Posts: 842
Joined: 2/21/2007 From: East Haddam, CT, USA Status: offline
OK, here goes. I got a PassTime Perigee, and am starting to build it. Don't expect this to be a fast-moving thread, I hope to have her ready by early summer 08. Also, this won't be a stick-by-stick build, just the highlights, insights, and lots of assembly photos.
First impression of the short kit - very nice quality, light balsa, laser cut.
My biggest surprise as I started to assemble the wing - the spars are curved forward! Lots of pins into the board are needed to keep things aligned. One of the plywood dihedral braces needed a slot widened. A word about the spars, they are delicate. Read as in "I broke it several times playing around and fiddling with the ribs"
The center rib has only one supplied, not two as shown on the plans. This rib is out of thicker stock, but not thick enough to fill the slot. I added a doubler of 1/16 balsa to fill it out. Since I'm planning on outboard aileron servos, the center cutout was not needed, so the 1/16 atually strengthens this area.
Photo 1 - center rib doubled
Photo 2 - assembled egg crate
Photo 3 - curved spars
< Message edited by WEDJ -- 11/7/2007 3:48:57 PM >
I actually bought 3 kits. I have sold one to Free Bird, and am building one, but there's one more just sitting in the corner of my shop now if you're interested.
Posts: 842
Joined: 2/21/2007 From: East Haddam, CT, USA Status: offline
Last night I looked at the leading edge of the wing. The original had a perforated sub-leading edge, that's why the tabs are there. The kit does not include this, although it does for the TE. I thought about cutting the tabs off, but then I would have just a butt edge from the sheeting to the LE. Today I'm going to get some 3/32 x 1/4 strip and put them above and below the tabs. That way, the sheeting has a "landing" to glue to, and the LE will have a more solid gluing surface, too.
CA sure makes building a lot more fun. This construction with Ambroid would have been a nightmare of pins, jigs, and weights.
Posts: 842
Joined: 2/21/2007 From: East Haddam, CT, USA Status: offline
Well, I put the LE sub-strips on earlier tis week, but haven't had time to post it until now. Looking at it, I would highly reccomend this step. It forms a continuous gusset between the sheeting and the LE, adds a tremendous amount of strength and rigidity, for almost no weight penalty.
Posts: 842
Joined: 2/21/2007 From: East Haddam, CT, USA Status: offline
Also started the stab, too. those little rib feet are delicate. I sanded a taper on them, both fore and aft, and thinned the sheeting a bit. Makes starting them into the tab slots a lot easier.
Posts: 406
Joined: 8/6/2005 From: kaneohe,
HI, USA Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: WEDJ
Well, I put the LE sub-strips on earlier tis week, but haven't had time to post it until now. Looking at it, I would highly reccomend this step. It forms a continuous gusset between the sheeting and the LE, adds a tremendous amount of strength and rigidity, for almost no weight penalty.
Now I see what you mean w/ the leading edge WEDJ. You are doing one hell of a nice job on this bird. Please keep sending us notes on your changes. I just got a link from Roguedog to PassTime, I'm getting a Perigee!
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