Building the JMP Firebird
12-29-2009, 09:49 PM
#1
Building the JMP Firebird
Alright, so here we go, as promised, I will do a build thread on this amazing airplane!
I'm not following the instruction manual sequence right now as I'm getting parts ready to bring home to work on so I'm trying to do all the messy stuff at the shop so I can keep the mess at home minimal.
Anyway, here is what was accomplished in between real work today.
Picture 1.
I started out by measuring in the 1/2" flange around the hatch to cut it out. This includes a 3/4" wide section at the rear. It measures 2" from the rear corner of the hatch and is 5" long.
Picture 2.
Next I masked along one of the premarked edges of the gear cutouts. Almost all of the cutouts required are marked with a fine line in the fiberglass to guide you, no measuring needed. I just masked along the edge so I could see it better while I cut it out.
Picture 3.
Here is one of the main gear cutouts completed.
Picture 4 and 5.
Here is the inside of the fuse looking at where the nose gear cutout will be made. Notice that there are already reinforcements molded into the fuse for the screws. This is great, I hate having to glue things like that in after the fact!
Picture 6.
Here is the recessed flange with the cutout.
Picture 7 and 8.
Here are the inlets cut out, you can also see the top hatch opening cut out in these pictures.
Picture 9.
Here is the NACA duct cut out. Again this is a recessed section so that the fiberglass NACA duct glues in flush to the fuselage. All lines to cut out were again marked in the fiberglass from JMP.
Picture 10.
Here is the flap pocket opening cut out. Again, there is already reinforcement in the corners for the screws that will hold the hatches on.
Picture 11.
Here are the molded main gear doors taped in place, the contour of the doors matches the wing perfectly, just a little block sanding was needed to get a nice even gap all the way around.
Picture 12.
Here is the nose gear doors cut out and hinged. Just a little more sanding needed and they'll fit perfectly.
I'm not following the instruction manual sequence right now as I'm getting parts ready to bring home to work on so I'm trying to do all the messy stuff at the shop so I can keep the mess at home minimal.
Anyway, here is what was accomplished in between real work today.
Picture 1.
I started out by measuring in the 1/2" flange around the hatch to cut it out. This includes a 3/4" wide section at the rear. It measures 2" from the rear corner of the hatch and is 5" long.
Picture 2.
Next I masked along one of the premarked edges of the gear cutouts. Almost all of the cutouts required are marked with a fine line in the fiberglass to guide you, no measuring needed. I just masked along the edge so I could see it better while I cut it out.
Picture 3.
Here is one of the main gear cutouts completed.
Picture 4 and 5.
Here is the inside of the fuse looking at where the nose gear cutout will be made. Notice that there are already reinforcements molded into the fuse for the screws. This is great, I hate having to glue things like that in after the fact!
Picture 6.
Here is the recessed flange with the cutout.
Picture 7 and 8.
Here are the inlets cut out, you can also see the top hatch opening cut out in these pictures.
Picture 9.
Here is the NACA duct cut out. Again this is a recessed section so that the fiberglass NACA duct glues in flush to the fuselage. All lines to cut out were again marked in the fiberglass from JMP.
Picture 10.
Here is the flap pocket opening cut out. Again, there is already reinforcement in the corners for the screws that will hold the hatches on.
Picture 11.
Here are the molded main gear doors taped in place, the contour of the doors matches the wing perfectly, just a little block sanding was needed to get a nice even gap all the way around.
Picture 12.
Here is the nose gear doors cut out and hinged. Just a little more sanding needed and they'll fit perfectly.
12-30-2009, 09:50 PM
#3
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Alright, got a little more done today so here we go.
Picture 1.
First thing I did was cut the nose gear door flange for clearance for the hinges. Everything fits sweet in that recess, I had to order a 3-48 tap so I haven't drilled and tapped the holes for holding the door plate in place, as such, it's just taped.
Picture 2.
