Rick K

My Feedback: (6)

Hi guys, it's been a while! Like around two months since I last turned on my computer. Well, It's been almost a year since I started this project. I promised myself I'd get it done beforehand . . . I have another two weeks to meet my goal. Sure didn't think I'd take this long to do it.

The kit has proved to be difficult, alot of 'figurein and ponderin' compared to my past efforts but my sudden onset of diabetes really was more of a factor, just seemed to take the 'wind out of my sails' so to speak, many days sometimes weeks passed between building sessions. Finally they've gotten my meds/dosages straightened out so I feel alot better lately.

I spent the morning putting on the first coats of paint on the fuse . . . and as usual, my careful prep work again seems to come of naught. I filled, I sanded, I primered, I sanded, I filled, I sanded, I primered . . .etc. . . . and still the grain shows in places after paint . . . But it looked sooooo goooood in primer. Not with paint. Four coats of color so far, wet sanded between and it still looks crapy in places (alot of places) #$%^@!!! If I had the money I'd take it to a paint shop or furniture shop and let them mess with it.

Geez, it makes me want to cry. Heck with it! I'll fool some more tomarrow with the paint and that's it! On to my other favorite . . . covering the flying surfaces . . . oh great!

Dang it, it's GOING to fly before the 16th one way or the other. Even my wife and kids are starting to bug me about it, my daughters "when is it going to fly daddy" is wearing a little thin, the wife to, "what's taking so long?" I guess a few weeks ago when I dry fitted all the subassemblies together in the front yard for the first time and had them take a look (at 118" span, looked impressive) made them think it was just about done. Told them then there was only a few 'little' things left to do. Failed to mention those 'little' things would take a month or so to complete. (at my rate)

My son is now 1 1/2 and is really into anything I do. (nice to see alot of toy cars/trucks and 'boy' stuff instead of Barbe dolls all over) Bought a rubber powered tissue thing to put together 'for him' (yuck, yuck wife) flys great and the boy goes nuts about it! Getting the boy off to the right start! (with how my eyes are going at 50, he'll come in handy soon. Tried soldering something the other day . . . geez, I couldn't see if I was getting a good joint, had to get a mag. glass to see! . . . and this is just for starters, previews of comming attractions . . . of a film I wish not to see but must.

Stay tuned, the Phonenix will rise.
Rick K
LSF 6493

kwmtrubrit

Rick, Rick,

This is a hobby and you are SUPPOSED to enjoy it! It took me 18 mos to finish my Riser 100, a kit that's easy to build. I had health issues, but not mine, my wife's. I finished it and am having a blast. I was anal about stuff too until a friend of mine said " No one is bothered how it looks when it's up in the air and flying great." CHILL

Keith

cassat10

My Feedback: (31)

Rick,

Please post some pics if you have a chance. I have the original Craft Air Viking waiting to finsh here also.

Dave

Rick K

My Feedback: (6)

Hello Guys, Yeah, I know I'm beeing a little nutty about the finish and knowing my luck I'll dig it all up anyway after the first few flights. I really enjoy building (most of it anway) otherwise I'd be buying ARFs it's just sometimes some steps are a mite tedious, stuff like shapeing leading edges, measureing cutting and fitting thrity some odd cap strips . . . and trying to improve my painting/prep skills which are sorely lacking to say the least!

The most satifying part for me on this kit so far was when after all the careful measuring (praying) that the alignment of the wingrods (2) and the SIX wingrod tubes came out on the money, perfectly spaced, perfect dehidrel angle, eactly 6.5 deg. each and that the stabulator with the same number of parts came out equaly well and square with the wing rods . . . amazing since there's around thrity ways to mess up. I mentiond in an eariler note how handy my Craftsman laser level came in to check everything out, making sure the tubes in the fuse were square to each other and the fuse when 'tacked' in place before epoxying them, and squaring the tail tubes square to them . . . MUCH easier then measuring side to side a few dozen times and fooling around with triangles and level protractors. The really neat thing is being sure of being sure without having to touch anything while the glue dries. At $30 bucks one certainly belongs on everybodys bench.

Spent ALL day yesterday filling and sanding till the whole shop seemed covered in fine white/green powder. I'm going to shoot another coat of primer today and see what I get. (with fingers crossed). This plane has a very 'rounded' fuse with plenty of compound curves which is why I chose paint rather then flim, thought it'd be alot easier, ho! ho! hee hee.

The biggest and most fustrating aspect of this kit is the very poor documentation of the Mods Ray (Skybench Aerotech) made to the kit and the lack of showing the changes on the plans . . . I still have six nicely precut rectangular pieces of wood left in the box . . . and after re-reading the Mod addendum and the orig. Craft Air Inst. several times . . . still have not a clue what they were for! Careful examination of the plans (org. Craft Air) show no obvious place for them . . . Oh well!!!

As to sending pics, I don't have a digital camra but do have a scanner . . . trouble is I have no idea of how to get the image from the scanner to here. Any ideas?

