blueapplepaste

My Feedback: (5)

Looking good so far - keep it up. This thing needs to be in the air already!!

Tango Juliet

Thanks... And I know [&o]. I'm at work now and won't get back to it until Friday, but then I have all my other chores to do, then it's the weekend, so maybe Monday, the 21st before I get any real work done on it.

Tango Juliet

Every time I think I'm ready to start the finishing process on this thing, I find more areas that need attention []. There are some spots that need a little filler and sanding before I start the Liquid Sheeting, and I'm going to add a coat of Sanding Sealer before that goes on . I have finished the cockpit (though the canopy isn't glued on yet). And, I finally got it up on its legs![sm=thumbup.gif] I think I'll have plenty of prop clearence. I've got 8 1/2" from the thrust line down to the bench in a level attitude .

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

How long are the struts and what size wheels 2 1/2"?

Tango Juliet

From the bottom of the aluminum block where the strut enters the mount to the center of the axle, they are 4 3/4", and they're sitting on 2 1/2" wheels. The block protrudes below the wingskin perhaps 1/8", so I get 6 and 1/8" of extension.

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

OK thanks. I will have lots then. I ordered some struts for mine and I believe they are 5 1/2" so I should have room to cut them down if needed.

Auburn02

My Feedback: (1)

Real nice TJ. Get that thing finished and we'll fly your Ultra Sport and my 4 Star in formation. Just like old times. [8D]

Tango Juliet

Ha! I don't think so Mike! I'll be building a new Ugly Stik for that soon though.

alvinrc

Would you believe that I read this entire build thread and enjoyed the steady at times progress.
No doubt that this will be a great looking airplane when finished up.
Ahhh, the potential building hours spent at the El Toro.

Way to go TJ on this project and Roll Tide Roll this Saturday for the Iron Bowl. [8D]

Tango Juliet

Thanks Alvin.

Building hours? How about hobby money!

Tango Juliet

I've started putting on a coat of Sanding Sealer as a prep to doing the Liquid Sheeting II.

Tango Juliet

The Sanding Sealer has dried and has been sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Liquid Sheeting will be applied within the next day or two. I think I might be in the 'Home Stretch' now . I hope, I hope, I hope...[&o]

Tango Juliet

I was all set to start applying the LSII this afternoon, but a cold front came through last night dropping the temps considerably and bringing strong gusty winds with it that help to pull heat out of the apartment. I know, I live in the South, and it's not as cold as some of you are experiencing this time of year, but the recommended temperature range for applying LSII is 70-80F, and 35% Humidity. My heater isn't as efficient as it should be and the spare rooms stay a little cooler than the rest of the place, and the rest of the place is only 69F! So... I've bumped up the heat a little and may try tomorrow morning. But I also go back to work tomorrow about 12:30 and most of my morning time is spent packing and preparing for work, so it may, or may not happen this time. I really don't want to screw this step up.

Tango Juliet

OK, well, it felt a little warmer to me this morning and I had some time to kill, so I went ahead and mixed up the LSII as per the directions. I only mixed about half of the quantity of the Part A and Part B containers as I knew I wasn't going to do the entire airframe and wing this time. I started with the bottom side of the wing and control surfaces and the bottom of the fuselage and tail.

I'm slightly concerned that the conditions still weren't correct for best results. It's been on now for about 30-40 minutes and I can see areas that don't appear covered at all even though I used a foam roller and made several passes. I also see a 'fish-eye' effect that I'm hoping will level out as the time passes. Someone else on the forums thinned it, 1/3 Part A - 1/3 Part B - 1/3 Denatured Alcohol with good results. I didn't do that, but perhaps I should have for better coverage. BTW, it has a bit of an odor and should be used with ventilation (which I didn't do). I didn't notice it so much until I walked out of the room and came back in. I also don't think what I have left in the containers will be enough to finish with unless I do thin it. It's too early to tell though right now.

I don't think that I've ruined anything though, so I'm not writing this off as something I'd never do again. In fact, I will continue with it when I get home next week from work. I may just order more though to be sure I have enough.

No photos right now, I've already packed my camera into the truck, ready to go back to work.

