Pushers are fun!

[outofbalance]

Hi Folks,
I bought the first Don Ross Rubber Powered Model Airplanes book (1998) in August 2002. On page 160, he gave a little tutorial to describe some design perimeters for pushers. I have built a slew of them, all SPORT models, some indoor and some outdoor. What i like about pushers is the prop's in the back! The model cruises in clean air; it's a serene part of my interest in model airplanes. The model slows, and as the power begins to bleed off, the nose lowers and it keeps its flight pattern.
A few years ago I saw an email about a German, Gunter Kirch, who experimented with 'arrow' wings, that is the wings are not swept back, but swept forward, like a Genesis sailplane. I have several 'arrows' and they fly pretty well, no prop out in front beating up the air.
Maybe there are others on this forum who have some topics about these pushers. I'd sure like to learn from them.
In winter, I fly with a group of folks who were brought together by Jon McVay of Lisbon, Iowa. John has since gone over but his group of fliers still meet each Sunday in Mt. Vernon HS gym and Clear Creek church gym in Marion, Iowa. I call the group Jon McVay's Owls, wise old coots.
Incase you may have forgotten, the first Wright Flyer was a PUSHER!
Be safe and here's hoping you like pushers, Outofbalance

[FLYACE1946]

The only homebuilt aircraft I ever flew was a pusher. Did you ever hear of the Veri Eze ? It was a real hotrod. But the nice thing was the peace and quiet inside since sat ahead of the engine and prop noise.

[outofbalance]

I've heard that homebuilt is quite a climber too! Isn't it a two place, tandem seating?

OOB

[Crabby]

Here's a low investment and high yield pusher, The Twin Fin Terror. Totally awesome climber. Never fails unless accidentally wound backwards!

[outofbalance]

Crabby
Thanks, I got to find the plan and build this one.

OOB

[msc]

Incase you may have forgotten, the first Wright Flyer was a PUSHER!

Not only was it a pusher, it was a twin pusher. One of these days I need to get around to building a classic twin pusher. A stalling point has been the need to carve left and right handed props for it. But I just realized it could be a good candidate for capacitor power. Many of the tiny drone motors are available with matched left and right handed props.

Outerzone has several twin pusher plans. https://outerzone.co.uk/search/results.asp?keyword=twin+pusher

A couple of cute little Bill Hannah pushers are the “Ye Old Twin Pusher” https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=14779, the “Tail First Tenderfoot” https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=12858 and the “Pusher Galore SST” https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=7517.

Mike

[outofbalance]

Hi Mike,
I built the Tail First Tenderfoot a few years ago. It was hard to trim. Thanks for the other offerings. I checked them all out.
About six months ago, I had 50 or 60 models hanging from the basement ceiling, many is a state of disrepair. I decided to junk them, but I kept the props, nose bearing, landing gear, and tail hooks. In the last few months, I have built a couple of models and used parts from the one's I junked. It made me realize how much time I used to spend making props, most are Styrofoam left and right props, five to eight inch diameters. In working on this Twin-Fin Terror, I  found a five inch left hander, so I saved a little time there.


OOB

[outofbalance]

Hi Folkds,

[outofbalance]

(That last post was a dud. I had a small photo to post but I did something wrong)

Hi Folks,
I built the model Crabby posted, Twin_Fin Terror, a ten inch ws solid (light weight) balsa pusher using a prop (4.9 inch diameter) from another model. It came out at 3.7g and I used 1/16th sq rubber loop. It buzzed around more like a Sleek Streak! SO, I'm building another one, but this one is 1.5 times bigger, 15 inch ws and I made the prop out of a motel styrofoam coffee cup.
Our informal group of rubber FF folks meet at a HS gym this Sunday, so I'll try it there.
Happy February,

OOB

[FLYACE1946]

I've heard that homebuilt is quite a climber too! Isn't it a two place, tandem seating?

OOB Yes it was tandem seating with the control stick on the right side on the one I flew. Yes the rudder pedals were where they were supposed to be. 

[outofbalance]

The Rutan gents made two great airplanes, the VariEze and the VariViggen (sp?). I never flew a home built airplane, good for you.

OOB

[FLYACE1946]

The Voyager was another great one the Rutans were involved with.

