SIG Stratus (#RC4) - the long slow plans build
05-18-2015, 11:12 AM
#177
Thread Starter
Finally got around to fixing those (tents) bubbles around the headrest - had to cut them out entirely and get new koverall into the spot, both sides. 2 coats clear butyrate so far, one more to go on this evening and then the maroon starts tomorrow. Wasn't much of a job but it needed doing.
05-24-2015, 08:04 PM
#178
Thread Starter
Well, dope & thinner arrived Friday, finally got to open them up and get started again yesterday. Wing's got 2 coats of yellow now, one yesterday and one today. Looks like 2 more coats will be needed. Also started cutting out my letters for the wings today. I consider it a lot of fun, cutting my own stuff - kind of a challenge sometimes.
My other half took a pic of me with the wing - but y'gotta promise not to laugh...
.
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Carport's usually the best place to do my doping - lotsa cool air, bit of a breeze most of the time, decent light without glare. Still get a good buzz though, love that smell!!!!!!!
My other half took a pic of me with the wing - but y'gotta promise not to laugh...
.
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Carport's usually the best place to do my doping - lotsa cool air, bit of a breeze most of the time, decent light without glare. Still get a good buzz though, love that smell!!!!!!!
05-25-2015, 04:11 AM
#180
Last airplane that I did a dope paint job on was a Dare Designs "Smoothie" in
Yellow and Teal over silk-span, still hanging in the shop, talk about a buzz but
love the smell of that dope, brings back a lot of memories of the old days before
the pre-colored plastic & fabric coverings.
Seems to me I remember my Dad spraying a fine mist of water over silk and then
spraying on clear dope on top of the wet silk, he always said it sealed the silk quicker
and used less clear, hence a lighter finish. Never tried it myself, but according to him
that's what most of the guys did to save every ounce they could, especially the stunt and
combat guys. (talking about what they did back in the early 50's)
Bill D.
Yellow and Teal over silk-span, still hanging in the shop, talk about a buzz but
love the smell of that dope, brings back a lot of memories of the old days before
the pre-colored plastic & fabric coverings.
Seems to me I remember my Dad spraying a fine mist of water over silk and then
spraying on clear dope on top of the wet silk, he always said it sealed the silk quicker
and used less clear, hence a lighter finish. Never tried it myself, but according to him
that's what most of the guys did to save every ounce they could, especially the stunt and
combat guys. (talking about what they did back in the early 50's)
Bill D.
Last edited by Bill Diedrich; 05-25-2015 at 04:24 AM. Reason: additional info
05-25-2015, 10:26 AM
#181
Thread Starter
Y'er absolutely right Bill, spray the silkspan and then spray clear dope - seals and smooths faster & lighter. My latest C/L Skylark is finished that way - 
- which is also the source of my metallic maroon. One quart has now been applied to 3 airplanes, this Skylark being the first in 2001. But that's the way I was taught to dope, spraying water and then dope for first coats. Didn't do that with the Stratus because it's got koverall which is heat-shrink. Actually, every plane I've ever flown C/L has been doped - I've never covered a C/L plane with monokote.
Doesn't matter how old I get - I'm totally addicted to the dope smell, but not so much the price today.
Besides, it's a lot of fun.
Doesn't matter how old I get - I'm totally addicted to the dope smell, but not so much the price today.
Besides, it's a lot of fun.
05-25-2015, 11:09 AM
#182
My Feedback: (-1)
Been about that long for me too Tom. Speaking of U-Control, the little field just down the road from my house I go to once in a while, now has a bunch of control line guys flying there now on weekends. Yesterday between flights my friend and I sat down and watched them. It was decided if we tried it again the plane would be in the ground in about 6 laps and we would be on the ground too loosing our breakfast. Couple weeks ago I even got to see a ram jet rat racer flying there. That was cool, not to mention loud.
