Thanks to Ralph Kramer for the Taylorcraft Floatplane and to Al Backstrom for the InViCtarWing, this month's combination of plain vanilla and oddball.

Small and lightly built, can the Taylorcraft be expected to Rise Off Water? Doesn't appear probable but one never knows. The fuselage structure doesn't appear strong enough to withstand much more than two strands of 1/8" rubber for power but adding some vertical sticks and cross pieces plus diagonals would allow four strands of 3/32" rubber. A low-pitch, 5" plastic prop might produce enough initial thrust to get the model off the water. Of course, the floats should be adequately sealed with perhaps four coats of nitrate or equivalent. Interesting for experimentation, be sure to let us know if you try it. A more conventional problem is the nose block; there is no provision for thrustline adjustment other than the nose button itself. This is not usually a satisfactory place for downthrust or sidethrust shims but the relatively low power in this case might allow it if only small amounts are necessary. Formers F2, F3, and F4 are not shown (they were probably only drawn on the sheet balsa of the kit) but the front view of the nose block should allow "reverse engineering" - with a bit of imagination. Likewise the wing ribs can be derived from the root rib shown on the plan. As was customary in the old days, the rear attachment for the rubber motor is possible only if both sides of the fuselage are left uncovered in that area. Even then, a very tail-heavy situation might arise, although in this case the floats, with their weight so far up at the nose might reduce the problem. Going to the present practice of a peg closer to the nose, possibly in the middle of the next bay up, is recommended.
Plan

What can we say about the InViCtarWing? Al Bacstrom is known for his "tailless wonders", and this design comes close to no tail at all. But he has encouraged the skeptics among us to forge ahead by putting that fin back there. There are plenty of explanatory notes on the plan to guide us along in trimming the model as well as building it. Designed for indoor flight at 14" wingspan, it could be OK for outdoor flight at, say , 20" with more stoutness and power. Thanks, Al, for a plan that tells it all.
Plan