That is all up finished dry weight. Add 16oz or 1 pound to that once I fuel the tank to capacity. I did not try to make it lighter with any sort of holes or boring. I built the plane as simple as possible. The only thing I did to get rid of much excess weight was sanding and more sanding. The only thing that I did not almost sand through was the rudder and I wanted it fat. I weighed it before I started final sanding and carving block. At pre-sanding/carving it was at 10 pounds all up weight. Attached is a picture of my scales at weigh in. I just noticed that I need to correct the weight of 8.43 to 8.36 pounds. Sorry guys my mistake.

Richard, the first thing that comes to mind is that the urethane clear system works for applying what ever covering material (glass, silk ,etc.) you want to use, it then fills the grain or weave in a matter of two or three coats without having to add any fillers. It also serves the same purpose as primer, and finally it adds shine and durability to the top coat. And when it is finish sanded and buffed it does not remove any of the color(s) that you may have applied. If done properly ie- as sparingly as you can get away with, it should not add too much extra weight. A little practice will improve your technique; the more you use it, the better it will get. Also, when you uesthe "base coat/clear coat" system you can eliminate the color line breaks, leaving a smooth, shiny surface similar to that of a custom painted show car.PS- you can use a dent and wave filler either before or after you apply the material covering with the urethane clear. If you do it before hand I would recommend that you use a coat or two of either dope or urethane clear over the balsa since most fillers will be considerably harder than the balsa and this method will help to reduce the problem of gouging the the balsa while feathering the filler. If you do it after you apply the covermaterial (glass, silk, etc.)with two coats of clear, then make sure you use a couple of coats of urethane clear over the filled areas before you apply color. And I use the system because it is simple to me but the idea of ease of use is subjective so that part of your question is a little harder to answer.

Duane,Thank you for your comments on the power.I have a motor that I will bench test first.I will follow the SPA rules and see what kind of power I can make.Mine simla will be coverd with ultra coat.Keep up the great work guys.
stefanP

I used an OS .90 2-stroke on purpose on the Simla with the idea that I could easily switch out that engine for the OS .60 and experiment, since they both use the same mounting holes. The pictures of the fuselage with the engine attached during construction on the earlier pages were taken with the OS .60 bolted in. The shaft of the .90 extends ablout 1/8" further forward...otherwise, dimensions are very close between the two.

If you use the .60, I hope you have really short grass or a hard surface.

Duane

For what it is worth fuel tanks are measured in fluid ozs. ie- sixteen fluid oz. of fuel may not actually weigh sixteen ozs. on the scale. For example fill your 16.oz. tank with water and then fill it with liquid mercury and the weight of the two will be vastly different.

You are exactly right. I did not even think about that. I guess I will need to look up how much glow fuel weighs per fluid ounces. Does anyone know??? Could not find it on the manufactures site.

Thanks for the tip.

Kevin Clark

Kevin, just fill a spare tank with the specific fuel you use and weigh it.

Nice to know what a tank of fuel weighs, but everybody uses "dry weight" for comparison, (unless they are "electric", then they tend to use "flying weight"...or they could use "dry weight" by leaving the battery weight out). Oh whatever!!

Duane

REGARDING HATCHES:

One thing we don't know much about is Ed's hatch set-up, and whether or not he used one or two. We don't know exactly how he did it either. This part of the Simla is just not visible to get concrete answers from...we have only ONE source that shows some low resolution photos of the interior, and some of the inner workings. The source is valuable, (as is EVERY other shred of evidence about the Simla), but it kind-of teases you because the quality of the photos there doesn't show the area well enough to prove much. In this area we simply have to make a hatch and 'inner workings' set up that satisfies our own needs, and concentrate our efforts on the outline or planform of the Simla...which matters most.

The info we have comes from an overseas publication entitled "Big Stuff", that shows not only Ed's Simla, but some of his flying buddy's planes as well. You can see from the pictures that there is some variation between the models...you can tell they all started from a single concept or idea, and each built what suited him. Ed's Simla was only one of several large scales planes built that year. Not shown is Vic Husak's "Cream Puff", which is shown in more detail in the Taurus thread.

We concentrate on the Simla because of who Ed is, and the fact that the Simla, (as scantily documented as it is being barely enough to reconstruct the plane), is still the best documented of all these designs...and of course, because it is gorgeous.

The "Big Stuff" article courtesy of Evan Pimm from NZ, shows how Ed did his plug-in wing, his aileron linkages, and some of the inner workings of the nose gear. For those of you who may want to build an exact replica of Ed's Simla, this is where you go for the documentation of this area.

Back to the hatch(es). One of the photos shows what appears to be a shot from front to back of the hatch area...but again, the detail isn't good. It is likely Ed used only ONE hatch, since ALL of Ed's other planes do not have a separate access hatch for the fuel tank and tubing. We chose to use two hatches for added accessibility in this area. I will take and include photos of my hatches a bit later below. Kevin had an interesting way of setting his up so that only ONE screw holds BOTH hatches in position, (maybe Kevin can take a photo of his arrangement for comparison. In our plane, the hatches essentially go all the way from the firewall to the rear of the wing.

Duane

Covering with carbon veil may not be the way to go. I saw in another thread that, although it adds to the durability of the surfaces, the veil soaks up a lot of resin; thus, a lot of weight. Probably better to go back to glass; perhaps .75 oz with the closest weave I can find.

