SunDevilPilot

Went ahead and whipped up the straps. The straps are made from the same .025 X 1/4" brass I used previously. They were hand bent around some scrap air foiled aluminum which was secured in a vise. The gap is ever so slightly larger than 1/4" which will tighten the strap up on the struts upon final assembly.

SunDevilPilot

SunDevilPilot

Jury Struts Complete..

I started off by mounting the wings and measuring down from the jury strut mounts on the wings to ensure the straps were in the proper location making the jury struts 90 degrees to the wings. After they were aligned I marked the struts to make sure the straps didn't move out of proper alignment. After the alignment was done I cut each piece of the struts from some 5/8" air foiled aluminum. I use some 3 in 1 oil when I cut the struts on my scroll saw. Aluminum really likes to stick to the blade if it is not oiled.

After the vertical struts were built I had to make the brass tube which connects the front strut to the rear. This brass tube came with the Sig Kit. I simply smashed one end in my vise (Protecting the metal from the vise shoes with some wood). Then I soldered the end to ensure it's strength.

I still need to round over the ends of the straps but I am happy with how the struts turned out.

It took about 3 hours to complete the jury struts.

SunDevilPilot

SkyPilot101

SD, It's been a little while, any new progress to report on? Awsome job on the struts BTW!

SunDevilPilot

Thanks for the compliment on the struts... They were a lot of work.

I have been working on the tail feathers for the last few days... I needed to install the hardpoints for both the control horns and for the hinges. The hinge hardpoints are just extensions of balsa but the hardpoint for the control horns, which will be Du-Bro HD Horns, are made from a hardwood dowel. I still need to sand and bevel the parts but at least the hard part is done.

I still need to install the hardponts for the tail brace wires before I sand the parts but I ran out of time for today.

I also got a new tool. By far the most used tool in my garage is the sanding disc. I originally had a Ryobi 6" Disc with 4" belt. I purchased it with the intention of using it until it burned out... It never burned out and continues to work well to this day... The 12" Jet I purchased, however, is miles above the Ryobi in terms of power and precision. The table on the Jet is cast iron and is truely "Rock Solid" comparted to the aluminum table and cheesy mounting of the table on the Ryobi.

I will keep my Ryobi to use when working on metal (To spare the Jet the wear and tear of working with metal) but the Jet is my new primary sander.

SunDevilPilot

SunDevilPilot

Minor update,

Hardpoint for the tail brace wires are installed. The plans do not call for them but it seemed like a good idea. I will drill them after I have 100% confirmation on the tail brace wire setup (4-40 vs. 2-56 bolts through the surface). I want 2-56 hardware but we will see after the fittings arrive.

Photo is of the hardpoint on one side of the elevator. Dowel used was 1/4" in diameter.

SunDevilPilot

SunDevilPilot

Today I spent some time in the garage working on the tail in preparation of mating the tail feathers to the fuselage. I rounded the parts with the exception of the leading edge of the rudder fin. I left this surface flat to make it easier to install on the fuselage and blend with the top spar on the turtledeck.There is a small fillet that attaches to the lower front of the rudder to create the transition.The majority of the rounding was done with my router table while having the bit sunk into a zero clearance fence. The rounding was finished up with a foam sanding block

I also added some recesses at the knuckle of each hinge. This keeps the knuckle fully exposed when the surface is seated. The recesses were make with a small dremel sanding drum mounted in my drill press. I buried the drum into a fence which allowed me to expose the depth I wanted each recess and keep things consistent.

Lastly, I drilled the hardpoints for the tail brace wires. I received a set of dubro rods with metal ends I will be using for the wires and these come with straps drilled for 4-40 bolts.

I think I will install the tubes for the control rods / pull pull wires for each tail surface next. This will be much easier without the tail in the way.

SunDevilPilot

AmishWarlord

My Feedback: (5)

Those rounded lines look so much better than the J-3's

Did you use dowels for the flying wire reinforcements?

Joints look really neatly done!

roncannell

Phil. have you decided on the paint scheme? It will be a shame to cover up your nice work.

SunDevilPilot

I really like the rounded rudder of the PA-18 too.

I did add 1/4" dowels at attachment point for the tail brace wires. The plans on the 1/4 scale do not show this... Sig's 1/5th scale J3 kit has the tail brace wire hardpoints as I have done. A very simple modification that I believe creates a superior attachment.

SunDevilPilot

SunDevilPilot

Ron,

I'm not 100% sure yet but I am really drawn to this one, seen on a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser.

I am getting really close to covering. After the tail is on, the elevator and rudder controls are in, and the battery mount is made there is really no more woodworking

Have you started on the Balsa USA Cub build?

SunDevilPilot

roncannell

I will start on the BUSA Cub next week. My garage is full of whitewater Raft equipment from my Grand Canyon trip.

I like your possible paint scheme. I have not seen one like that in RC.

rye

My Feedback: (10)

L-4 grasshopper

SunDevilPilot

I already have one of those... I went with an L-4 scheme on my 1/5th Scale Cub. It looks really good in the air and the invasion stripes really make it easy to see.

However, I can't do the same thing twice!

SunDevilPilot

SunDevilPilot

This morning I setup the rudder control horn. The rudder will be controlled via a pull-pull system fed through guide tubes in the fuselage. In an effort to determine where the guide tubes will go I had to get the horn sorted out. The horns are Du-Bro heavy duty horns intended for .91 and up aircraft. I have used these before and really cant be beat in terms of simplicity. The washer on the horn will self level if the horn is being installed into a beveled surface.

