I am learning to fly a Dynaflight motorized glider. I have an ALPHA trainer that will be my primary training plane this spring. I recently aquired a partially built LT-40 that I now want to modify as my eventual third plane in the training process. My end objective is warbirds so I want to use this LT-40 as a learning/experimental platform.

Here is what I am doing to this plane: adding flaps and and dedicated aileron servos, bomb bay doors, reducing dihedral, pull-pull rudder, bolt-on wings, conversion to tail-dragger and Estes Sidewinder Missles on wing pylons (just kidding on the last one).

The purpose is to learn procedures and techniques. I am hoping that by posting some pictures of my progress I receive critiques and suggestions. I am building by the seat of my pants in a sense so I expect that I am doing a lot of things the hard way and some things the wrong way. I have absolutely no problem with ripping freshly completed construction back out for structural and/or cosmetic reasons and have already done so many times so don't hesitate to impart some hard earned wisdom or how to do it right the first time stuff. I really like the "why did you do it that way" type questions because I generally have reasons that either do or don't stand up to review and emerging with a much greater understanding. I already recognize one of my biggest problems and that is overkill building, too much wood, too much glue etc. Again the goal is not to end up with a flawless LT40, but to learn as much as possible about the building process for that future warbird!

Here is the first picture. I made the flaps about 1/3 the length of the original strip aileron. I knew this would decrease the aileron area so I increased the aileron and flap width from 1.5" to 2.5 inches. I did not relocate the original wings TE so the wing maintains the original chord length plus an extra inch of aileron and flap chord. I would imagine that this at least affects the CG location a little to the rear? Let me know if I am building something unruly to fly. I am using Robart hinge points, three per aileron and two per flap. The flap hinges have there pivot point at the very bottom surface of the wing TE. The hinge barbs go up into the TE and the flap at about 30* angles. The aileron hinges are centered between the top and bottom wing surfaces. The hinges are epoxied into the control surfaces but not yet into the wing unti covering is complete. I have four servo hatch supports built into the wing for independent servos and after the fact holes cut into the ribs for the servo leads. I haven't figured a way to put paper tubes for wire routing into the wing so I guess I'll lay in some string in there for fishing the leads through later. I'll post again and show what I did after I cut the already built wing in half to remove most, but not all, the dihedral. I haven't not yet figured out how to operate the bomb bay doors. I hope my reasoning is correct in centering the bomb bay directly under the Center of Gravity. Still a little fuzzy on exactly the pull-pull rudder/tailwheel final configuration but have been doing much reading. A lot of great sites out there and Cafeenman's site has been particularily helpful!

Haven't decided on the engine but either a .046 BB or some four-stroke. Remember this plane is a learning platform, comments?
Thanks,

FarmBuyer