roncannell

Summerwind, I have not put it on the scale yet, I still have to attach the Ailerons. I have been watching for some new photos of your project. Even if I complete this next week it probably will not fly until September. I would like a morning with Temps below 100 degrees. Density Altitude. I have a few birds that handle the heat well, but a maiden is a different story. Having said all that, I will probably get the bug and fly it anyway in the heat.

Waldopepperaxel

Ron that looks awesome for sure And the maiden will go just fine in any temp
Ypu did a great job on the scallops, I forgot to mention I used Coverite which is like solartex and I cut slits all the scallops as you did but then thought I probably didn't need too at all as it just melted perfectly with no over hang bumps or slits I actually loved doing the whole plane in that, it was really easy to make it look perfect. its now one of my new favorite wraps.

roncannell

Waldo, did some more scallops today. Only one more aileron to go.

summerwind

nice to see more photos from you Ron.
as a matter of fact, all of us that participate here by posting photos are what keeps this thread going and interesting.

i feel ya on the heat though

Waldopepperaxel

Ron those scallops came out perfect looking fantastic job and I'm no fan of extreme heat I like the 60-70 temps best

roncannell

Project Complete. Hope to get a first flight soon. I flew my Ultimate Bipe today in some strong crosswinds. I will avoid crosswinds for the Tripe maiden. Started the build at the end of January, so it took about 7 months. I took a long break after building the first two wings. I really think if I would work straight through I could build one in 3 months.

SunDevilPilot

Looks great! Now what are you going to build?

Phil

summerwind

Ron,
very nice.........these BUSA kits build fast don't they?

i'm thinking of doing another one, but a light version built from the plans.

roncannell

Not sure Phil. I was thinking about the BUSA Ercoupe or the the Sopwith Pup.

roncannell

Summerwind, this one would have been faster if I would have stayed on it. What is the status of yours?

summerwind

covered.........painting will have to wait for consistent 75-85* weather which will likely be in fall and will likely last a whole 2 days[:@]

CA seasons are a joke..........spring is like 2 weeks and fall is like 2 weeks with a whole lotta HOT in between

roncannell

Weighed the new DR1. 15 lbs even. 1/2 a pound heavier than the book lists for flying weight. I did beef up a couple areas on this one so I expected a little gain. It balanced without lead or moving anything, but I'm gonna recheck the balance a couple more times.

I had to do some re-arranging, but got it on the wall.

Waldopepperaxel

Ron that is fantastic!! Sweet job on her, and I can't wait to see the maiden, Don't blink or you'll miss your fall season LOL Good luck and keep us posted.

summerwind

Ron, it looks like you keep all the models in the garage...........temp contolled?
reason i ask is because i have one of the walkin closets in our bedroom as a hangar (wife is cool, gave me the smaller one), but it's time to relocate.

roncannell

I do keep the planes in the Garage. Unfortunately it is not climate controlled. It gets up to a 110 degrees in there. My arfs gets a little wrinkly. Part of living in Phoenix. But it doesnt get very cold in the winter. So thats the trade off. When our friend Waldo is under snow in New York I am working with the garage door up. November starts getting really nice for work out there. I just started another project in the house but it should'nt take long. I am recovering a GP Clipped wing Cub. That wing is built like a sherman Tank compared to the BUSA DR1. After building two BUSA kits in a row I forgot that main spars are supposed to be 1/2x1/2 hardwod.

flygilmore

Nice looking Tripe! From my experience and many, many flights on mine, you may miss not having wing skids on there! I made up my own landing gear that was both taller and more narrow with GTM airfoiled alum. to make for a more scale situation. I also made up a bungeed gear system per full scale along with a GTM bungeed oak tail skid. I am sure that these changes have made for a less "tame" plane on the ground but I wouldn't change a thing about mine-I simply love it! I did also add GTM oak wing skids and they come into play every time I touch down. The plane is a piece of cake to land and is very scale like.....the interesting time comes when the tail quits flying and you are at the mercy of the wind and plane itself. To date, I have only had one noseover on landing which was due to a gust of wind as the plane was coming to a standstill. Normally, it settles down like a feather and when the tail comes down, does a gentle ground loop to the left with a slight rock of the wings.

Good luck!

roncannell

Maiden Today! I would like to thank my Chief Test Pilot Denis Winters for putting her through the paces. And Joe and Phil for great pictures. These are Joe's work and I will post Phil's later.
We enjoyed a rare day with some clouds as a backdrop. We usually just get "Severe Clear" here in Arizona. So much for all that talk about a cool day. Around 100 degrees when we flew heading up to a high of 114 today.
Comparing it to my other DR1, about the same amount of down trim, 6 clicks. A couple clicks Left Aileron and she was straight and level at half throttle. Landing seemed just like my other, a little power until ground effect. and then the customary turn left and right to scuff the solartex on the bottom of the wingtips. Seven months after starting the project it was alot of fun to see her in the air. My pilot Lothar is still in the paint booth. So today it was a 1916 Drone.

SunDevilPilot

Here are a couple more pictures. Great job Ron!

Now we just need a pilot with a scarf flapping in the wind.

SunDevilPilot

roncannell

Phil these pictures are great, thanks for comming out a little early to take them.
Denis is in the process of painting the pilot. His work is so good I dont rush him. Oh and did I mention he never charges me anything, so I dont rush him.

SunDevilPilot

No problem.... Here are the last few from the photos I took.

Phil

KitBuilder

Gorgeous... I haven't been keeping up but on the covering / hinging of the ailerons, in the bottom left pic.. .did you cover over the hinge line? I don't see any noticeable sepeartion of the right side aileron while you can see seperation on the underside in the other pics.

roncannell

The hinges are not sealed. There is a 1/4 inch gap.

The leading edge of the Aileron is a bit unique and that is probably what your noticing.

mrbigg

My Feedback: (21)

Looks good!

KitBuilder

Saving my beans for this winter project.. always loved this plane...plus no flying wires to deal with .

Waldopepperaxel

Ron That is sooooo sweet man, you did a fantastic job on her and she looks awesome in the sky CONGRATS !!!! And yes when waldo is under snow I build in my basement, which the wife doesn't really like to go down into so its all mine LOL And its a beautiful basement, I'm afraid if I throw walls up or put a carpet on the floor I'll lose that. so I just keep it Big, Opened, and cement but its a clean basement and doesn't take on water its cool in the summer and warm in the winter, Just perfect.