Growing up in Connecticut, I had watched many of Palen’s wonders take to the sky, but I had forgotten about this little gem. I was quite taken with the radial engine protruding from the once-polished aluminum cowl. Despite the ungainly tripod landing gear of the 113, I could still make out the classic lines of a true champion. I also found a 3-view drawing of a Monocoupe 70. Unlike the 113, the 70 had a more conventional landing gear complete with spoke wheels. “Wouldn’t this make an interesting RC subject?,” I thought.
When I designed the Monocoupe, I wanted something large enough to fly scale-like, but small enough to accommodate park flier hardware and components. I estimated the flying weight to be under 30 oz. and decided to build the 48-inchspan airplane around E-flite’s Park 450 outrunner motor. This airplane makes for an ideal Sunday afternoon sport flier. Whether it’s on the ground or performing big round loops and slow rolls, the Monocoupe’s spoked wheels and dummy engine always to turn a few heads.
TAIL FEATHERS
The tail feather outlines are laminated from thin strips of water-soaked balsa wrapped around a foam template. Soak three balsa stringers in warm water for a few minutes. Next, run
