BN-2 Islander

摘要

It may at first glance seem perverse to model the Islander after having done the Trislander, which was of course the 1 later derivative and a more complicated model to both build and operate. In the latter is the clue to why I chose to tackle the Islander at this stage. The Trislander (plan no. MW2980, RCMW Sept. 2002) with its tail-mounted third motor had power in both the fuselage and wing sections and the power consumption (wattage) of three motors forced me to carry two battery packs and speed controllers, all of which added weight, complication and cost. What with the navigation lights as well, it took a while to flight-ready the plane, which was of course more than compensated for by the delightful flight which ensued. The sight of that distinctive yellow shape in the air flying at a sedate pace despite its nine-and-a-bit pounds was most satisfying, but how much better would it be to fly an Islander at the same scale but much less wing loading? Well, I was far from sure that the Islander could fly any better than the Trislander, decreased wing loading or not, but at least I could use my Trislander drawings as a basis for the Islander model.