Click on the photos below to view a larger version of each.
Three views of Shaun Zimmerman's Balsa USA Stick 40+ Trainer / R/C Camera Chase Plane. When Zimmerman purchased the plane it was already built 'in the bones' but had sat around for a long time. The wing was covered, but in was in very bad shape, so it was stripped and modified by removing the bell-crank pushrods and installing servo bays in the outer panels to allow 'flaperon' operation as well as giving more room for the camera inside the fuselage by moving the servos out on the wing. Zimmerman started the restoration of this plane in September of 2001 which is part of the reason for the very patriotic covering scheme. The pushrod design was thought out by Stan Zimmerman (Shaun's Dad, photo on right) when he built his Balsa USA Stick 40+. He replaced the wooden dowel pushrods with Sullivan Flex-rods and added a third pushrod to be used for tailwheel steering since it would be very difficult to have a rod extend through the elevator to the tailwheel. The idea was submitted to and published in popular Model Aviation magazines. Shaun added extra large 'monster truck' foam tires to be able to take-off out of any grass strip and to aid in softer landings to help protect the camera from shock. Shaun's Stick 40+ was completed and test flown in September 2002.
Click here to see the Canon PowerShot S300 Digital Camera & its custom housing
Click here to see how the Canon S300 Digital Camera mounts in the Balsa USA Stick 40+