Hobby Lobby Intl.: Bebe Jodel

Model Airplane News, Jun 2001 by Aberle, Bob

MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS

FIELD & BENCH

REVIEW

Nostalgic low-wing park flyer

The Bebe Jodel needs no introduction to the world of full-size sport aviation. This popular little low-wing, open-cockpit aircraft, with the characteristic polyhedral wingtips and flat center section, has been modeled many times over the years. Now the folks at Hobby Lobby Intl. have imported a small, electric-powered Jodel that is intended for the slow- or parking-lot flier RC enthusiast. This ARF is manufactured by the Hacker Model Production Co. of the Czech Republic. It has a basic wooden open structure except for the sheet balsa fuselage, and the model is totally covered with Litespan, which makes it appear to have a tissue and dope finish.

What we are talking about here is a model with a 163-square-inch wing area and that weighs around 9 ounces with a 7-cell, 270mAh NiMH battery pack; that equates to a wing loading of only 8 ounces per square foot. The motor current is just a little over 4 amps, and at full throttle, it can provide 4-minute flight times. Reduced throttle settings produce very realistic flying speeds and can yield 6-minute flights. If you want more, you might try using slightly higher-capacity NiMH cells, but the associated weight increase will always be a tradeoff. The model is set up to be flown with rudder, elevator and motor throttle control. Another servo can be added and with little extra effort, the Jodel can be configured with tip-panel ailerons, but I hardly think it's worth it, given the model's nice flight characteristics.

Although the original Jodel model was set up to use a geared Potensky POT2A motor, a direct-drive Speed 280 motor has recently been substituted in the interest of increased performance. An addendum to the instructions shows how to attach two small dowels to the firewall with braces. Then you simply attach the motor to the dowels using a couple of rubber bands. This may seem primitive, but it works, and I consider it one of the best ways to mount a small electric motor. It also helps save the motor shaft in the event of a crash, since the rubber bands will likely break first.

Hobby Lobby offers a Graupner Speed 280 direct-drive motor and a Gunther 5x4-- inch white plastic prop and spinner for use with the Jodel. Rpm with a 7-cell pack are around 9,000, resulting in scale-like flying speeds with adequate duration. This is a perfect plane to fly in close quarters such as parking lots and soccer fields.

The kit includes a three-piece wing (two tip panels and a flat center panel). All that is required is to cement both tip panels to the center section at the proper polyhedral angle. A few words of caution regarding the main landing-gear wire: the initial kits employed very lightweight wire that could easily collapse on landing. Instructions supplied with the kit recommend that the modeler bend up new struts of a heavier gauge wire. I did this using approximately 1/32-inch-diameter wire and found the task to be easy. I suspect that later kits will include heavier gear wires. The wheels supplied are made from vacuum-formed plastic and come in two halves that must be cemented together. I had my doubts on this initially, but these light plastic wheels have given me no problem at all. For realism, I painted the wheels a flat black.

The remainder of the assembly involves attaching the stab and vertical tailpieces (both of which come with prehinged control surfaces). The final steps include the installation of the control rods to operate the rudder and elevator surfaces. I found that cutting the two slots for the passage of these control rods was somewhat tricky. I kind of guessed on my particular Jodel, and I was lucky. It would be nice if the Hacker folks included a small template that showed exactly where to cut each slot. That would save a lot of time and be more precise.

For radio equipment, I initially chose my Hitec Feather micro receiver and two Hitec HS-55 microservos. Because of the anticipated crowds (and a 12-station flightline) at the first annual NEAT Fair, I decided just before the show to switch to a new FMA Direct Quantum micro dual-conversion receiver, which worked fine for me. For the speed controller, I used a Castle Creations Pixie-14 Lite ESC with a BEC. I attached both of the servos to the fuselage sides with double-sided tape. I did the same with the receiver and the ESC. I attached the 7-cell, 270mAh battery pack with hook-and-loop material and positioned it almost vertically between the wing leading edge and the main spar. The final step was to apply the various decals and the front windshield; I used some CA Gap-type cement for the windshield. You will note that a molded front cowl is employed; it is vacuum-formed out of thin plastic. Dummy plastic cylinder heads are supplied to cement to either side of the cowl to dress it up, and I painted the cowl itself red using Testors Plastic Paint. The dummy cylinder heads are painted flat black. Make sure you provide an air opening in the front of the cowl to help cool the motor. The cooling air can easily exit the open cockpit.