Scale aircraft

Potter

Member
so I was surfing youtube and I saw a video 1/4 scale model airplane and I was thinking hmmm what is scale model? I always assumed it was reduced by so much 1/4 would be 4 airplanes lined up should be as long as the real thing. but looking at this aircraft I didn't not think for example 4 seats side by side would measure to a real seat probably only be about 10 inches wide. so either this was not a 1/4 scale and more like a 1/16 scale or my assumption is in accurate. btw in my drafting class in high school so it was a while ago but we would use 1/4" for every foot maybe that's what a 1/4 scale is idk.
 

Grifflyer

WWII fanatic
Could you show us the video?

And maybe it was 1/4 size of the real plane, but the guy bought a pre-made seat that was "close enough"
 

ElectriSean

Eternal Student
Mentor
a 1/4 scale model should be 1/4 the size of the actual aircraft. An easy way to see if the mfg is fudging the numbers is to get the wingspan of the model and original and math it out.
 

Potter

Member
this is the one. at the beginning of the video he has the plane out in front of him I feel like that's the old fishermen trick and it's making the plane look bigger then what it really is. when the guy is standing holding the plane to start the engine the glass on the top can't be wider then 4 inches. I don't know I'm just going by thinking about 4 lengths of any part of the plane.
 

ElectriSean

Eternal Student
Mentor
The Storch is a very small plane, a bit bigger than a Cub. That looks about right for 1/4 scale. A 12' wingspan model is pretty big :)

Coolest thing I've seen on a trailer, and relevant for comparison
IMG_0710.JPG
 
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buzzbomb

I know nothing!
so I was surfing youtube and I saw a video 1/4 scale model airplane and I was thinking hmmm what is scale model? I always assumed it was reduced by so much 1/4 would be 4 airplanes lined up should be as long as the real thing. but looking at this aircraft I didn't not think for example 4 seats side by side would measure to a real seat probably only be about 10 inches wide. so either this was not a 1/4 scale and more like a 1/16 scale or my assumption is in accurate. btw in my drafting class in high school so it was a while ago but we would use 1/4" for every foot maybe that's what a 1/4 scale is idk.
One quarter inch for every foot would not be a 1/4 scale model. A 1/4 scale model would be 25% the size of the real item. Or in the terms I think in, one foot on the model, for every four feet on the real. Say a real aircraft has a measurement of 36 feet. Quarter scale would be nine feet. 9x4=36.

If it were a 1/8 scale model you'd break the same 36' measurement down into eight parts. 36/8=4.5. That thirty-six foot measurement at 1/8th scale is four and a half feet. Notice that 1/8 is half of 1/4 and the measurements of 9 and 4.5 reflect that. The math works both ways, whether multiplying or dividing, it just depends on how you think. For me, multiplying is easier.
 
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Potter

Member
yeah when you look at the wings and really anything over 10 Ft is going to be close to 1/4 scale but I guess I was looking at the cockpit and I wondered if there were 4 side by side would I be able to fit in there and I'm not that big of a guy 5'5" 175lbs. but when I think about it more these combat planes they never had much room. just enough
 

SMRTIC

New member
Quarter scale is one forth the original size, just like 1/4 inch is one forth of 1 inch.
An airplane that had a 36ft wingspan at full size will have a 9ft wingspan at quarter scale.
That same aircraft in 1/12 scale will have a 36in wingspan.

A Fieseler Storch is not a small aircraft. Its wingspan is 46'9" and it is 32'6" long.
A quarter scale Fieseler Storch will have a wingspan of 11'7" and will be 8'1" long.
 
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