• Wing Span: 48 in (122 cm)
• Wing Area: 638 sq in (4116 cm²)
• Length: 29 in (74 cm)
• Weight: 2.19 lbs (1.0 kg)
• Engine: .049 - .15 2 - cycle
  (0.8 cc - 2.5 cc 2 - cycle)
  .20 - .26 4 - cycle
  (3.3 cc - 4.3 cc 4 - cycle)
  .035 - .075 Electric
• 2 - 3 Micro Servos required

The first time this neat little plane was in one of the modeling magazines or it was in a catalog. Anyway, this was a model that had to be built someday. It is very inexpensive compared to the fiberglass kits costing in excess of $200 dollars. To power it, almost anything of reasonable size will work. If electric power is chosen, this plane can be flown almost anywhere with no noise or clean up. It really is a good buy.

The quality of the wood in this kit was really surprising. There were no pieces that looked too heavy. The instructions and plans were also surprising. The combination of plans and instructions provides a very good detail of assembly. The only surprise during construction was the lamination of the wing tips and tail surfaces. Up until now, this had not been done before. The results were incredibly light and strong.

In an age of composite materials, plastics, and ARF airplanes this kit was a joy to build. Most of the kit is built of laminated sticks and gussets to provide strength. Andy Clancy really knows how to design a light, strong airframe. There are only a few minor things that need improving. The tail wheel should never be connected directly to the rudder servo but the decision was made to build this according to the instructions. This was not a good idea, the lazy bee is really hard to taxi and take-off with more than 1/4" throw in the tail wheel but for good aerobatics, the rudder was set for 1" of throw each way. Later, the decision was made to buy a separate tail wheel assembly and the Lazy Bee became a joy to taxi and take-off. The only other thing that requires attention is the window installation. An iron-on mylar sheet is provided to cover the windows but these did not last very long. A sheet of clear plastic should be laminated into the sheets of balsa the make each window. This will provide a very nice effect and would be very strong.

This little airplane is just too nice to put an engine in. It would be a crime to get fuel residue all over it. Electric power was the only alternative. The Lazy Bee is the perfect choice for electric power. It has a very light airframe with plenty of wing area. To add electric power to the Bee, a Master Airscrew 3.5:1 geardrive and a Trinity Sapphire 17-turn car motor on a 7-cell battery pack was chosen. To mount the motor, dowels and rubber bands were used. Sonic-Tronics may have motor mount would look much better. Mounting the battery was really easy. A battery tray was made of 1/8" birch plywood with a lot of 1" holes to keep it light. A Velcro strap was used to hold the battery pack in place. A Jeti 35 Electronic Speed Controller was also installed.

The day came for the maiden flight and the model was taken to the flying field. After receiving compliments on this little model, it was time to fly it. The Bee was placed on the ground and the taxi for takeoff started. The throttle was advance to 1/4 then 1/2 and it lifted into the air. Throttle was increased to full for a good, swift climb out. The model was flown around for about 10 minutes to get it trimmed and ready for aerobatics. After the first flight, the battery pack was changed. The next flight was a test of some of the models flying characteristics. First, it was tested for slow flying ability. The model slowed down well and even hovered for a brief moment in a 5 MPH head wind. The throttle was advanced to see what the Bee could do in aerobatics. It will loop forever and the loops get very tight as elevator throw is increased. Rolls were as expected from a rudder only model requiring a lot of up elevator. Inverted flight required full up trim and was pretty funny to watch. This plane will do really nice hammerhead turns also. Aerobatics are very limited due to the lack of ailerons. Very little can be expected in this department. The Lazy Bee also carried a 12 ounce aerial photography rig into the air. At 12 ounces, the rig is almost 1/3 of the weight of the Bee. The Lazy Bee is the perfect for flyers who want to get in one flight before dark or be the first to fly on a summer morning. The kit was a lot of fun to build and flying the plane has been a real pleasure.