Stay tuned, getting close.
Rick K
LSF 6493

Rick K

My Feedback: (6)

Well, after that last re-finish . . . around 90% of the flaws were removed. The new coat of primer still showed several areas which required futher filling (drying now). This is really the first time I've tried really hard to get a good finish painting over wood, balsa wood that is. As with building any kit, everytime I learn a little more, get a little better. I suppose like anything else, practice Will make perfect. Things that carry over into other ventures, in this case perhaps painting furniture or even my house.

Which leads to my beef with ARFs, RTFs etc. You learn nothing of value really. Not even as much as you would putting plastic modeles together (if you chose to paint them) As almost of all the ARF's and RTFs come pre-covered, the 'final' result is nothing the 'owner/builder' really can take any pride in whatsoever, except perhaps to show the status of their bank account. The skills of an avg. 8yr. old are good enough. Don't get me wrong, I know there's alot of guys for one reason or another can't build anymore, be it because of advancing age or lack of time . . . and thats's ok. But for the rest of you and your kids . . . Are we heading to a point that only a few know how to make/do anything with own hands anymore except to slide their card or write a check?

Take 'Hot-rod' cars for example, as a youth some thrity years ago like others in my circle I wanted a go-fast car. To get that I had to learn all about engines, how they worked and how I could modify them to work better. Nowadays a kid can skip (if daddy has enough dough) all of that learning and for five to whatever thousand bucks he can afford buy a engine warrented to make X HP out of the box without any effort on his part.

So don't be supprised at the labor bill from the auto shop, the plummer's fee, electriction the tile man etc. (stuff that I can do, but alot of you can't) Things the average man used to be able to take care of by himself without having to call them in now cost him a fortune to pay someone else to perform, someone who learnd to use their hands to actullay make something as a kid.

The real reason for this tirade is the state of some compitition classes which were really meant to get back to basics. Where a guy wouldn't need a mega buck radio along with a mega buck plane to compete to a chance to win. I recently read in the trade mags. of $600+ RES ARF's and simularly but not quite that high priced NOS planes.

As good a builder I think I am, I'm a realist and know if lets say I built a kit of a paragon or made one from plans, the 'professionaly' built ones available from various off shore full time builders might be better then my best efforts. With the planes their comming up with for RES I don't think I'd have a chance with my efforts. Geez, do we need a 'Builder/pilot of plane' class like in scale powered comp. ?

Rick K
LSF 6493

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

I know what you mean about the eyes. I had to purchase one of those magnifying hoods that you put on your head and then flip down when you want to see close-up work. Ah well....youth is long gone, but the desires ain't! That's why the Giant Scale guys tend to be older....build a big airplane with big parts that are easy to see! Of course, they hit the wallet harder, but aren't we in our "peak" earning years, too?

bax
___

kwmtrubrit

If you put an RC plane in the sky, chances are you will crash it. Take off's are optional, landings mandatory. The plus about building it is you know what went into it. Who knows what's in the ARF and RTF planes. Plus the rush I got seeing something I built go up with the hi-start as straight as a arrow and fly around the sky was amazing. I'm sick that the kits seem to be going the way of the dodo bird.

Rick K

My Feedback: (6)

Hello again, well I spent the week inbetween my main duties as Mr. Mom (ala: stay at home dad, as the PC people like to put it) trying to get a decient finish on my fuse and my efforts have resulted in a . . . at best 'fair' to good job. The surface still has a uneven gloss to it, that is some areas are shiney as glass and some are duller. I'm thinking of using some rubbing compound on it followed up with polishing compound and finaly wax but wonder if it's really worth the effort.

Of course there's still a few dents and hair line sanding marks in a couple of places (very few) that despite all of my careful filling and sanding still seemed to 'pop' up with the color coat that were unobserved in the sanded primer. I think the little dents are comming from 'hanger rash' caused by inept handling on my part. I might give it one more coat of color and then a clear coat. I don't know, I think I'm taking this too far. I have'nt worried much about the bottom of the fuse . . . it's coated well but I'm not concerend about the quality there.

I wish I knew somebody who had some scrap (maybe 1sq ft.) of transparent yellow for my outer wing tip pannels . . . just to improve vis. It's not really worth buying a whole roll for that little bit of material.

Speaking of covering, I'm a little worried about doing the stabulator, a very fragile structure. It has shoulder blocks which attach to the fuse. Trouble is I can't mount them until I know where the neutral point for the stabulator will be on the fin. It's supposed to be set a 0deg incedince to the wings set at 6deg. I have a GP incedince gauge to do it . . . it's just the hassle of anchoring down the fuse, installing the inner wing pannels, the stab, proping the fuse the get the wings at six finding a way to keep it still, not moving anything while taking off the gage from the wing and when putting the gauge on the stab. I can't use my other stuff (protractor, digital level) because of the 'airfoil' shape of the stabulator, no flat surface to index them to, and that GP gauge assmby. is not exactly a light affair, at least in relation to the lightness of the stabulator. I'm probably going to have to prop up the stabulator because of the weight, but in a way that will still allow it to piviot.

In other words, a involved process, Oh well!

Rick K
LSF 6493