Time for a bit of an update on the Zero. Well it continues slowly! Its [supposed to be] flying season here in the UK, and although the weather isn't great so far, I've been repairing a hack for my teenage son. [Who flies but does not build!] putting a ARTF Yak 54 together and building a balsa mosquito.
I'm currently taking a longer term view on the Zero, which I will hope to finish over the winter. However I have done a few bits...
Here is the current state of the fuselage....
Elevator push rod and actuating arm are in place.
Retractable tail wheel shoehorned into place and working nicely. I'm very pleased with that! It wont be steering, I have it on a sprung castor.
All the balsa for the wing fillet is in place. I will build the wing and then sand all this to shape. This should help if I have to 'fudge' the fit a bit.
Actuator for the tailwheel in place. The base of the vertical stab is hollowed out to allow controll rods to pass through here. My current plan for operating the rudder is a piece of control rod bent to shape and epoxied into the bottom of the rudder complete with a ball link to make a control horn inside the base of the vertical stab. I think it will work! It will be nice to keep everything hidden!
As the current plan is to sand and shape the wing fillet to suit the wing when that is built. I have made a start on both wings, which are framed, ahd have received their top skin. I've then been fiddling around putting in a trailing edge spar for the split flaps that I am adding. I've put in rails for my retract units and servo holders for aileron servos and flaps, and... the extension leads are in. A few jobs to be done before skinning the bottom, mainly fitting the aileron leading edge and traling edge. I also have to come up with an alternative way of fixing a wing dowl or dowls as the ones on the plan pass right through the wheel bays.
Hopefully I'll be back with more news before too long.