R/C Art

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HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Turtle Report:





I found some steel in my scrap pile and cut out some landing gear straps.

I also had some BUSA metal pieces that I used to fabricate attach points for the landing gear cross wire bracing.



.....OOPS, look at the time. Gotta go flying!

R/C Art

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Turtle Report:

I went out to the shop this morning to consider what the next step might be ........... and YIKES ....... this, this thing was staring back at me. I guess my original pilot died of old age, but unlike Houdini, he has come back to this world to visit (haunt) me. CREEPY

R/C Art

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Turtle Report:

I cut & fit the landing wire attach points for the lower wing. This area needs to be strong - it establishes the dihedral for the lower wings and is the attach point for the bottom of the V struts. These blocks were epoxied in place using Hysol. Thanks Paul, I like how this stuff works.



I will drill thru the blocks and set a blind nut in the bottom and use a #6 socket head bolt to secure the landing wires. I was thinking about using a #4 bolt and nut, the same as I used on my 1/3 scale N-11. But after 4 years of hard flying - they are showing some wear. I will use #6 bolts for all my flying and landing wires attachments.

geezeraviation

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I think that's a sound plan, don't want to get caught skimping on flying and landing wire anchors. Could get ugly if you know what I mean.
Did y'all get a mess of this white stuff?
Doc

R/C Art

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Nope Doc ..... just a light covering and that was before you got all of your mess. I saw Richard mentioned 8 inches - yuk!

R/C Art

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Turtle Report:

The geometry on the aileron pushrods was a long way from adequate ........ it hardly gave any throw at all. So I had to put in servo rails across the forward fuselage and go with after market servo arms. I ordered 2 inch aluminum arms. These will give just enough throw but I would still like a little bit more. If I could find someone close who had a Hitech servo programmer I could increase the total servo travel to a full 180 degrees - anyone? anyone out there? anyone listening?



Also did a little bit of rigging ....... the front cabane cross brace wires and the drag wires for the rear cabane. I got the brackets made for two of the landing wires attached to the rear cabane but that is about as far as I got today.



Next up is more brackets and hanging the bottom wings - then on to the V-struts.

Turnbuckles are from Teus, 1/3 scale wire and crimps are from BUSA and the thimbles are from McMaster-Carr.

R/C Art

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Turtle Report;

Rigging is in progress. A slow process indeed.

The hardware is installed into the lower wing. The bottom wing is hung which sets it's dihedral.

The wing incidence is also checked and set during this process. This adjustment is made where the wing spar plugs into the fuselage side - the wing will be rotated and
the spar cutout on the fuselage adjusted if needed. Then an anti-rotation pin will be installed as well as the fore and aft drift of the wing, i.e. the wing root adjusted to fit the fuselage side so that the lower wing spar will line up with the rear spar of the top wing. This needs to be done so that the rear portion of the v-strut will align vertically to match the 3 views.

There is a lot going on with this seemingly simple step of hanging the bottom wing.

Then repeat this procedure for the other bottom wing. Much fitting and shimming and such goes on during this process.


Below shows the attach point for the landing wires.




Then there is all the metering and rigging and measuring shown below.

R/C Art

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Turtle Report

The lower wings are wired up. The cable is 1/16 inch multi-strand from the hardware store by way of my friend, Billy Thompson. Crimps and thimbles are the same as I used on the cabanes. I found some relatively clear 1" x 6" X 10' long pine from the local lumber yard. They were ripped into 2 inch wide strips from which I will make blanks for the v-struts. Lots of shaping, sanding & planning to do here ......



A view up close from the front.



Turnbuckles at the bottom of the v-strut.



Upper end of the same wires. Alignment is looking much better now.

geezeraviation

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Nice! You know the stab doesn't look level in that last shot.
Doc

R/C Art

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The stab is fixed to the fuselage and is set in stone (ok then, wood). All 4 wing panels can be adjusted with the wires and struts and spacers (if needed on cabane to wing mount). I can rig this plane to be sooooo crooked - I can also rig it to be right on ........ so I have to be careful at this stage of construction.

