FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Thanks for the information Chuck! I may just wait until I get the wing built and just do that. I was considering a plywood core with balsa each side and then carve it to shape. I was planning on adding a square spar between the gear to mount the air brake hinges. The servo linkage should be a breeze.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I have a short kit already for a Charles Richard 1/5th scale Globe Swift and it has the slots. It wouldn't look right to build it without them.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Another method would be to laminate 1/64 plywood on the surface you wish to copy.
lay sandwich wrap on the surface to be copied.
Apply glue to the panels thin panels and place it on the curved surface.
One more layer of plastic wrap and stack sand bags on it for even pressure.
give it overnight to dry.

One last tip. apply masking tape to the corners of the panels to keep them from shifting while it dry's.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Another good idea and I think I already have the 1/64 ply.

spd101

A very unappreciated design, always one of my top 3 planes 1. Corsair 2. Dauntless, 3 P-51

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

That plywood lamination method was used to make this landing light panel.
Holds its shape and I needed a surface I could mount the retract servo to.
The plastic reflector was taken from a dollar store flashlight .
I had to buy a few because that bulb gets very hot. A byproduct of a very bright light.
The bulb is a 12 volt halogen lamp I got at my local auto parts store.
Not sure what it fits but I told the guy I need a very small and bright light.
he brought me three and this one got the job.
The red stuff is High temp silicone used as an insulator.
I don't plan on putting a lens over it because I'll need the cooling air to keep it from trashing the reflector.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

On to the fuselage
There are so many threads that show this model being framed up. I feel this may be redundant.
My impression is that it went very fast and easy to build it straight, my only complaint is that stringers did not run true.
I know I cut my own parts and some of it is on me but I know I was not 1/4 inch off and that is what 4 of the stringers were.
I tend to plank with the largest pieces I can get away with for strength, the down side is the panels can dip between formers.
Because of this I added 4 formers to the wing fairing also because I know this is where I'll be handling the model .
Ever crack a fairing with your thumb loading your plane?

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

My cockpit is 2 1/2 inches deep, plenty of room for detailing and I still have the option to lower the floor if I want.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Here is where I went way off the plans.
I bought the pushrods used to move the tail feathers, they almost weighed one pound! that’s crazy to put on a tail heavy model so I went and bought the plastic nyrods for a model this size and the weight was about the same. this is without the guide hardware used.
Keep in mind that the distance from the CG to the tail is twice the distance to the nose. (there about)
This means that using basic weight and balance math puts two pounds on the firewall for every pound you put in the tail.
(I know that the weight of the rods is spread over the length of the tail making the basic math sort of invalid. )
The point is I wanted to ditch this weight so I went with a pull pull system.
Redundancy is covered with each surface having it's own servo.
Rudder and tail wheel is combined at the cost of scale position ( 1/2 inch so shoot me)
Bell cranks are silver soldered to the torque rods
Elevator torque rods are supported with brass tubing and can move independently but are supported with another tube in-between the bell cranks.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

the cables:

The pull pull system uses Sullivan 507 cables and can lift more that the clevises can.
The cables are attached to the forks with threaded cable ends.
The ends have been crimped , soldered at both ends with a witness length (1/8 inch ) at the end.
The forks were threaded on the ends of the cables and soldered then the safety clips was used after they were attached.
All this so I don't have to ever open her up to service the assembly.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

On the other end
A bell crank rod had to be installed to keep the servos from having to put up with cable tension.
The ends of the 1/4 inch stainless tube are trapped with aircraft grade plywood.
The light plywood interior required aircraft grade ply on the back side because I don’t trust light ply to hold a thread.
T-6 aluminum was used to make the bell cranks, took me two sets before I had the travel between the aft bell cranks and front ones at a ratio of 1:1 .
Mounting the servos was all that is left and I have more room for adjustments than I need.
Looks like a bunch of monkey motion I know but everything has a backup except for the forward bell crank rod and I plan to install support in the middle incase one of the ends fail.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

My turn for a few questions.
I have read through three threads on this model and learned a bunch.
doesn't hurt to double check so please confirm if you can.

The CG on the plans are wrong it should be 1 inch further back.
( can't believe this has not been amended by now. )

Thrust line is 1 degree down and 1 degree to the right.
(I only found the down reference on the plans.)

I have a GT-80 for this one and I read it's a gas pig.
40 oz will get me 12 min of flight. That’s cool but I seen a 50 oz. tank at the LHS but don't know if it will fit.
My real question is what are my prop options, I love the three blade prop available but I can't afford $41 for a single blade; not flying from my field any way.

Then there is the videos.
The plans call for the aileron travel to be 1 3/4 up and 5/8 to 3/4 down.
However the ailerons in one onboard camera flight shows them hardly moving at all.
Given the dihedral angle of the wing I would suspect this plane loves it's rudder.
( rudder travel listed at 2 inch in both directions)

I measured the flaps travel on the plans at 50 degrees and the spoilers are listed at 45 degrees.
I can go with it but the flap angle sounds high. Is it because of all the holes?

