A few years ago, after seeing the work Mark Hunt was doing with balsa pattern planes, I decided to build my own. I enjoy the build almost as much as I enjoy flying. I drew plans on Turbocad and built a prototype back in 2007 and have been flying it ever since. The prototype is powered by a Hacker C50-14XL with TP5300 Prolite V1s and came out at 10.9 pounds. The fuselage is all wood and the wings and stab are foam.
I had no great expectations when I started the project, but it turned out to be a really good flying airplane, so I am building a second Lightning. After finishing the airplane it was evident that I had overbuilt many areas of the fuselage. It doesn't need to be much lighter, but I would like to expand my battery options by dropping a few ounces. I used the original outline and completely redesigned the internal structure to eliminate extraneous structure. I am also straying from the all balsa fuselage and will be molding a composite canopy. I think it will be a bit lighter than my planked canopy I have now, plus that was a royal pain to build.
Before I dig into the build, if you are going to build a pattern plane, read Earl Haury's PL Products Partner Build found here:
http://pages.suddenlink.net/donramsey/ His methods can be applied to any pattern plane build. I have incorporated many of Earl’s building techniques even into my wood airplanes.
Here is a picture of the prototype Lightning.
Enjoy!