Here is a picture of the nose gear doors closed, the gaps are nice and tight, probably a touch to tight, I'll open them up a bit to leave room for paint. To make them nice and tight, I first cut out the gear doors, this left less than perfect lines. I block sanded all the edges to get them nice and straight. Then I masked off the door frame with one layer of masking tape. I then taped the doors back into the frame from the inside. When I was satisfied with the alignment I filled the gaps with polyester body filler. Once that dries, remove the tape holding the doors in and pop the doors out. The body fill doesn't stick well to the masking tape. Then a couple quick swipes with sandpaper and you have a perfect gap all the way around!
Picture 3.
I then removed the nose gear door plate. To install the nose retract, first I put some tape on the gear plate. Then I put the retract into the opening in the extended position. I measured the 5/8" distance from the edge of the recess to the gear strut as outlined in the instructions and marked the masking tape as to where the retract was supposed to fit. I then retracted the gear and lined it up on the same marks. Then while retracted, I put some glue on the retract itself and aligned it in the opening. I then drilled through the mounting holes in the retract into the plate. Then removed the gear, opened up the holes to accept the blind nuts and installed the blind nuts. To seat the blind nuts I used a C clamp to pull them into the plate.
Picture 4 & 5
Next I installed the air filler valve mount and the nose gear door cylinder mounts. I will put some epoxy over the blind nuts before I'm done don't worry.
Picture 6 & 7
The gear door cylinders needed to be shorted 1/4", I wrapped some tape around a pair of needle nose pliers so I wouldn't mark the rod and removed the links. I then marked how much I needed to cut off with some tape on the threads.
Picture 8.
Next I installed the main gear doors. Again I had to shorten the cylinders, no real magic here, just some careful measuring and sanding.
Picture 9.
Once the inner doors were installed, I installed the main gear using the same technique as described for the nose gear.
Picture 10.
Lastly for today I got one outer gear door installed, again, no magic, just some careful measuring and sanding. I need to open up a couple of the seams on the doors to ensure no snagging and room for paint, but it's pretty close so far!
Picture 11.
So here it is from the bottom with the gear and all but one door on
Picture 12.
And here she is sitting on her legs!
Picture 1.
First thing I did was cut the nose gear door flange for clearance for the hinges. Everything fits sweet in that recess, I had to order a 3-48 tap so I haven't drilled and tapped the holes for holding the door plate in place, as such, it's just taped.
Picture 2.
Here is a picture of the nose gear doors closed, the gaps are nice and tight, probably a touch to tight, I'll open them up a bit to leave room for paint. To make them nice and tight, I first cut out the gear doors, this left less than perfect lines. I block sanded all the edges to get them nice and straight. Then I masked off the door frame with one layer of masking tape. I then taped the doors back into the frame from the inside. When I was satisfied with the alignment I filled the gaps with polyester body filler. Once that dries, remove the tape holding the doors in and pop the doors out. The body fill doesn't stick well to the masking tape. Then a couple quick swipes with sandpaper and you have a perfect gap all the way around!
Picture 3.
I then removed the nose gear door plate. To install the nose retract, first I put some tape on the gear plate. Then I put the retract into the opening in the extended position. I measured the 5/8" distance from the edge of the recess to the gear strut as outlined in the instructions and marked the masking tape as to where the retract was supposed to fit. I then retracted the gear and lined it up on the same marks. Then while retracted, I put some glue on the retract itself and aligned it in the opening. I then drilled through the mounting holes in the retract into the plate. Then removed the gear, opened up the holes to accept the blind nuts and installed the blind nuts. To seat the blind nuts I used a C clamp to pull them into the plate.
Picture 4 & 5
Next I installed the air filler valve mount and the nose gear door cylinder mounts. I will put some epoxy over the blind nuts before I'm done don't worry.
Picture 6 & 7
The gear door cylinders needed to be shorted 1/4", I wrapped some tape around a pair of needle nose pliers so I wouldn't mark the rod and removed the links. I then marked how much I needed to cut off with some tape on the threads.
Picture 8.
Next I installed the main gear doors. Again I had to shorten the cylinders, no real magic here, just some careful measuring and sanding.
Picture 9.
Once the inner doors were installed, I installed the main gear using the same technique as described for the nose gear.
Picture 10.
Lastly for today I got one outer gear door installed, again, no magic, just some careful measuring and sanding. I need to open up a couple of the seams on the doors to ensure no snagging and room for paint, but it's pretty close so far!
