Super Sportwin

supersportwin

A sleek twin-motor electric that is build for speed.
Find the entire feature on page 20 in the June 2011 of Model Aviation.
Designed by Mark Rittinger.

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In 2001, at the height of the “Speed 400” craze, I designed my original Sportwin. Spanning 38 inches with simple, all-balsa construction, it was an instant hit. Many Sportwins were built around the world, and it gained quite a following as a fun, fast, quick-building, slick little electric twin. This model shocked (no pun intended!) many people with its great handling and good performance on the meager power that was available at the time. Brushless motors came into vogue shortly after, and they were soon followed by Li-Poly batteries. Both of those developments were major leaps forward in power plant design for electric models. No longer was it necessary to watch every gram; an abundance of power was at your service. Numerous Sportwins were built with brushless and Li-Polypower, and some were extremely quick. The Super Sportwin is not merely a scaled-up rendering of the original Sportwin. It's an entirely new model, designed from the ground up, using the general shapes of the Speed 400 version. There are many differences. The SST wing is made from foam and removable, the airfoil is semisymmetrical, the tail is longer, the stabilizer is larger, it has retracts, rudder, and 1 horsepower (750 watts) hauls it around the big blue! Although this is not a beginner’s model in the sense of construction or flying, anyone who has scratch-built an airplane should have no problems with it. My designs feature hidden right angles or straight lines that might not be readily apparent. I have arranged for Bob Hunt, of CL Aerobatics fame, to make wing cores available, and they are perfect. Robart and Eflite retracts fit in the nacelles with minor trimming. Once you've built the Super Sportwin, line it into the wind and smoothly apply power for flight. You’ll find that it likes heavy right rudder until the tail lifts, and then you can let off slightly. I use high-rate rudder until flying and then switch to low. Once the aircraft is up on the mains, apply more power and it will smoothly lift off. Gain some altitude and trim it out. Test the stall and glide ratio. You’ll see that the SST is fast and glides well. Line up for landing with a great deal of ground in front of it, to allow for that flat, fast glide. Once back on the ground, give it a thorough examination. Make sure that there are no loose parts or equipment. Now you can take this model up and wring it out! Put a fresh pack or packs in and go up again. You can do all of the RC Aerobatics (Pattern) moves with it and outrun some glow racers. The SST tracks like a Pattern model with the speed of a racer. Huge loops and vertical moves are easy, and this airplane will do well inverted with some practice. It also does good four-point rolls and slow rolls.

 

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1 comments

I started the build after buying the plans and Bob’s wing (nice) when the article first came out in Model Aviation. Fast forward 10 years and many other build projects, I dug up the box and what I’d already completed. Now I can’t find the original construction article. Most is intuitive but I’d love to get a copy if possible. Thanks in advance ! Dr.Mike

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