The aeroplane is a Miss San Diego designed by Elbert Weathers in 1936. In the Air Age Gas Models book, it is referred to as the Westerner, which is really the title of the article. Here are some early photos of my Miss San Diego, lacking some trim, ignition system and servos/receiver. Powered by an original Elf Model 1 serial # 117, it will come out at the recommended weight of 18 oz. even with 2 channels for R/C.
It is covered with Polyspan which I dyed with Idye-Poly before covering. Available in a number of colors, it looks the same as colored silkspan and eliminates the tedious spraying of tinted clear dope.
The engine has a displacement of .13 cu.in. All the newer Elfs had a cylinder displacement of .098 cu. in. I also have 2 Elf Twins. Ask Gil Morris about them as he told me that a friend of his won A gas in 1941 with a Zipper with a twin.
I'm gonna fly it in fuel allotment, because it runs 43 minutes on 1 oz. of fuel; turns that 12X4 at 3500 RPM!
Dave Acton
Brooklyn Skyscaper