Canard Free Flight Model Airplanes

If you live in area of the world where you have a "real" winter with snow and bone-chilling cold, as a model airplane enthusiasts you really look forward to spring to try out the winter builds. Last year I had found some plans for a rubber powered canard known as the "Yako" and was flying it early spring. The plane is built from all sheet balsa, that means no covering required. Canards are tail-first airplanes, the stabilizer that is in the rear is moved to the front, vertical fins normally stay in the rear and the propellers push from the rear. The first controllable human carrying powered airplane flown by the Wright Brothers was a canard.



Yako Canard in Flight

Vulture and Yako in Flight

Flying the Yako canard was not too much different than more conventional model airplanes other than the rubber had to be wound the opposite direction for the propeller pushing in the rear and the positions of your hands were reversed when launching the model. The performance of the plane appeared to be as good as conventional plane of similiar specifications.

Flying Electric RC Wright Flyer

I have also built a foam plate and plastic straw glider that flies pretty well. For a future build I have a larger P30 class rubber model canard kit to build.  Always so much to try, not enough time.  Short video of Yako flying below needed some adjustments as it was stalling:

Bill Kuhl
http://ideas-inspire.com