Sig Morrisey Bravo Build
06-22-2017, 02:46 PM
#777
My 1/4 Spacewalker flew like a low wing Cub. Your's should provide restful flights, too.
06-23-2017, 11:59 AM
#778
Thread Starter
It does feel good Tom, and to a certain extent I enjoy it!
I finished the other side of the fuselage today. I'm ready to tape off the panel lines and primer... Just so you know, the Dorsal Fin is purposely offset to the plane's left by 1/8" which is visible in Photo 4. I didn't want you to think that I placed in on crooked!
I finished the other side of the fuselage today. I'm ready to tape off the panel lines and primer... Just so you know, the Dorsal Fin is purposely offset to the plane's left by 1/8" which is visible in Photo 4. I didn't want you to think that I placed in on crooked!
Last edited by VincentJ; 06-23-2017 at 02:32 PM.
06-24-2017, 01:37 AM
#781
Thread Starter
Thank you Mike and Leroy. I am pleased with how it has progressed, I'll finish up the fuselage before I move onto the wing. So that means, panel lines, rivets, cowl and wheel pants prep.
06-24-2017, 12:26 PM
#782
Thread Starter
Took care of the overlap issue today. In Photo 1 you can see that I have the new panel line taped. I use 3M vinyl tape for a really crisp line with absolutely no bleed through. I sprayed some primer on and let that dry, then used a very thin coating of spot putty to blend the step on the Solartex to the new panel line. Once cured, I sanded until my sandpaper reached the top of the vinyl tape. I gave one last coat of primer and re-sanded, making sure that the top of the tape was visible before I removed the tape.
With the tape removed the results are visable in Photos 2-3. The faux overlap now is in the correct orientation and ready for some rivets. I still have a few more panel lines left to create on the fuse.
With the tape removed the results are visable in Photos 2-3. The faux overlap now is in the correct orientation and ready for some rivets. I still have a few more panel lines left to create on the fuse.
Last edited by VincentJ; 06-25-2017 at 01:23 AM.
06-24-2017, 05:36 PM
#783
Vincent you are are doing some great work on the Bravo.
Over the years I have built 5 or 6 of these beautiful things . I have built them for the pure pleasure of building . They are a good solid flyer but landings can be somewhat like landing an AT6.
Can't wait to see it when you're finished.
Over the years I have built 5 or 6 of these beautiful things . I have built them for the pure pleasure of building . They are a good solid flyer but landings can be somewhat like landing an AT6.
Can't wait to see it when you're finished.
06-25-2017, 01:39 AM
#784
Thread Starter
Thanks CK1! Wow you've built quite a few of them, were they all for you or did you build them for others? These are a lot of fun to build, and like you I enjoy the building aspect. Stick around to see the finish, maybe you'll want to build #7...
06-25-2017, 03:47 AM
#785
Vincent I built most of them for me but in the end were sold to others. Every time I see a kit come up for sale I have to talk myself out of buying it. I have way too many projects lined up to do another Bravo . I can tell you a couple weak spots in the design if you're interested .
06-25-2017, 04:31 AM
#786
Thread Starter
Vincent I built most of them for me but in the end were sold to others. Every time I see a kit come up for sale I have to talk myself out of buying it. I have way too many projects lined up to do another Bravo . I can tell you a couple weak spots in the design if you're interested .
06-25-2017, 05:39 AM
#787
My first Bravo came from a trash can at Joe Nall back in the early Ninety's a friend was there and brought it back ,repaired it and gave it to me as my first giant scale plane . I flew the snot out of that thing for many years , rebuilt it several times then paseed on to another friend
as hid firsy giant scale plane. No this is not a good giant scale trainer, but if you can learn to fly this as your first giant scale tail dragger you won't much trouble learning to fly anything else .. So after flying , destroying , rebuilding and building several more I have learned a few things .There are 3 weak points in the structure that may not show up for many flights if at all depending on how gentle or rough one flies .
Landing Gear plate, reinforce it with more ply . Make plates that will better tie it together with the inner fuselage sides.
Use hardwood tri stock where possible.
When the gear plate pops loose the wheel pants will come up through the wings so the stronger you can make the landing gear plate the better your wings will look .
