Hmmm.. I own one...that was built approx 1973-4 and was three channels. had an old 40 on it and an aluminum tatone I think motor mount. It had been through heck and the covering (green metalflake monokote(2 different manufactures) and white solarfilm) was pretty much shot. I had put strip ailerons on it at one point..Matter of fact, I had just gotten it down and hulled it out this week and decided I think I will restore it.

After stripping (well a LOT of adhesive stayed and had to be sanded off) I seen several repairs to the wing that were lousey and the center glass seam was getting rotten...so it was removed. At that point the wing nearly fell apart at the seam. This I found was because either someone did not put any kind of dihedral spar in or there simpl was none originally. (I would like to know) I fixed that with a few joiner spares and will replace the glass seam (that is pretty much all the strength wing had to keep from folding)

Filled in the usual dents and scrapes etc and fixes a separated elevator. The elev and rudder hinges are cloth tape and were removed. I have some of the same cloth tape...that was originally used but I think I will do a figure 8 thread hinge. I've been thinking why not just do a silkspan/dope or coverite/acrylic fuselage and a silk/dope wing. I have a pack of that old original silk (the higher shrink stuff circa early 70's)...but am really contemplating just coveriting the whole thing and acrylic airbrush it all. I have finally aquired an old RCM publication last year of the Rumplestadt Bipe (which used 2 Ranger 42 wings) and their reccommendation (early 70's) was to paint it with acrylic....so acrylic was very much in at that time. There were also articles on latex painting in MAN and using coverite.... The plane has too many inserted pieces and holes filled to look snazzy with the naked look of silk, so I would be forced to use a dark color or opaque dopes

What really has me going is that that plane was made to accept up to a 60.My experience with the wing center could simply not accept that large of an engine...so I think wing was built wrong to begin with ...or perhaps there was a joiner to be used if over a certain size engine.

I will use a 40 on this one as it did OK even with a real tired old OS (very worn out)

So anuther old "betsie" will take to the skies again.!

They were wonderful , durable and extremely forgiving trainers and command a huge share of what I would guess would be called the golden era of R/C flyers newbie memories....


This plane was King in the era of the Krafts, Orbits, World Engines Experts, Heathkits etc (and that red "Brick"...can't remember name)