Hangar Rat Redux

Several years ago I built two Starick Hangar Rats, stock tissue-covered versions from plans found online. I gave one to a friend and we flew them together a few times. My Rat met its maker when vaporized one evening by an RC helicopter. Disappointing, but it had many fine flights and was the first indoor model of mine to exceed two minutes duration.

A couple of years later I built another and covered it with Mylar film rather than tissue. This reduced the flying weight by nearly half and increased the duration considerably. One evening while flying near the ceiling the drift took it into the mezzanine and despite carefully noting its entry point I was unable to find it. Several months later I was able to find it though it had been substantially damaged. It got stored in a box and left untouched for a few years.

Two weeks ago I decided to drag it out and see what could be done. The tail was fairly easily repaired and I was able to salvage and reattach the covering. The wing was not too bad structurally but needed a complete recover. I managed to apply new Mylar film without too much trouble, then reattach the wing to the fuselage and figure out which struts went where. Replacing a missing prop blade was the last major fix.

Returning to the UIUC Armory on a night crowded with RC models I was able to sneak in a few flights, working up to 500 turns on a 1/8" motor. To my surprise and pleasure the trim was perfect and it cruised around in a nice circle quite happily. It's a simple model but delivers a lot of enjoyment. The Rat is back!