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Originally Posted by RichardGee
(Post 12563583)
Valach 120 four stroke
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After the latest wheel pant adventure, I thought I'd take a break and work on the canopy. The clear plastic that comes with the kit is thicker than it needs to be and difficult to cut. On Richards suggestion, I ordered some .030 Lexan and a micro screw set and I'm glad I did.The Lexan is more resistant to scratching and came fully sheated with protective plastic on both sides. Its easy to cut....just score and snap . It takes a micro self tapping screw really well also. Still, I worked on it for twelve hrs and I'm exhausted. A lot of the work involved dremeling the inside of the canopy frame so the inside surfaces would mate evenly with the Lexan. I'll send pics to Josh tomorrow to post. I should have left the protection on it but I was so anxious to see how it looked, I stripped it off.
Everybody crashes Mark. |
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Were there any yaw instability issues with the bobtail version?
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Originally Posted by Lifer
(Post 12563789)
Were there any yaw instability issues with the bobtail version?
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Just amazing guys
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Yesterday I went to pull the mufflers off the 3W to drill and tap for the BadDog smoke nozzles. TWO of the socket head bolts' heads snapped off when I tried to remove them. A fellow builder offered to remove the remaining studs and saved me from having to have them burned out by EDM. I've been working on the wheel-pants for the last 2 days and they are, by far, the most tedious part of this build. CARF's pictorial has a clever jig system to mark the FW reliefs but it's still a trying process. Spent all day and I'm 1/4 of the way done. Maybe I'm slow." I can't complain but sometimes I still do"
Mark |
Gee Bee gents...
It is great to see some renewed interest in this iconic race plane. As Mark can attest, building this plane is almost as challenging as flying it. Perhaps the world's foremost authority on all things Gee Bee racer, is Hannes Lutzenberger. Right now he is creating a perfect scale R1 cowling for the CARF Gee Bee. I will have #1 ;) IF you prefer the R1 over the R2, Hannes Speed Shop is the only place in the world from which you can acquire the correct cowl. You can find Hannes Speed Shop on Facebook. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...e04857e4ad.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...adfe3f2661.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...b17a99aee5.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...e33fb9dea9.jpg |
I've always preferred the R-1 cowl. It looks meaner. Is it the same depth? Maybe I'll opt for it later. What is Hannes business?
The picture I sent Josh shows 1 inside Flying Wire Slot(thank you Josh). I can't tell you how hard won it was. I'm leaving town for 10 days on tues so no updates for a while. Mark |
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I've been working on the wheel-pant reliefs. (my trip out of town didn't pan out). The CARF system of finding the relief starting points are just that, starting points. Be prepared to mount and dismount the flying wires and wheel-pants repeatedly,making small changes in the pant reliefs, until you've made an opening that will accommodate the F.Ws with no interference without making them overly large. It's a tedious and repetitious process that will have you turning your attention elsewhere (like anything other than building an RC plane) and, if your like me, drinking more than usual.. As of today, I've got the right side done. After assembling and disassembling the FW/WP system quite a few times, you get to where it's a routine.. That's not to say it isn't a chore.
Mark ps, pics to follow..........tomorrow. |
The pics I sent Josh show the gear leg covers in position but not mounted. From my trial fits it seems they won't be much of a problem. If you look closely, you'll see where I scratched the wheel-pant with the dremel. I'm not happy about that but it's a repair that's going to have to wait until after it's been maidened.....Richard, for me it's tequila.
Everybody Crashes. Thanks again Josh. Mark |
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The right gear-leg/wheel-pant/FWs are done and locked. And I managed to set it at 4.6 deg. dihedral. Tomorrow I will finish the left side. Whew! One of the things that has been bothering me is the FW reliefs. CARF (and Richards manual) give instructions on building FW relief hatches but it requires a large ground out rectangle on each flying wire and a hatch to be mounted flush. I just didn't have it in me so I compromised. The reliefs are ugly when they're done perfectly and mine weren't all perfect. I came up with this solution. Made from 1/32 ply covered in white oracover, it's a huge improvement. I sent pics to Josh.
Mark. |
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No Cyber Monday Deals :) LOL
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FW covers
Your flying wire covers look really good.
Great addition. |
Anyone who's been following this has probably gotten tired of me complaining about the tail-wheel assembly I received with the kit. OK, so I found an original Fults TW assembly on F.G. and bought it and it's far superior but....turns out the one I bought is too big. No ones fault but my own. Another 35 bucks down the tube. I did finalize the fuel/smoke tank tray so there's that. I'm too cheap to pay $250+ or $300+ for an EZ or Xicoy balancer so I've started building my own. I'll send pics to Josh of the mock-up and the completed device in a few days.
Mark |
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I sent Josh a pic of my finished balancer. It works better then I had hoped. Tomorrow I'll do a full up preliminary balance and see where I am. This thing is getting close. It's all small details and Graphics to go and then....gulp....I'll have to fly it.....Yikes! Maybe the engine won't start.
I should add by the way, if your building a CARF GeeBee, you'll need a balancer that is either electronic such as an Xicoy pro( $350-400) or a mechanical unit that is a minimum 15" in height and can spread to 27" minimum......or build a Vanessa. Everybody Crashes Mark. |
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The balance I built works really well. In fact, too well. It was overly sensitive and I had to slightly tighten the pivot bolts to provide a little drag. I got lucky. With all the batteries, ignition, throttle servo and smoke pump right behind the engine dome, it was a little nose heavy, meaning the re-positioning of one battery rearward will give me perfect balance. The pilot was from my wrecked Decathlon and seems to be perfect scale. I made the cushion behind his head by sanding down a Testors spray paint top and painting it red.
Mark |
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