Incidence and dihedral are set with the wires and struts. Wing sweep on the lower wing needs adjusting to align properly with the upper wing.
Measure measure measure and hope it comes out close.

Now to exacerbate the visual impact, few things on this model are straight - wings are swept, top wing has no dihedral bottom wing does, the fuselage cross section is trapezoidal and not rectangular and on it goes. I found out on my 1/3 scale N-11 that you have to view the model directly from the front, top, side or bottom to "see' the correct lines. Anything from an angled view point appeared to be out of alignment.

Now, to actually comment on your statement "You know the stab doesn't look level in that last shot". You know, now that I look at it, you're right

Billy Clink

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Looks like a plane coming together to me ! Wires and turnbuckles look nice Art ! Did you get to set back and notice how big it is with the wings finally in place ?

R/C Art

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Thanks, Billy. It takes up a LOT of space in the shop.......I was trying to figure out how to set it on its wheels with the wings in place, but can't do it - just not enough room.

geezeraviation

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Sure there is put a board across what it's sitting on and put it on its wheels right there, but you're right not a chance o setting it on the floor. After saying that it might be too tall.
I figured there was some long winded technical explanation for that stab looking like it does.
Did any one with a servo programmer ever chime in?
Doc

R/C Art

My Feedback: (38)

[QUOTE=geezeraviation;12300827]Sure there is put a board across what it's sitting on and put it on its wheels right there, but you're right not a chance o setting it on the floor. After saying that it might be too tall.

too big, too tall, too heavy

I figured there was some long winded technical explanation for that stab looking like it does.

what? from me ....long winded .....well, maybe

Did any one with a servo programmer ever chime in?

Yes, but I don't think is will do what I want it to do.

Cheers,
Art

geezeraviation

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They do make 180 degree servos.
Doc

R/C Art

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I know Doc, but I already have the servos and don't want to buy more - at this size they are kind of expensive. it is always an option if this set up doesn't work out.

Lucky Dog

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Thanks for sharing your progress Art.

R/C Art

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You're welcome Mike.

Doc, I found a servo programmer on line.

abufletcher

Looks square to me. And it checks out in photoshop. The only thing that doesn't line up in the center between the two top wing panels. But that's just an issue of camera placement. In my experience it's virtually impossible to take a photo where everything lines up even when you KNOW that everything is correct.

R/C Art

My Feedback: (38)

I am sure it is not going to be perfect - but PLEASE no more "it doesn't look straight to me" comments - I am going crazy trying to get it perfect

I think it's time to strap it all together just like it is and get this thing in the air! When I reflect back and remember some of the extremely crooked models that I have built and some even more crooked models that others have brought out to the flying field that actually flew and were controllable and able to be trimmed for relatively straight flight. This set up is well within any reasonable margin of error for a good flying model. I sometimes have an overwhelming obsession to make it perfect which gives me a brain and body freeze - and well, after some couch time with my shrink I think I'm back on track now.


.......whew! Glad that is over - ok back to the build .


oh, by the way ....... I finally called Hitech and actually learned how to reprogram my aileron servos for a longer stroke (angle of movement). Some of this technology is pretty cool.

R/C Art

My Feedback: (38)

After all this time banging around in the shop, I hit my head on the stab and raised the fuse off the table and realized that the fuse just In front of the stab was a bit flimsy. I hadn't added the rudder control cable exits so I incorporated a bit more lite ply to the fuse uprights., longerons and diagonals as well as the exits for the cables.
Not so flexible now (as soon as I glue this piece it won't be.

geezeraviation

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Art, Cover it , it'll be fine.

Yer old bud Doc!

DougB1

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Looking good Art, can't wait to see it in flying form but wonder how many different faces you'll be making trying to get it in the van ???

R/C Art

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Hopefully just 1 - this one. ......... hopefully not this one

geezeraviation

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Art!
So how soon till you start covering this fine machine? Do you have the covering? Will you have to refinance the house? How much will it take? I wish I could help, I love covering big airplanes.

Later Doc