acerc

Sorry! Lack of oxygen tends to do that to one.

VincentJ

Kevin, wings are just out of view. Have been working on them, prepairing them for covering. Currently making some aluminum servo holders and getting the hard points installed in the ailerons.

Just received my spinner in the mail yesterday, all I can say is a 4" spinner is huge!

VincentJ

Thought some of you may be interested in how I mounted the servos for the ailerons. Made the brackets out of some 1" aluminum angle stock purchased from the local hardware store. Very strong and light...,

Leroy Gardner

I'm intrested, your servo tray is alot better than anything made out of wood and will work in tight places and smaller covers, I like that. My next build will likely be a 1/4 scale J 3 cub, I have the BUSA scratch build plans with a 108" wing span, will start cutting parts come this fall and I will do it scale in every detail. Your servo mounts will be used througt out, glad I caught that and thanks, you always have something to offer.

Your plane is looking good, as always, your a real asset to this hobby.

Leroy

stevegauth30

I really like that VJ. Thanks for sharing that with us. Something so simple, but I know I never thought of it. Also plan to use it on my next builds. Thanks.

acerc

Nice work Vincent! Question for ya, "Did you or do you use double sided tape between the servo and the aluminum to aid in reducing vibration fatigue at the corner of the bend in the aluminum"?

VincentJ

Leroy thank you for those kind words, it means a lot to me. I'm glad that some of this info is useful, I always love it when I find new ways of doing things from others...

VincentJ

Robert, I don't use any type of tape, its not needed. Just be sure to leave some space between the servo and the bracket and you won't have to worry about vibration. This is a case where tighter isn't better! I also don't make the cut out go all the way to the bottom, there is about a 1/8" ribbon of aluminum left for additional strength.

VincentJ

Today's update: All of the hard points were installed in both ailerons. I always like to use hard points under any fasteners that otherwise would crush the balsa. 1/2" birch dowels were used for the hard points. I also finished making the second aluminum aileron servo bracket. Some minor sanding of the wings are in order before I start the covering...

After consulting with Gary (GHoffman), he talked me into replacing the current power source, a single 3200mAh LiFe battery to a dual LiFe 2100mAh battery set-up. In these larger planes redundancy is important, and with the PowerSafe receiver it will be easy to do. This change however, will require me to remove the battery/receiver tray and fabricate a new one to accommodate two batteries. I'm glad I made the old tray removable! So I placed my order for the two batteries and they should arrive in a few days. I am fortunate to have good friends that have been advising me on the best and most dependable way of ensuring that my Edge will last the test of time...

maekju

VJ, how did you cut out the aluminum angle stock? It's so neat and clean. Sorry if my question is redundant but I've been deployed to Afghanistan and catching up.

VincentJ

Maekju, haven't heard from you in a while! After tracing the outline on the aluminum, I made the two vertical cuts using a hack saw. Then using a good box cutter I scored the bottom (horizontal) section a few times, by doing this you can then grab the piece with a pair of pliers and move it back and forth a few times and it will just snap off cleanly. Using a hand file you can then clean-up all the cut surfaces. It's easy, fast, light and costs almost nothing!

Be safe over there...

maekju

Thanks VJ. I only have to hang out for 6 months. Then I'll have some winter time left for building / repairs and can fly next summer

stevegauth30

Maekju, in case you haven't been told lately, thank you.

raptureboy

What's going on in here? I have been rather crazy myself lately. Some kid blew a stop sign last week and T-boned me and totaled my van, 6 months from paying it off We both walked away but I could have killed him Now I spend my days car shopping instead of flying and building. I would rather have a root canal than shop for a used car. Don't know if I'm going to make it up your way Vince before school starts but we will see. I hope your enjoying the new digs.

VincentJ

Sorry to hear about your accident Cliff , I'm glad your OK! I hope you don't have problems with your insurance company giving you enough to replace it... School starts for me on the 21st, YIKES! You're always welcome here anytime... I love it here with my GF, condo living suites me just fine!

raptureboy

Thanks Vince, yikes indeed! We just had a big retirement party for my wife and it is starting to sink in now she doesn't have to go back to work in a couple weeks. So what is happening with this aeroplane now buddy. This is like watching a movie and having the tape go bad just before the end. LOL

VincentJ

So happy for you and your wife. Time to have some fun and live OFF the clock and calender!
Work is now resuming, I just got back from some R&R. Spent a great week up in Maine. All I can say is the lobsters feared me!

acerc

Everyone needs a break occasionally, now get back to work. We're patiently waiting. lol

Cub Flyer Fresno

You know Cliff, I have a buddy that, on the way home from the field about a year ago, was driving on country roads doing about 45 mph with a couple of his planes in the back of his pickup. A kid blew through a stop sign, T-boned him and rolled his pickup a couple times, taking out a telephone pole in the process. Needless to say his planes were totaled and... what was that? Oh, the pickup was totaled too. Everyone was okay although he did have to go to the hospital ER to get checked out. The kid had no insurance. But fortunately the planes that were totaled were ARF's and his insurance covered the replacement costs. He made sure his wife salvaged the engines from the field. You just hate to see planes go in that manner!

VincentJ

OK, I'm back to work and...first thing on my "to do" list is balancing out my Edge. While laying on the beach in Maine, my mind was thinking about how I wanted to accomplish the task of balance. I have several balancers in my workshop, but I was skeptical about placing a 16+ pound plane on small location pads on the wing fearing that my precious wings would get damaged. Then it dawned on me how to do it, I had recalled what Aero-Works planes come with to balance out their larger aircrafts, something that they call "balance buddies". That was just the ticket to solve my problem, however I had to make my "balance buddy" with the right amount of CG for my Edge. So, carefully examining my plans I determined that the CG for this plane is at 4".

So here is how I made my version of the "balance buddy".

acerc

So nice to have you back. That is a fantastic idea on the balance buddies.

Melchizedek

Great Idea, Thanks for sharing.
I 2nd Robert, Glad your back in the shop

Incidentally, since the Edge is winding down, will there be a winter build ???

Kevin

VincentJ

Thanks Robert, often when I find myself in a bind, I need to stop what I'm doing and take a break to think out the process. Usually there is an elegant solution...

Started the covering process on the wings, I think the photos are pretty self explanatory, so I won't bla, bla, bla... Well maybe just a little. Try to think about how the covering will overlap over each other so that when the airflow goes over your covering it doesn't try to tear it off. Also, I'm using a mitt to rub the surface while the surface is still hot to ensure good contact between the sheeting and covering.

Sorry that these photos are out of order!

acerc

Come on now, Blah, Blah, Blah, is music to our ears. So play away my friend, but then again, that would take away from the work so, "Silence in golden"!

VincentJ

Kevin, yes I have a few planes in mind, one being a kit that I already have and the other, gasp...an ARF! OH, I know I'm going to hear it now...