Picture 11.
So here it is from the bottom with the gear and all but one door on
Picture 12.
And here she is sitting on her legs!
12-31-2009, 08:48 AM
#5
My Feedback: (14)
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Not that hard if you just build, take picture after finishing a step. Then when finish working for the day. Go to PC start writing and uploading pics. I think this is how Jeremy is doing since all the hard work is going in his shop and not da house.
BTW keep the house out of mess is the best way to keep the lady out of this [sm=punching.gif].
BTW keep the house out of mess is the best way to keep the lady out of this [sm=punching.gif].
12-31-2009, 09:37 AM
#6
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
ORIGINAL: avicom
Not that hard if you just build, take picture after finishing a step. Then when finish working for the day. Go to PC start writing and uploading pics. I think this is how Jeremy is doing since all the hard work is going in his shop and not da house. BTW keep the house out of mess is the best way to keep the lady out of this [sm=punching.gif].
Not that hard if you just build, take picture after finishing a step. Then when finish working for the day. Go to PC start writing and uploading pics. I think this is how Jeremy is doing since all the hard work is going in his shop and not da house.
BTW keep the house out of mess is the best way to keep the lady out of this [sm=punching.gif].
That's exactly how I'm doing it
I'm very fortunate however that my wife is very supportive of this crazy hobby! She knows I won't spend money on the hobby if I can't get it from selling something else or we have the money. We rarely ever have the money, so the new toys come from the sale of the old toys. She's more than happy to have me work on parts at the house, but I've been concentrating on the main fuse since it's so big, it would be tough to work on that part at the house, with 4 dogs running around working at home is even trickier!Jeremy
12-31-2009, 07:51 PM
#8
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Ok, didn't get a lot done today, but I got the hatch built and mounted, and got my other outer gear door installed.
So here we go...
Picture 1.
The front hatch lip is a piece of 1/4" plywood laminated with carbon fiber on both sides. It is supplied oversized to allow you to cut it to perfectly fit your fuselage cutout that is made when cutting out the huge hatch area. I scribed the cut line onto the carbon and cut it out with a scroll saw, then sanded it to perfectly fit the fuse.
Picture 2.
Next you need to align the hatch lip on the hatch so that it fits the fuse without being to far off to one side or low/high. After some thought I decided a C clamp would be a good tool for this task. I aligned the piece as best I could guess, and clamped it to the hatch. After test fitting the hatch I could loosen the clamp and carefully move the lip until the fit was perfect.
Picture 3.
Then I needed to install the hatch alignment tabs. First I marked the measurements called for in the instructions on some masking tape.
Picture 4.
Then I stacked 3 Dremel cut off wheels together to equal the thickness of the alignment tabs.
Picture 5.
I then marked the matching slots in the fuselage lip. Then using the dremel, I carefully cut the slots in the hatch and the fuse.
Picture 6.
Pretty good hatch fit so far for no filler
Picture 7, 8 and 9.
The next pictures so the carbon/ply tab hold down bracket for the hatch installed, it also shows the cut outs in the fuse lip, and finally, the hatch bolted down into place.
Picture 10.
Here is a picture of the hatch with the front lip and all the tabs installed. I need to now mix up some milled fiberglass and securely glue all the tabs.
Picture 11.
I couldn't resist putting the tail and wings on her and taking a picture after all that
Ignore the fact that the inlets and lower bypass cover aren't fitting, I just put them in there to see if I could install the inlets before the bypass goes in while I wait for an engine.
So here we go...
Picture 1.
The front hatch lip is a piece of 1/4" plywood laminated with carbon fiber on both sides. It is supplied oversized to allow you to cut it to perfectly fit your fuselage cutout that is made when cutting out the huge hatch area. I scribed the cut line onto the carbon and cut it out with a scroll saw, then sanded it to perfectly fit the fuse.
Picture 2.
Next you need to align the hatch lip on the hatch so that it fits the fuse without being to far off to one side or low/high. After some thought I decided a C clamp would be a good tool for this task. I aligned the piece as best I could guess, and clamped it to the hatch. After test fitting the hatch I could loosen the clamp and carefully move the lip until the fit was perfect.