05-25-2015, 02:00 PM
#183
Built the profile "Smoothie" about 3 years ago, never have flown it, but thinking
seriously about it one of these weekends, there are still some of the old C/L guys
that go to the circles in Independence Park, Baton Rouge every weekend, got all
of the equipment just never got up enough nerve to go round & round again being
in my late 60's you are right it'll probably only last a few laps before me and it hit the
ground.....LOL
I have an Ares I-Beam kit designed by Bill Werwage. I have been thinking of converting
R/C when I build it, but that is a "Round-to-it Project for somewhere down the road.
Bill D.
seriously about it one of these weekends, there are still some of the old C/L guys
that go to the circles in Independence Park, Baton Rouge every weekend, got all
of the equipment just never got up enough nerve to go round & round again being
in my late 60's you are right it'll probably only last a few laps before me and it hit the
ground.....LOL
I have an Ares I-Beam kit designed by Bill Werwage. I have been thinking of converting
R/C when I build it, but that is a "Round-to-it Project for somewhere down the road.
Bill D.
Last edited by Bill Diedrich; 05-25-2015 at 02:09 PM.
05-25-2015, 02:32 PM
#184
My Feedback: (-1)
Well, I was still flying CL when I was in my mid to late 30s and did OK with the bigger planes with a longer line but the 1/2A about killed me. I can't even think about doing it these days but it was a hoot to watch all the guys having fun. I did just use some dope to do a patch on a very old CL plane my friends dad built in the late 40s. Of course all I had on hand was some silver so now I have to paint the patch to match the plane before it goes on the shop wall.
05-26-2015, 08:09 AM
#186
Good looking Ares Bill! I'll bet it would make a great R/C plane. My days using dope are long since behind me, I can't handle the fumes anymore. I won't use anything but a latex or epoxy finishing resin for that reason. I do OK with CA if I stick to the foam safe flavor, I can't handle the fumes from the regular stuff.
06-02-2015, 05:23 PM
#188
Thread Starter
Yeah - been reviewing and re-reviewing everything (for the umpteenth time) while waiting for the weather to give me a break from the nearly constant rains later this week. She's been run through several tanks around the yard several times while I limbered up the engine (which hasn't run in nearly a year) on the new wheels - performs on the ground pretty good.
Definitely looking forward to seeing her in the air.
Definitely looking forward to seeing her in the air.
06-06-2015, 08:42 PM
#191
Thread Starter
ALMOST there...
After a short engine run-up in the yard today I took the Stratus out for her maiden and then couldn't get one of the ailerons to operate at all - scratch the maiden for a bit. Once I got her home and taken apart I found that the plastic housing on one of the connectors had completely disintegrated and one of the 3 wires disconnected. This evening I cut the bad end off and soldered a whole new connector in place.
She should fly tomorrow.
BTW, once I got the custom AMA decals I decided I simply didn't like them and went with my traditional tri-colored AMA wings. The SIG decals are on back-order and not expected to arrive any time soon so I just went with hand-painting the SIG name above the STRATUS name. Gotta tell ya, hand-painting all those letters/numbers took awhile but I think they look pretty good anyway. Once they DO show up I can put the pair on each side of the fuse anyway.
Love that 61sf, she purrs like a contented cat - and she makes half the noise my other OS engines do, probably due to the fact that she's got the gasket between muffler & engine and none of my other planes have it. May have to cut some gaskets.
And, "YES" my grass needs cutting. Even with the new "real" wheels on her the prop's mowing the lawn, and that's after just 1.5 weeks of rain. You guys out west are gonna need hay balers once your ground dries enough to cut.
After a short engine run-up in the yard today I took the Stratus out for her maiden and then couldn't get one of the ailerons to operate at all - scratch the maiden for a bit. Once I got her home and taken apart I found that the plastic housing on one of the connectors had completely disintegrated and one of the 3 wires disconnected. This evening I cut the bad end off and soldered a whole new connector in place.
She should fly tomorrow.