Tango Juliet

The 'fish-eye' didn't really go away, and I don't think I got all the sanding dust completely off before I applied that coat. I'll need to sand what I put on and lay on another coat, and I think this time I'll thin it with the denatured alcohol. Some areas covered nicely and leveled themselves out, other areas, not quite so well. I also still think it wasn't quite as warm as it needed to be. Which means I may need to wait for warmer weather, which down here won't be that long. In the photos you can see one side that looks spotty with sediment in it, and the other side that looks almost perfect.

flyboy9994

Sorry to drag up an old thread but what happened?

I'm hoping to start this kit and am really curious to know how the liquid sheeting turned out. Any progress?

Tango Juliet

Sorry, I've been so busy with work and other things that I haven't done any more work on this since that last post, and the way things are going, I won't get to it anytime soon either.

stevelesl

still watch this thread for any activity. Mine is still flying great, of all my planes (and thats 8 right now) the US60 has become one of my favourites, lost count on the # of flights now but it really is great fun to fly, has no vices and always gets attention from new club members when they see it haulin *ss on a low pass.
The E-Flite electric retracts have never let me down and are very strong indeed when you do one of those bouncy landings [:@]
Favourite move is seeing how many rolls I can get on a pass, easy to get over ten in before it gets a bit far away
You just have to have one of these in your hangar

Tango Juliet

After learning of Mikes (Minnflyer) passing this morning, I stopped and looked through my thread from beginning to end. It was his original build thread that inspired me to build my US60 and I regret not having it finished for him to see. He was a good friend to have and I'll miss his wit and wisdom. I can't promise to get back on this thing anytime soon due to work schedule and financial issues, but I really do need to get her done.

RoyR

Wow, that's bad news about Minnflyer. He had a lot of good advice and was always glad to help anyone.

As I mentioned earlier, I demolished my Ultra due to a faulty Elevator servo.
I do have another kit in reserve, and thinking seriously about starting it. If I do I'll have to order another spare kit.
Also today I disassembled an Aeroworks Yak 54 I had been flying for 4 or 5 years. (unfortunately this one was pilot error) So I'm down a plane.

It's still good to see your build. I'm glad you are back on it. I'll be looking forward to see it finished. THe big question is: After all this time how scared are you going to be on your first flight?

Tango Juliet

There's no doubt I'm nervous, but I don't think I have any real reason to be. It's a proven airframe and even though mine will be heavier than stock, I'm confident that it'll still be a great flyer. I'm trying to finish a plans built 'Das Ugly Stick' (actually two of them - each with mods to make them different) before I get back to the US60, but eventually I'll get back on it and get it done.

Tango Juliet

I got back to work a little on the US60 today. I sanded the rough spots on what I had already applied of the LSII with 400 grit and wiped it off. Then I still had about half of my original containers of the LSII, so I opened up Part B and thoroughly mixed it per the directions, then went to open the Part A, but it wouldn't budge [:@]. Evidently I didn't wipe off the threads well enough before I closed it up, so I threw it all out, parts A and B. But I had a box of unopened LSII, so I broke it out and mixed a batch. I re-applied it over the previously done portions of the plane, but this time I put it on thicker and I think that helped. I think the first time I was trying to brush it out too thin and not allowing it to be self-leveling. I think I'll have enough left to mix a batch and do the rest of the airplane if I can get the Part A open again (probably tomorrow). I'm still not sure that I haven't entirely ruined it, but I'm hopeful. I'll probably still have to spray on a high build primer before paint, something I thought I could avoid, but maybe not. After a few hours, I'll snap some photos to see where we are.

Tango Juliet

Well, this time it was better, although far from perfect. It'll require considerable sanding to remove ridges and runs. The working time is only about 30 minutes before it starts to get thick and won't spread well, but it still wants to level itself, which caused the ridges when I turned it. It's hard to mix just enough and not too little or too much. I knew I couldn't do the entire plane at once, but I mixed more than I really needed and tried to wrap the fuselage sides some which didn't help me really.

So... where am I? It's not ruined, but it's still going to require more work than I had hoped. Once I finally get the LSII on all of the surfaces, I'll need to sand it somewhat aggresively to knock off any high spots and ridges. Then I'll have to use a primer to level it all back out again before paint. I do believe though that it is still lighter overall than fiberglass and resin.

Here is how it looks right now...