Whitewings - Excellent Paper Airplanes Volume 1 1980

This worklog covers the fabrication of whitewings type paper airplane models reproduced from original kit designs. If you are uneasy with reproducing 30+ year old out-of-print paper model kits, then turn back now.

This kit is over 40 years old now, and it shows. It's a bit faded and yellowed, but it has some interesting designs. These early models use metal launch hooks and several also use lead foil to add balance weight. The designs in this set were updated and released in the Pioneers of Flight Volume 7 kit abandoning the lead weights and metal launch hooks.

I'd recommend the updated versions as they are simpler to build and easier to find. I'm building this models out for experimental purposes and making the scans available for historical purposes. I may build and compare original and updated versions of some of the model to see if flight characteristics improved along with the ease of building.

materials and tools

85lb 230gsm cardstock, joyberg brand
hobby knife
White glue, Elmer's
Straight edge
Flatbed scanner
Software - GIMP, Inkscape A used, mostly complete "Excellent Paper Airplanes Volume 1" kit published in 1980

For details on material selection and research see my "whitewings" article under lab notes.

testing and reviews

tailless plane

Status: Assembled, full test
Source: original parts that were cut out and included in the kit I purchased.
Review: The assembly was simple - but it was not a great flyer for us. It worked as a low speed glider, but it did not fly well outdoors. It's very sensitive to wind and is hard to tune/adjust for proper flight.

mcdonnell douglas f-15 eagle

Status: Pending

bi-plane

Status: Assembled, indoor test only
Source: Scans printed on 85lb card stock, metal launch hook fabricated from a paper clip, and lead weight strip from the original kit.
Review: The assembly was complex - if you try this model take your time and follow the instructions carefully. Despite the tricky assembly, it flew evenly and consistently straight off the bench with almost no tuning. I haven't tried it outdoors yet, but I suspect it will be a nice hand throw glider.

clean sst

Status: Assembled, indoor test only
Source: Scans printed on 85lb card stock, metal launch hook fabricated from a paper clip
Review: This model was easy to assemble, but flying it is not. It is very sensitive to tuning changes. The instructions have some specific steps on shaping the wing for flight - which is required. It might respond better outdoors with a rubber band launcher, it's really hard to tell as it is very inconsistent from flight to flight. I would not recommend this as a first model - it would be very discouraging.

flying boat

Status: Pending

jet trainer

Status: Pending

p-51d mustang

Status: Pending

racer 501 familiar

Status: Pending

racer 502 cirrus

Status: Pending

racer 503 elliptic

Status: Pending

racer 504 dolphin

Status: Pending

racer 505 hi-wing

Status: Pending

racer 506 white panther

Status: Pending

racer 507 grace

Status: Pending

spirit of st. louis

Status: Pending

worklog

July 15 2024

I scanned the original, uncut paper sheets as grayscale JIS B5 size documents. The original plan is to simply print and hand cut the components just like the original kit. However, I have been considering a way to digitize the plans for laser cutting. Update see below.

There are several models in this series that don't need lead foil for balance - Racer 501 Familiar, Racer 503 Elliptic, Racer 507 Grace, F-15 Eagle, Jet Trainer, Clean SST, and Tailless Plane. While my kit is mostly complete and has the original lead foil, we'll focus these models since they don't require messing with lead. My kit was purchased used and the parts for the tailless plane were included but already cut out. So I don't have uncut sheet scans for that model.

This series does use metal hooks for the launcher instead of the notches on later models. I'll craft the hooks for my reproductions using paper clips.

Our first re-pro model will be the Clean SST. I'm excited to try a delta wing design.

July 16 2024

I brought the .JPG scans into GIMP and upped the brightness by 20 and contrast by 10. I was seeing some slight "greyness" in the background, likely from the slightly yellowed paper (the kit is over 40 years old). The brightness washed out the background and made it more evenly white. The contrast helped bump the line strength up a pinch. I also brushed out the odd blemish. I exported the .JPG scans to .PDF files.

I played with the fuzzy select and fill tools in GIMP to black out the parts into solid fills. I imported the solid fill images into Inkscape and used the trace bitmap to generate .SVG files for laser cutting.

September 10 2024

I cut and assembled the Clean SST model and initial indoor test flights indicate it might not be a long-duration flyer. It has a relatively low glide ratio, but it seems very stable. It requires the trailing edge of the wings to be bent up 2-3 mm to fly - following the wing camber guide in the Assembly and Flight instructions is crucial.

As far as other models from the series, I'm considering Racer 503 Elliptic, Bi-Plane, and P-51D Mustang. The Mustang and Biplane models need the lead weight for balance. It might be worth a try. I don't plan on picking up copies of the Pioneers of Flight Volume 7 or any of the Eddie Bauer Series where these models have been updated to omit metal hooks and lead weights.