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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/12/2013 9:33 PM   
8178



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ORIGINAL: Bax

A lot of times, with the older models, when they were built for escapement or reeds, they would fly fine on the lower-horsepower engines. Super-hot performance was not expected nor demanded. In fact, if you were using one of the earlier radio systems, you would not want the speed the larger engines would provide. Only when proportional control was used, or even reeds in the hands of a skilled flyer, would engines on the large size be used.

The original models were actually flown with engines at the ends of the size range...at least if the manufacturer or designer were honest. Keeping the model light would require good building skills and good sanding and finishing skills. Many times, to keep things very light, the parts were sanded thinner; glue was used sparingly; and too-heavy parts were remade out of better wood. It can be done, but not if you just use only the parts in the kit, be careless with how much glue you use, and do minimal sanding and shaping. Then throw on a heavy paint job, and the plane can easily put on the tonnage.


Bill, I remember those days. We used colored silk and clear dope to save the weight of the paint pigment. I always used larger engines though!

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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/12/2013 9:35 PM   
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Status: offline 		More work on the fuselage. I used epoxy for plywood former in front of the wing and yellow glue on the back one. I’ve added some triangles behind the firewall position to add strength for the nose gear mount and assist in positioning when I glue it in.

There is a tail block at goes into the back of the fuselage (not shown) and it has been much fun to cut.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/12/2013 9:49 PM   
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ORIGINAL: 8178

David,

When I bought the two 32s I was looking for 36s but at the time I could not find any.

3.5lbs sounds really, really light for an aircraft with 560 sq in. We will see!


Mike,

The 32's are certainly nice. I might inquire with Weston about availability of 36's. They're not inexpensive but these would be among the remaining few in commercial circulation I'd imagine.

I agree, 3.5 lbs sounds extremely light for a 560 squares wing model. That area is squarely in the 40 size class and building extremely lightly, one can hit the 4 lbs mark. Without thin 1/8" lightened fuse sides, formers, ribs and doublers, it is unlikely one will attain 4 lbs. If I'd have to guess, your model will be in the 5 lbs ballpark with a small case 40 size engine or slightly under with a light 25 size case engine (maybe 4 lb 10 oz). One thing's sure, we will find out!

David

P.S. The model I'm working on for the W32 will have 400 squares of wing area (perhaps a tad more). I'm aiming for 3.5 lbs dry and sub 4 lbs wet (with a 6 oz tank). Wing and stab are foam core under 1/32" skins. Webra 32 shown below on an APC 9x5 and a GP 1-3/4" spinner. Macs long 25-32 size header. These headers fit many engines in this class including OS 32's. Evidently, not likely desired on Mike's project.

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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/13/2013 12:42 AM   
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Status: offline 		David,

I think you are correct on the weight. My kit built Kaos 40 (using the kit wood) is 5.2lbs but surprisingly my Cold Duck with the RJL 61 is only 5.4lbs.

The Webra 32s and 36s are amazing little power machines. The model you are working on sounds like it should be a little rocket!


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/13/2013 2:25 PM   
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Status: offline 		Zoom, zoom!

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/14/2013 2:00 AM   
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Status: offline 		The front of the kit Skylark has some hardwood engine mounting rails that run inside the fuselage from just in front of the wing to the nose. Because they are straight pieces of wood they change the smooth curve of the fuselage to an abrupt change to a straight line in front of the wing.

I wanted to have a smooth curve along the full length of the fuselage so I cut some rails from laminated pieces plywood to match the fuselage curve. I also cut away the back part of them to make more room for the fuel tank. It seemed like it would be pretty easy to do, but matching the curve turned out to more difficult than I expect. I had to make two sets before they fit correctly. I’m not sure if the removable mounting plate is going to work in the tight nose space with the large G-21, I may need to epoxy the plate in place.

I can’t do much more work on the nose until my nose gear mounting hardware arrives from Tower. I need to attach it to the firewall and then epoxy in the firewall. It looks like I’ll have space in the nose for a 6oz RST fuel tank.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/14/2013 6:41 PM   
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Status: offline 		Working on the back fuselage formers and tail block. Note the V shape on the bottom formers. The fuselage built out very straight.

