ORIGINAL: somegeek
I've been pondering building a plane for a few months now but was not pushed over the edge until a friend(who also plans to build one) invited me to go to the model airplane freestyle contest yesterday in Mollala, OR. I'd really like to build one now.
I did RC cars for about 8 years when I was growin up and always pondered building a plane.
I'm planning on building a kit and from reading the boards this is the list I've come up with for a good trainer start:
Sig LT-40 kit
.46 OS AX
Futaba 6exa w/ (4) 3004 servos
Convert to tail dragger:
Great Planes Dural Landing Gear Large .60
Sullivan Tailwheel Bracket 40-60 5-12 lbs.
Replace internal rods w/ solid Sullivan Goldenrods or Dubro metal rods?
3/8" Triangle stock for rear vertical stabilizer reinforcement
Pinned hinges
2.5"Aluminum Spinner(?)
(3) APC 11x5 prop
Prop reamer
Glow plugs
Dave Brown Six Shooter Fuel Pump Glow & 3' of fuel tubing
Foam rubber
Covering material
CA glues - thin, medium & thick
Epoxy
Various grits of general woodworking sandpaper.
x-acto blade set & saw w/ miter box
Sealing Iron
Iron sock
Ceiling Tile on a large piece of 3/4" MDF
Clothes pins
Wax paper for working surface when gluing
The ones I am not sure on are:
12oz fuel tank?
Fuel jug
Fuel type?
Debonder?
Glow starter?
Hinge guide/hinge slotting machine?
Lego or Snakeeye GIJoe figure?
Any items I missed? Trying to come up with a shopping list so when I head to the LHS I can get all I need(try to at least) in one swoop so my build is not held up with needing a type of glue or piece of hardware or whatnot... then again another trip to the LHS is not a bad thing. [8D]
Need to check out my local clubs in the coming weeks...
Appreciate any input!
somegeek
well you will want 15 & 30 min. epoxy for the plane. 30 min. for the wing halves and the fire wall. 30 is to lond to wait on the rest of the plane thats what the 15 is for.
no real cockpit so no place to put the GIJoe, good idea though!
for fuel I have been useing byron 15% pink fuel, I have been warened away from the green collor. for a glow starter I would say use a hot shot 2 with the long shank, I love mine. much easier to use and no wires to catch in prop, last a long time to.
for the tail wheel I just epoxied in place a piece of thin plywood, cant remember what wood it was but it was not balsa. you will need to put it on the inside and it will let the tail sit lower and lessen the chance of a prop strike.
with that motor you might want to hold off on the spinner. mine needed a brass hub to ballance out (I have the arf vertion) +I put the batteries at the front and the rx as far forward as possible. it just barely ballances but that is enough. the plane is great, it flies in a good stout wind and lands so slow I get board landing it lol.
Ohh I just remembered some thing, when doing the alerons make shure to get a plastic tube and put it on the U shaped brass rod that is supplied as a control horn , allowing the use of one servo to control both alerons, mine did not have a plastic tube inserted as a axel. with one the guys say the plane will never have that problem again. thats why they build all there planes that a way.
And when mounting up the engine mount to the fire wall, here is a tip to keep it from comeing loose. use a self locking nut, they are a threaded insert with a washer on one end that has spikes on it to hold it in the wood. after sinking it in remove it and dope it up with 15 min. epoxy and sink it back in. get you some aircraft nuts and some locktite (blue kind) and that dang mount will never come loose again!! thats what I had to do to make mine reliable but of course I still check it on the preflight list, good thing that list!
thats about it from me good luck and happy flying!!!