Full size printed plans Scale 1/32 "HANDLEY PAGE 39 GUGNUNC" all sheet construction and rubber power

Full size printed plans No material

HANDLEY PAGE 39 GUGNUNC

Delightful 'Peanut Scale' version of this unusual aircraft, featuring all sheet construction and rubber power

Full Size printed plan on a sheet 17” x 11”

Three Page article with building notes and photos

Peanut Scale

Scale 1/32

Wingspan 14 ½”

Power rubber

Freeflight

by J. FERGUSSON

To date it has had about a hundred flights both with realistic take-offs from the ground and hand-launches, many flights being 'disturbed' by banging off walls, concrete floors, and all manner of like model-wreckers. Sole damage to date has been a split rudder through falling back on to the floor after striking a wall. Ken's construction methods are fully proven and in the Gugnunc allied to Handley Page's 'W' style of bracing, it really pays off.

Outdoor weather so far has not been suitable for flying such a small model, but at 11.45 p.m. the other night I did take it out to test it on a patch of grass of about 50 yds. square opposite our house. The Gugnunc performed a beautifully stable half circuit and landed in the middle of the road just as a car came around the corner into our Avenue. I haven't run so fast in years!

The full size machine was built in 1929-30 specially to compete in the Guggenheim Foundation Air Safety Contest in America. In twenty entries only two survived the tests, the Gugnunc and the American Curtiss Tanager.

The latter finally being declared the winner. Then a row blew up which eventually led to law suits, but the Gugnunc survived to appear in the 'New Types Park" at Hendon Air Display, June 27th, 1931, resplendent in silver livery as R.A.F. K.1908. In fact it survives today, stored by the Science Museum at Knockholt in Kent. On the Gugnunc the slots extended throughout the upper and lower spans and were allied to flaps along the trailing edges. This enabled a speed range of 3.36 to I to be obtained and the Gugnunc was capable of descending (albeit in a tail down attitude) almost like an autogiro under full control. Power was supplied by the reliable Armstrong Siddeley 'Mongoose' of 130 h.p. Span was 40 ft. upper, 28 ft. lower, and it was 36 ft. 9 in. in length.

Get up and go! Be very careful when colouring this model that you do not increase the weight more than the absolute minimum. Plan gives details of the best methods to use

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