I was looking at the Singapore Hobby site (I love those classic patterns) and there is a very good looking Skymaster 60 that i never heard of before... There are lots of posts about the Curare, what is the difference?

Has anyone built the Skymaster?

I always thought this was a great looking bird. As I remember it came out at about the time that the four strokes took over the competitive world and just never went anywhere. I performed a test flight on one that a club member built several years ago, and it was very stable and neutral. It would be a great choice if you can get it for a good price, MK kits are the absolute best to build, the parts fit right out of the box, and very little if any trimming is necessary.

Great looking airplane. MK no longer kits them, but Singapore hobbies has a great stock of kits and there's a good chance they may have one. The Skymaster was Kato's response to Yoshioka's Citation design one of the early inverted engine pattern designs. I think Bruno Geizandanner's Scorpion (designed around the OS .61VF) may have been one of the first along with Prettner's Magic.
Will B.

Thanks guys 4 the info

Wil, that brings up another question> if the Magic is the "next step" of the Curare, why do most people buy the Curare? Is the Magic the better flyer of the two or not?

In the hands of most flyers the Curare was superior to the Magic...

so much so that the Magic earned the nickname the "Tragic". Hanno could make anything

look great, in fact the next in line was the super simple Calypso.

I have a 20 version I got a month ago. Haven't started, but looked real good at it. Pretty cool, the engine is inverted and the pipe runs back up to the top of the fuse. If you do order one, be sure to ask for the header, if it is still available.


DM

Hanno Never competed with the Magic at an FAI World Championship (missed it in 1981 due to a broken hand). I've heard the 'Tragic' name used more than once. I've seen several Magics fly (none from the wood MK kit - all were glass and foam) and they seemed to fly fine. However, they all weighed in the 10-11lb range which may have contributed to less than ideal performance. Hanno monokoted his Magic and the dry weight was about 8.5 lbs. I've also seen several 10-11 lb Curares (both wood and glass) which flew great. I guess I'll have to build a Magic one of these days and find out for myself how they fly
-Will B

Wasn't Hanno's Magic 40 size. It could be that my memory is gone also.

DM

MAGIC 60-4C OR 60-2C

you could be right, this is what it says in the listing... a little confusing

Hanno did indeed win the 1981 World Championship with the Magic. It was the 1979 championship he missed due to a broken hand.
Flywilly, if you build a Magic you will enjoy it. It is a very nice plane. It is much more refined design than the Curare. With thinner wings and cambered wing tips. With the engine inside the cowl and the pipe in the turtledeck, it is much more streamline and beautiful. I have enjoyed this plane very much over the years.

The MK Magic was made in three sizes: 20, 40 and 60. All made for 2c. If I remember right Hanno used Super Tigre engines.

Please find below a link to Jon Wold’s web page. He collects drawings of classic pattern planes. He has the drawing of the MK Sky Master 60. Maybe he can provide some addition info? I will send him an e-mail.

http://home.no.net/aerowold/plans.htm

Regards,
Henning

The MK Skymaster 60 must be M. Kato's answer to Hanno's Magic and Matt's Arrow since they are quite similar. This was in the pre-calypso days when the planes were loaded with equipment that you just had to have. Trike retracts, internal pipe, wheelbrakes, flaps, spoilers and the like. The Skymaster, like the Magic has a removable top to access the pipe. The Skymaster looks very small and fast from seeing the plans, it's airfoil is the thinnest I have even seen on an F3A model. I'd probably go for the Magic if I'd ever build one of these.

Hi Sig,
you're absolutely right (let me wipe the egg off my face). I completely forgot about the WC in Mexico. The importance of light aircraft was noted by many there due to the lower air density. Thanks for the photos!!

Will

Those are some cool pictures. You do not see to many with Wolfgang Matt, Dave Brown, and Hanno together, holding their planes.

It's hard to tell from those photos, but it looks like the pipe is bifurcated. Did it, in fact, exit on both sides of the turtledeck?

Hi rainedav
No it didn't. A silicone tube is connected to the tuned pipe and it exits from the bottom. There was a 4mm air inlet under the canopy to cool the pipe. Then the hot air would escape via the two rear facing air scoops. It worked very well. It was a clever design.

Is that a variable pitch prop ?

Yes. I can't remember the manufacturer. German, maybe: Simprop Vari-pitch. Only a few even made it into the US and the results didn't justify the expense and additional weight.

I believe MK also made one but I have never seen anyone. The old MAN article with Matt's Arrow construction article (can be ordered from MAN) also shows a variable pitch prop. They were extremely Expensive, Hanno described it as the single most expensive part on the plane, and always the one to hit the ground first if you were so unlucky. It was one of the reasons he said enough is enough with cost and complexity and designed the ultra-simple calypso.

Kato (MK) did make the variable pitch props that Hanno used. From what I read about them... they would literally shred apart at any given time do to the material the blades were made out of. It would sure be neat to get your hands on one.... and redo the blades with "todays" composite materials.