Picture 3.
Then I needed to install the hatch alignment tabs. First I marked the measurements called for in the instructions on some masking tape.
Picture 4.
Then I stacked 3 Dremel cut off wheels together to equal the thickness of the alignment tabs.
Picture 5.
I then marked the matching slots in the fuselage lip. Then using the dremel, I carefully cut the slots in the hatch and the fuse.
Picture 6.
Pretty good hatch fit so far for no filler
Picture 7, 8 and 9.
The next pictures so the carbon/ply tab hold down bracket for the hatch installed, it also shows the cut outs in the fuse lip, and finally, the hatch bolted down into place.
Picture 10.
Here is a picture of the hatch with the front lip and all the tabs installed. I need to now mix up some milled fiberglass and securely glue all the tabs.
Picture 11.
I couldn't resist putting the tail and wings on her and taking a picture after all that
Ignore the fact that the inlets and lower bypass cover aren't fitting, I just put them in there to see if I could install the inlets before the bypass goes in while I wait for an engine.
12-31-2009, 08:30 PM
#9
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
ORIGINAL: heliman.rusty
Lookig good..When do I get to fly it??? LOL
Lookig good..When do I get to fly it??? LOL
That would be right after the left leg and testy was donated....[sm=greedy.gif]
For a beer, I'll let you touch my Viper [sm=tongue_smile.gif]
Cheers Dude,
Hope to see you at the field next year.
PaulD
BTW- Jeremy let me touch his Firebird. That is some quality S@&!(#&%
01-01-2010, 06:24 PM
#12
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Hi Shawn,
The outer panels slide on via 2 aluminum tubes, then on the bottom of the wing there is an aluminum strap that a bolt runs though to hold the panel on. If you look at this picture, you can see the recess at the wing root, there is a matching recess in the outer panel. The aluminum plate gets screwed and glued into one side and then when the panel slides on you simply put one bolt through it.
The outer panels slide on via 2 aluminum tubes, then on the bottom of the wing there is an aluminum strap that a bolt runs though to hold the panel on. If you look at this picture, you can see the recess at the wing root, there is a matching recess in the outer panel. The aluminum plate gets screwed and glued into one side and then when the panel slides on you simply put one bolt through it.
01-02-2010, 07:35 PM
#13
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Ok, got a little bit done today.
I haven't been totally sure what engine I'm going to use yet so I didn't want to mount anything to the lower bypass cover. Having said that I didn't want to have to stop building because of lack of an engine choice. I discovered that I can still get the lower bypass cover out of the jet once the inlets are glued in place. So the first thing I had to do was come up with a temporary method of securing the lower cover. A couple of screws was what I decided on, When I put the bypass cover in place after the jet is finished I will glue it in with some silicone and also glue it to the inlets with some silicone and use the same screws.
Picture 1.
The first thing I had to do was align the lower cover, the rear half is aligned by the rear bulkhead, but the front needs to be centered. To do this I taped a carbon rod to an adjustable T square so I could line up the front point of the bypass.
Picture 2.
Once it was aligned, I drilled 2 small holes through the cover into the wooden bulkheads and secured it with a couple of small screws.
Picture 3 & 4.
After a bunch of test fitting, sanding, tack gluing etc, I was finally ready to glue them in place. I used a product called Everglass, it is a polyester resin with finely chopped fiberglass that has the consistency of bondo. I used this to permanently glue the inlets in place. The only downside to it is it's ugly, but some sanding and paint will cure that. In order to get the inlets to fit to the bypass perfectly I needed to extend the front of them a tiny bit, this could probably have just been done with fiberglass cloth as outlined in the manual, but I used a couple pieces of carbon fiber that I had layed up already. (these are the black pieces in the picture)
Picture 5 & 6.
Once the everglass was dry, I laid a piece of fiberglass cloth over the front joint and over the carbon extension.
Picture 7 & 8.
Then, some filling and sanding on the outside, and a quick coat of primer to see how things are, and the inlets are looking pretty darn nice!!!
