JODEL D-18 Vintage Model Company

JODEL D18 - A FUN FRENCH HOMEBUILT PLANE

The Jodel D18 is a two-seater, homebuilt light aircraft.

Introduced in the mid 1980s and still available today, it is a derivative of the tiny Jodel D9 Bebe (Baby) that was designed by Eduard Joly and Jean Delemontez in 1948. Initially the D9 was only meant to be for their own flying fun, but the simple easy to build and robust design had customers including the French government wanting to buy it.

The two men produced and licensed the aircraft and over the years more variants including the D18 were designed. The most distinctive feature of the Jodel designs is the cranked wing and the D18 continues this tradition. This feature endows the aeroplane with stable and predictable flying characteristics, making it a very suitable candidate for a rubber powered free flight model. The Jodel Avions Company have never actually produced this aircraft, instead licences are sold to the homebuilder.

Nearly all of the aircraft is made of wood, and power often comes from a converted VW air-cooled unit that is cheap and readily available for the builder, who would have to spend up to 2000 hours constructing their aircraft. It is reported that around 500 licences have been sold, however being a homebuilt, it is likely that a good proportion of these have never actually taken to the air.

YOUR KIT

This kit is for building a traditionally constructed, rubber powered, free flight model of a Jodel D18. The kit is provided with the materials (other than paints) to complete the suggested authentic scheme of a yellow Jodel D18 that is registered in the UK. This is a simple but striking scheme,
but alternatively you can decide to do your own favourite or more complicated scheme if you wish.

Construction of the model from this kit uses the traditional method of "stick and tissue", that consists of a built up balsa wood skeleton (framework),
covered with a tissue skin. The balsa frameworks are built over a plan that is printed at the exact scale of the model, which is in essence a real engineering drawing.

Power is provided by rubber strip motor that is wound up before flight. Free flight means just that - once the model is launched, it is on its own. It must follow a predetermined flight path established when the model is initially adjusted for flight or "trimmed".

This type of traditional building technique and flying requires a degree of patience and skill, but is extremely rewarding.

Typically for a small model and in the spirit of the traditional kits, profiles are simplified and adjusted from the original and a relatively large propeller is used. This is done so that the model is light and stable enough to fly on its own, is simple in construction and can work with the rubber motor.

These adjustments have been done with care and sensitivity so that the shape and spirit of the original aircraft is preserved as much as possible. Also in the spirit of the traditional kits, additional items required to build the model are things that can be found in the kitchen drawer or are easily available on the high street.

KIT CONTENTS

Three balsa sheets with precise laser cut parts and strip wood.
PVA glue for building the wooden frames.
One 150mm diameter plastic propeller.
One pre-bent motor hook and shaft.
Three low friction plastic ënoseí bushings - one for the propeller and two for the undercarriage wheels.
One vacuum formed canopy and spinner.
Piano wire for the main undercarriage and tail wheel legs.
One motor peg (cocktail stick or toothpick).
Rubber motor strip.
Tissue to cover the model.
Parts reference sheet (W), full size summary plan sheet (X), scheme diagram sheet (Y) and scheme markings (Z) printed on lightweight paper.