Because the distance from the hardpoint in the rudder is shorter than the length of the control horn to the pivot point I had to re-drill the plastic portion of the horn to get the spacing correct. This was intentional and only took a few minutes to get the horn to the exact length to be in line with the rudder's hingeline. For some reason unknown to me Du-Bro makes the plastic portion really long so I was not at all opposed to re-drilling them. After drilling I shaped the plastic to a shape similar to stock, rounded.

The second photo shows a stock plastic portion of the horn stuck to the lower portion of the assembly to illustrate the size change.

SunDevilPilot

do335a

If you go back a few years, you'll find several.

Berkeley had a small one for single channel RC - later produced by Sig.

Sterling Models (on the upper right side of the page):

http://home.mindspring.com/imagelib/...g&target=_self


Jetco Models (Frank Zaic) - built one of these about 1972

Sterling 6 way kit - built one of these about 1974

Champion Models (plans by Don Peru in Flying Models Magazine - built one myself in the mid 1980's with the fatory Diana Cream/Tennessee Red pattern using Randolph dope)

SunDevilPilot

SkyPilot101

SDP, the level of craftsmanship that you display in this build is beginning to make me feel inadaquate

Zor

Hi do335a,

You are another old timer

I built he Sterling kit in the early 1960s.

It was used extensively for designing and building home brew radios.

Zor

SunDevilPilot

Thanks for the compliment... Ifind as I continue to build models Ibecome more and more OCD about perfection. Ireally want to build something that will last for many years to come. I have really never been the kind of person to rush something to "Have it Now". Ilook at each part and try tobuild it in the best manner possible. Where Ifail is in the details. I really am not patient enough to put every little rivit on a model or make an exacting interior. Who knows what the future will bring, however.

I prefer to "Craft" something instead of slapping something together.

SunDevilPilot

SunDevilPilot

Today I have been working on the tailwheel assembly and the guide tubes for the elevators. I built the balsa plates for the guide tubes and installed the tubes into the plate. The guide tubes were sanded flush then the plates were installed into the fuselage. The tubes are glued into the plates with a mixture of epoxy and micro-balloons. Next I will install the guide tubes into the lower half of the fuselage for the rudder pull-pull wires. After these are in I will possibly install another set of tubes for the pull-pull rudder. This will depend on where I need to install the rudder tubes and the angle these will have to the tailwheel. The deciding factor will be if the cables for the wheel will interfere with the tail brace wires. On the last two planes I have built I setup the tailwheel in a similar manner as a pull pull rudder which is much easier than going with some sort of spring to rudder horn contraption. I'll post a picture of the setup on my 1/5th scale cub. The only difference will be a secondary set of guide tubes specifically for the tailwheel instead of sharing the rudder tubes.

In an effort to keep the rods for the elevators as straight as possible I crossed the tubes and will have the servo on the left side of the fuselage control the right elevator half and the right servo control the left elevator half. Also to note, the holes in the plates were put where they are by marking the locations of the tubes as they naturally curved from the servo location to the horns. If the rods are disconnected from the horns they maintain their current position. Like the crossed tubes this minimizes any drag on the rods.

(The clamp in the first photo is just there holding the yet to be installed elevator while I tested the rods movement)



SunDevilPilot

SunDevilPilot

Today I installed the guide tubes for the rudder and for the tailwheel. I decided, in an effort to guarantee good clearance between the tail brace wires and the cables for the tailwheel, to install a separate set of guide tubes lower on the fuselage for the tailwheel pull-pull wires. Each set of tubes is at an ever so slightly different angle. The angle of each is directed at the connection point for the cables / rods. Not really vital but hopefully it reduces the drag of the wires in the tubes, which should be minimal. After the glue fully cures, likely tomorrow, I will sand the guide tube plates flush with the fuselage sides and install the tail.

The location of the guide tubes, fore and aft, was determined by the width of the rudder control horn and it's location. I also had to avoid the trusses of the fuselage. This is why they are forward of the guide tubes for the elevator control rods.


SunDevilPilot

SunDevilPilot

On goes the tail....

I just installed the horizontal stab onto the fuselage. First I leveled the mounting location for the stab using the wings as a reference. At first I went by eye but to make sure it was dead true with the wings I used a camera to take a picture and really make the alignment easy to see. I find when doing it by eye it is difficult to hold still enough to site down both sides. With a picture this problem is eliminated. I made a small clamping block to allow me to use my smallest clamps which due to their insignificant weight will not induce any twist into the fuselage. There is just enough pressure to pull the stab down into the plate and hold it until the epoxy sets.

Alignment marks were also made to ensure there was no racking in the horizontal plane of the stab. After the piece was clamped all directions of alignment were double checked. (It would be a tragedy to mess up the fuselage now!!)

The first picture, intentionally dark, shows the alignment of the horizontal stab in relation to the wings. Towards the top of the photo you can see the matching gap where the stab approaches the jury struts.

SunDevilPilot

Zor

SunDevilPilot,

Out of toppic but for your future photography.

You have a camera that sets the exposure automatically.

When you shoot toward a bright window the F openingsi reducedand details in the inside are all too dark.

I kindly suggest you check your photos before posting them.

NOTE this also applies to others.

Zor

SunDevilPilot

Thanks for the info... I used a point and shoot for the posting photos but my DSLR does more than I can figure out. The dark picture, however, was done intentionally to show the gap (proper alignment) of the stab to the wings.

The gap is easy to see with such high contrast between the dark plane and the bright background.

SunDevilPilot

Zor

Thanks for your explanation.

I would have never guessed what or why that picture was there. .(a funny smilie ?)

I did not relate that picture to what you did with your camera to assure parallelism of stab vs main wings.

Zor