SSC F8F Bearcat

SSC's (Slow Survivable Combat) What is SSC? SSC stands for Slow Survivable Combat and while the rules for sanctioned events are changing a little, the concept revolves around an aircraft design that will allow combatants to have it out without the intimidating speed and the resulting consequences of a smack up. 1/12 scale combat is unbelievably exciting but it is very fast and lots of planes get destroyed in the process (unless it's one of ours) but SSC allows close in flying at lower altitude without the inherent danger in other forms of combat. The planes, by design, are limited in speed and power and are similar to each other so they should even out the playing field. Because of the materials most planes are made of and the lower speed, collisions and ground impact are not a huge factor - hence the "Survivable" aspect of the plane. These attributes combine to make an excellent plane for a number of uses other than combat outlined further on in this article.      The P51 is our first SSC plane.  We started with the P51 because it's our favorite plane and the first one everyone asks for. We have built several now and they have been used in combat and fly very well. this is a very quick and easy plane to build and is a blast to fly. It is surprisingly quick and nimble even on a small .15 engine. This one is running a Norvel .15 and has plenty of power. If built with a standard servo for the ailerons, HS81 size on the elevator and micro like HS55 on the throttle - she will build at just 2.5 lbs. We also use an FMA micro Receiver to keep weight down. The plane should fly great even at three lbs but with the small displacement engine limit, the closer to minimum flying weight the better. SSC P40 SSC Helldiver NEW F8F Bearcat   Parts layout for the P51 Foam fuselage and wing. Corrugated plastic tail and fuse doublers, wood spars, tape, pushrod wire and control horns.   Specs-  Span - 63" Area - 600 sq in  Weight - 2.5 lbs engine - .15 glow length - about 36" - very short coupled but very stable - easy to fly Foil - E 203 tapered       In a nutshell - the SSC birds have huge wing area (minimum 400 inches), minimum weight at 2.5 lbs, and maximum motor size at a stock .15 that can be purchased for $60 or less. The prop is standardized with a Master Airscrew 8x3 and is limited to 17,000 RPM. One Caveat to the whole thing is that, in sanctioned events, any combatant that wishes to do so can purchase the days winner's engine for $100 and the poor sap has to sell it to him. That effectively keeps every one honest about engine mods and keeps the speed to around 50 mph max. The SSC plane can have any shape or look from a 2x4 to an arrow shaft with wings to a full scale design as long as it meets the criteria and will fly. But, obviously, with the power limitations, it will have to be designed correctly or it will never get off the ground let alone fly. So - here is how our planes are made. We decided that a plane should look like a plane so we are doing several WW2 designs that are of the "squint scale" variety. The scale shapes are modified to give the correct wing area, weight, and control moments necessary for super competitive flying and contest compliance, while looking similar to the real world plane.  Our planes ship with a 64" span wing and will build out to about 63" after trimming and shaping the tip. This works out to about 600 Square Inches which most SSC pilots have determined is optimum for a great flying plane on a little engine. You can readily see that the SSC is basically a motor glider which brings up some interesting possibilities for a double duty design. First, this design is perfect for the novice pilot who wants to learn aileron flying but on something that is easier to control than a typical trainer -- and looks like a rugged WW2 War Bird. Plus it's designed to take a beating like all our combat kits.  Second, While I haven't tried it yet, it would make a great slope soaring plane. It has every ingredient to be fast and very maneuverable on the slope and the wing could be trimmed a bit for more speed or leave it long for light lift flying.  Lastly, we have many folks electrifying our foamies and The SSC is absolutely perfect for running electric. I will do one soon and show a picture of it but my guess is a stock 600 motor running an 8 cell NmHi pack would work great or any of the brushless set ups would be super. While the SSC style kit is purpose designed for a particular combat class, the uses are limited only by your imagination - and we do have some very creative foamie customers out there. The main thing is this - you should be having fun while your plane is in the air - not afraid of landings or crashes. And while your at it, get a couple buddies in the air at the same time and thrash each other a bit. Your flying skill will increase exponentially and you will fly in ways you never thought possible. Enjoy. Look for more designs coming soon....

Price: $65.00