Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Hi there!!

I am starting the build on my new Great Planes Performance Series Cap 232 and would like to share my progress with you as I go along. If you have any questions please feel free to ask!!!:D

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

The first pic is of the wing, it was covered very well and looks great!!! the whole airplane arived packadged very well and there was no damage to speak of. the first thing to do is make the hinge slots slightly larger to alow a better fit and tighter gap for a better smoother hinge job. Its easy to do with a sharp number 11 blade just trim it so the hinge it self sits like in pic #3. when you are done it should look like the hinge job in the last pic.
Clayton Wheaton

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

more pics

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Do yourself a favor man to save time in clean up:

1. Of course get all your hinges setup correctly and the holes the proper size to fit the hinge knuckles:
remember the hinge knuckles should be on the hinge line

2. Tape off your hinge holes on both the mating and actual surface

3. Use whichever glue you want; if you use gorilla glue which is really best - then when it expands it will do so onto the tape leaving you a clean surface on either the mating or control surface.

Simple, cheap, and easy way to save clean up. Works the same for other types of glue but expanding glues are best for hinging. You might put a few drops of 3 in oil in the hinge knuckle and its best to hinge to the mating surface (i.e. wing, stab, or rudder) first for best results.

If I would have done this when I first started building big planes it would have saved me soo much time. Then I finaly read the instruction manuals of an ARF (WH extra) and it became clear.

Looks nice and you will save weight with no wing tube!

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

I don’t like to hinge my surfaces until I mount my control horns, I like to set the surface up on a drill press and drill my holes straight and true. For glue I use the pacer hinge glue and love the way it works, but before that I put some Vaseline on the hinge right at the pivot point with a tooth pick. If you work slowly and carefully you should have no clean up on the wing or on your work bench. That’s my humble opinion!.:D thanks for the nice comments the plane goes togeather very easily and is very light this is defenitly a nice arf.

Clayton Wheaton

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

No wrong way for a hobby! Yeah jigging the surfaces is best to get everything exact. I never used the hinge glue just always used the expanding glue that is some really strong stuff. Its extra insurance for when you hinge into foam core wings or when you are not certain how much your hinges will stick into.

Which engine are you planning on using?

I like the yellow speed square :)

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

The motor I am using is the o.s. 1.60fx 2-stroke. The speed square is great for making shore that the horns are perfectly straight to one another, Try it and you will see how easy it makes doing control linkages! :D it takes most of the worrying but you should still double and triple check every thing any way no matter what you are building, Foamy or 40%, it will only fly as well as it was built.


Clayton Wheaton

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Very true. I am just as picky when it comes to building. Although I do have some planes built by Tony from Dalton so.

It all comes to setup and making sure your incidences are correct. I use the speed square but mine goes on the job with me a lot so its not as nice looking.

I built the H9 260 with the Saito 180 and it came out very light! I imagine it would work well on that plane also. Did you see the electric version of that plane being flown in doors? Now that was wild.

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Yeah I did see the electric cap being flown indoors at the Great Planes E-FEST by Jason Noll, I was at E-FEST but left right before they did it[:@] lol!!! I have the mag that it was on the cover of too.
Clayton Wheaton.

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Good work Clay!
Glad to see things are going together well for you.
George

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

I'm building the Great Planes CAP 232 .40 Kit version and I'm baffled by how to build the wing panels. They say to build the left panel on top of the Rt wing on the plan. I did that for the Rt and the opposite for the Lt and now I have two Left wing panels. Has anyone expereineced this and what is the solution. I can't figure it out. I am wait for a response form Great Planes but I though someone here might know.

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

The first sentence of the instructions (page 12) tell you to build first the right wing UPSIDE DOWN over the left wing panel plan. If you have two left wings is because you did not build it UPSIDE DOWN.

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Thanks for the attempt to clarify the manual but you just repeated what the book says. The picture shows the plan with the left wing and the ribs with the short jig tabs place on the drawing. That's how I built each panel using the left drawing for the right side and the right drawing for the left and placed the ribs with the short jig tabs down. Upside down in my mind might mean putting the ribs on upside down. I need more info.

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Leobid-rc,
It might be better to post your question in the kit building forum, you will get more of the people that could answer your question to view it... hope you get the problem sorted out and the plane in the air ASAP!!:D

Clayton Wheaton

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

more pics.

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

The first pic is of the finished aileron linkage; very simple and straight forward to assemble just remember to have the pivot right on the hinge line. Once you have the servos and linkages set up you can join the wing haves, for this you will need 30 min epoxy, paper towels, film remover, and a wood pecker tool. first run the wood pecker tool to perforate the spot were the epoxy will be to get a better bond then put the 30 min epoxy on the joiner, wing joiner opening and the first wing half then put some 30min on the other half and push them together firmly, wiping the excess of with a film remover covered paper towel and clamp it in place.

On to the fuse!!!! First thing to do is carefully with a sharp blade cut away the monocote that covers the stab and ele. Servo holes. Next install the horizontal stab set it were you want it and cut the covering back and use 30min epoxy to fold it in place. I am not going to explain hingeing as many people have different methods that have worked well for them. At this point you can mount the ele. Servos the same way you mounted the aileron servos. The servo arms I used were new from great planes and are metal and use small adapters to work with almost any servo!! They are very strong and look great. I used them on all surfaces. Mount the rudder servo or servos depending on your personal setup I chose to use a single Futaba 9331 servo that has more than enough torque and speed to get the job done the elevator servos are 9252 Futaba’s with 12 inch futaba extensions held together with heat shrink tube to prevent them from separating. Next assemble the elevator control linkage. I used ball ends and turnbuckles but the supplied hardware is just fine i had some titanium turn buckles left over from a Dirt oval terminator RC car still in the pack so I decided to use them. Next set up the pull pull system on the rudder every won has their own method they prefer so I won’t go into detail, same with the elevator linkages.
Clayton Wheaton.

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Whoops double post!!:)

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

The plane will fly this weekend and I will post pics when we get back!!!:D

Clayton Wheaton.

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

well?

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Must not be back yet!:DJoe

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

Sorry it took so long, the build took a total of 4days and was very easy and event free. I flew the plane and I love the way it flies!!! Right after take off I felt comfortable with the plane and the way it behaved in different flight axis. When I took off the O.S. 1.60fx had about 20 min of break in time and was set very rich but had insane power!! It will hover at around a little over half and pulls out with authority, when this motor breaks in and I lean it out a little it should have even more power, not that I need it lol!! It will do just about any maneuver I can think of and do it with ease. Inverted takes just a breath of down elevator. The Cap will do 3d just as well as it does precision maneuvers, it tracks straight and level with no tendency to wander or hunt. The Futaba digitals I used worked flawlessly and had plenty of torque and centered perfectly every time! I followed the factory rates and easily set them up on the 3 position switch on my futaba 9c transmitter and was more than adequate on 3d rates and only needed a little turning down on the ailerons for IMAC type flying on low rates. The cap lands easily and very slowly with no tendency to snap or tip stall on the approach. This plane was a pleasure to build and is an excellent flier, if you have any questions about the plane or build feel free to ask. The photos were provided by "Papa Jeff" (thanks again!!)

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

more pics,

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

OK Clayton, don't hold back, did you like the plane, engine, and radio? LOL;)

RE: Great Planes Cap 232 Build Thread!!
 

I love my CAP!!!! Thanks Roger Mayo for the pic.

GreatPlanes Cap 232 plans
 

A buddy needs a copy of the 40 size 232 plans