RE: Blue Angel - Build  
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RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/24/2006 3:30:26 AM   
rainedave



Posts: 5188
Joined: 7/21/2005
From: Greensboro, NC, USA
Status: online 		Say, shouldn't that be a Sapporo intsead of a Miller Lite?

All I can say is they must have invented laser cutting with the intention of trying to duplicate the kind of craftsmanship shown here. Everything looks dead on.

(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 76

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/24/2006 6:20:38 PM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online
quote:

ORIGINAL: rainedav

Say, shouldn't that be a Sapporo intsead of a Miller Lite?




Considering I’m scratch building a Kato design it should be Blue Sake wine!

(in reply to rainedave)
       Post #: 77

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/25/2006 8:03:28 PM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online 		Last night I rechecked the fuselage alignment with the fuselage mounted in the jig. I tightened the former clamps and then rechecked everything again. I removed the fuselage sides and put some small pieces of very thin plastic at the bottom corners of the formers where they contacted the jig cross pieces to keep the glue from running down the formers. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t glue all this work to my jig!!!!

I used 30 minute epoxy on the sides of the firewall, gear mount, the first former in front of the wing and the former behind the wing. I put the fuselage sides back on the formers and carefully checked the alignment. The fuselage sides must be absolutely parallel front to back and the upper non-clamped part of the formers square with the center line. The three C clamps shown in the test fittings were used to clamp the fuselage to the formers using small pieces of ¼” plywood under the C clamp jaws to spread the load across total height of the fuselage sides. Before doing anymore work I let the epoxy set overnight so that the fuselage would become very rigid.

This morning I removed the C clamps and started work pulling the tail together and installing the tail formers. To make sure the tip of the tail stayed in alignment I extended the center line of my jig with a straightedge and used a square to check the tail position. Before gluing the tail tip block in I taped it together to check the alignment with the square but also did a sanity check by sighting down the inside of the fuselage to the tail viewing through the fuel tank hole and general re-checking to make sure it looked right from different angles. The tail alignment must be dead on or the aircraft will never fly right. After I was sure it was good to go I glued the tail block to one side of the fuselage tail and let it setup. After it was set I rechecked the alignment and glued and taped the other side together.

After the tail block glue was well set I started the installation of the other formers moving from the back to the front making sure the tail stayed in absolute alignment. Four of the formers had to be projected from the plan drawings because they were not shown on the plan. I installed the formers that I could easily install with the fuselage in the jig in the upside down position.

View of the fuselage with some of the tail formers installed and using the square to check the alignment.

To be continued…


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< Message edited by 8178 -- 3/25/2006 8:51:49 PM >

(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 78

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/25/2006 8:42:20 PM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online 		After the former glue was set I loosened the former clamps so I could remove the fuselage from the jig. It was stuck slightly by some of the epoxy but popped out. Then the moment of truth, I flipped the fuselage over and slid it back in the jig and aligned the former center lines with the jig center line and then checked the tip of the tail alignment. Dead on!!! Any error would be magnified by checking it from the other side but it was fine! The horizontal stab cutout was checked and surface is square as well.

I continued to install the other formers and the odd block that goes on the top of the former in front of the wing. After I installed the other formers I discovered that the former that goes over the center of the wing apparently was not projected correctly and I removed it and made a new one. It is much easer to check the formers now that the fuselage is out of the jig and I can put a straightedge along the edges of the formers. The small cross pieces used in F4 and F6 are there to keep them from distorting until I put the upper side pieces on.

I’ll put it back in the jig to hold the alignment while I put the top pieces on.

So far so good, not hard to build at all! With this easy snap together construction ARFs well soon become obsolete!

View of the fuselage with all of the formers installed and sanded lightly for trueness.

To be continued…


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(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 79

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/26/2006 2:44:12 AM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online 		The next step was shaping the 3/8” upper side fuselage pieces. I used the two lightest pieces in the shipment of wood that looked like they would be the easiest to bend to the fuselage shape. The first step was rough shaping the upper edge to reduce the total amount of wood that needed bending. After rough cutting the sides to length the next task was using my Little Giant razor plane to cut a bevel on the lower edge and then sanding the edge. The sides have a compound shape with a twist and bend to follow the side shape of the fuselage. Using a little water, a clamp and a hair dryer I bent the back section of the piece to the compound shape. I glued the pieces on and held them in place with masking tape. During this process I re-checked that the tip of the tail was in correct alignment.

View of the fuselage in the jig and the upper side pieces installed.

To be continued…


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< Message edited by 8178 -- 3/26/2006 9:21:41 PM >

(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 80

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/26/2006 2:57:12 AM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online 		After the glue was setup well, I used my Little Giant razor plane to rough shape the sides and rough down the top edges so they were just above the top of the formers. I used my long sanding block to take the top edges down even with the formers.

I think Kato stayed up all night figuring out the shape of this fuselage and it is going to be a beauty.

In this view there is a facet on the side that will be removed to create the beautiful rounded shape of the Blue Angel

To be continued…





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< Message edited by 8178 -- 3/26/2006 9:22:01 PM >

(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 81

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/26/2006 12:02:11 PM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online 		After the fuselage top was sanded true with the formers I glued on the 3/8” aft top section. The top piece that goes on the front part is thicker and will curve up into the canopy to create the classic top shape of the Blue Angel.

View of the aft top glued on.

Going flying!

To be continued…



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(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 82

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/26/2006 2:55:09 PM   
JAS



Posts: 715
Joined: 5/30/2002
From: Around the World, USA
Status: offline 		memories....

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_____________________________

Uncle JAS
Shulman Aviation

(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 83

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/26/2006 6:31:06 PM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online
quote:

ORIGINAL: JAS

memories....


From the painted canopy, I expect yours was a Speeda glass version.

(in reply to JAS)
       Post #: 84

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/26/2006 7:08:17 PM   
Jim_Purcha



Posts: 1024
Joined: 9/18/2003
From: La Salle, MB, CANADA
Status: offline 		When you review the plans of the blue angel, and take in consideration this design dated back to 1973, it was truly ahead of others. In terms of swept wing style, and placement all the flying surfaces, the closest north american design would probably be the Bridi's UFO. The UFO only came about 3-4 years later.

Mike, maybe in the fall, you should pick a design and have a build-a-thon thread?

< Message edited by jpurcha -- 3/26/2006 7:11:57 PM >

(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 85

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/26/2006 9:22:55 PM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online
quote:

ORIGINAL: jpurcha

Mike, maybe in the fall, you should pick a design and have a build-a-thon thread?


It is a cool aircraft for sure, old or not!

How about a Blue Angel build. Dan has the plans and wings!

(in reply to Jim_Purcha)
       Post #: 86

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/27/2006 12:15:04 AM   
8178



Posts: 3029
Joined: 5/25/2004
From: _ , USA
Status: online 		After the glue on the top piece set, I did some rough shaping with the razor plane. There is a lot more balsa to plane off to achieve the oval shape for the fuselage. The image below shows how much more balsa needs to be removed.

To be continued…


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< Message edited by 8178 -- 4/30/2006 3:17:43 PM >

(in reply to 8178)
       Post #: 87

RE: Blue Angel - Build - 3/27/2006 12:17:47 AM