I haven't been totally sure what engine I'm going to use yet so I didn't want to mount anything to the lower bypass cover. Having said that I didn't want to have to stop building because of lack of an engine choice. I discovered that I can still get the lower bypass cover out of the jet once the inlets are glued in place. So the first thing I had to do was come up with a temporary method of securing the lower cover. A couple of screws was what I decided on, When I put the bypass cover in place after the jet is finished I will glue it in with some silicone and also glue it to the inlets with some silicone and use the same screws.
Picture 1.
The first thing I had to do was align the lower cover, the rear half is aligned by the rear bulkhead, but the front needs to be centered. To do this I taped a carbon rod to an adjustable T square so I could line up the front point of the bypass.
Picture 2.
Once it was aligned, I drilled 2 small holes through the cover into the wooden bulkheads and secured it with a couple of small screws.
Picture 3 & 4.
After a bunch of test fitting, sanding, tack gluing etc, I was finally ready to glue them in place. I used a product called Everglass, it is a polyester resin with finely chopped fiberglass that has the consistency of bondo. I used this to permanently glue the inlets in place. The only downside to it is it's ugly, but some sanding and paint will cure that. In order to get the inlets to fit to the bypass perfectly I needed to extend the front of them a tiny bit, this could probably have just been done with fiberglass cloth as outlined in the manual, but I used a couple pieces of carbon fiber that I had layed up already. (these are the black pieces in the picture)
Picture 5 & 6.
Once the everglass was dry, I laid a piece of fiberglass cloth over the front joint and over the carbon extension.
Picture 7 & 8.
Then, some filling and sanding on the outside, and a quick coat of primer to see how things are, and the inlets are looking pretty darn nice!!!
01-03-2010, 06:14 PM
#14
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Not much progress today, just a quiet day at home so I assembled the zero flex servo mounts onto the servo hatch's. They are pretty self explanatory but I'll do a quick run down, didn't take any pictures during assembly but I'll write about it.
Basically, I bolted all the servo mounts to the servo's, they fit absolutely perfect. Then I put a dab of thick CA on each servo mount, aligned the horn in the pre-cut slot on the hatch cover and let the glue cure. Once I had all of those done I drilled all the holes with a 5/64" drill bit from the servo mount side being careful not to damage the threads in the aluminum mount. I then popped all the servo mounts off of the hatches and redrilled the holes with a 7/64" drill bit. Once I was done drilling the holes out, I used a countersink bit on the outside to allow the bolts to fit flush.
Then I put all the servo's/mounts back on the hatches.
I will put a drop of CA on every bolt and fill them on the outside before painting so they are not visible, this is a great system and with the pre-cut horn slots and zero flex mounts it only took about an hour to do all 6 servo's (including the stab servo).
Basically, I bolted all the servo mounts to the servo's, they fit absolutely perfect. Then I put a dab of thick CA on each servo mount, aligned the horn in the pre-cut slot on the hatch cover and let the glue cure. Once I had all of those done I drilled all the holes with a 5/64" drill bit from the servo mount side being careful not to damage the threads in the aluminum mount. I then popped all the servo mounts off of the hatches and redrilled the holes with a 7/64" drill bit. Once I was done drilling the holes out, I used a countersink bit on the outside to allow the bolts to fit flush.
Then I put all the servo's/mounts back on the hatches.
I will put a drop of CA on every bolt and fill them on the outside before painting so they are not visible, this is a great system and with the pre-cut horn slots and zero flex mounts it only took about an hour to do all 6 servo's (including the stab servo).
01-03-2010, 10:56 PM
#19
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Hi Thomas,
My mistake, the hatches are .062" thick G10. I hate making hatches too, these ones fit perfectly everywhere though. The cutouts in the hatches are perfect, and they fit the recess's in the fuse and wings perfectly not only on perimeter but depth as well!
Hi Chad,
It's going together faster than I expected, but that's all owed to Tom and his design and flawless execution of his design. I have never had a kit where things fit together so perfectly!
Jeremy
My mistake, the hatches are .062" thick G10. I hate making hatches too, these ones fit perfectly everywhere though. The cutouts in the hatches are perfect, and they fit the recess's in the fuse and wings perfectly not only on perimeter but depth as well!
