sahartman21

I recently recieved a Proud Bird short kit from Arthur Adamisin of Taylor Michigan.

This is a fiberglass and foam kit that includes the following:

1) Fuselage
2) Wing cores
3) Wheel pants
4) Tail surfaces

sahartman21

Apparently the model flies very well.

The kit can be purchased for approximately $125 plus shipping costs.


Arthur's email is: aadamisin-aol.com just change the - to @

It is written this way so that he doesn't get hit with junk mail.

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

Nice to see a kit like this. Does he offer anything else? I remember the Adamisin's being fond of v tail aircraft.

sahartman21

Arthur doesn't offer any more Q-40 kits at the present time.

Kevin Matney offers the Napier and the AJ-2.

Don Stegall has several molds for several Q-40 designs. He has the Swee' Pea, which I am planning to build.

oddy

Thanks Sahartman21, please keep us posted on the construction process of this plane.

Specialy on the wing building process if possible with pics would be really helpfull.

+ Sheeting
+ Alignment and Dihedral
+ CF and ply reinforcement
+ mounting supports for landing gear
+ Fiber glassing & painting

Kind Regards.
VÃ*ctor Arreola

sahartman21

I placed a wood order today. I ordered enough for a couple airplanes. The following is what I estimated for one:

1) 3/32" x 4" x 36" balsa - quantity 8
2) 1/8" x 12" x 12" aircraft plywood - quantity 1
3) 1/2" square x 36" medium balsa - quantity 2
4) 1/2" x 1/4" x 48" medium balsa - quantity 1
5) 3/4" x 2" x 36 contest wood - quantity 1

Order some "Skin It Epoxy", 3/4 ounce fiberglass, and 2 ounce fiberglass from Matney's Models.

Order wheels, tank, motor mount, props, plugs, and engine (422 class) from Jett or Performance Specialties.

Purchase 5/32" carbon fiber rods and carbon fiber laminant. The carbon fiber laminant is glued between the foam cores and the sheeting. The carbon fiber rods are used for pushrods.

Iceman67

I flew these in 97 & 98 in 422. The airplane is rock stable and solid on the course. When we built these for 422, we vacuum bagged the wings in (1) piece. The dihedral is cut into the cores. We cut all the wood to length and the correct angles and then just masking tapped them together. We then made envelope out of 0.015" styrene which we waxed with Johnson's paste wax. We cut (2) spar slots as shown on the plans and then used the cores as templates to cut the spars out of 1/8" light ply. We used West System 105/206 epoxy to skin the wings. We put a full layer of 3/4 oz glass on both skins, then a 2" wide layer of 2 oz on the T.E. to stiffen the ailerons. We also put (2) layers of 2 oz glass on the center section to reinforce the joint. We glued the spars in with the same resin used to skin the wings with and put it all in the envelope together and in the bag. We then used the upper and lower cores to align everything. and weighted it down to cure. When cured, the wing is very stiff and light. Please notice that no CF was used. It didn't need it. The whole wing is glassed internally and out so, it really wasn't nessessary. This was tested in Florida when my brother landed his in the weeds @ full speed and the only damage was the LG was bent. I still have the wing and it is undamaged.

Good luck with your build. You will like this airplane.

Archie Adamisin
Muncie, Indiana

sahartman21

Thanks for the encouragement. The plans now show carbon fiber in selected areas. I will probably build it accordingly.

Begin by marking the location of the 12" plywood dihedral brace.

Then mark the location of the landing gear blocks.

sahartman21

Then mark the location of the landing gear cross pieces.

I ended up close to locations shown on the plans but not exactly the same.

My measurements are shown marked on the cores.

sahartman21

Next you cut 1/8" wide slots for the plywood pieces.

I used a radial arm saw.

After the cuts are made pin the parts in place until you glue them together.

sahartman21

The wing on the Proud Bird has a 1/8" thick plywood dihedral brace.

It also has 1/8" plywood landing gear formers.

Trace the parts and cut them to fit.

sahartman21

Some wing skins were made for the Proud Bird this morning.

I used the top shuck as an approximation of the final size.

Make them about 1/4" wider on top and bottom to allow for the curvature of the wing.

sahartman21

You will need to make a right and left hand side.

Make 2 of each.

The sheets are cut to shape and taped together. Do not glue them together. The epoxy used for skinning will also glue the joints together.

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

I got my Proud Bird kit on Saturday and opened it up today. It is a very nice kit. And a good looking plane.

Thanks for doing the build thread Scott.

Iceman67

Looking good. Sounds like she is coming together fast for you.

Looking forward to seeing you progress through the build.

sahartman21

Note: This was updated based upon the 3/16/09 wing.

Glue the plywood dihedral brace and landing gear reinforcement in place using epoxy.

Attach the carbon fiber to the wing skins. I used 3M77 to tack the fiber in place.

sahartman21

Note: This was updated based upon the 3/16/09 wing.

The carbon fiber on the top of the wing is installed vertically in a slot. The carbon fiber was 1/2" wide by 26 inches long.

Use a large razor saw to cut a slot first. Then widen the slot with a piece of 80 grit sandpaper.

sahartman21

Note: This was updated based upon the 3/16/09 wing.

Install a piece of 3/4 ounce glass over the skins. Then also apply another piece of glass (5" wide) where the skins join. This later becomes part of the ailerons.

Mix 2 containers of epoxy. Each should contain about 1.25 ounces of Skin It epoxy. Apply one container per wing half. Drizzle it on and use a squeegee to spread out the glue.

sahartman21

This post was removed.

sahartman21

Slide the core between the skins. Take time to center and tape the assembly together so parts don't move.

Put the cores and shucks in the homemade vacuum bag. I used a piece of 4 mil plastic tarp and sealed the edges with latex caulking.

Also present in the bag is a piece of rope across the back side. This gives the vacuum a path to flow.

There is also a piece of paper towel that runs the span of the wing. This allows the gas to breath.

I used my homemade vacuum pump for this installation.

Gradually pull a vacuum and insure things have not moved. Once you are satisfied allow the pump to pull the rest of the way (about 6" of Hg vacuum).

Allow to dry approximately 24 hours before opening.

fabionet31

sahartman21 you have open the bag??

sahartman21

Cut a slot on the side of the cores and remove them.

The following is what the cores look like after cleaning them up a little

sahartman21

Install the cores back between the shucks and trim the wing leading edge and trailing edge flush with the shucks.

sahartman21

Glue the leading edge stock to the cores and tape the assembly together until the glue is dry.

sahartman21

The landing gear blocks are installed after sheeting.

Begin by reviewing the plans to identify the location. Note: The Q-40 landing gear is farther back than conventional models. This is to reduce the potential for bouncing during landing.

Mark the location of the blocks.