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| DJ Aerotech
Makers of the Finest, High Performance Electrics & Sailplanes! |
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![[ROADKILL CLASSIC CIVILIAN / WORLD WAR I SERIES CURTIS JN-4 JENNY]](roadkill_civ_img/rk_jenny.jpg) |
And why did we call them ROADKILL???? They are just plain flat! ;-)
It was perhaps inevitable that an aeroplane with the name Curtiss JN-4 should be immediately nicknamed the "Jenny"".
The Jenny was one of the most widely-used types of training airplanes of the entire Great War period, and justly described
as an American counterpart of the Avro 504. Like the 504, the Jenny continued in service as a trainer and barnstormer until long
after the Great War and was not condemned by the US Government until 1927.
The Jenny is a delightful plane, and would be a good trainer if it was a bit less complex to build. It's not all that difficult,
the structure essentially jigs itself to get the correct incidences and alignments, but it does have a lot of little plywood parts
(even the valve rocker arms and the radiator cap!). It's surprisingly durable, despite its appearance.
Handling in flight is very stable and scale-like, although the drag of the extra wing and all those struts tends to reduce
flight times a bit. It likes to cruise at about 60% throttle. Its long wings with ailerons on only the top wing don't help
the roll rate (although barrel rolls are still possible) but it does some of the tightest loops of the entire RK series, 6'
diameter or less if you have enough elevator throw, and it will do a half dozen or more of them in a row with only a modest
amount of altitude loss. Just relax the back pressure on the elevator for about one fuselage length during the vertically
downward portion of each loop, and you can do loop after loop until you run out of altitude. The Jenny is pretty viceless
except for a tendency to do a very Jenny-like bounce on touchdown (fly it on with about 20% power).
Its top speed isn't as high as the WW II warbirds, so it's comfortable outdoors in winds of up to about 5-7 knots, where
the monoplanes can typically handle 8-10 or more.
Using one of the good 7-cell 120 mah NiMH packs (careful, there are a number of brands on the market in this size ]
that are "not so good"), we typically get about 10 minutes flying time on the Jenny.
The model requires no painting, since the natural colors of the plywood doublers and the bare balsa are a very close match
to the colors of the original aircraft. I do plan to make up a .BMP file with U.S. Army insignias for a military trainer
version, but the natural colors of the model are already just fine for a barnstormer's version, since those were often
left unpainted. There are even scale cowl louvers, radiator cap and dummy engine cylinders & exhaust stacks on the nose.
The Jenny is a real pussycat, you can be sure that everyone will be watching, it's a real crowd pleaser!
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| Jenny Specifications |
| Wingpan |
Length |
Weight |
Wingloading |
# Servos |
Battery |
Price |
| 27.2" |
17.4" |
3.2oz (RTF) |
3.2oz/sq.ft |
2 |
250mah Li-Poly / 120mah NiMH |
$64.95 |
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| Kit Highlights! |
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Electric (MPS-1A) motor with gear reduction included! |
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Propeller and spinner are included! |
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Highly prefabricated for very short building times! |
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Laser cut wood parts for an accurate fit! |
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3 - Functions; Rudder, Aileron and Elevator. |
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Complete and accurate plans and building instructions! |
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Click HERE
to see a sample kit!!!
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What is needed to complete the kit!
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Two servos. Such as the Pico, MX-30 or HS-50 |
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A lightweight receiver. Such as GWS-R4P |
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Electronic speed controller & Battery Eliminator Circuit.
Such as Castle Creations "Pixie 7P" |
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7 cell NIMH or 2 cell Li-Poly Battery pack. |
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Medium & Thin CA Glue |
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Building Tools, for example: (Knife, wire snips, needle nose, waxed paper,
soldering iron, X-acto knife, sanpaper, screwdrivers & tape for hinges) |
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DJ Aerotech carries the necessary items to complete your Roadkill kit. Please check
out the Accessories page. We offer a suitable Receiver, Electronic Speed Control
/ Battery Eliminator Circuit (ESC / BEC), Battery Packs, Charger and several Servos for the DJ Aerotech Roadkill models. |
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Photos
Click on thumbnail to enlarge image.
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| IMPORTANT BATTERY INFORMATION |
We are receiving numerous E-mails related to problems flying our Roadkill kits. In every case it is an weight issue
related to using a battery pack too large for the kit. We can't STRESS enough the proper sized battery pack should be used in all
the Roadkill kits. Larger packs WILL yield undesirable flight characteristics. For each of our Roadkill models we post a recommended
NiMH or LI-Poly battery size. These batteries packs have been extensively tested and proven to provide a flyable model based on the
stock motor configuration.
The Li-Poly battery packs MUST be charged with a charger designed to charge Li-Poly battery packs.
(For example: The Apache LiPoly Charger) Failure to do so could result with the battery pack (basement / garage etc...)
catching fire. Also make sure your ESC is compatible with a Li-poly pack, in particular that the cutoff voltage is correct.
The Castle Creations Pixie 7-P is our preferred choice for this.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... If you have any questions at all about what is the best battery for your model, don't hesitate to send an
e-mail to Joe or Don.
| Do you have more questions?
Check out the ASK J & D section on Roadkill models. |
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