Long Live LaStick!
So, back in 2007, I built a LaStick, Fred Reese's modern version of the Little Stick from plans I found on this 1/2A site. It was my 2nd RC plane build. I powered it with an awesome little Cox TD .010 engine and flew it for several years like that. It flew just fine but I eventually wanted MORE from the model. More speed and longer flight times. When I finally sourced a TD .020 at a good price, I upgraded the plane by modifying the firewall for the larger engine, switching from covering material hinges to stronger hinges cut from a mylar floppy disk and CA'd in place. To keep it balanced, I switched from a NiCad battery to a lighter NiMH with more capacity. The new makeover really woke up the performance and made the airplane much more thrilling to fly. It has been flown a lot at every SMALL event I've attended. In 2015, several of us had different versions of little Sticks with TD .020s there and we had a blast flying them around the pattern together, burning thru tank after tank, making that awesome noise. At this year's SMALL, several of the local club flyers at the event spent the weekend playing with their FPV quadcopters, zooming up and down the flightline, sometimes hovering over the runway while airplanes made their passes, landings, etc. As luck would have it, my little 10yr old plane hit one of them. It sliced right thru the balsa wing and returned to land with no damage while my poor LaStick went down in the tall chigger grass. Luckily, other than a destroyed wing, the airframe was intact and the engine survived with only a broken carb body. After I returned home from Arkansas, I was able to purchase a couple of reproduction carb bodies from MECOA. I think they are made from the original Cox castings, and unlike the more durable aluminum carbs that are available, they have the little stub that anchors the starter spring. I tore the little engine down to clean out the dirt, reset the piston, and replaced the old hardened fuel line with some new stuff from Cox International. With that sorted, I printed out some new LaStick plans from Outerzone and set out to cut ribs and build a new wing. This one is a touch stronger and a little sleeker than before with a slightly smaller airfoil and a bit less dihedral. I deviated a bit from the traditional Maltese cross graphics to finish the facelift. This morning, I took her out to my club field for some test flying. I was very pleased, as the engine ran like a top and the plane was faster and flew better than ever. After 6 fun-filled flights, I cleaned her up, oiled the engine, and hung her back up in the traditional spot above my computer desk where I'm typing this. Life is good!