theo63

Hey im back at it after a week of vacation,and to think i thought of my build lol

im glad im bringing back memories for you guys

i got the stab and the elevators finished,all leading edges on and sanded down,the balsa was just flying i have to get me a exhaust fan in my garage,just what i need another project

so now i have both stab and elevators done and tomm ill start on the rudder

3d joy,,well mine is just for flying for now,its my first big bird to fly so ill be easy for a while any way,,thanks for your input,i need any help or suggestions i can get

theo63

im off and running with the fin and rudder build,first up was sheeting to be built for both the rudder and fin,after all the sheeting is glued i cut the sheeting to the size as per the plans

theo63

couple more pics

Toucan

My Feedback: (1)

Is this really a great planes kit. is still going on. I am building at present a CA extra 300L 27%

theo63

sharadedge540,yes its a great planes kit

i have the ribs for the fin mounted on the trailing edge,rib brace in and got the left side of the fin sheeted

minnflyer,could you change my build to a great planes giant extra 300 build,,thanks

WILDCRASHWILLY

Theo63,

Noticing your last post, is this a 300 or Great Planes giant 330L Kit? Sorry for my confusion, but I thought you were building the 330L.

theo63

hey wild yes it is a great planes giant extra 300L kit

hopefully i can get my heading changed i think a moderator can do it for me i tried it didnt work

WILDCRASHWILLY

Theo63,
I'm glad you started this thread as this is the kit I plan to start in January. I've been checking on this thread daily to see your progress, or issues you have to resolve.

theo63

thanks minnflyer for the heading help

wild,the only real mistake i made was on the first stab sheeting i glues it on top of the trailing edge instead of against it,it was a easy fix though,its only my 4th kit and my first big one

theo63

i got the fin done tonight,first picture was to install the hing blocks,one interferd with the next side of the sheeting so i had to sand it down some.

next i attached the sheeting for the other side of the fin and then i had to cut off the stubs on the ribs and install the leading edge

the next step was balsa dust galore and i got it all sanded down

theo63

this first picture im a bit stumped on and could use some help,i sanded down the trailing edge of the fin,what do i do with the bottom trailing edge that sticks out past the fin,i think i should sand down to match the fin but i didnt want to screw it up,so i have left it as is until i get some help

the next picture is the top of the fin cut off for the counter balance for the rudder and that completes the fin except the problem with the bottom of the trailing edge of the fin

3D Joy

For the fin, leave it this way until you glue it to the fuselage. You will then sand it down to match the fuselage sides. If you want more rudder throw, it is the time to put another 1/2 balsa trailing edge and bevel it to make a double bevel. I really recommend it.

3D Joy

Here is a couple of pics of my finished product and I flew it 2 years.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Ditto to what 3D Joy said

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

3D, What engine did you use?

3D Joy

ZDZ 80 RV with 80x300 JMB canister. Mejzlik 26x10 prop turning at 6600.

theo63

3djoy and minnflyer,thanks again for the help i appreciate it,thats why i left it alone until i was sure

3d thanks for the picture nice too see the finished product,i was thinking of double bevel,if my craftmanship is good enough ill do it,did you do that to all your surfaces or just the rudder,i havent hinged my elevator yet so my options are still open

3D Joy

I did the double beveling on all surfaces except ailerons.

I wanted a very cheap 3D plane so that is why I went with the Great Planes. It is far from the best 3D plane out there so I had to modify it for my needs. Well, the kit is cheap and relatively easy to modify so both goals were attainable.

The elevators are enlarged a lot! Now more than 50% of surface area of the whole stab is elevators. They deflect a good 55 to 60 degrees. That along with the fact that the plane is very short coupled makes for outstanding control authority. This thing waterfalls better than my Cap 232!

Now you told us that you were not planning for 3D but more standard aerobatics. Thats fine but IMO, in the stock configuration, the tail surfaces are a bit small even for that. For only a small surplus of work, you can enhance the capabilities of your plane.

So yes I recommend you to double bevel both the rudder and elevators, provided you have the small stock control surfaces.

Maybe you will never need those bevels but now is the time to do them so why take a chance of not having them if you ever need them.

theo63

3djoy,hey thanks for your inputs i will be thinking about doing both control surfaces,i still can as i have not yet have the hinges so they are just sitting there till they arrive,i will have to get more wood to do these changes

so i started to build the rudder and it was pretty easy so far,the first picture is the right sheeting pinned to the board

next up was to install the control horn backing and all the ribs

then the left side sheeting was installed,still have more to complete the rudder but im out of time for the day

SirChadwick

Hey there, just got done reading your post. I two am building the Great Planes Giant 330L as we speak. I think I might be just a few steps ahead of you. I just finished up with the right wing last night. Hopefully we can help one an other out as we build these monsters. This too, is my first Giant build. I have been modeling for about 16 years now, and have never built any thing quite as big as this. I did have a Sig 1/4 scale Cub, but I didn't build it. I bought that Fuji Imvac BT-64EIS for my plane. I seen that Tower Hobbies sold it as a combo, so I figured what the hell. I just hope that it has enough ump to fly the plane like I want. I dont really have any plan's on flying 3D or any thing like that so I should be all right, ( I hope). But here are a few pic's to give you an idea as to where I'm at. Please feel free to ask any questions and hopefully I have the answer's.

Thanks
Chadwick

3D Joy

Ho and I remember now.
Wings are BORING to build...

Once they are done the fun begins with the fuselage.

SirChadwick

You said the fuselage was "fun" to build. Did you mean it was hard or is it really FUN? So far I haven't ran accross any thing hard yet but I think some one on here said that the turtle deck was a pain. Any way I thank you for your input. Thanks again
Chadwick

3D Joy

The fuselage is really fun from start to end.

I had no problem with the turtel deck. All it needs is to be well wet at least 1 hour before actually doing it (bending the balsa). The trickiest part for me was sheeting the fuselage sides. I also made some modifications to the fuselage for canister installation, cowl ring and making the canopty hatch all the way to the front. In fact, nothing really major. This was a fun build.

It was also my first big plane so I'm not any better than you guys, I just took all the required time to do steps in finish steps before starting another one.

SirChadwick

yea I cant wait until I'm finished with this last wing. I just started the left wing tonight and I'm all ready tired of messing with it. I just hate doing things twice that's all. Do you think that I'll have enough power with the engine I bought? Fuji Imvac say's that it will put out 5.7HP at 9000rpm giving 30lbs of thrust while spinning a 22x10 prop. I know I really dont care for how they keep the wing attached by haveing to drill and tap that pole. Did you ever run into any problems with that at all? well I must go back to working on that damb wing. Looking forwared to hearing from you. Thanks agian
Chadwick

SirChadwick

Well I just finished sticking up the left wing. I got it glued together, It's just so late. I didn't even realize that it was so late. Any ways here are a few pic's of the left wing sticked up. Thank god it's the last wing. Look out fuselage here I come! YEEEHAAA!!!! Hopefully I can work on it a few hours after work each day this week to finish up the wing, and ,move on to the Fuselage.

Chadwick