BTW, once I got the custom AMA decals I decided I simply didn't like them and went with my traditional tri-colored AMA wings. The SIG decals are on back-order and not expected to arrive any time soon so I just went with hand-painting the SIG name above the STRATUS name. Gotta tell ya, hand-painting all those letters/numbers took awhile but I think they look pretty good anyway. Once they DO show up I can put the pair on each side of the fuse anyway.
Love that 61sf, she purrs like a contented cat - and she makes half the noise my other OS engines do, probably due to the fact that she's got the gasket between muffler & engine and none of my other planes have it. May have to cut some gaskets.
And, "YES" my grass needs cutting. Even with the new "real" wheels on her the prop's mowing the lawn, and that's after just 1.5 weeks of rain. You guys out west are gonna need hay balers once your ground dries enough to cut.
06-07-2015, 11:19 AM
#194
Thread Starter
7 June, 12:05PM and she lifted off for the first time!!!!!!!!!
Had some hairy moments, right from the point she left the ground actually, but she's fabulous in the air - even with the corrections I still need to make. As I suspected, she was a bit tail-heavy so I emptied the rear weight box entirely after the first flight. Second flight was a whole lot better - she's had 2 flights now, both rather nice.
Both rudder & aileron trims are set full right on the xmtr, elevator is full down and she flies near perfect at that setting - got a lot of trim adjustments to make before she goes up again, probably tomorrow if I'm lucky. First landing was deadstick, ran totally out of fuel - and that's a 14 oz tank inside there! She sails and glides smooth as glass, LIKES RUDDER input a whole lot - I rolled her several times at 1/2 throttle using rudder only. Didn't expect that at all. Loops (inside only, haven't tried outside yet) are smooth and stable - took 3/4 power to put her into the climb for the initial loop. Stall turns are "textbook", cuban-8's are smooth and precise. Aileron rolls are a bit "immediate", I need to de-sensitise them a bit so they're more comfy (and she's only got 3/8" movement each way now - gonna reconnect the servo arms at center instead of outside hole and see how that works).
Oh, these were all on the FIRST flight. Second flight was a lot better - especially with the powered landing so I didn't have to walk the 100 yards to get her like on the first one. She comes down smoothly, slowly and gently, lands like a feather - and she's overweight according to design. Final weight came out to 8.4 lbs., weighed this morning. I'm sure that's dropped though, having emptied the rear box.
A few pics - sorry about them being fuzzy, GOTTA get a better camera:
107 days from first sight of the plans to lift-off - that's a record for me!!!!!!! (by 80+days, I'd bet)
Last edited by skylark-flier; 06-07-2015 at 11:34 AM.
06-07-2015, 01:57 PM
#195
Super Excited for you Dave! She looks even better in the air than on the lawn. Seeing just an outline on the plans I wasn't to impressed with her lines, but in three dimensions she looks awesome and now I want one. Will start begging and pleading with my better half tonight.
06-07-2015, 04:58 PM
#197
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Way to go, Dave!
I am happy to see all went well. Now that the trembling thumbs flights are nearly behind you, you can start enjoying the fruit of your labor.
Now, I have to get my Stratus out of storage and get it back in the air.
I wish for you years of enjoyment with this unique model.
I am happy to see all went well. Now that the trembling thumbs flights are nearly behind you, you can start enjoying the fruit of your labor.
Now, I have to get my Stratus out of storage and get it back in the air.
I wish for you years of enjoyment with this unique model.
06-08-2015, 07:44 AM
#199
Congratulations on the first flight, it looks like a winner of an airplane and it seems to have generated a lot of enthusiasm for the design. Will we see it at Octoberfest?
06-08-2015, 08:16 AM
#200
Absolutely love it when a plan (plane) comes together. The paint scheme goes great with the lines on this design and as I read someone else mentioned it looks even better in flight. Like I said the first time I saw your project.... WOW that is really unique and now a hearty "well done!"