Some weights so far:

14.50 oz wing with landing gear and wheels. The aileron torque rods were pretty heavy. In comparison, my kit built Kaos 40 wing with the same wing area, MonoKote covering and a servo is 25.5 oz.
10.00 oz fuselage, stab, canopy and nose gear wire. No top or bottom sheeting.
09.75 oz engine G-21 46
34.25 oz total or 2.14 pounds

To be continued…


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< Message edited by 8178 -- 2/28/2013 3:16 AM >

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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/15/2013 12:17 PM   
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Status: offline 		The first series of the Skylarks have what I think is a cool shaped fuselage tail block that was used to house the bearing and escarpment linkage for the rudder. I considered cutting it off and extending the rudder to the bottom of the fuselage but I like how tail block finishes off the tail of the fuselage. I want to keep it but possibly make it the lower part of the rudder.

I’ve added a second block in front of it to become the fuselage joiner if I can find a way to mold the block into the rudder. This would also allow me to move the rudder push rod below the stab rather than on top like the stock kit.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/15/2013 12:19 PM   
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Status: offline 		Top and bottom 1/8” sheeting on. The kit uses a split piece on the bottom but I just bent one sheet around the formers. Lots of tape!

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/15/2013 4:54 PM   
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Status: offline 		The fuselage shaping starts. The fuselage (with stab, canopy and gear wire) is now 11.25oz so the top and bottom sheeting added a little. I’ll get some of the weight off as I razor plane and sand the fuselage corners down. I find that cutting the corners into facets makes it easier to make each side symmetrical.

This is when you find out how well you did on the glue joints. They must be very tight or you get gaps between the sheeting and the triangle stock. So far the joints are invisible other than the wood color change.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/15/2013 5:20 PM   
doxilia



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quote:

ORIGINAL: 8178
I’ve added a second block in front of it to become the fuselage joiner if I can find a way to mold the block into the rudder. This would also allow me to move the rudder push rod below the stab rather than on top like the stock kit.

Mike,

I'm sure you've thought about it but what about using an "aileron torque rod" for the rudder - just small and light (3/32" music wire). You really just need to bend some music wire epoxy it into the rudder, pass a brass sleeve over top and then bend the other end 90 degrees out. You can link the pushrod however you like at that point. This is how the Deception which has a split rudder (bottom part is fixed to the fuse) is done. On a little 20 size Deception I built, I used a small torque rod (from an OK Models kit) that didn't add much in weight.

David


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/15/2013 5:42 PM   
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quote:

ORIGINAL: doxilia


quote:

ORIGINAL: 8178
I’ve added a second block in front of it to become the fuselage joiner if I can find a way to mold the block into the rudder. This would also allow me to move the rudder push rod below the stab rather than on top like the stock kit.

Mike,

I'm sure you've thought about it but what about using an ''aileron torque rod'' for the rudder - just small and light (3/32'' music wire). You really just need to bend some music wire epoxy it into the rudder, pass a brass sleeve over top and then bend the other end 90 degrees out. You can link the pushrod however you like at that point. This is how the Deception which has a split rudder (bottom part is fixed to the fuse) is done. On a little 20 size Deception I built, I used a small torque rod (from an OK Models kit) that didn't add much in weight.

David



Thanks for the idea David. I’d thought about that too, but I wanted more rudder area and if I move the hinge point on the rudder forward it will look odd to have the rudder larger than the vertical stab. I was thinking that if I connect the rudder to the lower part of the fuselage I would gain more rudder area. When I get the vertical stab and rudder cut I’ll be able to do some more planning on the best solution.

< Message edited by 8178 -- 2/15/2013 6:34 PM >

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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/15/2013 11:16 PM   
8178



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Status: offline 		More fuselage shaping done. The shaping reduced the fuselage weight by .25oz. As I was using my Little Giant razor plane ( http://books.google.com/books?id=peEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA78&lpg=PA78&dq=little+giant+razor+plane&source=bl&ots=GzJ3j3t91f&sig=A27uPP9RsQUcZ-mDarfvM32hePY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2aIeUbTlDYWk8QSK-oCACA&ved=0CHQQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=little%20giant%20razor%20plane&f=false ) I had a bit of a flashback when I realized it is the very same tool I used back in 1966 to shape the fuselage on my original Skylark.

Sometime over the decades it got Ambroid glue spilled on it but it still works great. They made very good $.98 tools back then!

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/16/2013 1:46 AM   
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Status: offline 		While I’m waiting for the nose gear parts from Tower (so I can complete the nose section), I started working on the vertical stab and rudder. I cut the stab and rudder a bit long so I can custom fit it to the horizontal stab and fuselage. The kit part shapes will not work because I changed the stab incidence angle to zero.

The back edge of the rudder has a piece of 1/6” square basswood attached.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/16/2013 5:28 PM   
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Status: offline 		To make more room for the engine mounting I widened the fuselage at the firewall from 2 3/8” to 2 5/8” (measured on the outside edges of the fuselage) and gained another 1/8” inside space by eliminating the 1/16” fuselage doublers.

