stevegauth30

hi guys. first off let me say that i think that this is the right place to ask this question. I recently bought and started to build the flyline models, great lakes trainer. the wood all seemed to still be in great condition, the plans were all nice and bright and crisp, and the price was good. the fuse all went together very easily, and lined up perfectly with the plans. Then on to the bottom wing. I laid out and pinned down the leading edges, front and rear spars, ( which are slightly too short, ) . when i started to lay the ribs in is when i start noticing that nothing is working out according to the plans. Luckily when i cut out the ribs, ( the old kind of kits that were only stamped, not laser cut.) i didnt cut the slots for the spars. if i keep the ribs all the way foward to the leading edge, the front spar linrs up with the slot, but if i cut the rear slot, theres only 1/16th of an inch left on top of the rib. any way your probably scratching your heads trying to picture what im talikng about. i believe i can resolve the problem by just gluing a 3/16 thick stick behind the leading edge, and cutting the slots for the front spars 3/16ths forward of where they are marked. if any one has built this kit and had the same problem, i would be interested to hear what you did, or if yours lined up. any feed back would be appreciated. thanks.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

I have been sitting on the same kit for 30 years! I am finially thinking of building it so I will be interested in any reply you get. How are you powering it? Also, how about a build thread on the plane with pictures?

Bruce

stevegauth30

hi bruce. the build is going well. its very interesting. Unlike the kits of today, you actually have to put some thought in to it. No detailed instruction book with a parts list, and labeled parts. alot of second guessing my self, but so far its been working out pretty good. The only thing was that the plans dont really work with some of the stamps. Mainly on wing ribs. When you build yours, make sure to measure the length of the ribs compared to plan, and also the location of the spar slots on the ribs. I learned a good lesson there. Anw way, im mostly sticking to the building methods of the era the kit was manufactured, and i am powering it with an old OS MAX 25 that i bought as a kit / engine combo. Im real excited to get this one air born. I also just finished building a Davey Systems Stompe SV4 thats ready for covering as well, so this spring will be an exciting time for me. I will be posting pics in the next day or two of the progress. I hope to see yours pretty soon as well.

stevegauth30

here are some of the more recent pics. still alot of work before this bird takes to the skys. the bottom wing will be getting rebuilt as i am not at all happy with it. The top wing on the other hand came out great. Its all part of the game.

stevegauth30

some more forward progress. the top wing is now mounted as well as the bottom wing. Ready to tackle the landing gear.

stevegauth30

Some work on the cowl. Building a cowl in this fashion is a bit of work. It took about 10 hours to get it to this point, and theres still an awful lot of work to do on it. Its starting to look like an airplane.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

Looks good. I am enjoying the build.

Bruce

stevegauth30

It certainly is a true craftsmans kit. A real pleasure to work with.

pspring

My Feedback: (1)

I've also have one in the box from 30 years ago when I was a teenager. Bought it because the "hobby shop" was going out of business and I wanted a bipe to build in the future (guess that was "distant future"). It was part of a small carpet store in a small town.

I recall that the landing gear had a spring suspension and I am curious what to use for a spring because it was not included in the kit. Or maybe that is optional? I hope to see some pictures of that.

Also, what are you using for a muffler? I have an OS 25, same as yours, from back then but it's been in a Kadet Jr from the same time that I still fly with.

Thanks.

stevegauth30

Nice to hear that other people are still building this kit. You are in luck as far as the landing gear, as i will be getting started on that today and putting pics up. For the springs i will be using a set of springs from a set of closet bi-fold doors. Just happened to find them kicking around the basement and were a perfect size. You have to get creative and use what you can. I also went today to my LHS and picked up some larger diameter brass tubing. The stuff that came with the kit was just flimsey feeling. I dont think that the difference in weight will be very noticable. As for the muffler, Im still not sure if i will buy a extension for the stock muffler to get it out of the cowl, Or buy a different kind. I hop this helps you with your build. You should put up some pics of yours. I would love to see them.

pspring

My Feedback: (1)

I'm not building yet. I just remember the spring suspension as a big question mark and thought it would be pretty cool to hide the muffler. I could take a picture of a box of wood if you like!

stevegauth30

No thanks, i had the same box of wood. Mine is just a bit lighter now. Well, This is a very enjoyable kit to build, and i hope to see some pics when you get started.

stevegauth30

wow. The landing gear was really easy. I was expecting a real pain in the butt. the spring suspension doesnt do alot though, being that the main gear wire is one peice at the attach point. In order for it to work well it would have to some how be hinged at that piont. Its good enough for me. It does work a little.

pspring

My Feedback: (1)

Interesting solution for holding the gear struts together! The plans are not very clear on it. Hows it progressing?

stevegauth30

Hi, thanks for following along. The build is progressing well. Alot faster than I anticapated, being that i am laid off from work right now and can spend alot more time building than usual. Its actually almost ready for covering. The plans are very vague in alot of areas, and the landing gear is certainly one of them. The best way that i was able to come up with was to run a aluminum wing joiner tube from an erlier crashed plane through the fuse behind the fire wall, then a 4-40 threaded rod with metal rod ends. Im certain that there are better ways to do it, but thats what i was able to come up with. So far it seems to be alright, but the true test will come with the first take off and landing. I think it will do just fine. So, do you have any plans to start yours in the near future?Im anxious to see some one elses come together. Any how, happy building.

pspring

My Feedback: (1)

If I start building I'll post here.

stevegauth30

Well, Now is time to start with all of the scale detail. The plane is basicly ready to fly with the exception of finishing the cowl. I ran out of covering and instead of trying to finish it with scrap peices, i will have patience and wait for another roll. All of the radio gear is installed, and working properly. I ran the engine last night and taxied around the yard a couple of times. All seems well. Now i will tackle the design trim, cockpit coaming, louvers, exaust stacks, flying wires, landing gear fairing, etc...

stevegauth30

sorry, I forgot to upload some pics

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

Looks great! Could you please show some detail shots of the cowling and how the engine fits?

Bruce

stevegauth30

hi Bruce. Here are some pics of how the engine fits in the cowl. There is a TON of room between the engine and the firewall, and no room at all between the carb and the cowl face. I wasnt sure if i wanted to put the fuel tank in front of the fire wall, but as you can see i decided to put the throttle servo there I didnt cut the air holes into the face yet because i had to cut out so much of the back of the face to fit the carb , that it is now real thin. I figured that i would wait till i was ready to finish the cowl so it didnt break while working on it. I will probably fiber glass the back side of the cowl face for strength. I hope this helps. Let me know if you want more pics. Steve.

stevegauth30

P.S, Im still not sure what kind of exaust im going to use. Im trying to find an in cowl muffler, but having a hard time. I might have to try a universal type. I really dont want to have to chop a big hole in the side for the stack.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

Steve, thanks for the pictures. What OS engine are you using? I have NIBs OS .25 FSR and OS .20 FP I could use. As you point out the muffler will be a problem with either. I have the Stirling control line version of the plane with a Fox .35 and no muffler. I could not get away with that at our field on the Flyline version.

Bruce

stevegauth30

The engine is a vintage OS MAX 25. Its probably as old as the kit if not older, but still runs better than half of the newer engines that i have.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

Then from the looks of it, it is an OS .25 FSR which is what I have. I will be interested in what you do about the muffler.

Bruce

stevegauth30

What is FSR? It says MAX .25 on the side.