New to RC and RC Universe
05-17-2003, 01:48 PM
#1
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Lancaster, PA
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New to RC and RC Universe
Thanks to all of those experienced pilots for your posts. They have been very educational. I am in the process of building my first kit - PT 60. So far so good. Fuse complete started wing. Instructions clear parts fit OK (just OK). Hoping to find another RCer with present or past experience with this kit. I am really concerned about the covering stage. Have a friend that flies electric and several clubs in the area that offer training. So when I finish this project I don't plan to stick it in the mud on the first day. Thanks again all and I am sure I will be back with lots of questions.
05-17-2003, 02:26 PM
#2
New to RC and RC Universe
Welcome aboard, Bucks!
I've built one PT-60 and many other planes, and I know there are many other PT series veterans here, so ask away when things get wierd (or whenever).
On thing I do remember is that in the kit I bult, the wing parts fit very snugly and the instructions were to assemble the wing with the appropriate wash-out (intensional warp), and then instant glue the whole thing together to lock in the desired alignment. Well, that was a good theory that didn't translate well into practice... the wing sprang back almost all the way flat as soon as I released it from the constraints that originally set the twist. I then had to lock the desired twist in using covering tension.
Moral: if your wing parts are a looser fit than mine were, that's a good thing. It'll let the wing hold its intended shape without you having to wrestle with it and use the covering to lock it in.
I also recall that the fit of the finger-joints which connect the fuselage side parts was amazingly precise on the one I built. Again, the tightness of the joint worked against me on that one. See, there are two real functions for a fuselage -- one is to contain and protect your stuff, and the other is to hold the aiplane surfaces at the right distances and angles to each other. On the PT-60 I built, the finger joints lokcked the side pieces into an alignment where the angle between the wing and stab did not match the plans. I loosened the joints just enough to allow the wing and stab seats to aligh with the plan and pinned the assembly to the plans for gluing to make sure I got the angles right. (Note, the alignment can be fixed after assembly if necessaary, so don't go throwing anything away if you've already past this point.)
Anyway, good luck and keep in touch.
I've built one PT-60 and many other planes, and I know there are many other PT series veterans here, so ask away when things get wierd (or whenever).
On thing I do remember is that in the kit I bult, the wing parts fit very snugly and the instructions were to assemble the wing with the appropriate wash-out (intensional warp), and then instant glue the whole thing together to lock in the desired alignment. Well, that was a good theory that didn't translate well into practice... the wing sprang back almost all the way flat as soon as I released it from the constraints that originally set the twist. I then had to lock the desired twist in using covering tension.
Moral: if your wing parts are a looser fit than mine were, that's a good thing. It'll let the wing hold its intended shape without you having to wrestle with it and use the covering to lock it in.
I also recall that the fit of the finger-joints which connect the fuselage side parts was amazingly precise on the one I built. Again, the tightness of the joint worked against me on that one. See, there are two real functions for a fuselage -- one is to contain and protect your stuff, and the other is to hold the aiplane surfaces at the right distances and angles to each other. On the PT-60 I built, the finger joints lokcked the side pieces into an alignment where the angle between the wing and stab did not match the plans. I loosened the joints just enough to allow the wing and stab seats to aligh with the plan and pinned the assembly to the plans for gluing to make sure I got the angles right. (Note, the alignment can be fixed after assembly if necessaary, so don't go throwing anything away if you've already past this point.)
Anyway, good luck and keep in touch.