I did get the 2-part auto clearcoat Bill recommended (although not the Dupont brand). 1 quart with hardener was $40. Ouch.

Have been experimenting with body fillers and have learned two valuable lessons:

1. A little hardener goes a *long* way.
2. Don't apply more filler than you need; you'll just have to sand it off (and it is harder than balsa).

I finally sheeted and filled the imperfections in the stab. Still need to add the stab tips and sheet the fin before getting into the fuse. The problem with a day job is that it interferes with building time. I'd take vacation time to make a larger dent in the build if it weren't for the latest creative deadline.

Cheers,
Richard

I know how that "day job" thing goes...the prototype kit took me about six months to build and finish, and that was with me "pushing myself" at times due to the article deadline, (which was ultimately pushed back anyway from the Nov 2010 issue to March 2011 issue). I don't build as well when I build when I'm not feeling like it, but Jeff's kit made it easier because it was so well done. Still, there are times when you get home from work and you say..."not tonight", but there were not as many of those days as usual for me....I had to "keep on truckin'" Six months beginning to end for me is FAST.

At least it has taken longer than two weeks for billberry to finish!

Richard, I'm sorry that I didn't mention the cost of the urethane. But don't feel too bad, I buy it by the gallon at wellnorth of $100. I have discovered that where balsa model building goes a little of the clear urethane goes a long way. I don't know, however, if a quart plus hardener will do the whole Simla project You probably canget a reducer for it, but I would not reduce the mixed clear more than about 10%. That having been said, I was able to get my fuselage and tail feathers glassed this weekend. Now it's a bunch of prep sanding and some paint work. I will be ordering my CF tube and sleeve on Thursday so it shouldn't be too long before wing time. Yippeeeeee!

Duane, OMG what aslacker I am! It has now been four weeks since I began my build and I only have the fuse and feathers ready for paint. Oh well, I'll try to do better the next time. I promise.LOL

No need. You are already "super human" as far as I'm concerned to get as far as you are in a month...anything more than that, I would have thought you were either using magic, or employ a bunch of underpaid elves.

Doesn't Santa live in Florida most of the year?? Now I understand

Duane

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh..... You are going to give away my secret. At least my magic isn't black and my elves don't have a clue as to what collective barganing is all about!

The CL Stunt guys are as weigh-conscious as the FF guys, and there's a lot of veil used in the planes I've seen built (Bob Hunt and buddies).

If it's adding weight from soaking up resin, I have to think that the technique needs to be improved.

Andy

Andy,

You wouldn't happen to know which weight of veil they're using?

Thank you,
Richard

Started my wing build last night and ordered my wing tube and sleeve from Tony this morning. Fortunately, he had some in stock thanks  to Richard's suggestion. He thinks that I should have it by Saturday. If all goes well, I should pretty much have everything ready for paint by next weekend.</p>

I should pretty much have everything ready for paint by next weekend....

Correction...you and your elves

I guess I'd better get started on the wing build...though I doubt you need it. Have you ordered contest balsa for the sheeting...just curious? I used 2nd grade contest balsa fron "National" for the Simla prototype...Jeff's wood overall is good, but weight was saved with each sheet, and there is a LOT of sheeting on this wing.

Duane

Just got this from Bob:

.2 ounce per square yard. (2 tenths ounce)

Andy

I think our solution is obvious. We fly Bill to each of our locations, set up a cot for him in our workrooms, and have him frame up the Simla. By the time he gets to Colorado, he should have it down to a 2-day event.

I also ordered the 2nd grade contest sheeting from National Balsa. It's too bad that they had it only in 3-inch widths rather than 4-inch. I made a SWAG and ordered 20 48-inch sheets. They arrived with only minor edge dings. I'll see if I can come up with an accurate weight difference between the supplied sheeting and the contest.

Carrying on with Bill's method of gluing a carbon rod into the stab, I got a couple 48-inch rods and plan to glue them into the wings. Perhaps it's overkill, but the weight is not significant.

I think I'll cover the stab and elevator with carbon veil and the automotive urethane, and weigh the stab before and after. Not sure quite how to extrapolate the change in weight to the entire plane. Perhaps as a percentage of total weight of the shell.

If Tony has some wing tubes/sleeves in stock, with any luck mine will arrive soon. Not that I'm ready for it. Sigh ...

Cheers,
Richard

Take heart Richard...not all of us have the luxury of having hordes of elves slaving away on the plane while billberry simply supervises with a megaphone in his hand...

I'll mention this later, but in the small chance billberry isn't doing this, I found it useful to individually weigh each sheet of balsa, (on a digital postal scale), and put the heavier pieces on the left wing to counteract the off-center weight of the sidemounted engine. I also did this with the spars. Using this method, I didn't have any problem laterally balancing the Simla. In fact, I many have, (can't remember), put TOO MANY of the heavier pieces on that side, and had to add just a little to the right tip.

Duane

Thanks!
Richard

Duane,

I remember seeing this in one of your earlier posts; perhaps in the original Taurus thread. I certainly appreciate the reminder, and it's something I can do without having to be working on the wing.

Cheers,
Richard

Duane, Actually I thought I would use the lumber supplied with the kit for the first build and on a later build go for the lightest stuff I can find. That way a possible comparison between different weight Simlas can be made assuming all else is the same(ie-engines, radios, building techniques, etc.). And then there is the clipped wing version, and light weight/small engine versions. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.