R8893

My Feedback: (20)

Sparkie, I can't comment on most of the control throws, but Squadron/Signal Walk Around states that the flap movement was 45 degrees max when used as a flap. As a dive brake they moved 42 degrees and the upper sections moved 37 degrees.
Chuck

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Great timing , I'm rigging the flaps and spoilers tomorrow.
Thanks

bunsen

Sparkie

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Yes
You almost have to because on the off chance the elevator gets damaged I'll be able to cut the hinges and simply remove it .
otherwise I'd have to trash the whole surface getting it off.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

last few shots of the fuselage for a while. the fin was sheeted all at once.
This enabled me to tweak any crookedness or twist that might have snuck in .

The cowl they offer is very nice and worth every buck, no pin holes at all.

The RX switch is the weak link in any radio system, I'm installing two.
The hole in the fuse has yet to be fitted with its door.

On to glassing mostly because it protects the balsa from me.
At the top of the photo you can see the canopies I made for my model.
I don’t care for cutting up the single canopy only to have to build a frame to make it stiff again
I formed them in 5 separate pieces with a more pronounced panel line and that roll at the aft end of each for better fitting.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

wheel well.

I was looking for a short cut to the nice smooth wheel well and didn't want to add the weight of all that build up, filler and sanding.
It was obvious that a vac formed wheel well was the answer.
I know that there is airframe showing forward of the gear strut but when they cut the grass at my field it all seems to gather in the wheel wells.
smooth all the way around will make it easy to keep clean.

I went with a 1/4 inch gap around the wheel for good clearance and sanded the skin to fit the plastic part.
dropped the plastic in the hole and marked it as soon as I knew the gear could go all the way in and the wheel could still spin.
After it was trimmed the edges was sanded and tape was used to hold it in place while the epoxy cured.
the red tape kept the epoxy off the wing surface.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Gear doors.

I know it's not scale but the hole it is filling is not either.
I'd prefer having quick access to the retract units without removing panels for inspection.
This vac formed door is very light and the stamped aluminum look is functional at holding the door skin to the wing contour.
lots of tooling work but assembly and installation was easy.

bunsen

Sparkie

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

No, the bell cranks was made with T-6 aluminum. Really hard stuff but not as hard as stainless .
I should have been clear about the way it is stacked.
The stainless tube is stationary; it is cut to the width of the plywood sides of the fuselage.
The "Y" shaped retainers have holes that go all the way through and is made with AC grade ply. ( wish it was metal )
After it is assembled the unit is slid in position and the screws hold it in place.
The piece you thought was bushings are washers, they are there to protect the clear plastic tubes that fit in-between the bell cranks.
it's the plastic tubes that keeps the cranks in their proper position along the stainless tube.

This photo was not posted because it was my first shot at the Bell cranks.
There was a slight over center feel to its movement with one line going slack at the extreme end of the travel.
(The holes must be accurately drilled)

What the photo does show is how the keep all those cables arranged and not tangled .
Soldered hooks and rubber bands do a good job.
also the stainless tube installation can be seen without the washers and clear tubes

bunsen

Thanks

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Bomb Trapeze

I could have bought the Robart unit but this thing is so simple I thought I'd give it a shot.
I used brass tubes for the bent parts and Carbon tubing for the straights.
When I was happy with the arrangement I used very rough sandpaper to make scratches that run the length of the brass parts.
When assembled Thin CA was used to bond the parts , the deep scratches ensured the adhesive would wick deep into the joint.
The next step was to wrap carbon fiber thread around the joints adding CA as I went until the joint was equal to the carbon tubing.
(the thread was taken from woven carbon fiber cloth. )
All that was left was to sand the joints to match the tubing.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Bomb Trapeze servo connection
I have no Idea where this servo goes. It's not on the plans so I had to wing it.
There is Ample room in the fuselage just under the pivot point but the question of servicing it comes up.
I'm not making a hatch in this location , it will only cause a week point that is sure to fain in the event of a belly landing.
Hacking it open when the time comes is just as bad.

I used angle aluminum to make the " pivot horns" and attached them firmly to the plywood plate with JB weld.
The torque rod is made with tubing to avoid any flexing between its input arm and the actuating arm.
The actuating arm is connected to the trapeze with a clevis for adjusting while the other end has a brass washer soldered in place for a permanent attachment.
On the other end, The actuating arm fits through a slot cut in the Tank area floor; just close enough to attach a clevis .
The servo location is yet to be determined but I know it will be out in the open.
If I get in a pinch with tank space I can always heat the tank with a heat gun and form a recess to clear the actuator arm .

BTW- this photo only shows the torque rod bearing being held in place with CA
Later I installed several Horse shoe shaped plywood pieces over it and used epoxy to lock it all down.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Of course you know I have been working fiberglass cloth off and on this whole time.
Lots of sanding and weave fill work but it is all looking ready for the first coat of primer now.

To make my bomb I started with two blocks of automotive body filler. I turned it on the lathe using the dimensions on the plans as a guide.
The photo shows the last step before it comes off the lathe , every bubble has to be filled for a completely smooth surface.