Valkyrie - DXF Laser cut Files

About this Plan

Valkyrie. Free flight power model. Wingspan 118 in, wing area 1,972 sq in. For Brown Jr engine.

Note when originally published in 1938, there was no full-size plan for the Valkyrie. Only a couple of templates were shown at full size. All the main layout drawings had to be enlarged by hand, drafted by the builder himself - including the 5 ft long elliptical wing panels.

THE Valkyrie is one of the most prominent models the hobby has ever produced. It is a pleasant combination of excellent design and clever construction - proving that an ultra-stream-line model could be made lightweight. Beginning in the spring of 1936, much work was spent in design. Actual construction got under way in July and continued more or less steadily to February, 1937. The first test flight was on March 7th, lasting 4 minutes. The final flight was July 11th, taking 2nd place at the 1937 National Meet in Detroit. The Valkyrie was lost in Canadian territory after 53 minutes. And that was the last news of the model. During its short life it turned in 29 flights under a wide variety of flying conditions. Fortunately, complete data and photos had been kept of the ship.

Specifications of the model are: span 10 ft; length 8 ft; weight with Brown Jr (ready-to-fly) 4 lb 12 oz; and a wing loading of about 5.85 oz/sq ft.

The glide was considered flat by modelers who watched its performance. The ratio was about 12 to 1 - a conservative estimate which falls somewhat below the astounding ratios credited to other models. However, the Valkyrie was well able to match the glide of other championship models, proving builders are prone to misjudge glide ratios.

Spiral stability was excellent because of the high center of lateral area. It showed the highest resist-ance to spiral diving, never going beyond a moderate bank. Notice that in the take-off photos, the wing tips are level in spite of the gusty wind.

Directional stability was good with a rudder area of only 6 per cent. Undercambered stabilizer worked like a charm! The more power developed by the motor, the better it held the model under control.

The thrust line was set at absolutely zero-zero. No bad effects were ever noticed because of its low position.