mclina

I covered the other wing bottom. I also took a picture of the tail/fuselage joint before I cover it. This is the first plane I have built where the tail is attached before it gets covered. It makes for a much smoother transition from the fuselage to the tail, but it will be a little harder to cover.

mclina

I admire people who can plan out a covering scheme and then execute it to match their design. I just buy a bunch of covering and start ironing, and it makes itself up as I go.

I decided to do the verical fin in solid red, which will blend in to the top of the fuselage, and the horizontal stab in transparent to match the elevator.

The wing top will be white, with maybe a couple of bays done in transparent red, and the fuse top will be solid red. At least, that's the current plan. I'll probably add some stars and stripes here and there when I am done.

I know it is looking pretty dark right now, but the white wing top will give it some good contrast.

Alex7403

very nice it comes out to be.

im adding on my airplanes at least one bay with white stripe to contrast the dark wing this way its easy to notice, the contrast is what we notice from the ground.

lesson i learned: bottom wing dark, top wing bright.

Alex

mclina

The top of the wing is covered, and I put the landing gear back on. I just need to cover the top of the fuselage.

mclina

Here it is, roughly covered. It's a little dull looking right now. I need to add some striping or something. It definitely needs some blue on the top of the wing.

The control surfaces are just dry fit for now.

I found a little Wolverine doll for the pilot. I have to see if I can make him work.

mclina

Progress slowed a bit for a few days, but I had a burst of ambition today. I glued all of the hinges before work this morning, and this afternoon I mounted the engine, mounted all the servos, installed all the control horns and pushrods, and programmed the radio. I also installed the switch and charge jack. I ended up going with the plans on that one, putting the push-pull switch on the hatch.

mclina

For some reason, this plane just didn't look right with a clear canopy. My Wolverine doll is going to have to wait for another ride. I just spray painted the inside of the canopy. I have to glue it before I go to bed.

I have a chance to maiden this tomorrow, that's why the rush to finish it. I still need to add some decals and trim, but that's going to have to wait. We are going on vacation on Saturday, so if not tomorrow, then it will be at least another week.

I'm not crazy about the covering job, but I have done worse. I'm also not crazy about the yellow spinner, but that's what was on the engine from the last plane.

mclina

Here it is, all done. I added the blue triangles to the wing, and some decals I bought at Wal-Mart. I doubt they are fuel proof, so we'll see how long they last.

I applied the blue triangles using the 'Glass Plus' method. As it turns out, Glass Plus has no ammonia, so they didn't actually stick [] I reapplied them using some glass cleaner with ammonia. Now it needs to dry.

I need better lighting in my basement - a lot of wrinkles appeared when I got it outside in the daylight.

I won't fly it today, too much stuff to do, but I'm glad it's finished. It was a fun plane to build.

draftman1

wow! awesome plane Mclina, you did a great job, fast also, good luck on the maiden!

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Covering trick: I call this curing. I cover my planes with the main color then set them out in the sun, by the way, this trick doesn't work very well in the winter, even in Vegas!! After it has set out in the {HOT} sun for about an hour I bring the plane back into my shop and use my heat gun to reshrink the covering. I do this a few times until the sun doesn't bother the covering. Then I put on my trim. This trick works better with Ultracote covering or Solartex. Once done my planes don't bubble or sag in the hot sun. When I went to the IMAA shows my planes were out in the sun for several days without any sag.

mclina

I got to maiden this thing today. Everything went well. There was a wicked cross wind, which made the one and only landing a nerve-wracking experience, but the flight was a piece of cake. It didn't require much trim, and the .46LA had plenty of power for this small plane. I am running an 11x6 on it, and it was not as fast as I expected it to be. It rolls better than any plane I have. I set up the ailerons with about 1" of throw in both directions, and 60% expo. That seems like a great setup.

I tried one knife edge pass, and I did not have enough rudder to hold it. I need to add some more throw there.

I have to fly it without so much wind to really get a feel for it, but it does seem like a fun little plane.

draftman1

congrats Mclina! it sounds like a very nice plane to fly, you fly at-6 zero yet??