Canuck1

Good luck John, I hope it fits.
Started on the fuselage tail post. Drilled out the top circle, placed in the brass, and measured for square left to right, and front to back, after the fuselage was level. I will need to cut another hole in the bottom. The brass will extend past the bottom, for the tail skid mounting. When it is done, I will have to brace the brass with a small plywood collar aroung the tube for a good bond. I was also thinking about the rudder hinge that goes on the bottom. Because the fin rear post will be in the brass tube, I will need to fabricate and solder a small hook that will fit into a hinge on the rudder, as the rudder will be attached to the post. I plan on making it all before any glue touches the pieces to ensure the fit and alignment are correct.

Craig.

Canuck1

Bottom hole has been cleaned out. I placed the brass in and the dowel in. Turned out great.

Craig.

V2PLUS10

Good work Craig! Fabricating things to make it "your way" is surely half the fun. Great build!

Randy

Canuck1

Thanks for the kind words. I have been following what you are doing. I must say that you are doing an excellent job. You thread is also giving me idea's. I like to try to fabricate, and do the little things. Building is tons of fun.

Craig.

Canuck1

Completed the vertical fin. As I built it, I incorporated the wooden dowels. The structure is built around them and they are tied in very nicely to the structure. I placed it on the tail, however the front hole is not drilled and the rear brass has not been trimmed. First I must find the correct position of the horizontal stab, secure that, then proceed with lining the fin up.

Craig.

Square Nozzle

My Feedback: (1)

That's just to neat Craig. I'm going to do similar to my Tiggie with one variation. Only the front will be doweled. The rear has a laminated post that fits against the rear post on the fuselage. That will provide the rear support for the fin.

If the Tiggie doesn't fit in the back of my truck, I can always have my wife drive my truck to the field while I fly the airplane from the passengers seat. Takeoff might be a challange with all the utility wires on our street. Actually the bigger challenge would be to get my wife to come to the flying field .

Canuck1

John;
This is turning out neat as you say. I have placed the horizontal stab in its location. Now what I am doing is using some brass on the fwd dowel, slowly turning it to cut away the balsa wood in the horizontal stab. This will give me the exact dia for the brass tubing.

Craig.

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

You're doing a real good job on the Pup, glad to see it being built. I was worried about the Stab on my SE5a, it seemed wobbly .. until... I added the rigging. That made ALL the difference. It's very secure now.
FYI I have flown the 1/3 pup a few times. A fellow club member has one with a G80 engine. His plane is Not over powered with that engine. This is most noticable during rolls. Just thought I'd mention that.

Canuck1

The hole is now cut through the horizontal stab and the 1/8th ply. Man that brass is sharpe. Don't ask me how I know
It is a nice tight fit through the stab. I now have to cut the brass piece to the proper length. I think what I will do first is find the highest part of the airfoil and cut it to that length. I will build up the area around the tube so when I cover, it will be flush with the covering.

Craig.

Canuck1

Thanks for the info Bob. I was thinking of going with a G-62. My options are always still open.
Finished up the fin mounting. Of course there are all the small things to do but the basic construction is complete. Even at this stage it is solid. I think I will do some small dowels to keep the horizontal stab inline on the fuselage. I know the flying wires will do it as well. With the addition of flying wires, they will hold everything square. The fin dowels just have to be trimmed for the proper length, which will determine the space between the fin and the stab. This will be done later.

Craig.

Canuck1

I went to the local fishing store and picked up some Nylon Covered Standard Stainless Steel Leader Wire. This stuff is rated at 60lbs, which should be pretty strong. It also fits nicely into the 440 threaded coupler. Just thought i would do a practice piece. I still need a little work on my whipping.

Craig.

Canuck1

Well, this evening I made the hardwood points for the tail flying wires. I laminated 1/8 th lite ply for the size that I needed. I stilll need to clean them up. I also drilled small holes in the locations for the bolts. These will be opened to the correct size when I get to that stage. I ran some elastic string through the holes and put a small eyelet in the top of the fin just to have a look. The angles look good. I have not made the attachment points to the fuselage yet. That will come soon.

Craig.

Square Nozzle

My Feedback: (1)

Craig, you're not really going to use those generic "hobby" clevises on your "scale" airplane are you? Take a look at the Mick Reeves site for Pup flying wires and cables. I believe he has a better offering. Sorry if I sound like a pain in the A%* but I have this thing about short cuts on rigging wire and empennage airfoils.

Canuck1

Never noticed your Obsessiveness John Just kidding....
I think for the initial flights the standard cables will work fine. Scale wires are an obvious thought when it comes to scale competitions and stuff.

Craig.

Square Nozzle

My Feedback: (1)

You have me dialed in Craig. Press on, you're creating a fine specimen.

Canuck1

Well
It has been a while since my last post. Work has really kept me from progressing on the pup. Framed up the two bottom wings and will be progressing on the other wings shortly. Pics to follow.

Craig.

Canuck1

Wings have been completed. They went together fairly well. I need to touch up a few spots but overall I am pleased with the results. I have attached some pics of the wings, as well as a pic of the top wings inserted into the top center wing.
Next I will be attaching the top centre piece to the cabane struts.

Craig.

Prop Nut

My Feedback: (3)

Quite a chore you have there. Looks great.

Canuck1

Thanks Prop Nut. I think the building will be the easiest, the rigging will no doubt take some time. After it is all set up, I will finish all the sanding and cleaning up of the airframe.

Craig.

Canuck1

I have been working on the top center piece for the past couple of days. It is taking time to get it aligned properly. The rear cabanes are notched out so the dowel will fit inside the notch. The front cabanes are butt against the front edge of the front spar. Lots of sanding to get it just right. I have the rear held down with elastics to form a solid fit, while I measure and check for alignment. As it sits now I have 1/16th of an inch positive incidence, as for the plans. After my initial gluing, I will fill the gaps with small wedges of hard wood for a tight fit. I was also thinking of drilling small holes once it is glued and inserting some 1/8th bamboo sticks through the two plywood ribs.......through the cabanes just for added strength.

Craig.

Canuck1

Centre piece is now glued in. I used Polyurethane glue...works great and fills small gaps. I drilled some holes and inserted some hardwood tooth picks for added security. Next I will install the wood stiffener, then box in the strut mounting points and fill in the spaces prior to caping the ends of the center section.

Craig.

Canuck1

Center wing is complete less the balsa end caps. Just thought I would put it on it's wheels and have a look. Plugged in the top wing, to get an idea of how big it is.

Craig.

Canuck1

Finished the mounting of the Tangs, which are used for the flying wires. They are loose fitted for now and I can tighten them up once the flying wires are added. Now it is off to the garage to work on the setting up of the wings with the struts. I will post a few pics as I go with the set up.

Craig.

V2PLUS10

Looks great Craig....do you think you'll have it finished before the snow flys, or are you planning on next Spring??

Randy

Canuck1

Randy.

Next year she will be ready. I have a couple of planes that I will finish this winter for next year. Still have 2 airworthy birds for this year. So far so good "knock on wood"

Craig.