Staudacher 300-GS

Construct_Staudacher 2/9/09 12:43 PM Page 144 

CONSTRUCTION 

BY GEORGE LEU || PHOTOS BY PETE HALL & GERRY YARRISH 

Staudacher 300-GS 

A .60-SIZE SPORT-SCALE AEROBATIC CLASSIC 

The red-and-white Lap Map 

Staudacher is a well-known 

aerobatic airplane. Flown by 

Michael Goulian at the 1993 

and ’94 IAC World Championships, 

it has always been one of my 

favorites. 

This model’s construction is the product 

of teamwork. Back in 2001, Model Airplane 

News editor Gerry Yarrish and I discussed 

several airplanes suitable for construction 

articles. We both thought that the Staudacher 

300-GS was a natural for a comeback. 

I gave Gerry a 3-view drawing, and in about 

three weeks, he had turned them into a set 

of CAD plans for a .60-size model! 

I built the prototype and penciled in necessary 

changes on the plans. After a few 

flights, I noted other changes to tweak its 

flight performance. Gerry’s plans had a 

scale airfoil, but I thought a thicker one similar 

to Joe Bridi’s Kaos design would be 

better. Gerry adjusted the drawings and 

then built his “Beta” model. Gerry’s second 

model is featured in this article. Let’s start 

building. 

CONSTRUCTION 

You’ll need the fuselage to build the wing, 

so let’s start there. Cut out all of the parts 

shown on the template page. The fuselage 

is a basic straight-sided box that tapers from 

the firewall back to the tail post. The engine 

box slides into place through the firewall, 

and it ties the front formers together. To 

keep the fuselage straight, draw a guideline 

on your workbench, and then mark vertical 

centerlines on all the formers. Glue the top 

and bottom longerons to the fuselage sides; 

then place the formers over the guideline, 

and tack-glue the sides to the formers. 

Check the alignment, and then permanently 

glue formers F1, F2 and F3 into 

place. Lift the fuselage from the workbench, 

glue the wing-saddle doublers into place, 

pull the tail ends together and glue them 

together. Recheck the fuselage for straightness, 

and glue the crosspieces into place. 

144 MODELAIRPLANENEWS.COM 

George Leu with the 

second model built 

from the plans. The 

decals and the pilot 

figure come from 

Cajun RC. 

I built my model with 1 ⁄8-inch balsa sides 

with 1 ⁄4-inch square longerons, verticals and 

diagonal braces. Gerry made his fuselage 

with 1 ⁄8-inch lite-ply sides and without verticals 

or diagonal braces. He also cut 

openings in the sides to save weight. 

Install the upper formers, F1-T through 

F6-T, glue the top longerons into place and 

sheet the top of the fuselage with 3 ⁄32-inch 

balsa. Wet the sheeting’s outer side to help 

it bend into shape. Glue the 1 ⁄16-inch crossgrain 

balsa cockpit floor into place, and 

make the cockpit sides with 1 ⁄4-inch balsa 

strips. Sand the balsa to blend the cockpit 

section into the aft turtle deck. Fit the main 

1 ⁄4-inch ply landing-gear plate into place. It 

interlocks with tabs and notches in the bottom 

of the firewall, the fuselage sides and 

former F2. Don’t glue it into place until after 

you’ve installed the wing. Also, don’t glue


SPECIFICATIONS 

MODEL: Staudacher 300-GS 

TYPE: sport scale aerobatic 

WINGSPAN: 64.25 in. 

WING AREA: 695.7 sq. in. 

WEIGHT: 8 lb. 9 oz. (137 oz.) 

WING LOADING: 28.36 oz./sq. ft. 

LENGTH: 55 in. 

ENGINE REQ’D: .60 to .90 2-stroke, 

.91 to 1.00 4-stroke 

RADIO REQ’D: 4-channel (throttle, 

rudder, elevator, aileron) 

GEAR USED: 

ENGINE: O.S. .61FX 

PROP: Master Airscrew 12x7 

FUEL: Byron Originals 15% nitro, 

18% oil 

RADIO: JR 9303 transmitter, JR 

DS811 digital servos, R649 JR 

receiver 

the bottom 1 ⁄16-inch cross-grain fuselage 

sheeting into place until after you’ve 

installed all of the radio gear. 

The engine-box length is determined by 

the engine and mount you use. I used a 4stroke 

Saito .91 engine, and Gerry used an 

O.S. .61FX 2-stroke. Install the blind nuts, 

and glue the firewall into place with 30minute 

epoxy. I used Bob Smith Industries 

CA and 30-minute epoxy throughout. 

TAIL FEATHERS 

The tail surfaces are made out of 1 ⁄4-inch-thick 

balsa stock as shown on the plans. Be sure to 

install the balsa hinge blocks before covering. 

