I figured I'd start a build thread for my Fledgling Trainer kit. I'll be adding pictures later.

Like I mentioned in the beginner's forum about 15-17 years ago I tried to complete a trainer and the skills were just beyond me. For the last couple of years I've been getting the urge to put an airplane or three together and this winter I decided to go for it. I really want to build and fly warbirds and scale general aviation craft, so I started looking for a kit to build. I found Tom Martin's site where he sells plans and some laser cut short kits, and saw that he had a fledgling kit available.

I ordered the fledgling.

I inventoried the kit and was pretty happy with the looks of everything.

I started by cutting aileron stock into TE/Aileron combinations. I blew one of the cuts giving me a sturdier TE but a skimpy aileron. Chalk one up to experience. I cut some lightening holes in the doublers because they were pretty hefty ply in an otherwise light frame. I left more than some of the electric guys, as I'm probably going to shove my old Royal .46 in the airplane. I also made some sanding blocks out of 2x4, paper, and contact cement.

The vertstab is two pieces of hefty balsa, glued it together.

The horizontal stab is built from parts and sticks and sheeted. I put this together carefully going for perfect wood to wood joints and ended up being pretty happy with it. The pieces for the edges seemed to be 1/8" to 1/16" short, so I cut new pieces to make it more-or-less perfect.

I set up the left wing and found that the lasercut kit isn't perfect according to the plans, the sheer webs end up fitting differently, I think(I'm at work and don't recall my exact complaint). Kit was missing one rib, so I cut a new one. The plans call for building on sheeting. Because I was cutting the LE/TE edges I wasn't sure that I wanted to glue sheeting until I got a better idea of how the completed wing comes together. For the left wing I set everything up with pins and scrap, left it for a couple of hours, looked at it again and glued everything but teh root web. I rushed this step a bit and I'm not 100% happy with the alignment of all the ribs, but not so unhappy as to make a new wing. Cut and installed sheer webs each one individually cut sanded and glued. 95% happy with the outcome.

Fitted the leading edge and shaped. Far and away the toughest aspect of the kit. I'm only 85% happy with the LE, but there's lots of shaping and its a true skill that I need to develop. I will purchase a razor plane before wing 2 is shaped.

For the right wing I set it up the same way, but decided to include the bottom TW sheeting to make everything line up better. The instructions call for 2" of sheeting. The instructions are wrong. I decided to leave the 1/4" gap alone and run with it, next time I'll measure off of the plans and not off of the instructions(on the plans but you know what I mean). This wing framed up much better than the left, I'm 95% happy with the alignment of the wing and all ribs.

I cut the webs for the right wing but haven't continued... I'll shape webs in front of the TV tonight.

I really feel like between reading build threads on here(especially RCKen's LT40) and reading several instruction manuals for other trainers I have got some idea what I'm doing. I think my next kit is going to be GP, just to "pay" for making their manual available online.

I'll get some pics up tonight.

Chris