Martin XB-51 aircraft first flew in 1949. It was powered by three General Electric J47s engines, reaching maximum speed of 1040 km/h. Details about the plane can be found e.g. on wikipedia, many photographs can be found here.
Model has wingspan of 445mm and is 660mm long, weight is about 50g. It is driven by two Rapier L2 LT (long time) motors with thrust of about 100mN. Model is built from 120 and 100 g/dm3 balsa, covered with thin light Modelspan paper. Finish is done using Humbrol 56 color, decals are homemade using inkjet printer. Model is built exactly according to Mike Stuart plan, only several stringers are added in engine nacelles and there is one more spar added. Mike is a genius, model did not need any extra nose weight, none at all! Trimming was easy, except for slight negative correction the model flew from building board. The type of aircraft is ideal - long fuselage ensures longitudal stability and two motors in COG and close to longitudal axis are just great.
on Rapier Summit 2008 the model was one of the best fliers. It was damaged after motor burn, but should be repairable.
[Adam Jeník]
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