A 1 ⁄4-inch dowel joins the elevator halves. 

Tack-glue the horizontal stab and vertical 

The Staudacher’s parts are easy to cut out. You can also buy laser-cut parts 

from Patrick Fallacaro at LasercutUSA.com. 

TO ORDER THE FULL-SIZE PLAN, VISIT RCSTORE.COM. 

THE CANOPY IS FROM A GOLDBERG 

STAUDACHER KIT, AND THE MAIN LANDING 

GEAR IS FROM A LANIER EDGE 540T ARF 

fin into place; then shape the fairing block 

out of several layers of 1 ⁄4-inch balsa sheet. 

Tack-glue the blocks to the aft former, 

remove the fin and stabilizer, install temporary 

1 ⁄4-inch-thick spacers in the slots, 

and then finish carving and sanding the 

blocks to blend into the fuselage. Don’t glue 

the tail surfaces into place until after all of 

the parts have been covered. 

WING 

I used an old “Adjust-O-Jig” rig to build the 

wing panels, but you can easily build the 

wing upside-down over the plans. Use balsa 

shims under the ribs to keep the trailing 

edges straight. Pin the main spar on top of 

the plans, and then attach the ribs to the 

spar. Install the bottom spar, and check the 

rib alignment. Tack-glue the ribs to the 

spars, and then add the 1 ⁄8-inch sub-leading 

edge sheet, and glue it to each of the ribs. 

Slide the aft spar into place, and then tackglue 

the trailing-edge sheeting to the ribs. 

Be sure everything remains straight and 

true. Bevel the aft edge of the sheeting, add 

the second aft spar, and glue the bottom 

trailing-edge sheeting into place. I installed 

a solid balsa trailing edge between the top 

and bottom sheeting, but Gerry built his 

wing without it. Both ways work. 

The tail surfaces are made of 1 ⁄4-inch-thick balsa and are built directly over the 

plans. 

JANUARY 2007 145


CONSTRUCTION 

The sides of the engine box tie the firewall and formers F1 and F2 together. 

You can adjust the length of the box to suit the engine you choose. 

The servos are installed on plywood rails. Note the throttle cable and fuel-tank 

installation. I used hardwood dowels for the rudder and elevator pushrods. 

Tack-glue rib 2A into its approximate 

position, and leave the sub-leading-edge 

strip extra-long. To determine the exact 

placement of this half rib, you will have to 

attach the wing assembly to the fuselage. 

Repeat these steps for the second panel, 

and join them with the 1 ⁄8-inch dihedral 

braces epoxied to the front and back of the 

main spars. The tops of the wing panels 

should be flat against the building surface 

while the epoxy cures. Slide some balsa fill 

into the space between the wing ribs where 

the wing hold-down bolts will be installed. 

Center the wing in the wing saddle, and 

measure from each wingtip to the tail post; 

the sides should be the same. Trim the subleading 

edge sheets so that they just touch 

the fuselage sides; then break the half ribs 

free, and slide them against the fuselage 

sides. Slip a thin card-stock spacer between 


the ribs and the fuselage sides. Glue the ribs 

to the spars and the sub-leading edges. 

Install the center 1 ⁄8-inch plywood plate and 

sub-spars for the wing-alignment dowels. 

Before you glue the landing-gear mounting 

plate into place, drill through the holes in 

former F2 and into the plate. Remove the 

wing from the fuselage, and drill the holes 

in the plate and into the ply dihedral braces. 

Slide the wing-attachment dowels into 

place, and check their fit by placing the 

wing back in the saddle. The dowels should 

fit snugly in the holes in the former. If everything 

fits properly, remove the dowels, coat 

them with epoxy and re-insert them into 

the wing so that about 1 ⁄2 inch protrudes 

from the wing plate. Glue the leading-edge 

and center-section sheeting to the wing. 

Install the aileron servos, and cut away 

the aileron portions of the wing. Cap the 

The engine cowl is made out of balsa and foam blocks. Here, the engine determines 

the position of the spinner relative to the front of the cowl. See the complete 

“How-To” article in the July 2006 issue. 

I used Robart control horns and HingePoints for the elevator and rudder. The 

Du-Bro tailwheel is being installed. A metal strap and screw will attach it to 

the bottom of the rudder. 

aileron bays with 1 ⁄4-inch balsa, and add the 

leading edges and side caps to the ailerons. 

Bevel the leading edges, and install the 

aileron hinges. Install the hinge blocks 

inside the wing panels. Cut rib holes for the 

aileron-servo leads and glue the rib capstripping 

into place. Glue the 3 ⁄8-inch balsa 

leading edges to the front of the wing panels; 

then carve and sand them to shape. 

