not all the mighty deeds ofthe Spad were performed on theprinted page. For such great Frenchaces as Rene Fonck, Pere Dorme,and Georges Guyriemeyer chalkedup many victories while flying Spads.

And from our own tarmacs, EddieRickenbacker and his "Hat in theRing" squadron added to theprestige of the Spad.

The first Spad XIII--after whichour current model is patterned--cameout late in 1916. It was animmediate success, and in that latterhalf of the War held its place as afirst line pursuit job until the end.

With a wing-span of scarcely,twenty-six feet, the Spad XIII wasconstructed entirely of wood withfabric covering. The trailing edges ofthe wing and tail surfaces were ofwire, which caused a scallopedeffect when the covering was shrunk.The landing gear a was placed well


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forward and its sturdy shock-absorbing construction helpedconsiderably in reducing the hazardsof setting down a ship on themakeshift aerodromes of the War.

The 220 h.p. Hispano-Suizamotor with which the Spad wasequipped permitted efficientstreamlining of the nose, whichadded greatly to the appearance andperformance of the entire job. Andon the ground the Spad seemedever eager for a quick spring into theair.

And if you'll follow the instructionsI give here for building a model of theSpad XIII, you'll find your job willhave that same air of being always"on the alert. " So let's get alertourselves, and start work on---

MODEL CONSTRUCTION

CUT two sides of 1/16" soft sheetbalsa to the pattern given in full sizeon the Plate 2. The formers are alsocut from 1/16" sheet. Join the sidesat the top by Formers 1 and 3 and on

the bottom by Former 5 and 7. Afterthe cement has dried pull the sidestogether at the rear. The rest of theformers may then be added.

Five stringers of 1/16" sq. balsaare cemented on the top and bottomto maintain the shape of thefuselage; note however that the fopof the fuselage from Formers 1 to 3and the bottom from 5 to 6, are

covered with soft 1/16" sheet balsa.

Use the balsa in small piecesabout 1/2 wide. After the coveringhas been cemented in place thecompound curves of the cowl can beeasily shaped with a razor blade and

sandpaper.

The nose N, is made in twosections. The front ring is of 1/8sheet while the rear block is thick.The radiator fins are of 1/64 by

1/16 bamboo spaced by twohorizontal strips of 1/32" by 1/16"balsa.

A small door is cut in the rear ofthe fuselage to allow rubber to beinserted. The rear hook is formed of.034 piano wire and attached in thebody with several coats of cement.

The landing gear consists of twoV-struts, which in turn are built up ofStruts A and B, and a spreader barC, all of 3/32 hard sheet balsa.Using plenty of cement attach A andB in their proper positions joiningtheir lower ends with C.

An axle of.034 piano wirecemented only at the center to thetop of the spreader bar, carries a pairof 1-1/8" hardwood of balsa wheels.Since the axle is cemented only atthe center, its outer ends are free totravel in the small slots in Struts A

and absorb the landing shock.

WING AND TAIL

THE leading edges of the wingare of 1/8" by 3/16" sheet balsa. Thetrailing edges are of 1/16". Shapethem to the proper cross section with


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PROP AND PLUG

THE nose plug is a disc of 1/16"thick hard balsa cemented to a 3/8"length of 1/4" sq. balsa, which is cutto fit snugly into the nose block N. Ahole is drilled through the plug, andwashers with bushings inserted areglued to front and rear to serve asbearings.

The propeller is carved from ablock 5" by 5/8" by 1/2". After theblades have been trimmed to theoutline shown for the flying prop theyare doped several times. A 6"standard style, ready-made

hardwood prop with the excesslength cut off may be used if desired,especially if balsa wheels are used.

Form the propeller shaft of .034piano wire. Slip it through the noseplug and prop, and embed the end inthe hub. Include a couple ofwashers between plug and propeller.

Four strands of 3/32" rubber areenough power for a Spad XIII under

1.25 ounces in weight, while fourstrands of 1/8 rubber will work betterfor a heavier model. The rubber ineither case must be of good qualityand preferably lubricated. Test glidethe model gently, and check anytendency to stall by adding a bit ofclay inside the nose. Correct divingtendencies by adding clay in thefuselage at the rear hook.

The first trial flight might be made

with about 100 winds. Wash therudder slightly to circle the ship tothe right against the torque of theprop.

Flying Aces February 1938


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HS-Spad XIII - A Free-Flight Model Airplane

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