There is just now an article with small plans about an older pattern plane called "Checkers" in the big auction site. Designer Jarold Schmidt.
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Anybody knows more? What year do you think, very early 70s?
It reminds me of german pattern planes from same era called Nordlicht and Cartoon. Metterhausen was designer.

You can purchase the full size plan from Flying Models Magazine April 1977 issue. Plan number CF-411 for $11.00 US plus postage. Don't waste money on that seller; he cuts the pages from a magazine so you can enlarge the plan yourself.

I still have a Jarold Schmidt "Checkers". Havn't flown it for about 20years. I built it off plans I drew from the magazine article. I recall it flew great with an Enya .60XF. Still one of my favorite models I ever built.

Cheers
Steve

Nice to hear a comment about the Checkers.
BTW, I am going to use an Enya 60 XLF in my next pattern ship, too.

Dominik

Hi Dominik,

I'll pull my old Checkers out of storage on the weekend, and post a picture for you. It wasn't fancy, but it flew so well. You could roll to knife edge, and just steer it all round the field with the elevator.

I still have the old Enya aswell. Your XLF should be great.

Cheers
Steve

That would be just great. Looking forward!

Dominik

I have a picture taken in the late 70s or very early 80s of Jarold with the original somewhere. I'll try to find it, scan it and post it. We used to fly the same contest circuit in the Kansas area in the 1980s.

That will be great to see.
I have always liked this style of pattern planes with canopy more aft, giving the illusion of a veery long inline liquid cooled engine, and a turtle deck connected to the top of the canopy streamlining towards the vertical fin (not the bubble canopy like P-51D...).

Just for comparison a photo of this german pattern plane called Nordlicht (Northern Light), designer Metterhausen.


Dominik

Hi Dominik,

Here is some pics of my old Checkers. It hasn't stood the test of time very well, but then neither have I. I'm 42 and I built it when I was 16 or 17! I even have some really old video footage of it somewhere.

Cheers
Steve

I think it looks well done for a 16 year old building a 60size pattern plane from scratch, and obviously it flew well...
Thanks for posting!

Just saw you made it a tail dragger? Do you recall its flying weight?

Hi mate,

keen eye there

When I originally built it, it had the tricycle gear, as per the plan. I crashed the model at one stage, flying inverted round and round fairly low when I pulled on the elevator instead of pushing! That was the first time I had crashed a model too. I remember being so grumpy with myself!

I had to build a new wing, and fuse forward of the canopy, and can't remember why, but I converted it to a tail dragger. It was then that I pulled out the old Webra Black Head that I had in it, and put the shiny new Enya 60. I think it was around the 8lb mark.

It would need a lot of work to get airworthy now. The wing sheeting is starting to lift under the Oracover, and the front hatch has started to let go. But having it out again, is kinda making me want to restore it.

Cheers
Steve

Wow, how things can resurface! Jarold is my Dad and he designed this plane when I was a kid. He eventually made molds of the fuselage and made several composite models for guys in his pattern circle. We also scaled the plane down to a .40 size (composite fuse) which I flew when I was in high school. Good ole days for sure!

Todd Schmidt

Hi Todd,

It is great to hear from you. The checkers is sure a nice flying airplane, congratulations to your dad on the awesome design. I'm sure it would do very well in the classic pattern comps.

Funny you mention a .40 size checkers. My dad built a .40 size version as well. I don't think it exists anymore though.

Do you guys still have the molds for the checkers?

Also, were there any later evolutions of the Checkers that you guys designed?

Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,
Unfortunately the molds are long gone and there weren't any later evolutions of the Checkers. I'm glad you are still keeping it alive though!!

Take care!
Todd