I just got started building 1 after buying it . Actually , I started to look for information , after I bought it , and viola , here I am.
I have an original 1954 full sized plan and kit. Berkeley distributed the kit that was designed and drawn by Henry Struck. The kit was
engineered by Bill Effinger , this is printed on the plan. This is the same kit that Henry Struck used to fly air mail across the Detroit
River by radio control , into Windsor , Ontario when he was working for the Plymouth Motor Corporation and doing military experimentation.

These plans are not simple , as the age could suggest , as there are alot of intracate lines drawn through each other that make it
harder than usual , I noticed , to concentrate on what line you are tracing with your eye , let alone figure out what goes where.
The plan does come with some detailed instructions along the bottom of the 38"x49" drawing , taking up what amounts to mostly general
descriptions of how to progress through the assembly. There are also some step by step listings laid out through the drawing.

The kit came with a strip sheet of engine installation and operating instructions which were to be used on the finished model and are
obviously not new , they are for a .024 sized engine. Right out of the gate I tried to locate a logical place to begin building , and came
up with the wing , as a logical start. Low and behold , even then , there were mistakes in the drawing to placement or construction
characteristics of trying to match what is written or suggested together. The plan suggests building the fuselage first.

For example : The side view of the wing clearly shows subframe stringers , bonded to both ends of the ribs , before the actual
tapered edges are bonded onto them. Suggesting that there are no flaps or ailerons needed. Yet , the half wing drawing shows
that there is absolutely nothing bonded between the tapered trailing edge and the rib trailing edge. Also suggesting that there are no
flaps or ailerons necessary. I took that as a sign of the times that the model was designed in and have decided to work ailerons into both the wing and the tail ( elevator ). Which the tail also shows as being solid with no allowance for an elevator in it's construction.

Eventually I realized that there was some sort of elevator in the tail wing , but it appears to be the type of elevator that allows for the
entire tail wing to go up and down. There is a rubber band and servo apparatus that loops over the tail from front to back , and it
attaches complicatedly with the rudder itself by a wire mechanism extending from both. It would have to pivot somehow through the
vertical tail structure ahead of the rudder itself. It is still not quite clear to me how this would work , but that's the challenge of building
such a flying model.

The plane itself has a 68" wingspan , and surprisingly the tail is almost 30". That also suggested to me that the design for steerage
was going to come from the rudder and tail alone. But I couldn't see the plane flying properly that way in any wind as it is also a
polyhedral design with a 5 & 1/2" rise to the wingtip from the bottom of the cowl. That incident got me thinking that the plane would
naturally swing back and forth from side to side when held stationary , which would greatly benefit from a little aileron for control.

Basically , the major part of the drawing is that of an oversized baseball bat for a fuselage , extending sharply and contoured to the
substantial tail and rudder. The fuselage section looks like a drawing of a submarine with a conning tower for the wing to sit on. The
box reads "The First All Purpose Gas Model" and the parts sheets are thick and rough. The die cuts are sharp and clean enough to be
able to trace through but are in fact , so sharp that they are harder than normal to trace along when cutting. Alot of care must be
taken to ensure that you are cutting where you need to.

This plan includes every angle of every section , as you would get from any model these days . Surprisingly , the plan doesn't show
it's age or suggest that it is from the 1950's at all. Absolutely not a general drawing , I have decided to build this plane special , in that
I will be changing alot of the suggested or required assemblies to suit my theory of design efficiency. After all the width of the wing is
over 9 & 1/2" while the 2 sponsons or wing stabilizers are just as long. Pictures do not do justice to this model , as it is a large craft
in that there is a top view picture of the completed model , clearly showing that it has a wing construction that resembles that of one of
the era's bomber wings. Heavy , to say the least. I will also be increasing the size of the engine to ensure that weight is not a factor.

I guess you could say , all things considered , that this plane was a glider , with it's silkskin covering , in the minds of the designers at
the time. It was supposed to be like a glider , not a aerobatic performer. The plans mention that it typically takes 50' to take off.
This model surprised me the more I looked at it , as it is much bulkier than I had originally anticipated. I guess I paid alot of attention
to the fact that it has a thining style fuselage , which led me to believe that it was a completely thin design , it is not , as the nose is
5 & 1/8" at the widest point. Not exactly the few inches the pictures suggest. The actual plans have the fuselage from nose to tail
across them and don't allow the tail to be added to the end in 49" , so the tail section is drawn above , which is also another 9 & 1/2" ,
making the total dimensions 68" x 58 & 1/2".

If anyone is interested in having a true copy of the plans or any information or ideas about building this plane , please feel free to
contact me by email : [email protected]

This plane will be built with the US Air Force "Star & Bar" pasted right under the wing , across the wing supports on both sides , in
memory of those who have lost their lives since 911 , and the City Of New York , USA.