Hi Chad,
It's going together faster than I expected, but that's all owed to Tom and his design and flawless execution of his design. I have never had a kit where things fit together so perfectly!
Jeremy
01-04-2010, 12:40 PM
#21
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Jeremy,
First of all, THANKS for keeping the venerable (albeit archaic) old craft of KIT BUILDING alive! God loveth a real modeler....
Nice work. Tom makes, in my opinion, the very best stuff in the hobby. What are you gonna power that thing with? What's the kit cost?
Shaun
First of all, THANKS for keeping the venerable (albeit archaic) old craft of KIT BUILDING alive! God loveth a real modeler....
Nice work. Tom makes, in my opinion, the very best stuff in the hobby. What are you gonna power that thing with? What's the kit cost?
Shaun
01-04-2010, 01:35 PM
#22
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RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Great job Jeremy!
Tom's stuff is really awesome for sure, definately not cheap but you get way more than you pay for compared to some other brands. Next winter I may build a Hustler to replace my Boomerang as an every-day flyer. Its on my list anyway - and I know where I'd send it for paint
It would be awesome if Tom made an aerobatic Sport jet that wasn't "built for pure speed" something more along the lines of a Flash/Bandit/Lightning...
Tom's stuff is really awesome for sure, definately not cheap but you get way more than you pay for compared to some other brands. Next winter I may build a Hustler to replace my Boomerang as an every-day flyer. Its on my list anyway - and I know where I'd send it for paint
It would be awesome if Tom made an aerobatic Sport jet that wasn't "built for pure speed" something more along the lines of a Flash/Bandit/Lightning...
01-04-2010, 04:45 PM
#23
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RE: Building the JMP Firebird
We all knew you were a maestro with the airbrush and paint gun, but you are also a great builder! Thanks for posting the pics and info.
01-04-2010, 08:33 PM
#24
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
ORIGINAL: YellowAircraft
Jeremy,
First of all, THANKS for keeping the venerable (albeit archaic) old craft of KIT BUILDING alive! God loveth a real modeler....
Nice work. Tom makes, in my opinion, the very best stuff in the hobby. What are you gonna power that thing with? What's the kit cost?
Shaun
Jeremy,
First of all, THANKS for keeping the venerable (albeit archaic) old craft of KIT BUILDING alive! God loveth a real modeler....
Nice work. Tom makes, in my opinion, the very best stuff in the hobby. What are you gonna power that thing with? What's the kit cost?
Shaun
Hi Shaun,
This has been a very enjoyable build. I do love building, sadly I have little time for it. The more honest answer I guess is actually, I have little time for building kits that I have to make modifications or corrections on. This jet is incredible. Everything fits, everything is high quality, and everything is included, no running to the hobby store every day to pick up something else that's missing.
As for power, I'm not 100% sure on that yet, it looks like a 50+lb thrust engine may be on the horizon, going to hold out for a bit until I know if that's a go or not. As for cost, it's definitely on the high end at just shy of $6700, but bang for the buck compared to previous jets I've built, it's actually worth the money!
Chris,
A Hustler would be a great jet to replace the Boomer with, I've been toying with the idea of selling my Kingcat and getting a Hustler too. If you want a smaller sport jet that flies awesome, don't forget Tom's old Starfire design, now kitted by Yellow Aircraft. Y/A does a very nice job with their kits too, I've built their A4 and F16 and both were great kits, a little old school with the sheeted foam, but still great kits!.
Bob,
Thanks for the kind words, I try
01-04-2010, 08:46 PM
#25
RE: Building the JMP Firebird
Ok, so onto the next step, I had very little time today as I had to airbrush and clear coat a Harley, but in between Kandy coats and clear I got the flaps installed on the Firebird.
I did deviate a little from the instructions here to a method I've used in the past that is bullet proof.
In the instructions you are told to cut slots for the hinges in the flaps and the flap pocket. I was able to easily cut the slots into the flaps themselves, but the pockets were tough. I didn't have the right cutter to get the slot deep enough for the hinges so I used a slightly different method, I have no fear in this method, it is at least as secure as the one in the instructions.
Picture 1.