No doubt you noticed when building the fuse that the joint between the front fuse section and the rear section at the TE of the wing saddle looks a little scary . It is . Every Morrisey bravo I have ever seen crash broke at that joint . I have seen nose overs break this joint .I have seen 3 point landings break this joint . In my opinion this may have contributed to why Sig dropped the Bravo while it was still popular . It needed to be re designed.
The cure ? Scab in some ply side reinforcement that extends from the aft end of the wing saddle sides back to the next former . These need to have a good clean butt joint at the rear edge of the saddle sides to get max strength. Once the ply is added ovelap that joint with 3/8 or 1/4" square spruce stringers at all for corners kind of like longeron doublers that extend into the forward section .
The Verticle stab post can be easily broken on nose overs or by pushing the plane down the flight line by stab .
I advise using 4-40 rod as Verticle stab flying wires.
All of these changes add weight but the plane can handle it . I think the plane flies more stable with a little more weight . It has a thick airfoil and a lot of surface area and can fly well at 30 lbs.
as hid firsy giant scale plane. No this is not a good giant scale trainer, but if you can learn to fly this as your first giant scale tail dragger you won't much trouble learning to fly anything else .. So after flying , destroying , rebuilding and building several more I have learned a few things .There are 3 weak points in the structure that may not show up for many flights if at all depending on how gentle or rough one flies .
Landing Gear plate, reinforce it with more ply . Make plates that will better tie it together with the inner fuselage sides.
Use hardwood tri stock where possible.
When the gear plate pops loose the wheel pants will come up through the wings so the stronger you can make the landing gear plate the better your wings will look .
No doubt you noticed when building the fuse that the joint between the front fuse section and the rear section at the TE of the wing saddle looks a little scary . It is . Every Morrisey bravo I have ever seen crash broke at that joint . I have seen nose overs break this joint .I have seen 3 point landings break this joint . In my opinion this may have contributed to why Sig dropped the Bravo while it was still popular . It needed to be re designed.
The cure ? Scab in some ply side reinforcement that extends from the aft end of the wing saddle sides back to the next former . These need to have a good clean butt joint at the rear edge of the saddle sides to get max strength. Once the ply is added ovelap that joint with 3/8 or 1/4" square spruce stringers at all for corners kind of like longeron doublers that extend into the forward section .
The Verticle stab post can be easily broken on nose overs or by pushing the plane down the flight line by stab .
I advise using 4-40 rod as Verticle stab flying wires.
All of these changes add weight but the plane can handle it . I think the plane flies more stable with a little more weight . It has a thick airfoil and a lot of surface area and can fly well at 30 lbs.
06-25-2017, 06:29 AM
#788
Thread Starter
All good information CK1, thanks for posting. I have addressed the landing gear plate and strengthened that area with additional tri-stock. I can't remember if I added a piece of glass to reinforce the butt joint or not, hopefully I did! (Glassing the outer skin of the fuse will help though.) I have been debating whether or not to add the vertical stabilizer bracing. I may add it, I want to see where the CG will play out first. I'm curious as to how much my Bravo will weigh in at, my guess will be around 22 pounds, but that's a guess. Again thanks for taking the time to share the information, others reading this thread may just benefit from your advice.
You got me wondering CK1 about the reinforcement of the fuse
, and I had to go back and check, sure enough I thought the same thing about where the front and rear fuse meet being a weak point. Glass was added! Whew...
You got me wondering CK1 about the reinforcement of the fuse
, and I had to go back and check, sure enough I thought the same thing about where the front and rear fuse meet being a weak point. Glass was added! Whew...
Last edited by VincentJ; 06-25-2017 at 08:30 AM.
06-25-2017, 03:48 PM
#789
Thread Starter
Well I managed to create two more panel lines today, I have two more left to make on the fuse then I will tend to the cowl...
Last edited by VincentJ; 06-25-2017 at 04:09 PM.
06-25-2017, 07:17 PM
#790
CK1, as I recall, the Sig Spacewalker also uses a 2 part fuselage, much as the Bravo does.
However, looks like Sig learned as well since there is ply doubler reinforcing over the joint.
