Hello all,

Well I've had a couple of late nights (early mornings) this week and I'm pleased to say this build is almost done! Last night I finished covering the fuselage, wings and tail feathers. I haven't covered anything in a long time, it shows, but not that bad. Rounded wing tips are always hard to do! I still have decals/stickers to apply to the plane as well as paint and install the "dummy" engine heads. This was my first time at doing control hinges with the covering material. Next time I will pull out the Monokote covering stripper cutter and cut more uniform and smaller hinge pieces!

The motor and speed controller is back in the plane as is the rest of the electronic equipment. It's not all mounted yet and I may still swap out the ESC for a physically smaller one. I still need to make and install the tail wheel wire mount and install the tire. I need to ream out the prop shaft hole and tire holes just a "hair" more so that wheels rotate freely and that the prop comes off easily. I need to install the control rods from the servo's back to the tail feathers. As well as glue the vertical stabilizer/rudder and horizontal stabilizer/elevator to the fuselage. They are currently just setting in there.

The current weight is right at 8.2oz, a whopping 3.8oz less than the published final flying weight from the build plans. I'm estimating about another .3 to .5 oz's of weight with the finishing of the plane. If I swap out to a physically smaller ESC it would probably make up for this weight increase or possibly a net weight loss.

I also bounda DX5e to the receiver, this will go with the plane. Igotthis radiowith my Radian Gliderseveral years back and I don't use it much now becauseI have a DX8, whataGREAT radio! Anyway here are some of the photo's I took last night (early morning) with my iPhone. Enjoy!I do welcome any and all CONSTRUCTIVE advice!

Thanks,

Bill