Because I curved fuselage sides in the nose section rather than the straight sides of the kit parts the very front of the fuselage is only 2 1/8” or 1/16" wider than the kit parts. The kit uses a 1 3/4” spinner and the plans show the front 1/2” of the fuselage sides cut sharply inward toward the spinner.

To make the fuselage have a smother transition to the spinner I’m using a 2” spinner and will add a plywood nose ring and added balsa filler pieces to mold it all together. Overall I was able to make more space for the engine mounting but still keep the thin nose section look.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/17/2013 8:17 PM   
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Status: offline 		I made a slight error when I cut the fuselage sides that I had to fix. Because of the way the lower sheeting makes a transition from a V shape to flat under the stab the plans have an angle change on the lower side of the fuselage side just in front of the stab. For the way I installed my lower sheet the angle change was too much causing what should be a straight line from the back of the wing at the lower part of the V to the tail to be off by about 3/16” at the tail. It looked goofy with the angle change in front of the stab.

I decided the best solution was to cut the lower sheeting off where the angle changes in front of the stab and install a thick tapered piece that would extend the line straight to the tail. The fuselage former spans the joint making it pretty strong. It was a bit of work but it turned out well.

To be continued…


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< Message edited by 8178 -- 2/17/2013 8:50 PM >

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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/17/2013 8:32 PM   
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Status: offline 		Started work on the fitment of the fuselage to the wing and stab. It requires sanding the fuselage a little bit at a time until there is a smooth fit along to full joint. Before I started, I re-checked the wing and stab incidence angles and the stab to wing horizontal alignment. I will re-check when the fitment is done.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/17/2013 8:46 PM   
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Status: offline 		After ordering a Dubro 2” black spinner from Tower I found the apparently out of production Goldberg 2” black spinner that I was originally searching for on Amazon. I like the Goldberg spinners for applications where space is limited because the mounting hub extends back over the engine drive hub allowing the engine to be positioned further forward.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/18/2013 2:19 AM   
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Status: offline 		Working on the fitment of the vertical stab. The vertical stab keys into a slot in the horizontal stab.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/19/2013 8:42 PM   
8178



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Status: offline 		I can’t epoxy in the firewall until my nose gear mounting block gets here from Tower, but I decided I would rough in the front hatch, leaving lots of extra wood until I can glue in the firewall and fit the hatch. It is made from two 1/4” sheets and one 1/8” thick sheet glued together. Working hard to faithfully capture the top fuselage line and how it curves down to the front edge of the hatch. The hatch is actually thicker at about the 1/2 point and curves down both directions from that point.

My fuel tank is coming with the nose gear mounting block. I may need to carve out some of the hatch to get the fuel tank up as high as possible.

I think I may have found a used 70s vintage Supertiger G-21 46 that has a bolt on muffler and the newer carburetor.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/20/2013 4:48 PM   
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Status: offline 		Working on the sheeting for the lower front of the fuselage.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/20/2013 4:57 PM   
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Status: offline 		The nose gear mount arrived from Tower and I mounted it to the firewall with the bolts and blind nuts included. I also drilled holes in the firewall for fuel lines and the throttle cable.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/20/2013 4:59 PM   
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Status: offline 		Firewall glued in place using epoxy.

To be continued…


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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/21/2013 12:49 PM   
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Status: offline 		Nose gear.

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RE: Skylark 56 – 1966 Flashback - Build - 2/21/2013 5:52 PM   
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Status: offline 		Working on the engine mount. The engine mounting plate in the kit is designed to be “breakaway” and replaceable. Because I’m using the larger engine, I made the mounting rails 1/8” thinner and added the 1/8” to the thickness of the mounting plate. I’ve found another Supertiger G-21 46 that has a muffler and the new carb, so I’ll be able to interchange either engine with the same plate rather than having a second plate for another engine. For that reason I’ll be gluing the plate to the rails, firewall and fuselage sides.

I looked at many other engines to use as an everyday engine and there are no other engines in the 40 – 46 range that I could find that are as small as the G-21, especially in length. The space is pretty limited and I didn’t want modify the nose too much.

It is pretty amazing when you start comparing modern engine physical sizes to the small size of the G-21 (even the short bushed engines are longer). The G-21 is a ball bearing engine too! Of course the G-21 doesn’t come close to the power of the modern engines, but I feel fortunate that I found the other engine that has the bolt on muffler.

To be continued…


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