[outofbalance]

Hi Flyace1946 et al,
The Voyager flew around the world without landing or refueling along that circuit. Dick Butan and his 'other' piloted the airplane. Burt's use of carbon composite materials was a first in the homebuilt industry, I think.
Twin-Fin Terror model:
I built this model and it was hard to trim, but I was inspired and built a second one and made the size 1.5 times bigger. It flew great.
LongEZ: I borrowed the wing design of LongEZ and built a pusher with an 11 inch wingspan. I flew it last week in a gym. The fuselage was stick body and the canard was six inches long with a copper wire hinge flap. It's the first pusher I built (6.9g) that did not need nose weight. I adjusted the canard flap slightly down and with a few hundred winds the model flew in a tight right circle; I added a small tab to the left wing up aileron and that broadened the circle. I used 3/32 rubber and 1/8 rubber motors. The model is self correcting. As the speed bleeds away, the nose drops and the speed increases around a 25 foot circle. The prop is about 35 degree pitch, motel coffee cup styro blades on a stiff balsa 1/8' sq hub, 7 inch diameter. I named this model "ShortEZ." I am doubling wing size of ShortEZ and hope to fly a larger version next Sunday. I am excited that the model's CG balanced in a sweet spot on the stick body. Sorry, my pictures foul up the email so no photos until I figure out what I am doing wrong.
OOB

[FLYACE1946]

Well I for one am excited to know you have been making attempts to get this one flying. I hope all goes well tomorrow flying inside.  Hope you get help filming OOB.

[outofbalance]

ShortEZ flew well in circles of 25 feet diameter, the nose rising and falling, even as it climbed. I built ShortEZ-2, 14" WS and a 17"stick body and an 8" canard with an elevon that is also adjustable. It glided and flew okay under a hundred turns but the hall is too small for a full power windup test. So, the first quiet morning I'm taking it to the Nature Center which has a big, flat parking lot with a winter corn field on one side and soccer fields on the other...no trees. I'll try it and report. The big example of a 'good' design is that I have not had to add any nose weight; the elevon seems to take care of how the nose responds. The CG is right at the leading edge of the main wing and an 7-1/4" styro-coffee-cup two bladed prop at 30 degrees pitch. I hope the gent at Staples copy center can increase this ShortEZ-2 plan to 36 inch WS. I want to begin building an outdoor version.
35F this morning,, CAVU, south breeze, forecast for 70F later. Global warming is here. It's still February! I think Iowa will have a very warm year. Hope there's enough moisture to keep the crops generous.

OOB

[kittyfritters]

The Twin Fin Terror looks a lot like the Vampire, a 9" span pusher by W. A. Dean from the December 1946 issue of Model Aircraft magazine.

[Pit]

My TFT is sitting on my dresser.  Built some years ago - documented then here on HP - a real fun flyer.  Another pusher of mine is the SAAB J-21 (Sturman design) that has been flown successfully and an old/newly revived own design that is based on the HPA "Shark".

[Crabby]

Wow Pit A blast from the past I remember being mildly jealous of your Saab-21. It still conjours up some model airplane lust. I am smitten with my TFT, the way it climbs, dutch rolls and settles into a climbing circle... I can just imagine the Saab doing that. I bet its real a goose bumper! thanks for the pics!

[outofbalance]

Another Pusher, please...
   Hi Folks...I built a twin pusher named Louie II. My gaggle of these (Huey, Dewey and Louie) led to Louie II. I have photod but I am not proficient enough to get then here. I will study up. This stick body has the seven inch props angled behind the wing so the rubber motors have a straight pull at the nose hook. I mounted two Al tubes, that would accept a toothpick to hold the prop from turning once the motor was wound. I connected each toothpick with a piece of yard. The props are counter rotating to negate torque.
The high school gym we normally fly in is no longer available 'til next October, so I have flown Louie II a couple of times on a still morning- in an empty parking lot. It likes a 30 foot circle aand behaves pretty well. Pgotos soon, I hope. WS about 14 inches and weight 16g with prop blades of Styrofoam.

Outofbalance

[outofbalance]

Louie II photo- I'll send a few to Bruce, maybe he can post them.

[Crabby]

I am itching to see this Louis II. I am seeing the traditional pusher set up that looks like an "A" frame step ladder (in my minds eye) with a canard in the front

[outofbalance]

Hi Crabby,
  Louie II has a single stick body fuselage. The motor hooks line up so the front hooks are located just behind the canard, which has winglets. I sent the images to Bruce and he might be able to help. He has some other tasks taking his time right now.
   Once I got the feel for where the balance for the CG had to be positioned, my pushers have been a lot of fun; pretty easy to trim. I got the wing area differences from the first Don Ross model book. Near the end, there is a page on pushers that give angle of attack for the canard and some other details. In one section, I think it was flying wings, Ross said he thought not enough attention had been paid to pusher models.
 

[Crabby]

The Louie II is getting tantalizing. I’m pretty sure your description sounds like what I had in mind. Anyways I was spoiled by the Twin Fin Terror. So I now have a sweet spotfor pushers. That Saab Pit has on here has had me fantasizing for years.