Had a Bravo kit myself back in the day. The fuselage joint issues was enough reason that I decided not to build and sold it off.
Vincent you will appreciate that the chap who bought my Bravo kit stopped by about a week later and announced that he had completed the build. Totally astonished, I had to stop by his place to have a look. Yes, it was done. Never have I ever seen such a pitiful result. I doubt that it was airworthy.
Kepp up the excellent work, even if it does take you longer than a week.
However, looks like Sig learned as well since there is ply doubler reinforcing over the joint.
Had a Bravo kit myself back in the day. The fuselage joint issues was enough reason that I decided not to build and sold it off.
Vincent you will appreciate that the chap who bought my Bravo kit stopped by about a week later and announced that he had completed the build. Totally astonished, I had to stop by his place to have a look. Yes, it was done. Never have I ever seen such a pitiful result. I doubt that it was airworthy.
Kepp up the excellent work, even if it does take you longer than a week.
06-26-2017, 02:14 AM
#791
Thread Starter
do335a. quite the story. The man who bought your Bravo must have worked on it day and night! Building the Bravo takes an incredible amount of time and patience. Using the right adhesives on critical parts of the build and the time it takes to cure...I just don't know how he did it!
I have the Sig Spacewalker (which I built about three or four years ago), it does have the same butt joint which I reinforced with glass, and have not had any issues to date. It is a very easy model to fly which I enjoy. Thanks for the complement, I'm just a tad over one week. LOL
I have the Sig Spacewalker (which I built about three or four years ago), it does have the same butt joint which I reinforced with glass, and have not had any issues to date. It is a very easy model to fly which I enjoy. Thanks for the complement, I'm just a tad over one week. LOL
06-26-2017, 03:38 AM
#792
"You got me wondering CK1 about the reinforcement of the fuse , and I had to go back and check, sure enough I thought the same thing about where the front and rear fuse meet being a weak point. Glass was added! Whew..."
I have always been astonished by the amount of Bravo's that I have seen broken , that had shown no sign of the builder attempting the strengthen an obviously weak joint . I wonder if some builders fear straying too far from the layed out instructions . Maybe some just assume that if it's a Sig kit (read as quality) the design must be adequate.
, and I had to go back and check, sure enough I thought the same thing about where the front and rear fuse meet being a weak point. Glass was added! Whew..."I have always been astonished by the amount of Bravo's that I have seen broken , that had shown no sign of the builder attempting the strengthen an obviously weak joint . I wonder if some builders fear straying too far from the layed out instructions . Maybe some just assume that if it's a Sig kit (read as quality) the design must be adequate.
06-27-2017, 12:19 PM
#794
Thread Starter
All of the fuselage's panel lines are now completed. Getting the panel lines located correctly required me to get the canopy in position and from the photos that I have, determine where they went. Once again I'll look closely at the photos that I have to replicate where the rivets go to the best of my ability. I am not able to use the Varga Kachina to aide me as I did on the rudder and elevator.
Last edited by VincentJ; 06-27-2017 at 02:10 PM.
06-28-2017, 02:33 AM
#796
Thread Starter
Ok, so last night as my wife and I were watching TV she exclaimed that there was a rainbow in our back yard... Tomorrow I'm going out there to check on that "pot of gold" theory, cause if I find it, there's quite a few kits I want to buy...just sayin' !!! 
You are by far a much better builder than I. Looking at some time mid July, so I will keep you posted.
06-28-2017, 11:10 AM
#799
Thread Starter
Mike, I looked, but no luck!
Sounds good Cliff, looking forward to it. Any day but the 16th, as my wife and I will be out of town...
Well in between shingling the house and the four cords of wood that just got delivered today (in my driveway) that I now have to stack, I did manage some time in the shop. Here's what the panel lines/rivets are looking like so far... I need to get back outside and stack more wood!
Sounds good Cliff, looking forward to it. Any day but the 16th, as my wife and I will be out of town...
Well in between shingling the house and the four cords of wood that just got delivered today (in my driveway) that I now have to stack, I did manage some time in the shop. Here's what the panel lines/rivets are looking like so far... I need to get back outside and stack more wood!
Last edited by VincentJ; 06-28-2017 at 11:15 AM.