Douglas C−47 (DC−3) Control Line Model Dakota / Skytrain - Walter Musciano Plans
Allegheny Airlines control line DC-3 ready for takeoff on maiden
flight, August 2, 2023
Right thrust apparent in starboard nacelle view.
Bottom view of nacelles with motors, hookup wires, and landing
gear.
Complete wing w/o top sheeting: Douglas
C-47 (DC-3) control line model.
Wing ribs and bottom sheeting: Douglas C-47 (DC-3) control line
model.
Wing center section w/o top sheeting: Douglas C-47 (DC-3) Control
Line Model.
DC-3 / C-47 all 3 wing sections joined.
This twin-engine, control line C−47 / DC−3 project is in its beginning phase.
Plans, drawn by Walter Musciano, were blown up from those which appeared in the
December 1954 issue of Air Trails magazine in an article titled, "Build Your Own Douglas
C−47." Traditional balsa, spruce, and plywood was used for construction, and
the finish is brushed on Sig butyrate dope. After all trim was completed, a couple
thin coats of Sig clear dope were sprayed on.
Breaking News!!! - My electric-powered, control line DC−3 model completed
its maiden flight on August 2, 2023. It flew beautifully! The lines kept nice and
tight even with slight wind gusts. I was unsure whether the motors and propellers
would provide sufficient thrust, but 4−cell LiPo battery, it will climb nearly straight
up. In fact, though, the maiden flight only used a 3-cell LiPo and it flew fine.
The propellers are counter-rotating jobs meant for a drone. They are the only 3−bladed
props I could find that were small enough in diameter with wide blades and high
pitch. Allegheny Airlines livery was chosen because of a photo I have of one sitting
on the tarmac at Erie International Airport sometime in the 1970s. A video will
be posted soon.
One of the bigger challenges with this model is bending the music wire for the
landing gear. Two identical pieces are needed that match each other very closely.
There are six, 90° bends in 1/8" music wire that require the lengths of each
section to match or else the two ends that go into the wheel hubs will not meet
properly. After devising a repeatable method for marking and bending the music wire,
I made a short video demonstrating the process. See "How to Bend Music Wire Landing
Gear."
Douglas C-47 (DC-3) control line model ready for covering with
Silkspan and dope - rear 3/4 view.
Douglas C-47 (DC-3) control line model ready for covering with
Silkspan and dope - front 3/4 view.
Completed DC-3 / C-47 control line model wing assembly with nacells.
Rimfire 10 brushless motors, mounts, and firewalls for the DC-3
/ C-47. Mounts needed to be trimmed down to fit in the nacelles.