First I put 3 layers of tape on the inboard root of the flap, as well as along the lip on the back of the flap. I also put tape along the LE of the flap to guide me for the slots. The reason for the 3 layers of tape is to leave a nice even gap all around and leave room for paint so that things don't end up to tight after painting.
Picture 2.
The I cut the slots 1/32" away from the lower flap skin with a dremel cut off wheel.
Unfortunately my phone battery died (yes, camera phone, I know, it sucks) so while I waited for it to charge I got a couple of other steps done.
Step 1.
I transfered the hinge locations to the fuse along the flap pocket. I tried cutting the slots again with the dremel, but with the large support blocks in the fuse I couldn't get the slots deep enough to put the hinges into. So I went on to method 2.
Step 2.
Once I had the hinge locations transfered, and drawn on the skin the correct size, I routed the lower skin away where the hinges needed to go. I went the thickness of the hinge plus 1/32" deep so the slot lined up with the flap.
Step 3.
I then glued the hinges into the flap hinge pocket I created. Once that glue had set, I drilled a hole through the hinge, I then put a small screw through the hinge into the wooden block that is already installed in the fuse.
Picture 3.
This picture shows the hinges glued into the flap pocket, filled over the top with the same Everglass milled fiberglass I used for the inlets and sanded out again. I don't care how hard you pull those hinges, they are not coming out without destroying the fuse.
Picture 4 and 5.
Here are the flaps now slid back onto the hinges. I will glue them after I paint the inside of the flaps and flap pockets. I'm going to paint the inside of those now, then mask them off to paint the rest of the airplane. This way I can still easily glue the flaps on, pin the hinges, and fill, sand and prime everything plus have a perfect paint finish inside the flaps.
Picture 6.
Here are the flaps from behind, drooped down a bit from gravity.
Flap Linkages and horns will be next, then I'll paint the inside of the flaps and glue them on.
I did deviate a little from the instructions here to a method I've used in the past that is bullet proof.
In the instructions you are told to cut slots for the hinges in the flaps and the flap pocket. I was able to easily cut the slots into the flaps themselves, but the pockets were tough. I didn't have the right cutter to get the slot deep enough for the hinges so I used a slightly different method, I have no fear in this method, it is at least as secure as the one in the instructions.
Picture 1.
First I put 3 layers of tape on the inboard root of the flap, as well as along the lip on the back of the flap. I also put tape along the LE of the flap to guide me for the slots. The reason for the 3 layers of tape is to leave a nice even gap all around and leave room for paint so that things don't end up to tight after painting.
Picture 2.
The I cut the slots 1/32" away from the lower flap skin with a dremel cut off wheel.
Unfortunately my phone battery died (yes, camera phone, I know, it sucks) so while I waited for it to charge I got a couple of other steps done.
Step 1.
I transfered the hinge locations to the fuse along the flap pocket. I tried cutting the slots again with the dremel, but with the large support blocks in the fuse I couldn't get the slots deep enough to put the hinges into. So I went on to method 2.
Step 2.
Once I had the hinge locations transfered, and drawn on the skin the correct size, I routed the lower skin away where the hinges needed to go. I went the thickness of the hinge plus 1/32" deep so the slot lined up with the flap.
Step 3.
I then glued the hinges into the flap hinge pocket I created. Once that glue had set, I drilled a hole through the hinge, I then put a small screw through the hinge into the wooden block that is already installed in the fuse.
Picture 3.
This picture shows the hinges glued into the flap pocket, filled over the top with the same Everglass milled fiberglass I used for the inlets and sanded out again. I don't care how hard you pull those hinges, they are not coming out without destroying the fuse.
Picture 4 and 5.
Here are the flaps now slid back onto the hinges. I will glue them after I paint the inside of the flaps and flap pockets. I'm going to paint the inside of those now, then mask them off to paint the rest of the airplane. This way I can still easily glue the flaps on, pin the hinges, and fill, sand and prime everything plus have a perfect paint finish inside the flaps.
Picture 6.
Here are the flaps from behind, drooped down a bit from gravity.
Flap Linkages and horns will be next, then I'll paint the inside of the flaps and glue them on.