Install the hold-down blocks in the fuselage, 

reinstall the wing and drill through 

the wing for the hold-down bolts. Tap the 

holes in the blocks for 1 ⁄4-20 nylon bolts, 

and bolt the wing into place. Now build the 

lower wing/fuselage fairings, and glue them 

to the bottom of the wing. 

FINAL ASSEMBLY 

I used Robart HingePoints and did all the 

drilling and fitting before I covered the


CONSTRUCTION 

The aileron-servo installation and the aileron 

control linkage. Holes cut in the ribs allow the 

servo leads to pass through to the center of the 

wing. 

model in UltraCote film. The Lap Map 

decals are available from Cajun RC. 

The engine cowl is made out of balsa and 

foam blocks covered with fiberglass cloth 

and epoxy finishing resin. Cross-sections 

are shown on the plans. (See Gerry’s detailed 

how-to article in the July 2006 issue.) 

I used a Carl Goldberg .60-size Staudacher 

canopy, but others are also available; 

Lap Map pilot — then and now! 

In 1992, Michael Goulian was a top-ranked U.S. aerobatics pilot and a silver medalist 

in the World Unlimited class. A year later, he won the Fond du Lac Cup, and in 1994, 

he earned a spot on the U.S. national aerobatic team flying his well-known red-andwhite 

“Lap Map” Staudacher 300-GS. In 1995, Michael was the U.S. National 

Champion and went on to compete on the 1996 and 1998 teams. 

Michael has gone on to become one of the country’s leading high-energy aerobatics 

show pilots, and he regularly shares the flightline and aerobatics box with other 

well-known pilots such as Patty Wagstaff, Matt Chapman, Jeff Mawhinney, Sergei 

Boriak and Sean Tucker, to name just a few. 

Today, Michael flies an Extra 300 SHP, an upgraded version of the 300 S, which he 

debuted at the Red Bull Air race in Berlin, Germany. The series is held in cities worldwide, 

including Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Barcelona (Spain), Istanbul 

(Turkey), Perth (Australia) and San Francisco, CA. As this article goes to press, he is 

in fifth place overall! 


The center section of the wing is notched to fit in 

the wing saddle. Drill through the holes in former 

F2 and into this plywood plate to install the wing 

attachment dowels. 

just cut them to fit. A Cajun RC 1 ⁄5-scale 

pilot and a homemade instrument panel 

finish off the cockpit. The landing gear 

comes from a Lanier RC Edge 540T kit, and 

the wheel pants are from Stan’s FiberTech. 

The Du-Bro tailwheel assembly and a 

Tru-Turn spinner complete the hardware 

package. Check the model’s CG; it should 

be 4 1 ⁄2 inches aft of the wing’s leading edge 

The bottom of the wing blends into the fuselage 

with these built-up balsa center-section fairings. 

Note that the landing gear is installed in halves. 

measured next to the fuselage. 

I used hardwood dowels and threaded 

2-56 pushrod wires to complete the elevator 

and rudder control links and a Sullivan 

Products metal throttle cable and Du-Bro 

EZ Connectors for engine control. 

Install the receiver and battery in front of 

the servos, and pack foam around them. 

Install the fuel tanks and fuel lines, and 

connect them to the engine. 

FLYING THE “STAUD” 

For your first flight,take it slow and easy; 

set the control throws as follows: 

• Ailerons: ± 3 ⁄4 in. (low); ±1 in. (high) 

• Elevator: ± 1 ⁄2 in. (low); ± 3 ⁄4 in. (high) 

• Rudder: ±1 in. left and right (low); 2 in. left 

and right (high) 

• Expo: 20 to 30% 

Though not intended for beginners, the 

Staudacher is a smooth and neutrally stable 

flyer. Takeoffs are easy with hardly any need 

for rudder. It is an honest airplane and it does 

everything in the aerobatics book. There is 

very little pitch-trim change throughout the 

throttle range, and inverted flight requires 

only a touch of down-elevator. There is, 

however, a slight pitch coupling (toward the 

gear) during knife-edge flight, but this is 

easily dialed out with radio mixing. The 

wing’s thick airfoil prevents speed from 

building up too much, and you can easily 

land the model in a 3-point attitude. 

Whether you like fun-scale, sport aerobatics 

or just hot Sunday flying, the 

Staudacher 300-GS is always a winner. 

Enjoy! 

See the Source Guide on page 166 for manufacturers’ contact information. 

MODELAIRPLANENEWS.COM 

FOR MODEL FLIGHT SHOTS, 

FULL-SIZE AIRCRAFT PHOTOS 

AND A 3-VIEW DRAWING

Staudacher 300-GS

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