Centaur (78″) – Laser Cut Wood Pack

If you like traditional building and vintage style aeroplanes then this 78” (1980 mm) sports-coupe design by Peter Allanson will fit the bill with its 4-functions and will suit .70-size four-stroke engines. The 2 large sheet plans are well detailed, and a laser wood pack is also available to aid construction.

Centaur is a high wing cabin monoplane of semi-scale appearance with elliptical wings and stabs. It would look better if the windscreen went up into the wing leading edge and if it had wing struts, but these features were omitted because Piper Cub type windscreens are difficult to do properly, and also because it is not a scale model. While it is not a difficult model to build or fly, it does require some experience in scratch building. The model was first flown in January 2011 and, at the time of writing, is still going strong. Conditions for the first flight were not ideal, the wind being fairly strong and gusty, and 90 degrees to the runway, but as we fly off a turf farm, wind direction is not a serious problem. Very little trim change was required; just two clicks right aileron and two clicks down elevator, and that was it. With further flights under better weather conditions, it was found that the model is surprisingly aerobatic. Rolls are fairly axial, will hold inverted without a problem, spins very well, and does very good stall turns. Power with a Laser 70 is adequate; it will cruise around at half throttle. It is not necessary to fly continuously at full throttle, and possibly because of this, overheating has never been a problem despite the fact that it can get pretty warm here in South East Queensland.

What’s in a Laser or CNC Cut Wood Pack? – A CNC or laser cut wood pack contains most, if not all, of the intricately shaped parts shown on the plan, which would be difficult or time-consuming to cut out by hand. It does not contain any sheet or strip wood, which you will need to buy separately. Alternatively, you can purchase an Additional Wood Pack, if available. Our Laser or CNC Cut Wood Packs only contain balsa, ply and lite ply and do not include other materials that may be required to complete the model, such as hardwoods, metals and GRP sheets.