I just got a Super Skybolt kit (from Great Planes) and would like to hear any comments/suggestions that people might have on building this plane that might deviate from what the plans call for. Things like reducing weight, adding access panels, positioning tail servos, and other things that one might not consider until after having the plane for a while. It's always good to research these sorts of things, in my opionion, before making the plane. A little research beforehand can save you a ton of headaches. If you have any comments, even on one or two of the things below, please chime in! I'd appreciate any suggestions.

I've built something like seven or eight planes (a 40 size Chaos and Sportster were my last two). So I have a decent amount of experience. However, all the planes up to this point were rather basic (4-channel) builds. This time around (it's been a few years) I'd like to step it up a bit. Going to have several more channels (for dual alleron servos, possibly dual elevator servos, a smoke system, etc.). And so this is why I'm trying to look ahead and avoid potential errors and/or pitfalls.

That said, here are the things that I'd like help with that I know I'll encounter (feel free to add suggestions - after all, I can't ask about something I've never thought about). Plus, I've been out of the hobby for several years, and it seems many changes have been made. By the way, I'm likely going to put a Saito 1.20 or 1.40 in the plane (4-stroke of course).


- Elevator and Rudder Servos: I'm seeing a lot of planes now with the elevator and rudder servos mounted near the tail, in the fuse sides. This seems nice and clean, and it would remove the headache of using pushrods through the aft fuse. Plus it frees up room in the fuse above the wing (potential room for the smoke system?). Also, I was considering adding some doors in the aft fuse to 'drop' things like fake bombs or army men with parachutes... not having the pushrods in the way would be nice. Any suggestions as to the best method for moving the servos to the tail? I figured that I'd add some thin plywood and mount the servos on it... sounds simple, but am I underestimating this procedure? What about exposing the servos like that; won't gas/oil get on them?

- Dual servos for the elevator: I imagine that if I move the servos for the elevator to the tail, I'll probably be forced to use two servos (one for each half of the elevator), since it eliminates the idea of using a 'Y' shaped pushrod the plans call for. I guess I could the standard 'U' shaped piece of metal to link the two pieces of elevator and just use one servo, but that tends to introduce slop in the control surface in my experience. Are there additional advantages to using two servos for the elevator?

- Gas tank access: Seems that this kit doesn't leave a way to get to the gas tank in case the need arises. And I'm a bit stumped as to how to create one myself. Problem is, the cabanes are above the tank, so that's out of the question. And the plans call for a piece of plywood that the tank sits on, and it's permanently installed. I suppose I could make that ply (what the tank sits on) removeable, and then add a hatch below that in the bottom of the fuse....? Anyone have any good suggestions or ideas on modifying this area?

- Smoke system installation: Where are some good places to install the parts for the smoke system? I'm fairly certain that I'll use an electric pump, so I need space for a battery, the pump, flow restricter, and the tank. My original thoughts were to color the canopy opaque (like tint it black for example), and to put the tank under the canopy (i.e., leaving out the 'floor' of the cockpit). I would also have extra room in the body if installing the tail control servos at the rear of the fuse. Any suggestions here are most welcome!

- Lightening the wing, or fuse: Reading through some older posts regarding Super Skybolts, I saw someone suggesting to cut holes in the ribs to lighten the wing. That scares me... structually at least. Any thoughts on this? Doesn't seem like much weight would be saved there. What about lightening the fuse? Do I really even need to consider lightening the plane with a 4-stroke 1.20 in this plane? I do want it as acrobatic as possible.

- Hinges: What's the latest technique for hinges? Here's how I do it... I get those fuzzy hinges that you can buy at the hobby store. Then I cut the slots for them, install them without gluing them. Then I put T-pins through the balsa and hinges, and cut the pins of with pliars (maybe two per hinge). Then I remove the pins, use thin CA to glue the hinge in place, replace the pins and epoxy them in. I've never had a hinge fail this way so far, but then again, I've only ever build 40 size planes (well, the Chaos had an OS 46 - man it screamed). Are there better ways now-a-days for mounting hinges? Maybe a new kind of hinge in the last ten years has come out or something.

- 'Bomb' drop hatch: I'd like to add a little hatch, controlled via servo, to drop things. Any suggestions here or am I just going to have to wing the mechanics of it?


Any other modifications I might be overlooking? Even simple things; for example, I saw a really nice tail wheel assembly kit in the hobby store that I ordered. It mounts the tail wheel to the bottom of the fuse and uses a bell crank with springs to link up with the rudder. This is really nice, as anyone with a tail dragger would understand why. This is probably common sense to the experienced kit builders here, but as I said, I've been out of the scene for a while and it's new to me. Suggestions for any little tweaks like this would be most appreciated!

Each new plane you make, you learn from the past and incorporate modifications. It's too bad there's no book (at least that I've seen) that goes over all these 'learned from experience' type issues for kit plane construction. Most of it is learned either via experience or word of mouth at the field. I saw a post mentioning how kit building is becoming a 'lost art'. These details should be documented somewhere for others to benefit from.